THE INSTITUTE OF COMPANY SECRETARIES

OF INDIA (ICSI)

A PROJECT REPORT ON

LEADERSHIP

A PROJECT REPORT
SUBMITTED TO
THE INSTITUE OF COMPANY SECRETARIES OF INDIA (ICSI)
HYDERABAD CHAPTER

By

ASHISH KUMAR MUNDADA – 420504154

S.SRILAKSHMI – 320451451
B.SARANYA – 320451392

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Contents

I. INTRODUCTION 3

II. HISTORY & DEFINITION OF LEADERSHIP 4

III. WHAT IS LEADERSHIP AND CONCEPT OF GROUP 6

LEADERSHIP

IV. STYLES OF LEADERSHIP 8

V. SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP MODEL 16

VI. COMPANY SECRETARY AS A LEADER 20

VII. CASE – STUDY 24

VIII. CONCLUSION 26

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INTRODUCTION

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 LEADERSHIP

“I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting
along with people”. Mohandas Gandhi

Introduction:

It’s a myth that Good leaders are born and not made. Believe for truth, if we
have the desire and willpower, we can become an effective leader. Good leaders
develop through a never ending process of self-study, education, training, and
experience. Leadership is the art of getting people to move together toward a
goal they don't yet see. The quality of leadership, more than any other single
factor, determines the success or failure of an organization.

History:

The search for the characteristics or traits of leaders has been ongoing for
centuries. History's greatest philosophical writings from Plato's Republic to
Plutarch's Lives have explored the question "What qualities distinguish an
individual as a leader?" Underlying this search was the early recognition of the
importance of leadership and the assumption that leadership is rooted in the
characteristics that certain individuals possess. This idea that leadership is based
on individual attributes is known as the "trait theory of leadership".

“A Leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows

the way”

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HISTORY & DEFINITION OF
LEADERSHIP

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 Definition of Leadership

“Ability to influence, motivate and enable others to contribute to success of

their organization”.

“Leadership is lifting a person’s performance to a higher standard, the

building of a personality beyond his normal limitations”.

A Leader Is Someone Who…

…influences a group of individuals to achieve a
common goal. Key aspects of leadership include…

– Creating and communicating a vision

– Influencing others through use of power
– Motivating task behavior in pursuit of shared objectives
– Establishing and maintaining group culture
– Empowering others
– Clarifying roles and niche in marketplace
– Making tough decisions with limited information.

Effective leaders can increase……..

• Subordinates’ motivation
• Satisfaction
• Morale
• Task performance
• Group identification

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Leadership is a matter of intelligence, trustworthiness,
humaneness, courage, and discipline . . . Reliance on
intelligence alone results in rebelliousness. Exercise of
humaneness alone results in weakness. Fixation on
trust results in folly. Dependence on the strength of
courage results in violence. Excessive discipline and
sternness in command result in cruelty. When one has
all five virtues together, each appropriate to its
function, and then one can be a leader.

……..Are you ready to be a LEADER

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HISTORY OF LEADERSHIP

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 Concept of Group Leadership

In contrast to individual leadership, some organizations have adopted group

leadership. In this situation, more than one person provides direction to the
group as a whole. Some organizations have taken this approach in hopes of
increasing creativity, reducing costs, or downsizing. Others may see the
traditional leadership of a boss as costing too much in team performance. In
some situations, the team members best able to handle any given phase of the
project become the temporary leaders. Additionally, as each team member has
the opportunity to experience the elevated level of empowerment, it energizes
staff and feeds the cycle of success.

Characteristics of a Group

• Purpose: Members proudly share a sense of why the group exists and are
invested in accomplishing its mission and goals.
• Priorities: Members know what needs to be done next, by whom, and by
when to achieve team goals.
• Roles: Members know their roles in getting tasks done and when to allow
a more skillful member to do a certain task.
• Decisions: Authority and decision-making lines are clearly understood.
• Conflict: Conflict is dealt with openly and is considered important to
decision-making and personal growth.
• Personal traits: Members feel their unique personalities are appreciated
and well utilized.
• Norms: Group norms for working together are set and seen as standards
for everyone in the groups.
• Effectiveness: Members find team meetings efficient and productive and
look forward to this time together.
• Success: Members know clearly when the group has met with success and
share in this equally and proudly.
• Training: Opportunities for feedback and updating skills are provided
and taken advantage of by group members.

There is a unique approach to group leadership that is aimed at action oriented

environments, where effective functional leadership is required to achieve
critical or reactive tasks by small teams deployed into the field. In other words,
there is leadership of small groups often created to respond to a situation or
critical incident.

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STYLES OF LEADERSHIP

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 Styles of Leadership

Leadership style refers to a leader's behavior. It is the result of the philosophy,

personality, and experience of the leader.

Autocratic or authoritarian style:

Under the autocratic leadership style, all decision-making powers are centralized
in the leader, as with dictators. Leaders do not entertain any suggestions or
initiatives from subordinates. The autocratic management has been successful as
it provides strong motivation to the manager. It permits quick decision-making,
as only one person decides for the whole group and keeps each decision to
him/herself until he/she feels it needs to be shared with the rest of the group.
Such a Leader makes decisions without reference to anyone else:

– High degree of dependency on the leader

– Can create de-motivation and alienation
of staff
– May be valuable in some types of business where decisions need to
be made quickly and decisively.

Participative or democratic style:

The democratic leadership style favors decision-making by the group. Such a

leader gives instructions after consulting the group. They can win the
cooperation of their group and can motivate them effectively and positively.

The decisions of the democratic leader are not unilateral as with the autocrat
because they arise from consultation with the group members and participation
by them.

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Encourages decision making from different perspectives:

– Consultative: process of consultation before decisions are taken

– Persuasive: Leader takes decision and seeks to persuade others that
the decision is correct
– May help motivation and involvement
– Workers feel ownership of the firm and its ideas
– Improves the sharing of ideas
and experiences within the business
– Can delay decision making

Laissez-faire or free rein style:

A free-rein leader does not lead, but leaves the group entirely to itself. Such a
leader allows maximum freedom to subordinates; they are given a free hand in
deciding their own policies and methods.

Toxic leadership:

A toxic leader is someone who has responsibility over a group of people or an

organization, and who abuses the leader-follower relationship by leaving the
group or organization in a worse-off condition than when he/she first found
them.

Paternalistic:
A Paternalistic leader is someone who has acts as a “father figure” over a group
of people or an organization, and who makes decision by consultation for the
good of all.
– Leader acts as a ‘father figure’
– Paternalistic leader makes decision but may consult
– Believes in the need to support staff

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 Four Factors of Leadership

There are four major factors in leadership:

A Leader

Leader must have an honest understanding of what he is, what he knows, and
what he can do. Also, it is the followers, not the leader or someone else who
determines if the leader is successful. If they do not trust or lack confidence in
their leader, then they will be uninspired. To be successful you have to convince
your followers, not yourself or your superiors, that you are worthy of being
followed.

Followers of the Leader

Different people require different styles of leadership. For example, a new hire
requires more supervision than an experienced employee. A person who lacks
motivation requires a different approach than one with a high degree of
motivation. Leader must know his people! The fundamental starting point is
having a good understanding of human nature, such as needs, emotions, and
motivation. He must come to know his employees' be, know, and do attributes.

Communication by the Leader

Effective and efficient communication is the life-blood for any successful leader.
What and how a leader communicates either builds or harms the relationship
between himself and his employees.

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Situation

All situations are different. What a Leader do in one situation will not always
work in another. He must use his judgment to decide the best course of action
and the leadership style needed for each situation. For example, you may need to
confront an employee for inappropriate behavior, but if the confrontation is too
late or too early, too harsh or too weak, then the results may prove ineffective.

Also note that the situation normally has a greater effect on a leader's action than
his or her traits. This is because while traits may have an impressive stability
over a period of time, they have little consistency across situations

Various forces will affect these four factors. Examples of forces are your
relationship with his seniors, the skill of his followers, the informal leaders
within an organization, and how the organization is organized.

Is Leadership Necessary?

1st task of the Leaders:

to be the trumpet that sounds a clear sound.
2nd task of the Leaders:
to accept the leadership as responsibility rather than

rank or privilege.
3rd task of the Leaders:
to earn trust.

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 Leaders and Managers

Leaders Managers
• Inspire & Motivate • Are Accountable
• Manage People • Execute
• Are Decisive • Manage Resources
• Create a Vision • Plan, organize, direct,
control

Managers who are also leaders

Key Positive Leadership Traits
– Intelligence
– Self-confidence
– Determination
– Honesty/Integrity
– Sociability
– Extroversion
– Conscientiousness
– Problem solving skills

“when two people in business always agree, one of them is

unnecessary”

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 Types of Leaders

– Leader by the position achieved

– Leader by personality, charisma
– Leader by moral example
– Leader by power held
– Intellectual leader
– Leader because of ability to accomplish things

Ways to develop Leadership Qualities

" Learn to think more critically

" Do more to enthuse your team
" Make your goals and future vision attractive and attainable
" Learn to communicate clearly
" Improve your speaking skills
" Organize and allocate workflow
" Make sure work is done correctly and on time
" Find better ways to do things
" Encourage progress and recognize efforts
" Try to match individual skills and work
" Build team spirit
" Encourage people to work cooperatively
" Recognize success and learn from failure
" Trust your subordinates

Causes for Leadership Failures

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Ë Inability to organize details

Ë Unwillingness to provide support

Ë Fear of competition from followers

Ë Lack of imagination

Ë Selfishness

Ë Disloyalty

Ë Emphasis of the authority – a good leader must lead the

team by encouraging and not by mere authority

Display Your Leadership by

9 Learning from your mistakes

9 Doing your homework and being prepared
9 Treating everyone with respect and courtesy
9 Sharing the credit, taking the blame
9 Staying focused on a clear vision and setting energizing goals
9 Surrounding yourself with capable people
9 Staying optimistic, even in challenging circumstances
9 Involving and including others
9 Thinking systematically
9 Seeking ways to improve things, do things better, easier, faster or more
economically
9 Clarifying goals
9 Helping people to reach their potential

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SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP MODEL

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 Situational Leadership Model:

It is developed by Hersey and Blanchard and is considered as a model, and

not a theory. Different situations and followers require different leadership
styles. No one leadership style is appropriate for all situations and effective
leaders adjust their style to match the situation.

Situational Leadership Model focuses on the relationship between leaders

and followers, as well as potential leaders and potential followers and there is
no perfect leadership style for all situations; style must be adjusted to meet
the development level of followers

4 Leadership styles 4 Levels of Maturity

S1: Telling M1: Low, Immature
S2: Selling M2: Low to Moderate
S3: Participating M3: Moderate to High
S4: Delegating M4: High, Mature

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 Low Moderate High
4 Levels of Maturity of Followers

M1 M2 M3 M4
Telling Selling Participating Delegating

Telling (S1) – Leader gives specific instructions about what, how, when, and
where to complete tasks, and closely supervises performance; one-way
communication.

Selling (S2) – Leader explains decisions and provides clarifications; attempts

two-way communication and support to get buy-in from followers.

Participating (S3) – Leader shares ideas and facilitates in making decisions; two-
way communication.

Delegating (S4) – Leader give responsibilities for decisions and implementation

to followers; followers take responsibility for their own behavior.

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do

more and become more, you are a leader”.

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 Low Moderate High
Development Levels of Followers

D1 D2 D3 D4
S1: Tell S2:Sell S3: Participate S4:

4 Development Levels
D1: Low competence, High commitment
D2: Some competence, Low commitment
D3: High competence, Variable commitment
D4: High competence, High commitment

Directive Behavior

Participating Q3 Selling Q2
S3: High Relationship S2: High Relationship
Low Task High Task
D3: Able but unwilling D2: Unable but willing
or insecure or confident
Delegating Q4 Telling Q1
S4: Low Relationship S1: Low Relationship
Low Task High Task
D4: Able/competent & D1: Unable & unwilling
willing/confident or insecure

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COMPANY SECRETARY AS A LEADER

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 Company Secretary as a Leader:

The Company secretaries in all sectors have high level responsibilities including
governance structures and mechanisms, corporate conduct within an
organization’s regulatory environment, board, shareholder and trustee meetings,
compliance with legal, regulatory and listing requirements, the training and
induction of non-executives and trustees, contact with regulatory and external
bodies, reports and circulars to shareholders/trustees, management of employee
benefits such as pensions and employee share schemes, insurance administration
and organization, the negotiation of contracts, risk management, property
administration and organization and the interpretation of financial accounts.

Company secretaries are the primary source of advice on the conduct of business
and this can span everything from legal advice on conflicts of interest, through
accounting advice on financial reports, to the development of strategy and
corporate planning.Company Secretary being the principle officer of an
organization is directly responsible and accountable to the Board of Directors in
general and the Chairman/Managing Director, in particular. Company
Secretary, as such, must possess the following traits of a leader:

¾ Having the courage to take action

¾ Being able to adapt to cultural difference
¾ Knowing how to align people hind the vision
¾ Having the courage to understand and take risks
¾ Knowing how to create an environment conductive to change
¾ One being able to adopt a broad business perspective
¾ Having learnt from experience
¾ Building and maintaining relationships internally and externally
¾ Showing passion and commitment.

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For a leader, it is imperative that he must plan meticulously and ensure that it is
executed to the minuteous details. He should be a great thinker as well as a
visualiser. He must perceive and foresee what the changes which are taking are
place in the economic and political front of the country. In the processes, he
should take all the precautionary measures for safeguarding the interest of the
organization as a whole. It is, therefore, imperative that he should be in a
position to foresee the problem and equip himself for taking care of all the
exigencies. Mind it, Rome was not built in a day.

The Company Secretaries have come a long way from being conscience keeper to
compliance officer and now governance professionals. Having earned the trust
and confidence of the Government, the regulators and the corporate sector as
watchdog for governance architecture, the time has arrived when the Company
Secretaries look beyond to step in a leadership role in guiding the corporate as
change agent. They have to graduate to assume the leadership position by

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assuming new role, values and approach. It is now imperative for Company
Secretaries to produce change, set the direction of that change, and Surge Ahead.

With this dynamic changing business environment, professionals to guide the

managements in the board rooms and other top management echelons, are
expected to revisit their knowledge and skill sets so as to remain not only
relevant but to assume a leadership role.

“The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say
“I.” And that’s not because they have trained themselves not to
say “I.” They don’t think “I.” They think “we”; they think
“team.” They understand their job to be to make the team
function. They accept responsibility and don’t sidestep it, but
“we” gets the credit…. This is what creates trust, what enables
you to get the task done in the way you really dreamt about
it”.

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CASE STUDY

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 Case Study:

A group of workers and their leaders are set a task of clearing a road through
a dense jungle on a remote island to get to the coast where an estuary
provides a perfect site for a port.

The leaders organise the labour into efficient units and monitor the
distribution and use of capital assets – progress is excellent. The leaders
continue to monitor and evaluate progress, making adjustments along the
way to ensure the progress is maintained and efficiency increased wherever
possible.

Then, one day amidst all the hustle and bustle and activity, one person climbs
up a nearby tree. The person surveys the scene from the top of the tree.

And shouts down to the assembled group below…

“Wrong Way!”

“Management is doing things right, leadership is

doing the right things”

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CONCLUSION

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 Conclusion
Management is largely concerned with leadership, because managers need to
establish a sense of direction and to motivate people to move in that direction.

Understanding of leadership theories provides the basis for analyzing

leadership and management styles. It is also a factor in the process of making
decisions.

Charismatic leadership helps to illustrate the power of leaders. Discussion of

the need for leadership highlights the management tasks and objectives.

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