Discursive leadership

This chapter analyzes discursive leadership in first-time leadership and introduces a scale that was developed to measure discursive leadership abilities based on seven distinct dimensions: overall effectiveness, tools used, guidance, modulating, empowerment, non-verbal cues, and climate and bonding. The scale was developed and pilot-tested at a private business school in Puebla, Mexico, based on followers' perceptions. Theory on discursive leadership was analyzed as a form of organizational communication and as a process between leaders and followers. An overview of the state of research in the field of business and management, specifically basic constructs, fundamental notions, and elements are presented, as well as new lines of research in the area.

A First-Time Leader in the Time of COVID-19

In this case study, a faculty member at a Historically Black College/University (HBCU) shares their story of working as a white male in an all-Black college from first hire, to leaving, to returning in order to lead their former academic program. During their first year of leadership the author faced personal tragedy, professional promotion, strained relationships with colleagues, and finally, a global pandemic that changed the world. For those interested in the experiences of a first-time leader, this is a unique case study.

Predictive Analytics of Workplace Bullying and Bad Leadership Practices

Bad leadership and aggressive behavior in the workplace have been a recurring problem for most companies in the United States. With the rise in hostile work environment litigation, management has to address the problem of workplace bullying of employees. The purpose of this chapter is to examine the problem of workplace bullying and bad leadership behavioral traits on the victims and victims' actions to deal with bullying behavior. The researchers conducted a nationwide study with 327 participants that have experienced workplace bullying and bad leadership. The researchers used a first-generation, researcher-developed survey instrument to conduct this study. The results of the study show there is strong causal influence of workplace place bullying traits and victim behavior such as employee resignations and HR complaints. Management should carefully evaluate the effects of workplace bullying and bad leadership on its workforce.

From Transition to Translation

Are leaders born or made? Trait theory claims that leadership is intrinsic intelligence. While the behavioural theory has debated that leadership requires vision, decisiveness, confidence to take risks, and these can be successfully developed by an individual. As the new industries are emerging, and at the time of COVID-19 pandemic, it is evident that leadership traits are practised and adopted when required. The swift transaction of the manager to become a leader is explained pre-eminently utilizing “be-do-know” model of leadership. For the study, 52 consultants from distinct industries such as IT/ITES, FMCG, agriculture, pharmaceutical, automobile, and manufacturing were administered through a questionnaire and interviews. The study clearly indicates that stimulus such as organizational change, innovation, crises, and correction spin-off the development of first-time leaders.

First-Time Leaders and Implicit Leadership Theory

First-time leaders may find themselves thrust into very stressful situations for their teams and organizations at large. First-time leaders in corporations, the classroom, sports, the military, and politics should understand how stress changes the way followers perceive their leader and the ideal traits for a leader through changing leadership prototype schemas. Implicit leadership theories, social information processing, and cognitive psychology suggest that stress can influence the activation of schema. Changing leadership prototype schemas of followers may affect subsequent productivity and efficiency. This chapter examines if leadership prototype schemas change under stress and recommends ways first-time leaders can respond to these changing schemas, including how female first-time leaders who are often initially perceived as more sensitive leaders can utilize changing perceptions and ideal leader prototypes under stressful conditions.

Enduring Repeated First-Time Leadership

Some observers blame Mrs. Hilary Clinton's failure to become president on the unwillingness of Americans to endure repeated first-time leadership. After two successful terms of President Barrack Obama—first Black President of the United States of America, plus the first woman president—would have been a repeated first-time leadership. Generally, nations select a new type of leader once, then recline to the traditional type of leader—an older, highly educated male, from the upper class and predominant race. Liberia, on the other hand, has successively elected a first-time leader on three different occasions. What are the results in terms of human, economic, technological, and infrastructure development? The chapter examines the leadership of non-college educated military sergeant, female president on the African continent, and superstar international soccer player. It summarizes Liberia's economics and healthcare infrastructure.

From Followers to Leaders

The aim of this chapter is to respond to the emerging scholarship regarding first-time leaders and their situational and potential lifelong learning environment. While transformational leadership may be the long-term goal, this chapter explains how the process of other traditional leadership theories can help assess and build upon its effectiveness. In this regard, this chapter argues that transformational leadership can be conceptually understood through five other supporting leadership theories, namely behavioral, psychodynamic, situational, path-goal, and leader-member exchange. Thus, there are essential characteristics from traditional leadership theories and others that can help aspiring transformational first-time leaders. Through lifelong learning and development of these leadership approaches, culminating characteristics for aspiring transformational first-time leaders must include not only motivation and morality, but also care and concern for others.

Leaders Are Born

Leadership is the ability to connect with people and create an environment that unlocks the potential of individuals, groups, and the organization at large so that every member has the upper hand to make the best contribution to the success of the organization. Great finish resides on great leadership. Leaders are known for their remarkable success or a significant failure in their leadership endeavor. This continuum of success and failure makes it wise to ask what is the truth behind that curtain of the success and failure? What is the contributing factor that makes a leader great leader? Is the golden position left for selected few? There is an abundant volume of literature on the study of leaders and leadership, but little is said on first time leadership. The purpose of this chapter is to create a thorough understanding of the contemporary leadership empowerment.

Does Gender in First-Time Leadership Represent Compassionate Leadership?

This study aims to understand whether a first-time female leader's executive leadership qualities reflect the attribute of a true leader. Using the gender diversity point of view, the chapter studies the leadership characteristics that contributed to the election of a female leader in South Asia, specifically Sri Lanka. This case from Sri Lanka highlights the election of a first-time political leader (prime minister). The study determines the relevance of personalized leadership style in influencing the emancipation of nations. It also considers how other context-relevant characteristics influence their executive roles. The study found that the election of the female prime minister was not based on compassionate grounds. Empirical evidence shows that this woman had proven leadership attributes prior to becoming prime minister. The study presents unique visionary leadership attributes, experiences, and lessons for future women leaders.

Transformational Leadership

Ethics is an essential ingredient of leadership qualifications, and for every first-time leader in an organization to be successful, ethical leadership cannot be overemphasized. An organization can be seen as two or more people coming together with a common goal to embark on a venture that will certainly yield a positive result to benefit each one of them. There is a need for such organizations to exhibit transparency and accountability by all involved in the organization so that any resources invested in do not go to waste. Since ethical leadership remains important in every organization, no matter the high standards of the moral lives of members within an organization, there are first-time leaders who, in one way or the other, exhibit misconduct, mistrust, frustration, discrimination, racism, and absenteeism, which are characteristics of unethical leadership and contrary to the nature of ethical leadership. Therefore, achieving transformational leadership becomes a challenge for a first-time leader.