Examining the Basic Principles for Effective Leadership (a Scientifically-Based Structure)

Voltaire once said, "An institution is the lengthened shadow of one person," and it clearly depicts the critical role of the leader (Cassel, 1996b). This basic concept of the central importance of the leader in relation to the group has not changed, but scientific research in recent years has contributed much in relation to fostering motivation, and building trust in leadership practices. Because leadership deals with people, the new "person-centered" approach has important implications for the role of the leader as well. This article seeks to summarize and describe scientific research necessary for insight into the critical role of a leader. Principle I - Democratic Orientation In considering the major function of a leader, it always presumes there are followers; for without followers there could be no leader. This is true, no matter how many persons are in the group; so the first order of business for an effective leader is to insure that there is a "team" approach. Second, has to do with notions related to person-centered; as people are always involved in leadership. Finally, the understanding of transpersonal psychology and how to attain the voluntary control of even one's inner states is important. Team Approach Recently, The Creative Education Foundation (1990) made a survey of the job-skill requirements for new employees by the Fortune 500 Companies of America, and then made a comparison with similar job-skill requirements for the industrial age in 1970. It is clear that becoming a member of the group team is the first and most important requirement of the new employee; while in 1970 it was number 10, and for 1970 the ability to write, communication, and reading were at the top of the list. It should be noted that "leadership" has been a basic requirement in both lists. These comparisons are shown in Table 1 below, and serve to emphasize the importance of the team approach along with interpersonal skills and the getting along with people for the emerging communication age (Cassel & Kolstad, 1998a). Table 1 Comparison of Job-Skills Requirements for New Communication Age in the 21st Century With Those of the Industrial Age in 1970 Critical Job-Skill Requirements 2000 1970 1. Teamwork 1 10 2. Problem Solving 2 12 3. Interpersonal Skills 3 13 4. Oral Communication 4 4 5. Listening 5 5 6. Personal Career Development 6 6 7. Creative Thinking 7 7 8. Leadership 8 8 9. Goal Setting/Motivation 9 9 10. Writing 10 1 11. Organizational Effectiveness 11 11 12. Computation 12 2 13. Reading 13 3 Collective Will In a democracy the leader is always the servant of the people, not the master, and may be replaced by the people at any given time. In order to fulfill his/her role as a leader it is important to become sensitive to the "collective will" of group involved. The collective will is not something that simply emerges over time; rather it is something that must be created in a systematically organized fashion, and always an effective leader must play an important role in the fabrication of the collective will. Esprit De Corps Under democratic orientation an important and critical element has to do with the presence of "esprit de corps" which is defined by Webster as "a sense of union and of common interests and responsibilities. " It begins, of course, with having "pride" in one's unit or group, and the leader must play an important role in this regards. Pride, of course, comes from achievement, and how it relates to the group expectations. This means the relation between the day-to-day goals; as opposed to the ultimate goal. …