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- 1 Resonant Vs. Dissonant Leadership Styles
- 2 Five Styles of Leadership
- 3 Situational Contingency Theory
- 4 Professional Leadership Theories
Effective leaders have a style or a combination of multiple styles that make them successful in guiding and inspiring employees. Successful leaders are capable of driving creativity and productivity, while also improving the bottom line of a business. Being an effective leader does not always correlate with being a well-liked person, however. Some leaders are loved by their employees, while others are not highly regarded on a personal level, but remain great at moving the business in a positive direction through distinctive leadership styles. Many leaders are ineffective, and use leadership styles that do not correlate well with their industry or with the people they are attempting to lead.
Leadership styles often correlate closely with personality type. Influence from previous mentors will also influence a person's ability and style to guide and direct a group of individuals. Leadership is not limited to extraverted individuals, who have out-sized personalities, even though that type of individual often rises to leadership roles, because individuals with out-sized personalities are often effective communicators. Some leaders have their own style that does not fit well into a specific personality type. Labeling leadership styles is a general practice, but each leader will have a more in-depth, detailed orientation in the the leader's approach to managing, inspiring and driving results within his organization.
What Are the Traits of an Effective Leader?
Leadership is defined by the results achieved under the specific person in charge. The leader is tasked with the challenge of gathering and molding individuals into cohesive groups that are capable of achieving a common goal. They bring out the best in individuals and of the group collectively, while also driving a higher level of performance than usually would be achieved. Effective leaders drive innovation, and they encourage their people to think strategically and creatively, while also reaching for new limits. In the world of business, an effective leader drives higher profits, and ultimately, increases the value and bottom line of the business as a whole.
That said, not all leaders are effective. A CEO, boss or an individual who's tasked with leadership is capable of failing, even when possessing only one of the above leadership qualities. This can be a situation in which circumstance and bad luck inhibits performance. A market crash or another element outside of the leader's control can stifle results. The leader can fail, because he is unqualified or because he does a poor job of selecting and motivating those around him to meet their goals. The methods used to meet these goals vary significantly.
Autocratic Leadership
This aggressive leadership style is based on control. The autocrat is rarely well-liked, and an autocratic leader uses a militant-like style. The autocrat gives orders and expects prompt execution, with little-to-no feedback or input from the worker. This leadership style can work in a production-type environment that demands maximal output in simple, repetitive job roles. It rarely allows for an environment in which creativity will flourish. The autocrat pushes employees hard; often, he does not get loyalty and long-term commitments in return. High turnover and low satisfaction is expected, in response to this leadership style. There are times when autocratic leadership is effective, however. The military is a prime example. Each individual is encouraged to perform under a strict, autocratic leader, because their job roles have life or death consequences. Performing well in the military under this leadership style also warrants promotions to higher ranking positions.
Laissez-Faire Leadership
The complete opposite of autocratic leadership is Laissez-Faire, which is understood to mean and for do as you will or choose in French. What it means in economic terms is that it is 'a doctrine opposing governmental interference in economic affairs beyond the minimum necessary for the maintenance of peace and property rights,' according to Merriam Webster. The style has some major benefits in creative environments, but it also lacks discipline and structure that is often required in a business environment. Another downside of the Laissez-Faire style is the unstructured approach to learning. It relies heavily on talent, existing experience and creativity to drive results. If hard deadlines, production and bottom-line profits are not necessarily a major factor, Laissez-Faire is a laid back, easy approach to running a shop. It also can work when the employee already has a motive to put in the effort. For example, a commission-based sales role is structured to reward performance. Using a Laissez-Faire leadership style, makes it possible for the employee to find creative means of accomplishing a higher sales rate. A more controlling leadership style that uses proven processes is typical in a sale role, but increasing the freedom to explore creative strategies drives innovation and may yield major results.
Transformative Leadership
When comparing types of leadership that do really well in the business world, Transformative Leadership really shines, as an all-around effective approach. It encourages employees to think critically and the leaders is often inspiring. These leaders have a big vision, and they are charismatic and motivating. The big picture approach, however, does not cover the day-to-day details. A Transformative leader will require dedicated managers that have a more detailed approach, to ensure that administrative tasks and daily processes are in place. The Transformative leader is common in big business, where the CEO is a visionary with a large audience that's receptive to innovative thinking. The technology industry is attractive for these personalities, but they exist across the business spectrum.
Hands-On, Participant Leadership Style
The participant leadership style is collaborative, and takes employee opinion and input into account during the decision-making process. This brings all of the best ideas to the table and puts the leader in a co-worker type of role that's often respected by the employees. While the participant style is a very effective leadership approach, it does not happen quickly. Sometimes, a nimble, decision-making process is required to move forward. The participant process gets bogged down, while everyone delivers input, and the process of compromise and deliberation takes place. Ultimately, the decision is likely thorough and well-considered, but not necessarily timely. If split-second decisions are not critical, this leadership style works well in the business world. It may not work for a stockbroker buying and selling on the stock exchange floor, but it serves many business models well.
Transactional Leadership
This is a straightforward leadership style with a focus on work, reward and processes that drive consistent results. While Transactional leaders tends to lack the hype and charisma found in Transformative leadership, they are very much results-oriented, which is great for business. The style is not harsh, as an autocratic leadership type is, but it does punish poor performance. On the flip side, a transactional leader provides incentive for positive performance. In many cases, better performance means more money through bonus and commission structures. Financial incentive is enough to motivate many employees into productive work habits. In addition to utilizing a rewards system, the Transactional leader is focused on proven processes that produce consistent results. For example, a transactional leader in a sales call center will use strict call scripts and will reward employees who learn and follow the scripts to drive sales.
Other Leadership Styles in Management
Many more leadership styles exist, and a really effective leader is adaptable and capable of executing multiple styles in a manner that best fits their current situation. One common leadership style is the charismatic leader. This person is similar to the Transformative leader in the way they inspire, have a big picture vision and motivate people. It's a big personality role, but not a detail-oriented style.
Another is the Bureaucratic leader, who's subject to strict guidelines and regulations. This is one of the more difficult types of leadership styles, because the individual must motivate and drive results under a strict set of regulations. They are severely limited in their ability to perform in an inspiring or creative manner. In a Bureaucratic environment, transactional rewards are non-existent, outside of promotion possibilities. Punishments from a Transactional or Autocratic leader style are more difficult to apply, because employees typically have layers of protection through unions and other legal rights organizations. The punishment style of leadership is rarely effective and is questionably unethical, anyway, so this is not necessarily a bad thing.
A Situational Leader is rare, and can change the entire course of a company, through his unique leadership skill set. This skill set comes naturally to some leaders, but requires years of practice for others. The situational leader can pull from an arsenal of styles to achieve a desired result. If workers are slacking off, showing up late or not producing, the situational leader can add a temporary level of autocratic style to show that he will not tolerate poor behavior. The same leader can use a participant style to encourage collaboration and problem-solving by including the employees. If a split-second decision is required, the leader will skip the participant process and make a decision, based on his existing knowledge and instincts. When productivity is slowed and the business would benefit from a boost, she can switch to a transactional role and provide performance incentives. Lastly, the Situational leader will communicate a larger vision to her employees while inspiring them to reach new heights and goals. A Situational leader use other roles to manage daily tasks, keep everyone on point and work through the details, but she will keep that big vision and inspiring motive top of mind.
Finding Your Leadership Style
Leadership positions do not come easily. Finding your way into a leadership job role in business usually requires years of hard work while learning and climbing the ladder. Starting a business is another route into leadership, and it immediately springs you into the top role. That's not always a good thing, as you will still need to work hard and learn some hard lessons. Finding your groove as a leader requires failing, on occasion. Learning from those failures and using that experience to become a better leader will ultimately stand to benefit the business. A few people are natural leaders out of the gate, and will take the reigns seamlessly. Most people must work hard and really focus on growth and experience, while experimenting and testing styles, until they start seeing results on the job.
Great leaders often hold dear the best interests of their employees. The leader wants others to reach their highest potential, and as a result, they challenge and elevate everyone. Great leaders are genuinely interested in positive results and in the betterment of everyone around them. A leader with expertise in her field is more natural when speaking to her employees when she has a deep grasp on the business, product or service offering. Employees will respect a leader who can empathize with and appreciate her employees' work in the field. Specialty experience is not always necessary, however. Understanding the raw functions of a business and being able to see the strengths and weaknesses in the business model itself can create a strong leader. Communicating these strengths and weaknesses to key staff members, and utilizing their skill sets to improve the model, is a function of a very results-driven leader.
References (5)
Resources (1)
About the Author
Zach Lazzari is a freelance writer with extensive experience in startups and digital advertising. He has a diverse background with a strong presence in the digital marketing world. Zach has developed and sold multiple successful web properties and manages marketing for multiple clients in the outdoor industry. He has published business content in Angling Trade Magazine and writes white papers and case studies for multiple corporate partners.
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Lazzari, Zach. '5 Different Types of Leadership Styles.' Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/5-different-types-leadership-styles-17584.html. 14 August 2018.
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Thresher shark Temporal range: 49–0 Ma[1]Lutetian to Recent | |
---|---|
Pelagic thresher (A. pelagicus) | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Chondrichthyes |
Order: | Lamniformes |
Family: | Alopiidae Bonaparte, 1838 |
Genus: | Alopias Rafinesque, 1810 |
Type species | |
Alopias macrourus Rafinesque, 1810 | |
Synonyms | |
|
Thresher sharks are large lamniformsharks of the family Alopiidae found in all temperate and tropical oceans of the world; the family contains four species, all within the genusAlopias.
- 1Taxonomy
Taxonomy[edit]
The genus and family name derive from the Greek word alopex, meaning fox. As a result, the long-tailed or common thresher shark, Alopias vulpinus, is also known as the fox shark.[2] The common name is derived from a distinctive, thresher-like tail or caudal fin which can be as long as the body of the shark itself.
Species[edit]
The three extant thresher shark species are all in the genus Alopias. The possible existence of a hitherto unrecognized fourth species was revealed during the course of a 1995 allozyme analysis by Blaise Eitner. This species is apparently found in the eastern Pacific off Baja California, and has previously been misidentified as the bigeye thresher. So far, it is only known from muscle samples from one specimen, and no aspect of its morphology has been documented.[3]
- Alopias pelagicusH. Nakamura, 1935 (pelagic thresher)
- Alopias superciliosusR. T. Lowe, 1841 (bigeye thresher)
- Alopias vulpinusBonnaterre, 1788 (common thresher)
- †Alopias acutidensCasier, 1958
- †Alopias alabamensisWhite, 1956
- †Alopias carolinensisWhite, 1956
- †Alopias crochardiWard, 1978
- †Alopias denticulatusCappetta, 1981
- †Alopias exiguaProbst, 1879
- †Alopias hasseiNoetling, 1885
- †Alopias hermaniKozlov, 1999
- †Alopias latidensLeriche, 1909
- †Alopias leeensisWard, 1978
- †Alopias grandisLeriche, 1942 (giant thresher)
- †Alopias palatasiKent & Ward, 2018 (serrated giant thresher)
- †Alopias subexiguaDartevelle & Casier, 1959
Phylogeny and evolution[edit]
| ||||||||||||||
Phylogeny of Alopiidae[3][4] |
Based on cytochrome bgenes, Martin and Naylor (1997) concluded the thresher sharks form a monophyletic sister group to the clade containing the families Cetorhinidae (basking shark) and Lamnidae (mackerel sharks). The megamouth shark (Megachasma pelagios) was placed as the next-closest relative to these taxa, though the phylogenetic position of that species has yet to be resolved with confidence. Cladistic analyses by Compagno (1991) based on morphological characters, and Shimada (2005) based on dentition, have both corroborated this interpretation.[4][5]
Within the family, an analysis of allozyme variation by Eitner (1995) found the common thresher is the most basal member, with a sister relationship to a group containing the unrecognized fourth Alopias species and a clade comprising the bigeye and pelagic threshers. However, the position of the undescribed fourth species was only based on a single synapomorphy (derived group-defining character) in one specimen, so some uncertainty in its placement remains.[3]
Distribution and habitat[edit]
Although occasionally sighted in shallow, inshore waters, thresher sharks are primarily pelagic; they prefer the open ocean, venturing no deeper than 500 metres (1,600 ft)[citation needed]. Common threshers tend to be more common in coastal waters over continental shelves. Common thresher sharks are found along the continental shelves of North America and Asia of the North Pacific, but are rare in the Central and Western Pacific. In the warmer waters of the Central and Western Pacific, bigeye and pelagic thresher sharks are more common. A thresher shark was seen on the live video feed from one of the ROVs monitoring BP's Macondo oil well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico. This is significantly deeper than the 500m previously thought to be their limit.A bigeye has also turned up in the western Mediterranean and so distribution may be wider than previously believed or environmental factors may be forcing sharks to search for new territories [1]
Anatomy and appearance[edit]
Small purple colored thresher caught at Pacifica Pier, California
Named for their exceptionally long, thresher-like heterocercal tail or caudal fins (which can be as long as the total body length), thresher sharks are active predators; the tail is used as a weapon to stun prey. The thresher shark has a short head and a cone-shaped nose. The mouth is generally small, and the teeth range in size from small to large.[6] By far the largest of the three species is the common thresher, Alopias vulpinus, which may reach a length of 6.1 metres (20 ft) and a mass of over 500 kilograms (1,100 lb). The bigeye thresher, Alopias superciliosus, is next in size, reaching a length of 4.9 m (16 ft); at just 3 m (10 ft), the pelagic thresher, Alopias pelagicus, is the smallest.
Thresher sharks are fairly slender, with small dorsal fins and large, recurved pectoral fins. With the exception of the bigeye thresher, these sharks have relatively small eyes positioned to the forward of the head. Coloration ranges from brownish, bluish or purplish gray dorsally with lighter shades ventrally.[7]The three species can be roughly distinguished by the main color of the dorsal surface of the body. Common threshers are dark green, bigeye threshers are brown and pelagic threshers are generally blue. Lighting conditions and water clarity can affect how any one shark appears to an observer, but the color test is generally supported when other features are examined.
Diet[edit]
Pelagic schooling fish (such as bluefish, juvenile tuna, and mackerel), squid and cuttlefish are the primary food items of the thresher sharks. They are known to follow large schools of fish into shallow waters. Crustaceans and occasionally seabirds are also taken.
Behavior[edit]
Stunning tail: Thresher sharks evolved to slap and kill their prey – NBC News |
Thresher sharks are solitary creatures which keep to themselves. It is known that thresher populations of the Indian Ocean are separated by depth and space according to sex. Some species however do occasionally hunt in a group of two or three contrary to their solitary nature. All species are noted for their highly migratory or oceanodromous habits. When hunting schooling fish, thresher sharks are known to 'slap' the water, herding and stunning prey.[7] The elongated tail is used to swat smaller fish, stunning them before feeding.[8] Thresher sharks are one of the few shark species known to jump fully out of the water, making turns like dolphins; this behavior is called breaching.
Endothermy[edit]
Two species of the thresher have been identified as having a modified circulatory system that acts as a counter-current heat exchanger, which allows them to retain metabolic heat. Mackerel sharks (family Lamnidae) have a similar homologous structure to this which is more extensively developed. This structure is a strip of red muscle along each of its flanks, which has a tight network of blood vessels that transfer metabolic heat inward towards the core of the shark, allowing it to maintain and regulate its body heat.
Reproduction[edit]
No distinct breeding season is observed by thresher sharks. Fertilization and embryonic development occur internally; this ovoviviparous or live-bearing mode of reproduction results in a small litter (usually two to four) of large well-developed pups, up to 150 cm at birth in thintail threshers. The young fish exhaust their yolk sacs while still inside the mother, at which time they begin feasting on the mother's unfertilized eggs; this is known as oophagy.
Thresher sharks are slow to mature; males reach sexual maturity between seven and 13 years of age and females between eight and 14 years in bigeye threshers. They may live for 20 years or more.In October 2013, the very first picture of a Thresher shark giving birth was taken by Attila Kaszo off the coast of the Philippines.[9]
Importance to humans[edit]
Threshers have a low fecundity, like all large sharks, and are highly vulnerable to overfishing.[citation needed] Besides being hunted for their meat, threshers are also hunted for their liver oil, skin (for leather), and their fins, for use in shark-fin soup.
They do not appear to be a threat to humans, although some divers have been hit with the upper tail lobe. A dubious account of a fisherman being decapitated by a tail swipe as the shark breached has been reported.[10]
Thresher sharks are classified as prized game fish in the United States and South Africa. Common thresher sharks are the target of a popular recreational fishery off Baja, Mexico. Thresher sharks are hunted in some areas for their value as both a recreational sport fish and for commercial products derived from their flesh.
Conservation[edit]
All three thresher shark species have been listed as vulnerable to extinction by the World Conservation Union since 2007 (IUCN).[11]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- 'Alopias'. Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 4 May 2006.
- Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2011). Species of Alopias in FishBase. February 2011 version.
- ^Bourdon, J. (April 2009). Fossil Genera: Alopias. The Life and Times of Long Dead Sharks. Retrieved on October 6, 2009.
- ^'fox shark - shark species'. Encyclopædia Britannica.
- ^ abcEitner, B. (1995). 'Systematics of the Genus Alopias (Lamniformes: Alopiidae) with Evidence for the Existence of an Unrecognized Species'. Copeia. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. 1995 (3): 562–571. doi:10.2307/1446753. JSTOR1446753.
- ^ abSims, D.W., ed. (2008). Advances in Marine Biology, Volume 54. Academic Press. p. 175. ISBN0-12-374351-6.
- ^Shimada, K. (2005). 'Phylogeny of lamniform sharks (Chondrichthyes: Elasmobranchii) and the contribution of dental characters to lamniform systematics'. Paleontological Research. 9 (1): 55–72. doi:10.2517/prpsj.9.55.
- ^'Family Alopiidae: Thresher Sharks – 3 species'. ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research. Retrieved 2011-10-17.
- ^ ab'Thresher Shark'.
- ^Oliver SP, Turner JR, Gann K, Silvosa M and D'Urban Jackson T (2013) 'Thresher sharks use tail-slaps as a hunting strategy'PLoS ONE, 8 (7): e67380. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0067380
- ^'Rare shark birth photographed for the first time'. www.msn.com. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
- ^Dawkins, Richard (2004). The Ancestor's Tale. New York: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN0-618-00583-8.
- ^'More oceanic sharks added to the IUCN Red List' (Press release). IUCN. 2007-02-22. Retrieved 2015-03-11.
External links[edit]
Wikispecies has information related to Alopias |
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