Moving People Without Pushing
Leadership is influence toward goals, distinct from management because managers hold authority while leaders hold followers. A century of research evolved through three lenses:
| Lens | Claim | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Traits | Leaders are born | Weak correlations, no recipe |
| Behavior | Leaders are made | Useful map of task and people axes |
| Contingency | It depends | Match style to readiness |
Hersey-Blanchard's situational leadership matches style to follower readiness: directing the new, coaching learners, supporting the hesitant, and delegating to the proven.
Motivation theories split into content theories (what moves people, like Maslow and McClelland) and process theories (how moving works). Herzberg's two factors divides hygiene (pay, conditions) from motivators (achievement, recognition). Fixing hygiene stops the bleeding; only motivators make the engine run.
Expectancy Theory: Motivation as a Product
Vroom's expectancy theory reduces the will to act to three beliefs multiplied together: .
| Factor | The belief | Killed by | Repaired by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expectancy | Effort performance | Impossible targets | Training, resources |
| Instrumentality | Performance reward | Broken promises | Transparent rules |
| Valence | The reward matters | Generic rewards | Customizing rewards |
The multiplication is the theory. A sum would forgive a zero, but the product does not. If expectancy, instrumentality, or valence hits zero, total motivation drops to zero.
Pitfall: Averaging the factors. A lavish bonus attached to an impossible target motivates no one.