3. Competent leadership styles lead to the success of events
Turner et al., 2009 found that event success was
increasingly related to leadership competences rather than techniques and
tools. Effective leaders are different from other leaders through the exercise
of skill or competence areas
(Kouznes and Posner, 1998). Another study by (Kets de Vries and Florent-Treacy, 2002) stated
that effective leadership required a combination of behavioural, personality
and cognitive. A study stated that there is a dynamic relationship between the
leaders and the organisational context. Because the organisational factors will
bring impact on leadership with its strategy, policies, culture and practices (Senge et al., 2000). However, the
relationship between leader and organisation is a dynamic one. Different
organisational context require the changes in leadership behaviours.
(Kurt Lewin, 1939) identified three main leadership
styles: authoritarian, democratic and laissez-faire work environments.
Firstly, an autocratic leader who makes decisions
divides work tasks and processes for the team, who give critique of the team’s
performance and not engage closely with the team and its activities.
Secondly, democratic leader will consult team members
to make consensus in important decisions, offers guidance as team members
require and will provide constructive criticism and praise the team.
Finally, laissez-faire work environments have little
tangible leadership input, who allows the team members to make and execute all
major decisions.
The study of (Dulewicz andHiggs, 2005) isolated three main
event leadership styles: goal-orientated leadership, involving leadership and
engaging leadership.
Firstly, goal-orientated leadership style who involves
the “management by objectives” approaches to lead the team (Goldblatt, 2005). This style leader will focus
on delivering results within a relatively stable organisation.
Secondly, involving leadership style who suitable to
deal with the variable features environment that is not necessarily radical
change in the organisation.
Finally, engaging leadership style based on a high
level of empowerment and involvement in a highly transformational organisation.
This style leader will focus on producing radical change with high levels of
commitment and engagement.
Competent leaders will lead the fellows in different
situations and environments. The competent leadership styles could help an
organisation to achieve its goal. A very good example was the appointment of
new Chairman - AllanZeman in
2003 for Ocean Park Hong Kong. He accepted the employment during the difficulty
time of Ocean Park because a strong rival Hong Kong
Disneyland was opening at that time. Allan Zeman involved himself in many
promotion programmes of Ocean
Park . He leads the team
in a tough situation; his leadership style should be belonging to engaging. He
turned Ocean Park from deficit to gain profit and enable Ocean Park to raise visitor numbers and make Ocean
Park won several awards, such as The
World's Seventh Most Popular Amusement Park and one of the "50 Most
Visited Tourist Attractions in the world" by Forbes.
Another
charming leader - Richard Branson, his leadership style should be
involving leadership. He founded Virgin Group in 1970. He has
effectively used his personality to lead the Virgin brand to the attention of
the world. His creative, innovative, daring thinking bring his business around
the world. He led his team to deal with the various diversification businesses.
Regarding the goal-orientated leadership style, the
co-founder, chairman and CEO Apple Inc,
Steve Jobs like to be this style. He was described as a "master of innovation," and "the master
evangelist of the digital age" and also a "design perfectionist."
He focused on delivering results. His success in leading Apple from near
bankruptcy to profitability by 1998.
All these three leaders are very successful in leading
his followers to achieve its objectives. We can’t say which one is better,
since a competent leader should be like a chameleon, who can manage his team at
any situation by changing his leadership style. Competent event managers can
deliver a clear vision, mission and objective of the event to his followers,
lead the team and keep on track through effective ongoing performance
assessment. The event manager should be competent to manage the event’s scope,
cost, procurement, schedule and resources.
Communication, negotiation and motivation skills should be enforced.
Moreover, event manager need to foster a constructive atmosphere of teamwork,
to listen the suggestion of followers, to award or punish, to evaluate the
overall accomplishment of the event’s goal with
job satisfaction.
Since I
need to lead a team of ten with different level staff, I want to be a good
leader, but it is a great challenge. An optimism leader should consist of the
three characteristic styles in management and exercise at different time. For example, when an event was hosting, at
the beginning, I think I should be goal-orientated, to deliver a clear objective to my staff, to provide
resources and timeline of the event; then I will change to involving, because
the event is processing, I should give free hand to my staff to let them to do
it. However, I know that the event date is closer, there is not much time left.
I will push them and change to engage approach. In reality it is not easy to
change as you want and no one knows when to change. But it is true that a
competent leader could lead to the success of an event.