Competent leadership styles lead to the success of events

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.