18

I Have a Theory

Study Great Leadership Thinking

WHETHER YOU’VE BEEN A LEADER for two years or twenty, you’ve probably learned a lot of what you know through experience. The lessons of experience are the best kind; you learn by doing, by making a few mistakes and adjusting your behavior accordingly. The more times you encounter a certain leadership situation, the better chance you have of responding to it with patience, skill, and confidence.

Although there’s no substitute for on-the-job learning, there is something that can enhance your leadership capability, something that will add color and meaning to your experiences: a working knowledge of the classic models, frameworks, and theories of leadership. If you want to excel at setting strategy, managing people, and getting things done, you need to know something about the origins of human behavior and the best leadership practices. In fact, there are certain models and theories that every leader should know. Here are four theories to get you started (you can research others on the Internet; see Chapter 24). These four models substantially explain employee behavior, and a thorough understanding of them will make you a better leader. Indeed, if you manage people, you need to be familiar with these classics (and how to apply them) as you work to understand and relate to your employees.

Why Are They Doing That?

Like most leaders, you’ve probably been mystified on occasion by your people. Sometimes your employees act irrationally or become overly emotional, and it’s hard to figure out exactly what’s motivating them. Do you ever find yourself thinking: “Why are my employees so crazy?” or “What’s wrong with these people?” You’ve been there, right? In reality, they’re just acting according to the script; but do you know why? Abraham Maslow, Frederick Herzberg, David McClelland, and Fritz Heider do. And you can too if you familiarize yourself with their models of human behavior.

Let’s start with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.⁸ First conceived in 1943, Maslow’s model still drives motivational theory today. Maslow created a theory of human needs that builds like a pyramid from the ground up; the model says that we all seek to satisfy physiological needs first (shelter, food, water) and then move through three more stages of need (safety, belonging, and self-esteem) before achieving the ultimate stage, self-actualization. Maslow’s theory can help you understand what’s motivating your people in different situations (e.g., a layoff or downsizing) and can explain why employees are slow to embrace change. When you know what stage of need your people are focused on, you can make adjustments in your communications or management style to accommodate them.

In 1958, Heider published his Attribution Theory, a model of how people ascribe meaning to the world around them.⁹ Heider believed that people either assigned causality to external attributions (outside agents, factors, or forces) or internal attributions (things that fall within their control). This is the internal/external locus of control model, and it is a very useful way of understanding how people view events. Attribution Theory explains many of the defensive and negative attitudes that you encounter as a leader. If you have an employee who struggles and sees everything as someone else’s fault, this model can help you to get that person to accept that some of the issues are a result of his or her own behaviors or attitude.

In 1959, Herzberg published his Two Factor Theory, which builds on Maslow’s work.¹⁰ The Two Factor Theory states that satisfaction and psychological growth are the result of two categories of motivation, which Herzberg called hygiene factors and motivator factors. Herzberg stated that people first seek to satisfy hygiene factors, such as safety, salary, status, working conditions, and so forth, before they can or will be driven by motivators such as achievement, advancement, and increased responsibility. Again, as a leader, you need to be aware of how employees rank order their satisfiers; trying to motivate people with growth opportunities is tough if they’re worried about their next paycheck.

Finally, in 1961, McClelland expanded on the motivation research by creating a framework he called the Theory of Needs, which describes people as being driven by three primary needs: 1) the Need for Achievement, 2) the Need for Affiliation, and 3) the Need for Power. ¹¹ McClelland theorized that people can be categorized in terms of one of these three broad areas. The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) provides a measure of this model and is still a popular leadership coaching tool. Think of someone you know up the chain of command in your company, and it’s easy to form an immediate perception of their dominant need. In fact, it might be a good idea to know your dominant need, because it’s probably driving a lot of your decisions. It also helps to know where your direct reports are coming from as you try to coach and develop them for future roles.

Studying the classic models, frameworks, and theories of leadership isn’t just for “leadership nerds”; anyone serious about becoming a true student of leadership should know the basics of human behavior. You should not only know these theories (in addition to others you can research on your own) but you should also teach them to your team. In your regular staff meetings, take one theory at a time and discuss it as a group. One approach is to make it a development assignment for your team members, and have them do the research and lead the discussion. However you end up using the knowledge, make an effort to learn the theories and models that shape your world as a people manager. You’ll definitely be smarter about the foundations of leadership, which in turn will help you break out of the pack and get noticed within the organization. You wouldn’t mind being known as a leadership guru, would you?

Bootstrap Takeaways

Study Great Leadership Thinking

1. Get curious about the topic of leadership. Learn the foundational theories that explain human behavior.

2. Familiarize yourself with the best practices of leadership by studying the models or frameworks that describe classic processes or tools.

3. Become a student and a teacher: Pass these models and theories on to your team and challenge them to do the research and the debriefs.