Gary Yukl’s article “A Hierarchical Taxonomy of Leadership Behavior: Integrating a Half Century of Behavior Research” presents the idea of an effective hierarchical classification system for leadership-based behaviors focusing on three primary categories: task, relations, and change behavior.
Some specific task-focused behaviors that can be used to identify a successful leader include short-term planning, communicating/clarifying responsibilities and performance objectives, and monitoring operations and performance. Some specific relation-focused behaviors that can be used to identify a successful leader include supporting team members, developing/coaching, recognizing achievements, consulting, and empowering team members. Some specific change behaviors that can be used to identify a successful leader include monitoring the external environment for threats and opportunities, envisioning positive change, encouraging innovative thinking amongst team members, and taking personal risks to implement positive change for the greater good of the team/company.
The identification of various behaviors for each of the categories allows me to form a better overall understanding of the material presented in Yukl’s article. I agree with his ideology that an effective method for identifying a successful leader is through observation of their behaviors, specifically the ones mentioned above. Thinking back to leaders/managers I have encountered throughout my professional career, I can recognize the presence or absence of some of these behaviors.
I encountered an inexperienced manager when I worked as a Front Desk Agent at a hotel property in San Diego. She was a nice person and it was clear that she was trying to be a successful leader, but she lacked the necessary practice and application tools. During my time at this hotel, the leader displayed some task-focused behaviors such as communicating/clarifying responsibilities and performance objectives and monitoring operations and performance. However, she did not embody very many (if any) relations-focused and/or change behaviors.
Based on Yukl’s article and my connection of this information back to a previous manager of mine, I can recognize the importance of a leader to personify behaviors in each of these three categories in order for them, their team, and their company to be successful. Embodying behaviors from the task-focused category will help employees get work done correctly and efficiently, embodying behaviors from the relation-focused category will help employees feel valued and recognized, and embodying behaviors from the change behavior category will help the organization improve as a whole.
Jamie's Leadership Journey 