ABSTRACT
Many managers fail to realize that if they are accepted by their subordinates they also are considered by them to be part of their group. The manager or supervisor, like an elected public office holder, must maintain legitimacy in the eyes of subordinates on a continuing basis. If a manager is not warmly received, his or her potential influence on the group may be limited or negative. In any event, managers who do not have the power to effect changes needed by their groups are unlikely to be effective leaders of team building efforts. Managers who remain too far apart from the group and overplay their role and status difference may create as much trouble as they would by remaining too close. The term “leadership style” refers to the characteristic behavior pattern exhibited by a manager in the process of making decisions and exercising authority.
