Leadership What So What Now Essay

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Leadership / Leadership: What? So What? Now What?

Wart (2014) defines leadership as the ability to instill in others the drive to pursue a collective vision so that the pursuit of this vision is a joint effort that leads to joint success. Influencing others in this way can be in terms of social influence. It does not use power which can be viewed as autocratic. It inspires to even those who do not directly report to the leader to accomplish much. Rolfe's model of reflection will be adopted in this essay and its attributes which include, what, so what and now what will be explored (Rolfe, et al. 2001).

What?

Leadership as a concept and as a practice has many theories that seek to explain it. Each of these highlight specific attributes. Understanding these attributes is key to attaining goals. Some of these theories are highlighted below as they relate to leadership.

Trait theory

In this theory, a person can either be born with leadership qualities which enable them to achieve success or they can be born without them. Effective Leadership is characterized by inherent qualities such as cognitive abilities and even one's inborn personality. Numerous studies have been carried out to identify what traits characterize leadership and through these, differing traits have been identified. Some of the common ones are drive, intelligence and the ability to socialize (Palestini 2009).

Skills theory

In this theory, emphasis is placed on the acquired skills as well as the knowledge gained, being vital to effective leadership, while accepting what a person is born with affecting the ability to lead well. It however indicates that those that are learnt are the ones that are effective. For example, a person can gain knowledge, develop a particular style and hone their skills so that they become an effective leader. This theory is the basis for the drive for training for leadership and programs to develop it. All these attempts are driven by a belief that leadership is developed (Northhouse 2014).

Situational Theory

In this theory the assumption is that one style of leadership can work for every situation. Adapting oneself to various situation is a skill that every leader who wants to develop to be an effective leader. Where the leader is skilled in adapting themselves to a situation, and the leader also has a committed team, then he can be successful. These two considerations and the level to which they are imbued will determine whether a supportive leadership style or a directive leadership style will be more effective (Gill 2011).

Contingency Theory

his theory relates effectiveness in leadership to a leader using a style that is right for the situation that he/she is in. The better matched these two are, more is the effectiveness achieved. This sounds similar to the situational theory. They are however different in that, in the situational theory, the leader must adapt himself to the situation. In contingency theory however, the effectiveness is based on how well the traits the leader holds and their style of leadership match the exact situation (Chemers 2014).

Path-Goal Theory

In this theory, the effective leader is the one who can motivate his staff to achieve the desired goals. The leader in this case is skilled at making the goals clear and even removing hindrances to their achievement so that the followers are provided with an environment where they can perform very well. This theory stands on the foundation of the expectancy theory- That is, people who believe that they are able to perform very well, that the efforts they are making will yield results and that the roles they perform are actually valuable will generally be more dedicated and motivated (Gill 2011).

Transformational Theory

This theory highlights the actions of a leader as being those of forming meaningful interactions with others that results in the leader and the followers being more inspired and principled. This theory is similar to the charismatic theory which states that the confident leader who is outgoing and is clear about their values is the most suitable to motivate others. The leader under this theory knows the needs and drive of those that follow him through interactions and can thus help them to achieve their full potential. The transformational leader is seen as able to begin, progress and execute transformations in the workplace. It is a theory that is often contrasted with the transactional theory (Northhouse 2014).

Transactional Theory

The transactional theory sees the leader as one who creates structures that define everyone's role clearly.

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It is a theory that focuses on how the leader interacts with these followers. A transactional leader lets his followers know exactly what is expected of them and the results of fulfilling one's role or not fulfilling it. That is, the rewards that may arise as well as the punishments that one can expect. It forms the basis for many models of leadership as well as the structure for many organizations (Chemers 2014).

Servant Leadership

The servant leader is one who is a servant, that is, one who serves others. It embraces the idea that a servant puts the needs of others before self. Thus, in this case, the leader puts the needs of the team he/she is leading, the customers the company serves, and the community needs before their own. It is a theory that has been picked up by many who are in leadership. It has also been seen less as a theory but more as a values system which leaders embrace (Palestini 2009).

When a leader interacts with others and participates along with them in their activities, then changes are possible in behavior and learning is enhanced. Effective leadership is rewarded with more commitment on the part of the followers as well as increased drive. However, poor leadership has the opposite result. Good leadership also enables followers to work together as a team.

So what?

I exhibit Transformational leadership style. My staff and I are able to help each other to reach greater heights of morality and drive. I try to help my staff to attain higher performance standards, so that they always look to doing more than the expectations. I also aim to be a vision carrier so that I can always inspire others to take risks and put in a lot of thought about the subsequent actions. I realize that this is the charismatic aspect of being a transformational leader. However, my traits have gone beyond the charismatic leader as being that alone cannot be effective as is noted by Bass and Riggio (2006). These traits include:

Inspirational motivation

I am very consistent in the way that I pass on the vision of the organization, the mission as well as the values to the team members that I have. I have internalized the vision so much that I can see how an interaction can lead to its achievement. In this way I have acted as a transformational leader because I convey meaning to the roles each person does as well as the challenges that are encountered. I also have a lot of enthusiasm as well as the ability to be positive in every situation so that my team remains focused and participative (Bass and Riggio 2006).

Intellectual stimulation

I see evidence of my transformation leadership because I get my team to think of solutions by themselves, thus fostering creativity among them. There is an openness that I have encouraged, which has in turn allowed people to express new ideas without inhibition. I have also refrained from openly pointing out people's mistakes. I try to keep my attention on 'what' the problem is rather than on whose fault it is. I also quickly put aside the things that I find to be ineffective (Bas and Riggio 2006).

Idealized influence

I am one who embraces a culture before imparting it to others. In this I see myself as a role model for others to follow. Through this practice, I have seen those under me trusting me more and giving me the respect that comes from observing my work and actions. I try to set the needs of others above my own, so that I am always promoting morality. I also try to make my position be one of influencing others so that the goals of the organization can be achieved (Bass and Riggio 2006).

Individual consideration

I am very keen on people being rewarded for the performance they have achieved, where someone has been creative and has brought a solution to a problem. However, each person's special skill is recognized. I also support my staff when they make decisions and provide resources for decisions taken because they are in line with the organizational goals (Bass and Riggio 2006).

In addition to these four traits, I am able to get people to work in an organized way by inspiring teamwork, instilling drive and focus so that goals were achieved. This was done by participating in a small group and team......

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