Elements Of Leadership Attained: Reflection And Key Insights

Prior Understanding of Leadership

Question:

Discuss About The Particular Elements Of Leadership Attained?

Leadership is a necessity for human success. All aspects of human life require particular elements of leadership to be attained. Despite its popularity, leadership remains a contentious topic to many people. In fact, the real meaning of leadership differs significantly from how many people perceive it. Precisely, I was among the many who did not have a precise comprehension of what leadership entails. However, after undertaking my studies throughout this semester, my perception on what leadership involves have significantly progressed. This reflection exhibits my knowledge development on leadership throughout the semester. It captures my prior understanding of leadership and illustrates how this view has been altered and enhanced by the semester content. Furthermore, the reflection outlines how studies on leadership have impacted on my life and points areas where I need to improve. With the world becoming globalized, it is vital to possess the appropriate leadership competencies. Although the course lasted only of one semester, its contents significantly changed my marketing on leadership and its importance in the society.

Initially, I thought that the term leadership is directly related to authority and power. In fact, I defined a leader an individual who uses coercive means to impose their will on others. I held that leaders are people who hold administrative positions in the society. In this respect, I understood leadership as the ability to impose person’s will on their subjects. Furthermore, I believed that leadership is authoritative and cannot be questioned. Out of this view, I assumed that a leader is an individual who is there to be served by others.

However, after interacting with course resources, my understanding of leadership and its fundamental elements changed. According to Bertocci (2009), leadership is the combination of attributes or personality traits in an individual that compels them to motivate others to achieve a specific goal. This revelation is completely different from my prior understanding. As the course progressed, I made several deductions on what leadership and a leader entail. Firstly, a leader is an individual who inspires other to achieve a goal.  Leadership is about inspiring and motivating other regardless of your position. In this view, everyone one can be a leader in different capacities. For instance, in an organization, even a lowly ranked employee can serve as a leader through their actions. This insight refutes my earlier assumption that only those in high positions in organizations serve as leaders.

Changes in Understanding of Leadership

Secondly, I discovered that leaders are agents of change. For one to be a leader, they must devise new ways of thinking and handling issues. According to Fairhurst and Connaughton (2014), leaders are persons whose actions affect other people more than other peoples’ acts affect them. The efficiency of influencing others emanates from the increased level of commitment that leader have to initiate change. From this argument, I realized that leadership requires dedication and handwork. In fact, this premise refutes my earlier proposition that leaders exist to be served. Instead, leaders exist to serve and cater to the needs of others. As a leader, one must take up certain obligations to justify their status. Consequently, this opinion illustrates that leadership is not easy as it appears on literature. 

Importantly, the concept of servant-leadership further elaborates that leaders are not there to give instructions. Instead, it insists that leaders exist to lead the way and inspire other to follow their actions. The concept of servant-leadership posits that all leaders are servants (Northouse, 2012). The servant-leadership concept argument enlightened me that leadership is not all about the use of coercive force and demand for results while sitting in an office. Instead, leaders should lead by example. Moreover, the concept insists that leadership should not be used as a tool for creating class division between the leaders and their servants. In contrast, leadership exists to optimize the interaction between individuals in the society. In this respect, I learned that leaders should be role models to the community. This view implies that leaders should identify with hardships that others are experiencing.

Moreover, the course also educated me that leaders influence the motivation of team members through non-coercive means. This understanding transformed my previous perceptions that leaders are authoritative and cannot be challenged. Although leaders command some degree of authority due to their position, this power should not be used to impose one’s will on others. In the modern business world, people fear their leader because of the powers invested in them by their organization. However, effective leaders should psychologically utilize these powers to motivate others in goal achievement.

Over the years, I struggled to make clear distinctions between leadership and management. In fact, I believed that there is no difference between a manager and a leader. My previous opinions were greatly influenced by the structure of the modern market environment. The way the present society operates, it is difficult to make clear distinctions between a manager and a leader. These two terms are used interchangeably to refer to those who hold a high position in organizations. However, after scrutinizing the semester materials, I realized that significant differences exist between leadership and management. The main difference between these two is that management focuses on planning, organizing, and coordination of activities while leadership emphasizes on inspiring and motivating (Kotter,2008). Out of these key distinctions, I deducted the difference between a leader and a manager. A leader inspires and motivates people to follow them while a manager has individuals working for them.

Leadership and Management Distinctions

Throughout history, there have been heated debates on whether leaders are made or born. Early scholars like Thomas Carlyle contended that leaders are born. They even went forth to devise frameworks like the great man and trait theories to support their opinion. Before interaction with the course materials, I also held the view that leaders are born. In fact, I backed up my opinion by outlining that renowned leaders possessed certain unique attributes. However, after reading several modern leadership theories from the course materials, I realized that leaders could also be made. According to Dav (2000), leaders one can become a leader by acquiring certain competencies through training. Through training, one can acquire leadership competencies like effective communication, team work, conflict management and decision-making. This view implies that it possible for one to be a leader even if they hail from a family that has not produced renowned leaders in the past. 

In the contemporary business environment, leaders are defined by the success of their organizations. With clear distinctions lacking between management and leadership in the present society, people have used profitability of firms a yardstick to measure a leader’s success. However, I acquired y essential points from the course materials which changed my view on leadership success debate. I learned that there is a direct relationship between leadership success and organizational culture. According to Baumgartner (2009), an organization’s culture can limit the effectiveness of a leader. For instance, an organization that lacks a transformative culture can hinder the ability of a leader to initiate change. As an aspiring leader, I learned that it is vital to scrutinize the culture of an organization before joining it.

Moreover, I gained insight that leadership is not gendered. In the past years, there have been misconceptions that women cannot make effective leaders. In fact, I also doubted women’s ability to lead. My doubts emanated from the reality that majority of popular leaders are men. However, Burke and Collins (2001) disproves such assumptions and assert that any gender can produce leaders. In fact, the economics of successful female leaders like Mary Barra of General Motors confirms the view of Burke and Collins (2001) on the ability of women to lead. This view has made believe that anyone can be a leader when given a chance. In future, I will advocate for equality in leadership positions in my organization. I have realized that it is wrong to presume that men are better leaders than women or vice versa.

Leadership Success and Organizational Culture

The learning materials have also exposed me to the essential leadership competencies. Initially, these concepts were not clear. However, as the course progressed they become precise and clear. At the initial stages, the course addressed general features of leadership. But as time progressed and the instructor focused on the specifics, the concepts become apparent. The key leadership competencies like communication, integrity, decision-making and conflict resolution strategies learned throughout course will enable me to develop the essential employability skills. Currently, organizations want employees who are leaders. With these competencies in mind, I can utilize them for employment purposes and personal development.

Importantly, I have learned that a leader cannot thrive without ethics. According to Trevino, Hartman, and Brown (2000), ethical leaders make decisions that respect the integrity and dignity of others. Moreover, they insist on being fair, considerate, and honest. As a result, I learned that leadership entail not only motivating or inspiring people, but also being concerned about their welfare. The arguments on ethical leadership inspired me to revisit my decision-making skills. Furthermore, it made me understand why some leaders are successful while other are not. As a future leader, the ethical leadership theories challenged me always to consider the interests of others in every situation. In fact, it made me realize that leadership is about the welfare of the society not of the leader.

However, I have to make several improvements to be an effective leader. Leadership calls for an individual to have excellent and effective communication skills. Without effective communication skills, a leader cannot motivate or inspire others. Despite having good communication skills, I struggle when it comes to public speaking. To enhance my public communication skills, I need to engage in group activities actively. Actions like group discussions provide an exceptional environment for individuals to develop appropriate interpersonal communication skills and courage.

Additionally, I need to learn more on cross-cultural leadership. Currently, globalization has eliminated cultural barriers in leadership. People now talk about leadership in a global context. In a global environment, a leader interacts with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. Bertocci (2009) notes that the world is not static so is leadership. Leadership evolves with time. In the future, leaders will be required to possess exceptional multi-cultural leadership competencies. Consequently, I must expose myself to the various significant global cultural issues that impact on leadership. This goal requires me to interact with people from different cultures and studies on multicultural leadership.

Leadership and Gender

Leadership is practical. Reading loads of leadership materials will be in vain if the skills acquired are not exercised. In this respect, I will actively engage in leadership actions at different capacities. Taking leadership positions will enable me to experience the challenges that leaders endure in their daily activities. As Bertocci (2009) points out, leaders interact with people with differing interests. Moreover, these people hail from different backgrounds. Dealing with different people makes leadership a complex affair which requires experience. Apart from gaining leadership insights, participating in leadership roles will provide me sufficient feedback on my abilities and drawbacks. Obtaining frequent feedbacks will empower me to work objectively to improve my shortcomings. Additionally, I will consistently interact with various leaders to gain awareness on how they operate. I believe that the amalgamation of these interactions with what I have learned during this semester will assist me to improve my leadership abilities. With the course material confirming the leadership can be nurtured, I will work hard to attain the vital leadership competencies.

Conclusion

The semester materials have equipped me with sufficient insights on leadership and its vital elements. Throughout the term, my understanding of leadership has significantly improved. Particularly, I have been able to differentiate leadership from management. Moreover, I have understood the key competencies required for effective leadership. The various leadership theories covered in the semester have enriched my comprehension on the evolution of leadership and how it relates to the changes in the society. However, the course has also challenged me to improve by leadership aptitudes. Specifically, I need to improve my communication efficiency and insight on the leadership environment. To attain these goals, I will actively participate in leadership roles, network with various leaders, and read literature on leadership. In summary, the semester materials have significantly changed my perceptions on leadersh

References

Baumgartner, R. (2009). Organizational culture and leadership: Preconditions for the development of a sustainable corporation. Sustainable business Development, 17(2), 102-113.

Bertocci, D. I. (2009). Leadership in Organizations: There is a Difference Between Leaders and Managers. New York: University Press of America.

Burke, S., & Collins, K. M. (2001). Gender differences in leadership styles and management skills. Women in Management Review, 16(5), 244-256.

Day, D. (2000). Leadership development: A review in context. Leadership Quarterly, 11, 581-613.

Fairhurst, G. T., & Connaughton, S. L. (2014). A communicative perspective. accounting, 10(1), 7-35.

Kotter, J. P. (2008). Force For Change: How Leadership Differs from Management. New York: The Free Press.

Northouse, P. G. (2012). Leadership: Theory and Practice (6th ed.). London: SAGE Publications.

Trevino, L. K., Hartman, L. P., & Brown, M. (2000). Moral person and moral manager: how executives develop a reputation for ethical leadership. California Management Review, 42(4), 128-142.