Leadership Development And Motivation Challenges

Challenges in Leadership and Development Study

Discuss about the Leadership Development and Motivation Challenges.

The leadership and development lessons were quite enriching and informative. The entire lessons had new ideas and characteristics that a good leader should possess. However, the study was also coupled with a lot of challenges and they will be discussed in the subsequent submissions. In the second week, there was a systematic approach to the lecture. First of all, the effectiveness of a leader was discussed in relation to the tasks that they should undertake. More so, the general aspects that determine a leader were also discussed. Besides the tasks that the leaders should undertake, much emphasis was laid on the motivation that leaders require in order to discharge their mandate in an apt manner. The logical element is a crucial factor in the analysis of a good leader. In the lessons, the instructors were able to deliver good content that enabled students to understand the cognitive aspects that are essential in the leadership sphere. (Zaccaro, 2009)

It is however regrettable that many challenges occurred during the study of the topic. One of the challenges was that many terminologies were overlapping and their meanings were difficult to demystify. For instance, words such as efficiency and effectiveness of a leader almost bore the same message. Another challenge was concerning the different leadership approaches. It was difficult to determine the best leadership approach because all of them had their pros and cons. For example, the question of whether leaders are born or made is quite complex. ( Hogan, 2013)

The second session was a discussion of the styles, attitudes and the behaviors of leadership. Just like the first lecture, this one was informative as well. You realize that leadership is a wide subject and this was just continuity. There were a host of things to learn and more specifically, there was the mention of the leadership theories which include the contingency, trait, behavioral and the great man theories. The discussion was derived from the theories and part of the study explored the attitudes and behavioral changes of various leaders. It was also great to learn about the relationship that exists between the attitude and behavior and how the relationship affects the execution of leadership duties. A good leader is said to be that one who offers service rather than exercising authority. Consequently there is a 360 degree feedback model which leaders are assessed upon. They can use this model as a scorecard which will make them improve where they did not perform well. (Keys, 2014)

In this study, there were some challenges too. They include the interpretation of the theories. Theories carry hidden meanings of some facts and it requires keen examination of the theory to unravel the meanings. The phrases are technical and the outward meaning may not imply the actual meaning that was intended. Another challenge was also to settle on the best leadership style. Among the different styles, there are those that are viewed as oppressive to the society while some fraction of the people applauds them as the best. The other challenge is to determine whether leadership is an art or a science. (King, 2010)

Styles, Attitudes, and Behaviors of Leadership

The fourth session was still a continuation of the leadership and development study. Here, the lecture was focused on the leadership based on charisma and transformation. The key lessons that were derived from this interaction include the meaning of terminologies and how they originated. An example is the word charismatic which was coined from a Greek terminology called charisma. What it all means is that such a leader is naturally endeared to the people. The mention of Barack Obama as a charismatic leader provided a clear understanding of what it means owing to the oratory skills that the former United States president possesses. In addition, the charismatic leadership style has many styles of communication according to the lectures that were undertaken. The lesson was so triggering in that people were challenged to come up with their plans to exhibit their charismatic nature. Finally there was more information on how transformational leadership happens. (Kowzlowski, 2008)

The first challenge that was faced is to determine whether one is charismatic during the designing of the action plan. Charisma is not quantifiable and the parameters to use to determine this attribute are difficult to find. One parameter is the linguistic ability of the leader. While other people will appreciate and get endeared to a leader because of how they speak, some will not find anything to appreciate in them. For instance, it is difficult to appreciate a leader who is focused on only actions and not their characters as it is the case I transformational leadership. (Latham, 2013)

The next lesson was based on the leaders that arise during certain situations. Such forms of leadership are called contingency or situational leadership. In the study, there were insights on the procedures in which people can pick their leaders depending on the different situations. The objectives which the people intend to meet are the determinants of the leader they choose in a certain situation. Besides, the interaction was vital in that the analysis of the contingency theory was made. Contingency refers to a circumstance that is unexpected. In most cases, the contingency is always an unfavorable circumstance. What the leader is appointed to do is to make it favorable. Besides the contingency theory, the lecture was informative on other theories such as the path-goal theories and went ahead to touch on the model on the situational leadership. The situation dictates the kind of leadership style that can be adopted by the leader. (Mailick, 2013)

The difficulties in this lesson have been replicated from the above lessons. They are barely the same but the difference comes in slightly. The explanation of some terminologies such as contingency was quite a challenge. More so, comprehension of the theories was not an easy task. Given that the theories had increased, some information was being duplicated and causing confusion. As time moves on and more information is delivered, the mind gets saturated and may not accommodate some of the information. Some information is almost similar, thus causing distortion of the whole course. (McCauley, 2011)

Leadership based on Charisma and Transformation

Another lesson was about the power and the political implications vested in various kinds of leadership. One of the revelations was the difference between management and leadership. More often than not, people confuse between these terminologies. However, there was a thorough explanation to distinguish the terms. In addition, students were urged to recognize the different types of power. Power is important in the distribution of resources and people who have power are the leaders. More so, the instructor challenged the students to embrace leadership. They reinforced the fact that a leader should not only be known just by the name but they should be people with the capacity to empower their subjects. This is possible if they can assign duties to junior members of the society so that power can be participatory. The element of ethics is very important for any leader. They are judged on moral grounds and their ability to behave in a good way was also part of the discussion. (Ohlott, 2014)

Amongst the challenges and difficulties faced was the determination of the ethical standards. Morality also does not have quantifiable parameters on which a leader can be awarded or reprimanded. Also it was a challenge to make a decision whether leaders should be trusted with too much power. Some leaders misuse the power for self aggrandizement and instead they oppress the common people. Another challenge is the politicization of issues. Sometimes political power is used to polarize citizens hence it was a tall order to agree with the instructor whether such power was to be given. (Sosik, 2012)

The eighth lesson was a deeper discussion of the differences between management and leadership. This is an indication that the two terms bring about an argument that should never be overlooked. In the discussion, there was also the need to explain the existing relationship between a leader’s influence and the power that they have. This was done by the lecturer who covered the topic quite comprehensively. It was determined that any leader is not guaranteed to have influence over the subjects by virtue of being above them in terms of the status. However, the lesson of the day indicated that the leader must be smart by applying various tactics to achieve his influence. First of all, any leader must understand the nature of his subjects. Once this is done, they should apply the tactics in a systematic sequence that will yield the desired results. (Tsui, 2014)

The difficulties witnessed in this study included the performance of the research to determine the influence tactics. Research is always so involving because the preliminary activities take up much time as well as the research itself. The aftermath of the research should also be processed. In this case, summarization of the research results posed a big challenge to us.

The relationship between power and influence was one of the challenging aspects as well. The terms seem as though they can be used interchangeably. However, the lesson was quite precise hence there were no much challenges when compared to other discussions. (Wexsley, 2016)

The ninth lesson was focused on how coaching is done, motivational tactics and finally team work. The discussion enlightened the students on the kind of skills of leadership in relation to the expectancy theory. The discussion also provided an opportunity to learn the details of the expectancy theory. Besides this theory, there was also the mention of the goal theory which was discussed in detail.

It was realized that there is a direct relationship between the behavior of the leaders and their skills of leadership. The study was essential because it provided guidance in the manner in which the relationship can be described. The lesson also enabled the members to understand how leaders entice their subjects through the tactic of recognition. As aspiring leaders, the students were able to analyze their situations and look forward to making good leaders who could be endeared to their subjects. (Wood, 2009)

The challenges that were faced were the theoretical interpretations which had posed challenges since the topic of leadership came up. These theories had many details that were difficult to demystify. It is always challenging to motivate people and the different methods that would be used were not quite comprehensive. For instance, many people would desire to be furnished with a certain amount of money before they get motivated. It is difficult to understand what people would demand apart from money. In a discussion of this kind, many assumptions are made which may compromise the actual facts that should be represented. (Zand, 2007)

References

Hogan, R. R. (2013). Educating the Modern Manager. Academy of Management Learning and Education

Keys, J. B. (2014). Management Education and Development: Current issues and emerging trends:  New York: Pantheon Books

King, S. N. (2010). Feedback Intensive Programs. San Francisco: Wiley.

Kozlowski, S. W. J. (2008). Training and Developing Adaptive Teams: American Psychological Association.

Latham, G. P. (2013). Management Development. Hove, UK: Psychology Press/Erlbaum.

Mailick, M. A. (2013). Learning theory in the practice of management development: Evolution and applications. Westport, CT: Quorum.

McCauley, C. D. (2011). Management development through job experiences: An annotated bibliography. Greensboro, NC: Center for Creative Leadership.

McCauley, C. D. (2010). Our Viewpoint of Leadership Development. San Francisco: Wiley.

Ohlott, P. (2004). Job Assignments. San Francisco: Wiley.

Sosik, J. J. (2012). Adaptive self-regulation: New York: Pantheon Books

Tsui, A.S (2014). Adaptive Self-Regulation: A process view of managerial effectiveness. University of Oulu, Finland

Wexley, K. N. (2016). Management Development. University of Oulu, Finland

Wood, R. (2009). Social cognitive theory of organizational management. Academy of Management Review

Zand, D. E. (2007). The leadership triad: Knowledge, trust, and power. New York: Oxford University.

Zaccaro S. M. (2009). Leader development for transforming organizations. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

Zaccaro, S. M. (2014). Leader Visioning and Adaptability: New York: Oxford University Press