Theory and Practice of Leadership - Admission/Application Essay Example

It differs from management since managers are focused on end results, but not on the means of attaining such results. The paper provides an explanation of the theories and personally developed theory. This paper also offers a reflection on insights learned. Another essential theory is the transactional leadership theory, which indicates a need of having a reciprocity behavior between followers and leaders. Finally, functional leadership theory indicates a need for leaders to engage in behavior, which contributes to the attainment of unit effectiveness and goals of the organization.

Thus, a leader has to ensure that all the needs of the group are met at all times (Chaleff, 2009). The personal developed theory is that of motivational leadership theory. This theory is focused on ensuring that employees are motivated to engage in their job roles in order to attain success in the organization.             From the book “The Courageous Follower”, I have learned that leaders are influential people and not managers.

As such, there is a need to have an effective strategy, which will ensure that success is attained at all times. Thus, leaders have to focus on adopting the best leadership styles. Conclusion             Theories that I found most helpful in this course are positive reinforcement, path-goal theory, transaction leadership theory, and functional leadership theory. As such, I gained insightful information in terms of how to lead people towards the achievement of goals.