Principles of Leadership - Essay Example

Development of the appropriate mental model for leadership is thus important. Means to develop an appropriate mental model were also uncovered in classroom practical discussions. I intend using the knowledge gained from these sessions to act as a guideline in developing the appropriate mental model for enhancing leadership skills in me. In addition, Northhouse 2010 provides two key ingredients of leadership, which are behavioural abilities and diagnostic abilities. The essence of successful leadership lies in selecting strategies that are practical than rather leaning on idealistic goals.

In this lies the importance of the evaluation of behavioural abilities and the diagnostic abilities of the leader (Whetten & Cameron 2011). Classroom discussions have arrived at the conclusion that the important factors of evaluation of the group environment gives vital clues to the leader on what can be achieved based on the communication structures in an organization, which may not be at idealistic levels. In such a scenario, a potential leader has the necessary information to develop realistic strategies to decrease the variance between the actual situation and an ideal situation.

In short, it is this diagnostic ability that allows a leader to mould behaviour in an organization to get as close as what the ideal situation needs to be (Bennis 2007). The ability to choose the required behavioural abilities provides a leader with the greater chance of achieving this objective (Zaccaro 2007). Based on this understanding of development of leadership skills, I have evolved the following strategies towards development of leadership skills in me: Work with a leadership guru. - find someone whom I feel confident with and learn from him/her.

It is my belief that these interactions will open my horizon to new experiences and ideas. Invite opinions and accept criticisms. Look for other people eager to give direct, truthful, decisive opinions or criticisms. I should look for opinions from a multitude of viewpoints and be willing to accept them. Be compassionate. Be an attentive listener. I should create an approachable impression, so that people around me will not be hesitant to raise their concerns. Persevere to gain the integral leadership features in any way possible.

I should strive to possess the ‘axioms of effective leadership’ such as healthy attitude, moral worth, and so on. Personal Development Plan I have chosen to use the SMART principles in my personal development plan. I have been moved to this decision by the purposeful statement of Battley, 2006, 127, “The SMART method is an old workhorse that remains effective, based on proven principles of adult learning.” As far as leadership is concerned SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time bound objectives (Dennis & Meola, 2009, 38).

SMART principles in tabular form provided as Appendix – 1. What do these mean in real terms? Specific stands for detailed and concise objectives. Measurable is quantifiable objectives. Achievable are realistic and feasible objectives. Relevant is for high value and desirable objectives and time bound means that the objectives do not stretch into infinity (Battley, 2006, 127). Specific Objectives The specific objectives that I have chosen for my leadership development plan are skills for evaluating the behavioural culture in a group of