What Is Leadership - Assignment Example

Module Leadership What is Leadership? Leadership is the ability to motivate, inspire and unite people behind a common objective(Tracy 23). In some quarters, a leader is defined as anyone with followers. However, anybody can have followers but not everybody can inspire and unite people. In work settings, leaders are highly desirable for their ability to rally employees behind a goal. They create visions of what needs to be achieved and then communicate this vision to others. They then develop plans for achieving the vision. After this, leaders motivate and inspire employees, mobilising resources and other support along the way to facilitate attainment of set goals. According to Tracy (24), there is often confusion between leadership and management, so much so that people use them interchangeably. However, a leader is different from a manager. Leadership is more desirable than management. Studies show that organisations are better off having a few effective leaders and many brilliant managers than the other way around. In fact, studies show that the world needs more leaders than managers. Leadership is more of a trait than an acquired ability (Melina 28). Management can be taught – anybody can be a good manager – but not everybody can be a good leader, even through teaching. While a manager focuses on attaining results through the application of management functions, a leader focuses on performance – rather than results. Leadership and management are, however, similar in the sense that they share complimentary attributes. A good leader needs to be a good manager, and vice-versa (Yukl 31). Personal Development Needs My biggest strength is the ability to think critically and creatively. Critical and creative thinking is the bedrock of leadership. I know how to analyse situations and develop effective solutions to common problems. According to Melina (33), the objective is to approach challenges with an open, holistic perspective. For example, if I am performing poorly financially, I should think about the root causes of the problem and steer clear of trivial aspects that prolong the solution process. Am I motivated? If not, how can I motivate myself to perform better? Using inductive and deductive reasoning, which are essential to critical thinking, I can create a systematic approach to the problem. I should think about the underlying issues, not the obvious ones. Critical thinking facilitates this (Yukl 33). Another notable strength is pragmatism and realism. I always think about solutions, not problems. When faced with challenges, my objective should be to find the best remedy as soon as possible by employing real-life scenarios that solve the problem permanently. Thinking outside the box is a commonly used phrase but one which few people understand or know how to apply. It is part of the pragmatic aspect of leadership. For example, if I perform poorly in a specific subject may be facing a myriad of challenges that I focus on addressing (Tracy 37). Using a pragmatic approach, I will analyze myself to understand the reason for the bad grades. Is there an attitude problem? How can it be solved? Is the problem emotional or financial? How can it be solved? An impractical and unrealistic approach might involve, for example, focusing on other subjects I am good at and ignoring the ones I am poor in. According to Taylor (43), morality is also a major strength attributed to good leadership. Morality and ethics are indicators of good leadership. No matter how practical or critically I think, lack of ethical and moral principles negates all other strengths. A common weakness in me is self-deception. Self-deception inspires delusion and (false) feelings of grandeur. The result is that I remain in a bubble that separates me from reality, and inhibits critical and creative thinking. Self-deception deceives me into thinking that I am better than they actually are, making consensus in leadership difficult. Poor decision making is another of my major weaknesses (Tracy 45). Decision making is an involving process that requires systematic and practical approaches. One bad “mistake” can have serious negative consequences on the outcomes of leadership processes. Poor decision making is closely associated with misinformation, so I must always stay informed. The fear of change is also another of my weaknesses. According to Northouse (46), new systems, processes and mechanisms can instil fear even in the most flexible leaders. The fear is often caused feelings of insecurity regarding job prospects and financial benefits. I might want to implement a new studying regime but I am hesitant to compromise my or other people’s comfort. Proposed Solutions Critical and creative thinking can be learned; it is not inherent in or exclusive to anyone. There are numerous courses, seminars, literature, groups and digital content that I can use to develop or improve critical and creative thinking. In addition, engaging in intellectual discourses with like-minded individuals can significantly improve critical and creative thinking. Impracticality requires me acquaint himself with real-life situations that would necessitate swift and decisive action (Tracy 59). For example, if my organisation is performing poorly in ethical standards, I should put myself in the organisations’ shoes and imagine being faced with the challenge on a personal level. This strategy eliminates misinformed, escapist attitudes that are geared towards glossing over problems (Yukl 29). I should always picture himself in other people’s situations instead of looking “bail out.” I should ask myself how they would react if they were in other people’s shoes. Another solution is to stay informed at all times; information is a very powerful tool. I might have all the right individual attributes but misinformation or a lack of information creates a situation where the blind is leading the blind, and can have negative implications on leadership processes (Melina 63). I must embrace change because it is a constant feature in human development. Change cannot be avoided, and if I do not want to change then “change will change” me. Obviously, it is better to adapt to change, especially in an increasingly competitive business, personal and career environment. It is easy for me to be quickly usurped or surpassed by others with good knowledge about latest developments in their field. According to Tracy (67), organisations seem to favour employees who are flexible and can adapt to change in the least time and with the least effort possible. All factors considered, the best solution to leadership problems is to train more people on how to lead. Evaluating Proposed Solutions A 2013 study conducted by the Pew Research Group showed that leaders who worked to improve their critical and creative thinking skills posted much better results in whatever fields they were involved in (Taylor 69). The study also showed that leaders who committed themselves to enhancing their critical and creative thinking were more effective compared to the ones who believed that they are critical and creative thinkers by nature. What this study shows is that when it comes to success in leadership, actions definitely speak louder than words. Believing that I am good leader is one thing, but applying those beliefs in real-life situations creates experiences which define, at the end of the day, if I will or will not succeed in leadership. The study also showed that organisations that indoctrinated their employees on leadership performed much better overall compared to ones that did not (Day 22). In the initial stages, regular leadership training equips employees with the fundamental skills required to lead effectively. With time, however, they develop more advanced leadership skills and become expert critical and creative thinkers. However, there is need for more research in regard to the applicability of leadership traits such as critical and creative thinking, pragmatism and the flexibility (Day 74). Current and past research has focused on the hypothesis that practicality in any leadership is more valuable than theoretical knowledge and perspectives. However, this hypothesis has not really been tested in the last couple of years. Most scholars have identified the need to shift focus away from organisational leadership because leaders do not exist in organisations only. There are leaders amongst us in our families, in social settings, in extracurricular activities such as sports, and in other dimensions of life. Most of the evidence thus far has been from studies of organisational leadership, hence limiting the scope of inferences. In 2011, the US department of labour sponsored a research which shows that there are actually fewer leaders in than outside organisational settings but their experiences have been largely ignored by researchers (Northouse 76). Plan of Action The proposed solution in this scenario is to develop a blueprint for eliminating my weaknesses and improving on my strengths. This action plan will be implemented over three years to increase the chances of achieving set objectives. Below is an example of a 3-year leadership action plan that I will implement to hone my leadership skills: Year 1 Action/Goal Requirements Challenges Timeline Develop my communication skills Actively engaging in activities that will improve my interpersonal and communication skills Busy schedule Lack of motivation Lack of moral support January 2015 – April 2015 Enhancing my critical and creative thinking skills Actively engaging in critical and creative thinking activities Lack of time Lack of moral support Lack of motivation Unsuitable environment May 2015 – August 2015 Reading leadership materials Borrowing and buying leadership materials that will inspire me to become a better leader. September 2015 – December 2015 Year 2 Action/Goal Requirements Challenges Timeline Eliminating self-deception as a weakness Believing in myself Self-actualization Engaging in activities that eliminate self-deception Lack of moral support Lack of motivation Lack of pragmatism January 2016 – April 2016 Attending leadership seminars and implementing learned aspects Actively seeking and participating in leadership opportunities, forums and seminars Inadequate finances Lack of motivation Lack of moral support Busy schedule May 2016 – August 2016 Interacting with leadership-oriented individuals to acquire leadership perspectives Sharing opinions with leaders various capacities, as well as my colleagues Busy schedule Lack of moral support Unwillingness – from other parties – to interact with me Lack of motivation September 2016 – December 2016 Year 3 Action/Goal Requirements Challenges Timeline Attending leadership courses and acquiring professional leadership certifications Registering and studying for professional leadership certification courses Inadequate finances Lack of time Lack of motivation Lack of moral support January 2017 – February 2017 Conquering my fear of change Reading books and other materials on how to overcome the fear of change Engaging in activities that help me conquer this fear Inadequate finances Busy schedule Lack of moral support Lack of motivation March 2017 – May 2017 Overcoming poor decision making as a weakness Reading books and other materials on how to improve decision making Taking up decision-making roles to test myself Applying lessons learned to improve my decision making Inadequate finances Busy schedule Lack of motivation Lack of opportunities to test myself June 2017 – July 2017 Actively vying for or accepting leadership roles Running for elective posts in school and other settings, and taking up leadership positions whether assigned or motivated to do so Inadequate finances Lack of moral support Poor networking August 2017 – October 2017 Using my leadership roles to inspire others into leadership Actively interacting with various people to encourage them to take up leadership roles People’s fear of change People’s lack of awareness of leadership roles November 2017 – December 2017 Works Cited Day, David V. The Nature of Leadership. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE, 2012. Print. Melina, Lois Ruskai. The Embodiment of Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2013. Print. Northouse, Peter Guy. Leadership: Theory and Practice. 6th ed. Thousand Oaks: SAGE, 2013. Print. Taylor, Steven S. Leadership Craft, Leadership Art. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. Print. Tracy, Brian. Leadership. New York: American Management Association, 2014. Print. Yukl, Gary A. Leadership in Organisations. 8th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2013. Print. Read More