Reflective Journal with Leadership - Essay Example

Reflective Journal with leadership Author’s Name Institutional Affiliation Summary This is a personal reflective journal that details my personal experience on leadership. In this reflective journal, I take the stand that leadership study has assisted and equipped me a great deal. I have explored some of the key milestones in my life in so far as leadership is concerned and the associated impacts this has on my present and the future. I go as far as looking at how I will further and develop my knowledge on leadership and shows how my perception on the definition has changed through time. I am able to show indeed that even organizations need some sense of leadership that is strongly founded for them to succeed. The thoughts reflected herein are personal and do not in a way have any influence or connection to a third party. Introduction Leadership has received ascendancy in most contemporary literature and has been the key focus of most scholars as well as professionals. There are different leadership theories that have been developed to aid in understanding what leadership really is and how the leaders lead their followers. Some of the oldest theories include the great man theory, behaviour theory, trait theory, contingency also known as situational theory. Most importantly, leadership also comes in different styles dictated by the situation and the traits of the leader in question. There are several factors that either singly or in unison affect the understanding of leadership. The factors include legitimacy, intentions, initiative, behaviour, and morality that are pertinent topics and actions that come alongside leadership. This far, I am able to tell the difference between leadership and management as well as assess a leader and understand completely their leadership styles based on the leadership theories provided in the whole course. It is also notable that organizations are also fighting to integrate leadership into their organizational culture so as to win the war of talent and become employers of choice. The rise of leadership in organization can be attributed to factors such as assured organizational performance as well as reduced resistance to change among others. Most importantly, there are some areas in leadership where gaps still exists and ample research needs to be done to further elucidate on the points. There are many definitions of leadership most of which can be looked at as descriptions rather than definitions. The aim of this reflective journal is to give a personal reflection on leadership, having gone through the study that opened my mind with leadership knowledge. Personal Reflection Throughout this leadership course, I have been able to change my perception on leadership and have also reshaped my stand on what leadership entails. I have also learnt that there is no single all rounded definition of leadership as reflected in most visuals and literature alike. Winston & Patterson (2006) agree to the idea that most literature have failed to coin a common and standard definition of leadership, adding that leadership is not explicitly persons or a group of people with higher positions. I come into terms with the idea that leadership is process that ideally involves a leader and followers and where the leader comes up with various activities or action plans for the attainment of objectives (Winston & Patterson, 2006). Through leadership targets are achieved through others, there is the domination of power by the leader and there is always an alteration towards the right direction. In this course three major definition of leadership are given. First off, leadership is defined as the process of influencing the activities of an organized group with the chief aim of setting and achieving goals (Tracy, 2014). The second definition emphasizes that leadership is a relationship that exists between a leader and a group of followers where the leader uses his qualities and power to drive the attainment of goals. The last definition is that leadership is the ability to inspire confidence as well as support on people who are pertinent in achieving a set of organizational goals. One thing that have conspicuously stuck out of my mind is the fact that management and leadership are two different concepts. Most authors till don’t have a common ground over this matter making it even more complex. Management deals with general functions such as planning, controlling, organizing and directing (Tracy, 2014). In the functions of management I can clearly now point out that the directing function engages leadership in almost every aspect. In this case a manager must be prepared to direct or lead the path as they would wish the followers to do. From my own analysis this far, am able to delineate managers who are leaders from those who are just managers by virtue of their position in the hierarchy. I have also noted that leadership unlike management does not have any levels. Instead, what differs will be the styles that a leader uses to attain the set objectives in a timely manner. I have learned from this course that leadership and management have some levels of interdependence as the two are intertwined (Winston & Patterson, 2006). Managers can either be employee-oriented or production-oriented, bringing in the concept of transactional and transformational leadership styles (Winston & Patterson, 2006). I have realized that managers who apply transactional leadership style are more focused on the achievement of the set goals and nothing more. On the other hand, transformational leaders inspire the subordinates or their followers in the process of achieving the set objectives (Winston & Patterson, 2006). In the latter, the leader is committed to the achievement of the goals as a group. There are different leadership traits that clearly portray the existence of leadership. I have come to learn the importance of traits or attributes borne by an individual in shaping up their leadership positions. I have internalized the most common traits and am able to evaluate a person in a leadership position based on their character and tell whether or not they are a leader. Some of the leadership traits discussed across literature include courage, communication skills, integrity, initiative, selflessness, decisiveness, rational, critical thinker, judgement, knowledge, loyalty and responsibility among others. Generally a leader must have charisma to be able to effectively handle the followers for the best of the organization or a group. I agree after undertaking the course that the environment where the leader operates and the situation as well will affect the traits that the leader portrays. Generally, the leader must also have some inborn characteristics that are displayed through little actions. The traits include honesty, transparency, self-drive, self-confidence, and a vast knowledge on issues that affect human relationships (Tracy, 2014). I have come to realize that when the situation is complicated and the followers are the inexperienced cohort then directive leadership fits. However, when the followers have some expertise, then participative leadership is ideal. On the other hand, when there are hard targets that must be met then the effective leadership style would be achievement-centred leadership (Tracy, 2014). Lastly, when there is stress, boredom and high levels of demoralization at the workplace, supportive leadership would best defuse the situation. This is an attest that different leadership styles favour different situations. This leadership program has equipped me with the knowledge of my own personal values. I can now delineate traits from values being that values are manners in which one conducts themselves and can also refer to belief on the best behaviour to forge and the manner in which to achieve set objective as well as the order of preference when achieving them. I am now able to understand how values are developed as well as its own levels. My core values are accountability, adaptability, ambition, teamwork, enthusiasm, efficiency and commitment among others that can fill this whole space (Tracy, 2014). Most importantly, my interest in organizational culture has also been driven by the background knowledge I acquired in this course. I am now able to identify what organizational culture is and its connection with leadership (Tracy, 2014). Strong leadership ensures the implementation process is smooth with low or no resistance. I have come to realize that based on value orientation such as on achievement, universalism, tradition, hedonism and spirituality among others, countries can be categorized and their leadership preference also profiled (Tracy, 2014). Ethical leadership has also been the centre of most discussions in leadership and organizational literature. Ethics guide what is morally acceptable as good in a society from wrong action. Leaders can be faced with ethical dilemmas which based on their competence and traits, they can offer solutions (Ciulla, Uhl-Bien & Werhane, 2013). I appreciate that there are countries that are ethically oriented than others with Denmark, New Zealand and Finland taking the lead positions as the cleaner nations (Ciulla, Uhl-Bien & Werhane, 2013). I have learnt the four approaches to ethics termed as ethical philosophies such as moral rights, justice approach, utilitarian and individualism (Ciulla, Uhl-Bien & Werhane, 2013). I have also come to appreciate the need of a strong corporate governance as a pillar in ethical leadership (Hannum, Martineau & Reinelt, 2007). Based on this understanding, given the stewardship of an organization I am able to get the organization to greater levels. I have also learnt how governance affects the stakeholders of an organization such as the employees and customers. I have been able to understand why there is an endless battle all over the world concerning leadership and gender. Women and men alike can become good leaders, what matters is the style and the achievements that one uses. Stereotyping is and has been the key driver of most criticism on women leadership (Tracy, 2014). I am glad that after getting this in the course I am able to stand against the stereotyping and give credit to women leadership based on the achievement. This definitely means that the society has influence of leadership. There are factors that affect the ability of women to lead organizations most so corporations (Tracy, 2014). Some of these factors include lack of work-life balance with the societal mandates on women, stereotyping by men and the society and individual level weaknesses (Tracy, 2014). I am able to classify and identify culture within an organization based on the visible and the invisible deeper levels. I appreciate the fact that leaders are pertinent in instituting strong organizational values that then build a strong foundation for organizational culture. I am also able to spot the worst organizational cultures based on the type of leadership in an organization. In organizations, leadership ensures the engagement of employees and the management in creating goals (Tracy, 2014). In this sense leadership leads to the development of organizational positive behaviours that lead to commitment and thus increased productivity and job satisfaction on part of the employees (Adeyemi‐Bello, 2001). Leadership also enables an organization to have a good reputation and thus be the preferred employer by most people (Adeyemi‐Bello, 2001). Use of transformational leadership in organizations have been linked to the well-being of employees, their retention, increased commitment and job satisfaction, boosted emotional intelligence, and reduced levels of stress, all which assure an organization of increased productivity (Adeyemi‐Bello, 2001). Charismatic leadership has been the best type of leadership that most leaders in the contemporary business take being that it fits a similar description as transformational leadership (Adeyemi‐Bello, 2001). Leaders are also resourceful in developing positive psychology (Luthans, Avolio, Avey & Norman, 2007). I have come to appreciate the fact that authentic leadership is essential in todays’ world being that authentic leaders are more of all-rounded leaders with a wider scope and experience as well. Through the study of leadership I am also able to place the preference of Australia and the international arena as well on leadership. Based on this understanding and all the factors that have been studied, my mind is clear on one thing, leadership is essential. Armed with the skills in this course, I will be able to have a personal evaluation and assess my stand in as far as leadership is concerned. I am also planning to enrol for a leadership class and engage in research on leadership. To develop my skills in leadership, I have been convicted that training, coaching and research will be my forte when scaling up the leader and getting to know more of leadership The best development platforms are one’s workplace, family, society, institutions and coaching as well as training (Hannum, Martineau & Reinelt, 2007). This knowledge of leadership will shape my future aspirations of being an international leader in any position that I will be given be it internationally or locally. I am also planning to take the initiative of using the social media and other platforms to positively impact my peers on what leadership is, so that in unison we can change the world around us. The best development platforms are one’s workplace, family, society, institutions and coaching as well as training (Hannum, Martineau & Reinelt, 2007). My developmental opportunities for leadership are in the workplace and the community I leave in as they are the places that will shape my life and traits. Conclusion This personal reflection has given me a chance to rethink on my leadership skills. I am now convicted to pursue leadership and become one of the most influential people the world has ever seen in any position that I will occupy. This course is timely and I am sure that my notion, beliefs and assumptions on leadership as well as my perspectives on the same, have been changed for the better. In my future organization, I will be able to use various leadership styles that are attached to positive results and strive to display my skills in leadership. In this reflection, I have been able to outline what I have gained when learning this course of leadership. However, as can be noted by any reader, there is still much that I haven’t covered in the reflection. This automatically means, that even though leadership has been underscored, it bears in itself more than is seen in the surface. Given chance and time, I want to further my studies in leadership and positively impact the lives around me. References Adeyemi‐Bello, T. (2001). The impact of leadership style on organizational growth. Work Study, 50(4), 150-154. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/00438020110391882 Ciulla, J., Uhl-Bien, M., & Werhane, P. (2013). Leadership ethics. Los Angeles, Calif.: SAGE. Hannum, K., Martineau, J., & Reinelt, C. (2007). The handbook of leadership development evaluation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Luthans, F., Avolio, B., Avey, J., & Norman, S. (2007). Positive Psychological Capital: Measurement and Relationship with Performance and Satisfaction. Personnel Psychology, 60(3), 541-572. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2007.00083.x Tracy, B. (2014). Leadership. New York: American Management Association. Winston, B., & Patterson, K. (2006). An Integrative Definition of Leadership. International Journal of Leadership Studies, 1(2), 6-66. Read More