Leadership and the Leadership Grid
Leadership is the act of leading or becoming a leader of an association or community of persons. I did not understand before the module that the management grid is a management type. But I have now acquired awareness in the leadership grid that success can be assessed, the leadership style is self-analyzed and commonly used in most organisations. This essay aims to focus on my experience with the course module. I have the sense that leadership and the curriculum as a whole have helped me to apply the leadership skills throughout my career. I am much contented with the course even though it has challenged me. With me, I do not enjoy modules topics that do not challenge me in one way or the other.
Transformation in Times of Technological Advancement
Due to technological advancement, we live in times of transformation when information and knowledge are the main components of authority (Li 2011, p. 139). From my experience and past knowledge on leadership, I thought the managers of organizations do not play a crucial role in motivating employees. I have now understood how distinct leadership styles can influence the behavior of workers. I used to think that leadership is just about leading people but now I have come to know that leadership is about recognizing the significance of diversity, the value of teamwork, knowledge, know how to share power and understanding failure and success of subordinates.
The Key to Learning: Core Leadership Theories
Earlier on, I had no understanding of core leadership theories that are the key to learning the foundations of leadership. Mostly, principles are categorized by the aspect in which they are believed to define the leader. The most widespread theories are transformational, transactional, contingency, behavioral, trait, and great man theories. I was wondering why some leaders are successful while others fail. There are no magic combinations of features that make successful leaders. With these said, it does not mean that you cannot learn to be an active leader. I have come to understand that different approaches or styles of leadership are used in various situations, and thus it is imperative that you know the passageways to leadership.
Leadership Biases and Assumptions
Leadership biases hinder success in any setting whether individual or business (Ghorbanian 2012, p. 34). Prejudice or bias is the subtle tendency in leaders to only seek for leaders like them. Even though most of us seem to have a natural tendency to assume things, assumptions are not good for leaders. I used to assume that leadership is a positional authority, in my life and the number of people who report to an individual in the organization. I also used to assume that there is no bit of knowledge that transforms an individual into a leader. Last but not least, I thought that leadership is complex and sophisticated, and there are no set of behaviors or competencies that a person can follow to earn the title of a leader.
Areas for Professional and Personal Development
The possible areas for my professional and personal development related to the critical module topics are managerial and supervisory positions. Such probable areas are essential in applying the knowledge learned in class. The knowledge applied is on leadership styles, administrative roles, leadership theories, and qualities.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are many convergence and interfaces on distinct viewpoints on how leadership and management are carried out. Thus, the standards of leadership need to meet the styles of leadership so that the needs of the subordinates are met. With these said, there is a need for simplified management grid to be established in large organizations.
References
Ghorbanian, A. (2012). The relationship between managers' leadership styles and emergency medical technicians' job satisfaction. Australasian Medical Journal, 5(1), 1-7. doi:10.4066/amj.2012.892
Li, W. (2011). Research on Leadership and Motivation Impact on SAS's Individual and Organizational Performance. 2011 International Conference on Management and Service Science. doi:10.1109/icmss.2011.5998589
