I have enjoyed this class, MSLD 511, immensely. My
first two classes in the MSLD program focused on critical thinking and
communication. Both classes were interesting and helped me develop skills that
I lacked, but this was the first class to touch on leadership theories. I was
excited to begin this class to start to learn the leadership concepts and
theories, and I have to admit that I was not disappointed.
In the first module of this course, I was asked to
provide my definition of leadership. After pondering the question for a while,
I decided leadership is one’s ability to envision a goal and inspire or
motivate others in the achievement of that goal. I am not sure I would change
my definition, but I could have elaborated more on how the leader will inspire
the follower. I have learned in this course that each leadership theory defines
a different way the follower can be motivated. My description of the methods a
leader may use to motivate followers was generic and could have been more
detailed.
This course has opened my eyes regarding leadership
and the different types of leadership. Before this class, I could have told you
that I have had some poor leaders and some effective leaders in the past. I would
not have had the ability to give further detail as to why. There were some who
were just bad and some who were very good. This class has taught me why my
previous leaders fit into the category of poor and effective.
I have learned in this class that an effective
leader should not just stick to one leadership theory for all situations. I
have had leaders in the past who are grouped into the “bad” category because
they did not alter their leadership style to the follower or situation. One of
my previous leaders would always use the directive (S1) style. According to
Northouse (2016), the directing style consists of communication mainly focused
on goals and support is the minority focus. All followers are not the same, so
this style will not work for every follower. This leader should have adjusted
the style to the followers needs to be more effective.
I have also had leaders that understood that trust
was an important aspect of leadership or understood that each follower is
motivated differently so utilized path-goal leadership. These leaders are
grouped into the good leaders. This class has helped me understand what it
takes to be an effective leader.
I aspire to be a leader that uses a plethora of
leadership styles to develop the best relationship with my followers. I have
mentioned in many previous posts that I believe people are the most important
piece of the company. Sure production, goals, and turning a profit are all
important, but none of that is obtainable without the heart of the
organization, the people. I will do anything I could to take care of my
followers. I believe that starts with developing trust. I would want my
followers to understand that they have my trust and hope that the trust would
be reciprocated.
I would also
utilize path-goal theory in the sense that all followers are not motivated in
the same ways. I would hope to know my followers well enough to know what
motivates them. Knowing what motivate them and removing the obstacles in their
way can lead to a more productive, but more importantly more satisfied
employee. I would also hope to be seen as empathetic to my followers. Nothouse
(2016) defines empathy as understanding and identifying with others. If I am
not able to identify with others, then I have lost the battle before it begins.
Finally, I would want to make my followers feel
safe. One of my favorite TED talks I
discovered in this class was by Simon Sinek. Sinek (2010) explains that making
the followers feel safe is an important part of being a good leader. He gives
several examples where the leader was not worried about the company’s
production or numbers. The number one priority was making the follower feel
safe. This concept resonated with me, and I will strive to be a leader who
makes their followers feel safe.
References
Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership:
Theory and practice (7th ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Sinek, S. (2014). Why good leaders make you feel
safe [TEDGlobal]. Retrieved from: https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_why_good_leaders_make_you_feel_safe?language=en
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