Leadership is one of the most controversial and discussed phenomena. Since the beginning of time, historians were interested in describing the features of the best leadership strategy. The human need for being led cannot be neglected. People are social creatures. They should be motivated and led by one person who can inspire others to behave in a particular way. In the following essay, I will analyze the notion, types, and approaches to leadership from my personal perspective, and I will describe the way all of the information has influenced my choice of leadership strategy.
The Concept of Leadership
Scientists and historians have made many attempts to define leadership. Nevertheless, this notion is one of the most difficult to comprehend up to nowadays. According to Gallos (2014), leadership should be understood as a complicated social process that includes various constituents such as particular knowledge, skills, and values. The leadership cannot exist without followership. In my opinion, leaders are people who see perspectives that other people cannot see. They are the drivers that change the history and lives of people. That is the understanding of leadership on a global scale. However, there are leaders in every community, social organization, or group. Sometimes people use term “management” instead of “leadership.” These notions are not interchangeable. Management is more connected to the working process. It presupposes the accomplishment of tasks and employee surveillance. Leadership is more people-oriented than management. It is based on the personal qualities of the leader and can affect not only the working sphere.
Qualities of Leaders
Four qualities of leaders have been discussed during the lectures. Honesty, acuity, empathy, and visibility are significant for being a leader. In my opinion, morality is rather controversial for being a leader. The ability to demonstrate sincerity is essential for those who want to be leaders. The history showed that there were despotic leaders who did not display empathy. This leadership was based on terror. Such a type should be regarded as a form of guidance that cannot exist in modern society. Besides, there are some other essential traits of character that every leader should possess. Here belong optimism, communication, commitment, creativity, and the ability to motivate (Prive 2012). Some people believe that the so-called “charisma” is the principal feature of leaders.
Philosophical Basis of Leadership
Historical and philosophical treatises of famous thinkers give us the possibility to realize the development of the concept of leadership. Also, there are a lot of interesting pieces of advice that can be useful even nowadays for those who want to become a leader. When Homer wrote his “Iliad,” he saw the leader as one who was able to protect those who were weak. Plato defined the leader as someone who aimed at bringing harmony to the life of people. In my opinion, this is a genius idea. Although leaders often provoked masses for revolutions, their primary aim was to achieve peace. The understanding of leadership changed together with the flow of time. Thus, during the Medieval Period, especially when Christianity was at its peak, the religious understanding of leadership predominated. According to it, all kings and rulers were the senders from God. Their goals were to teach, guide, and improve people. The Age of Enlightenment gave rise to new ideas described by the most famous representatives of the epoch — John Locke and Thomas Hobbes. They believed that a leader was a mediator of self-interest.
Personal Understanding of Leadership
The choice of the leadership strategy can be rather a challenging task. It is necessary to be aware of the most widespread opinions about the nature of leadership. I have come to my conclusion concerning leadership. In my opinion, leadership is something we deal with every day. I can play the role of a leader at several places, including my home or work. A leader is a person who can persuade and inspire others to follow and accomplish a particular aim. Leadership requires great patience. I mention this because I realize that patience is a personal quality I have to develop. I face no difficulty in demonstrating honesty because I am devoted to my activity. However, I find it challenging to express unique acuity. Being intelligent requires hard work, as well.
Leadership Styles
According to DuBrin (2011), leadership style represents a significant part of the general performance of the leader. That is why I find it relevant to describe leadership styles and the way they influenced and changed my choice of leadership strategy. Thus, the leadership style is a term used to describe the particular type of behavior of the leader that impacts the development and activities of the followers. The author differentiates between two fundamental types of leadership: participative and autocratic. I have tried myself in the role of both leaders. Nevertheless, I cannot define what style is the best up till now as far as their significance varies in different situations.
The distinctive feature of the autocratic leadership lies in the fact that the leader does not pay much attention to the desires of workers. He or she knows what is best and moves in a particular direction. A few years ago, I saw leadership only from such a perspective. Once, I handled the organization of the event. I tried to behave as an autocratic leader. This style of behavior did not bring efficient results as far as I just disappointed others. The next time I had to organize something, I decided to take into consideration the opinions of others. I asked for their pieces of advice. We formed groups for discussions. The level of motivation and commitment among them increased drastically. The second time I played the role of the so-called participative leader. Such a leader realizes that mutual understanding and collaboration are essential for achieving goals.
Still, I am not going to be interested in the participative style only as far as both forms can be employed in various situations. For instance, if an organization faces the crisis, the team of employees needs the autocratic leader who leads them and directs efforts in the right course. The most difficult thing is that the autocratic leader has to claim responsibility for the decision. On the contrary, people prefer sharing their ideas and experience when the company is developing and flourishing. In this case, a leader can face a problem in choosing the best solutions and enhancing employees’ activity and a desire to develop.
Forms of leadership
As far as my approach to leadership is in the process of improvement, I assume that I should be ready to be a leader in various situations. I believe that a participative style will be prevailing. Usually, it is connected with teamwork. Besides, virtual work seems to become more and more popular every year. That is why I find it significant to analyze virtual leadership as well. Finally, globalization makes it necessary to work in multicultural teams. Thus, multicultural leadership is one more important aspect.
Team Leadership
The need for team leaders is predetermined by the fact that many projects are conducted by a group of people rather than by one person. The aim of the leader is to coordinate employees and direct the working process in the right flow. Besides, the leader should become a part of the team to accomplish set goals. According to McDonald (2013), a skillful team leader should always remember about five of the most important values. Collaboration is the first value. A real leader comprehends the significance of collaboration that results in the better general performance of the employees. The second value refers to shared leadership. There are many classifications of the roles of workers in the teamwork. These aspects focus on the importance of letting other employees lead, teach each other, and share personal knowledge and experience. Goal attainment is the third value. A team should have particular goals to continue developing and moving forward. Besides, a leader should monitor and evaluate the process of objectives of accomplishment. A team leader should also value a rigorous discourse. The leader inspires people to conduct a serious investigation and deepen their skills and experience. Finally, the team should be continuously improving.
Being a team leader can be a challenging task for me. I am used to be independent-minded, and it is difficult for me to take into consideration the opinions of others when I am sure that I am right. I should stop thinking in such a way and improve my personal listening and collaborating skills. I have to read more information on the topic and practice it in real-life situations.
Virtual Leadership
The need for virtual leaders is becoming more and more urgent. Virtual organizations make it possible to work from home or any other place for those who have no other opportunities. Being a leader in virtual teams differs dramatically from being a leader in the traditional working environment. This statement can be explained by the fact that most leadership approaches and theories presuppose a face-to-face communication between leaders and followers. The most significant aspects of virtual leadership include creating a feeling of confidence, successful communication and collaboration, and the efficient completion of tasks (Bolden et al. 2011).
I have never conducted this type of leadership before. However, I am sure that I should be able to become a virtual leader if necessary. Virtual communication is connected with the professional activity of almost all companies nowadays. I assume that continuous communication and work performance monitoring are integral constituents of virtual leadership. Also, communication via video conference is necessary for creating a feeling of trust since the beginning of the collaboration.
Multicultural Leadership
Modern society is multicultural. People from various countries, nations with different traditions, ways of life, and points of view often collaborate in large organizations. In this case, it is the task of the leader to find the approach that will satisfy the needs of all working staff. Webb, Darling, and Alvey (2014) state that multiculturalism requires a combination of several methods. In my opinion, this can be affected by particular situations within the company or group. Thus, the leader should analyze the cultural differences of employees and find the most appropriate approach.
Self-awareness, awareness of others, and the combination of both comprise essential constituents of the multicultural competence. I comprehend the importance of multiculturalism because I live in modern society and contact with many people. From personal experience, I know that a particular type of leadership is preferred in one culture while it can be unacceptable in the other. Nevertheless, I have to develop my skills and awareness to become a multicultural leader. I like the idea of connecting people, and I would prefer to become a multicultural leader in the future.
The impact of leadership theories on the development of a personal approach
Having analyzed all of the theories of leadership, I came to the conclusion that some of them impressed me most of all and became a basis for the formation of the personal approach.
Situational Leadership Model
The situational leadership model was developed in the 1960s. Since that time, it became popular and was often altered. The situational model presupposes that the approach to leadership varies depending on the situation. The leader has to evaluate the abilities of employees to complete particular tasks. Besides, a leader has to decide what method of control he or she should employ (Northouse 2012).
If I knew about the situational model long ago, I would evaluate the abilities of others before deciding to become an autocratic leader. The case that I have described in part “Leadership styles” shows that ignoring employees may lead to negative consequences. These results may include a lack of motivation and a desire to accomplish goals and improper collaboration.
Servant Leadership
The theory of servant leadership represents a current approach that describes leaders as servants. I believe that this theory is one of the best. I rely on this approach to leadership in learning how to become a successful leader. The most impressive and, at the same time, simple idea refers to the fact that a leader should start changing him or herself at first and then change the world. Servant leaders realize that people can achieve more when they are inspired. They are devoted to the work. They create a feeling of deep trust among employees and do not take advantage of their opportunities (Economy, 2015).
I am eager to become such a leader. However, I think that it requires great self-control and a profound understanding of human nature. Thus, the primary goal of my approach is to become a servant leader who can employ the necessary situational model in the working process.
Transformational and Transactional Leadership
Both of the theories are based on situational models to some extent. Transformational leadership presupposes the motivation of the followers in such a way that they become willing to stay at a long-term job and achieve the best results. This model is more concerned with the inner motivation of the followers and the development of employees’ leadership abilities (Kendrick 2011). Transactional leadership deals with the external motivation of the employees through the system of material rewards. Thus, rewards of the transformational model include self-satisfaction, being a part of the team, the accomplishment of some task. The rewards of the transactional model are additional payments, bonuses, and vacations (Bertocci 2009).
As for me, these approaches to leadership are the most challenging, especially transformational ones. I find the ability to motivate employees of great significance for the general performance of the organization. I plan to become a transformational and transactional leader in the future in my professional activity.
Conclusion
My personal approach to leadership is still in the process of development. All of the described concepts have influenced my understanding of leadership. Thus, I find honesty, communication, and the ability to motivate to be the most valuable qualities of the leader. The investigation of the philosophical basis of the notion has brought me to the realization that the primary roles of the leader are those of the harmonizer, provider, and teacher. I believe that modern companies need participative leaders. Such leaders are ready to work in a multicultural environment and become a part of the team.
I want to be a kind of leader who can combine situational, servant, transformational, and transactional leadership approaches in practice. I am aimed at becoming an ethical leader, as well. I am sure I want to keep studying and deepening my knowledge of human behavior and motivation. I realize that sometimes I am not patient and can behave as an autocratic leader. I want to stop being impatient and acting improperly. I want to start motivating employees to become better performers. Also, I want to become their friend, and together create a successful team that is aimed at accomplishing the best results. In my previous work settings, I should have changed the style of leadership. I should become a participative leader instead of acting like autocratic. I see myself more as a leader rather than a manager. I am interested in improving my personal skills and qualities to provide employees with the necessary support and motivation.
Reference List
Bertocci, D 2009, Leadership in Organizations, University Press of America, Lanham.
Bolden, R, Hawkins, B, Gosling, J & Taylor, S 2011, Exploring Leadership: Individual, Organizational, and Societal Perspectives, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
DuBrin, A 2011, Essential of Management, Cengage Learning, Boston.
Economy, P 2015, 7 Secrets of ‘Servant Leadership’ that will Lead You to Success. Web.
Gallos, J 2014, Business Leadership, John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey.
Kendrick, J 2011, ‘Transformational Leadership’, Professional Safety, vol. 56, no. 11, pp. 14-15.
McDonald, E 2013, The Skillful Team Leader, Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks.
Northouse, P 2012, Leadership: Theory and Practice, SAGE, New York.
Prive, T 2012, Top Ten Qualities that Make a Great Leader. Web.
Webb, L, Darling, J & Alvey, N 2014, Multicultural Leadership. Web.