Please answer this question
1. Examine the results of the “Skills Inventory”you completed and revisit your picture of leadership presented in the first discussion question in the course. How much of your picture is comprised of skill theory as reflected by the assessment? How do leaders and leadership evolve over the course of time? Is developing as a leader simply a matter of gaining a broader skillset, or are there other characteristics or experiences that wield influence in this development?
Question to Skill Inventory in first discussion
Leadership is defined in many ways. For some leadership is a construct within which to situate oneself on the basis of a title or a set of behaviors or skills. Others view leadership as a calling of sorts contending that some are literally “born leaders.” Considering the readings so far, your own personal and professional experience, and your observations of others, what is your picture of leadership? How does your picture differentiate between leadership and management? How is this picture of leadership textured by your identity and worldview?
My answer to discussion one
When one considers authority, one may envision one individual remaining in the front of a gathering and addressing the group. One may likewise picture an administration as one who may be “distant” and “aloof.” An individual’s view of authority will contrast contingent upon their very own encounters with those in administration positions. “Administration is the cycle whereby an individual impacts a gathering of people to accomplish a shared objective.” (Northouse, 2016). On occasion in the working environment, people are set in authority positions and afterward, out of nowhere, this individual changes how they treat the people working “underneath” them (the term beneath used to stress the way that those in positions of authority may feel as those they remain on a figurative platform). A compelling pioneer guarantee that they are driving their gathering moves towards development for all engaged with the cycle. “Authority is around one individual affecting a gathering of others to achieve objectives. Other (a gathering) are required for the initiative to happen” (Northouse, 2016).
Initiative and the executives are not the equivalent and don’t need to exist together. A decent chief might be a respected pioneer, and a worthy pioneer might be an esteemed director, yet the two don’t go inseparably. Administration alludes to the capacity to pioneer a gathering towards a shared objective, though, in the executives, chiefs guarantee that the group is being beneficial and completing things.
My administration perspective includes a pioneer who can deliberately lead their gathering towards a typical reason and remain humble simultaneously. Shockingly, I have had the experience of working under ahead (in past years) who didn’t show others how it’s done and couldn’t have cared less about their gathering individuals’ prosperity. All together for a pioneer to be viable, they should guarantee that their gathering is in effect satisfactorily thought about and a feeling of shared regard.
2 posts
Re: Module 2 DQ 1
2. I agree that assessments can be an excellent tool to provide a window into many different things. The assessment needs to be well written and avoid redundancy. I found a few of the options on the Leadership Trait Questionnaire (LTQ) to have very similar definitions like: self-confident and self-assured and persistent and determined. Another term could have been used in place of two of those terms in order to further the discussion of traits. I still see a leader as a captain of a ship, but now I am able to define the traits that that leader should have a bit more fully. One trait that could have been added to the LTQ is the idea of internalized moral perspective. Speranza and Pierce (2019) explain, “An individual who has a strong internalized moral perspective is more likely to make decisions in line with his or her internalized perspectives, and is less likely to go against their values or morals to stay in step with a group or organizational values if they are opposed” (p.168). Having this trait and being able to communicate it effectively could potentially help a leader of a large company to avoid ethics issues.
I think if young people are able to understand the traits of a good leader and see where they are deficient than it is possible they can grow into good leaders. I stress age because I am surround by young people all day and see the moldability that comes with youth.
Speranza,C., Pierce, A., (2019) Development of a personal leadership philosophy:an experiential and reflective opportunity in the graduate classroom. Journal of Leadership Education, 7,167-174.https://doi.org/10.12806/V18/13/A2
Kari Hart
After examining my results of the questionnaire I found that I excluded many traits from my initial image of a leader in the first discussion question. I initially cited Berger (2014) and agreed that I viewed leadership as a set of behaviors rather than specific traits. As seen in Table 1, my results from the Leadership Traits Questionnaire (LTQ) were overwhelmingly positive and showed a high correlation between myself and the traits mentioned. The LTQ allowed me to see how I view myself as a leader compared to others (Northouse, 2016). I asked my husband, parents, and two friends to complete the questionnaire in regards to myself. On average, their perception of me as a leader was high ranging from 4.8-5. I think the person that was the most discriminatory was myself on traits 3, 13, &14. Even still, this activity was beneficial for me to realize how people really do perceive me as someone who exhibits traditional leadership traits; as well as form a better understanding of leadership in regards to traits rather than behaviors.Through this activity I have come to believe that actually our behaviors are what consequently instill character traits which we ourselves and others perceive, therefore placing more emphasis on traits rather than behaviors in terms of conceptualizing leadership. Assessments such as the LTQ are useful for both organizations and personal awareness (Northouse, 2016). Leaders can personally assess their success among their following, while professional organizations can evaluate candidates for prospective leadership positions.
Table 1
Results of Leadership Questionnaire
Rater 1 | Rater 2 | Rater 3 | Rater 4 | Rater 5 | Average | Self-rating | |
1. Articulate | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
1. Perceptive | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
1. Self-Confident | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4.8 | 3 |
1. Self-assured | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4.8 | 4 |
1. Persistent | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
1. Determined | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
1. Trustworthy | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
1. Dependable | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
1. Friendly | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
1. Outgoing | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
1. Conscientious | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
1. Diligent | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4.8 | 5 |
1. Sensitive | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
1. Empathetic | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
References:
Berger, J. B. (2014). Leadership: A concise conceptual overview. Center for International Education Faculty Publications. 18(1), 1-15. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cie_faculty_pubs/18
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Retrieved from http://gcumedia.com/digital-resources/sage/2015/leadership_theory-and-practice_ebook_7e.php
2 posts
Re: Module 2 DQ 2 4. Porsha Smith
As reflected by the assessment, much of the mosaic I have of leadership is comprised of skill theory. I already knew that the majority of my mosaic was skill theory before reading this chapter. I am in individual who has had to work her way from nothing to a little bit of something (Mims & Kaler-Jones, 2020), so I am not a believer in the theory that leaders are born. Instead, I believe leaders can be transformed and developed (Northouse, 2015). The skills inventory was what I expected of myself and a little of what I didn’t. I scored high in human skills and in the moderate range and conceptual and technical. The technical abilities surprised me the most because I do not possess a solitary specialized bone in my body.
Leaders and leadership evolve over time through self-reflection, growth, and development of their leadership competencies (Northouse, 2015). Creating a leader is not “simply” a matter of gaining a broader skillset, but the attainment of a broader skillset is how leaders evolve. Of course, some various characteristics and experiences equate to the successful development of a strong leader.
References
Mims, L. C., & Kaler-Jones, C. (2020). Running, running the show: Supporting the leadership development of black girls in middle school. Middle School Journal, 51(2), 16–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/00940771.2019.1707342
Northouse, P. G. (2015). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Sage Publications, Inc.,.
The skill theory of leadership ability is interesting in that it opens up the ability that any and all people are capable of becoming effective leaders. This falls in line with all the media and publications many professional development seminars and books receive to teach and help improve leadership skills in an individual. However, many of these professional development opportunities do not advocate that effective leaders will be produced due to the fact that the work done in the seminars or read in books alone does not produce the skills. It still relies on the individual to practice the skills in order to improve upon the leadership qualities being sought.
There are also experiences an individual may undergo in order to improve a skill or two that make a leader effective and thus sharpen the skill that was lacking. This idea is different because it suggests that as long as a person is willing to put forth the effort they will be able to become effective leaders.
Reference
Zembat, R., Ciftci, H. A., & Duran, A. (2020). Analyzing the Relationship between Pre-Service Preschool Teachers’ Self-Leadership Skills and Motivation to Teach. Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences, 15(1), 95–103.
6. Leaders must have emotional intelligence in order to understand self (not always easy). How might a leader come to a greater level of emotional intelligence in order to demonstrate a leadership style that reflects who they are, which would align them more with the idea of the authentic leader?