At the beginning of this semester when asked how I viewed leadership, I believed that it was something that people just had. A natural born ability that only some had and that everyone else were bound to be followers, even with classes and seminars some people would just never make a good leader, they either didn’t have the confidence within them selves to do it or they didn’t possess the drive necessary to be successful as one. This natural ability paired with knowledge is what formed the great leaders of the world.
Now though after only 5 lessons, my viewpoint on leadership is rapidly changing and evolving to understand that a leader can form in more than just one way. I still believe that some people are born with that it factor that makes others naturally gravitate toward them and follow them, but there also millions of people who have developed and learned to be leaders. These people have let their experiences and own belief systems guide them to being high quality successful leaders in different jobs and situations. These leaders can be introverts, extroverts without leadership training, a mix of both, or they can simply be people who are able to read situations clearly and develop a plan of action for success.
Different approaches such as the Skills Approach, the Style Approach and the Situational Approach all involve the ability to learn, hone knowledge and adapt within organizations and companies in order to be a well respected and successful leader. These three approaches all involve learning and adapting to the followers around you. For instance the Skills Approach changes as a leader moves higher up into a company, the skills needed at the beginning aren’t nearly as important as the ones needed when a leader has reached the highest level of management or leadership. The Style and Situational Approaches both teach a leader to adapt to the events around them to the what their followers need. That it is okay for a leader to change his approach based on the surroundings, the situation and the followers. Not every follower is the same and if a leader can figure this out, and then adapt to help that follower than both will be more successful in the long run.
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Cody Gustaveson says
For me, the ability to adapt to validated information is critical. I find that often we let ourselves become changed by statements that aren’t quite logical or evidence based. I think that viewing leadership through these theory based approaches helps on recognize the implicit value in viewing the world from a very reason-oriented perspective. I too find myself altering my views on how leadership is constructed based on the epmirical evidence that is provided by viewing the topic from testable approach.
Arlacia J Leite says
Hello,
You raise an interesting point about your views on leadership and the changes that have taken place. I would say the same happened for me as I became a more experienced worker. In my youth and inexperience, I lacked the professional skill to determine if one who was managing me possessed the skills and traits required to be effective and motivational. I assumed the individual occupied a position because they earned it as a natural progression in their career. My views changed as I became more experienced and began to lead others. I understood firsthand how complex and rewarding managing and developing employees can be. I also gained insight about my early career and how I could have been more proactive with my leaders for better communication and more clear career goals. The Situational Approach to leadership is one that is not widely applied. Many managers have a one-size fits all approach that can be limiting for those who are not equipped to achieve professional success in spite of a limited leader. It would be helpful for many company leaders to allow access to training and support for such managers within their companies so they can develop and effectively support those they lead.