My opinions on leadership haven’t changed much just yet but the further I delve into the scholarly concepts and case studies of leadership my mind is beginning to change directions a bit. For instance, the topic of leadership skills being taught to an individual is intriguing. Do we really think a leader can be made? Someone is thrust into a weeklong classroom training session and out comes a leader! I find this concept very hard to believe….on its own. The Skills Approach to leadership states that leadership behaviors can be learned (Lesson 4, p. 1). I agree that leadership skills can be learned, but how effective will that “leader” be at utilizing those classroom situational skills and translating that to the real world? The most educated person in the world may still be a poor leader because he or she may not have the people skills to use what they learned; at the right time and during the right situation. So a leadership factory theory doesn’t work for me.

A concept that I do think is headed in the right direction is the skills approach by Mumford, et al. This approach bridges the gap for me and attributes 5 factors that make up a good leader (Lesson 4, p. 4). Those factors are individual attributes (traits of the person), competencies (learned classroom skills), leadership outcomes, career experiences, and environmental influences (Mumford, et al). This model mixes both the skills approach with the trait approach (although the authors argue that it doesn’t) and concludes with a solid theory. Yes, a leader can be taught, but that person’s individual skills, experiences, and the environment they are in will dictate how effective they are.

The more I read about leadership, the more confusing it gets. By the end of my semester in Psychology 485, I hope this is not the case. I hope I have a solid foundation, the light is turned on, and I can generate my own theory. I like the term “the leadership factory” theory maybe I’ll use that. Well, I just googled the term and someone has already beat me to the punch…

References

1.https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/su14/psych485/002/content/04_lesson/printlesson.html

2. http://www.highcapacityleader.com/team-training/the-leadership-factory/