Self-Reflection: Exploring Leadership Theories and Applications

This essay provides a comprehensive self-reflection on leadership, drawing upon the student's experiences in learning modules and personal observations. It delves into various leadership styles, including transformational, transactional, and ethical leadership, and examines their application in real-world scenarios. The reflection highlights the importance of understanding leadership principles, adapting to different situations, and fostering ethical practices. The student also reflects on the impact of gender, diversity, and technological advancements on leadership roles. Ultimately, the essay underscores the value of self-awareness and continuous learning in becoming an effective and inspiring leader. Desklib offers a platform to explore further solved assignments and resources for students.

Self-Reflection

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK...............................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8
Books and Journals:....................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Leadership can be defined as an act to manage, influence and motivate humans for the
attainment of business goals and objectives (Schratz, 2020). In a business setting, the employees
and workers are directed and motivated towards the strategy to attain the desired results. This
report is based upon a self-reflection on leadership. There will be personal experience of each
and every sessions.
TASK
The learning modules gave me a chance to develop various ideas and knowledge on the
significant topic of leadership. Attending such modules helped me in knowing deeper knowledge
about roles, obligations and duties of leaders within the organisation. In this modern era of
business world, one of complicated and toughest work that would be perform by an individual is
to lead, understand and motivate others to work for the organisational purpose. If leaders are not
enough capable to do so, then it may damage the organisation. Hence, attending all such modules
and sessions helped me to become productive and efficient at work.
From beginning of session 1, 2 and 3, I gained the opportunity to learn about various
kinds of leadership styles which helps in making their work more effective for the betterment of
organisation. I came to realise that leaders perform their role in an appropriate way in terms of
taking concerns and issues into account. In the business world, there are many famous and well-
known leaders who are successful in their way of leading and managing people such as Steve
Jobs is one of them. This person is enough capable of use their effective and specific leadership
style that present in the business world such as transformational, contingency and much more.
These help in growing and succeeding in life (Reljić, Pajnkihar and Fekonja, 2019). During such
module, I came to learn about 14 principles of leadership which helps in increasing the
performance level of employees and leaders. These enable in attaining objectives, whether it is
small, medium or long term. These are attaining in an effective and systematic way.
Experiences while attending such modules gave me several examples which not helped
me in learning about the concept of leadership but also enable me to improve my several key
areas where enhancements are needed. I came to learn about several aspects such as people
management, is regarded as smaller process when it comes to leadership as a leader is anticipated
to play major role in influencing people to attain aims and goals of business. The module gave

me the chance of learning hidden aspects of leadership as how this small term lies in the success
of an organisation. I also got a chance to act as a leader which is vibrant in nature. I have found
myself to be dynamic in nature to deal with range of work experiences. Also, I got several
experiences to improve myself. Leadership defines the role of guiding leaders with an intent to
accomplish accumulative objectives (Karwat, 2020). It gives a better window of opportunity to
canalise other people while driving them to bring something better.
Moreover, it is also important for leaders to concentrate and implement leadership
principles such as inspire, empower, lead change or sharing visions that enhances the attention of
employees towards development and achievement of goals. Apart from this, it is seen that
session 2 concludes key discussion about the leadership behaviour that influence the individual
performance. It also signified how leaders take challenges and handle for the betterment of
organization. The behavioural leadership style defines a leader who can perform different work
for their people and also support them to develop promptly. In the session 3, I have learned about
disruptive leadership theory and some issues that stops a person to grow appropriately and
effectively. Furthermore, co-leadership, institutional, multi-directional and various other kinds of
leadership were explained to me (Sacco and Amende, 2021). It supported me gaining knowledge
about a leadership practice and behaviour.
Attending all such program or module helped me in gaining incredible feelings, as the
module was based upon various aspects of leadership such as various models such as democratic,
autocratic, bureaucratic, laissez-faire and many more. All such styles of leadership have their
own use and value. I sensed that the module tries to offer the full guidance about the leadership
concept yet there have some areas where could have gone more enhancement.
From more sessions of 4, 5, 6 and 7, it could be sensed that diversity, gender and
leadership terms are connected with each other as most of human had sense that differences in
gender influence the leadership styles and the manner as well. It implies that gender differences
include perceptions such as stereotype of men and women about being a leader. One aspects are
associated with follower-ship, relational leadership and toxic leadership style. It is observed that
toxic leadership lead the restrict the effectiveness of operational management and employees as
they unable to do activities in competitive and productive way (MacVittie, 2018).
My reflection is quite viable. While attending such modules, I came to learn about
various aspects of leadership such as how it is dissimilar to management. I was beneficial to

attend this module since being professional role paving way for further development completely
relies on the quality of leading teams. Main areas of leadership covers gender and diversity,
ethical practices, culture and language exercise in leadership were also included which offer me
an overview of the module title (Hindocha, Devani and Arif, 2022). Other components such as
future of leadership and how it may turn due to the advancement of technologies such as
machine learning, AI, digitalization are changing role, responsibilities and functions of
leadership. This shows prominent features of leadership what I target to make my career in.
My thought for the module are also mammoth in nature. While learning module, different
dimensions of leadership were included which are vital for a person who desires to be a great
leader in the company. Leadership defines that procedure of indulging direction to human and
making them believe to increase efforts with an intent to attain business objectives and goals.
The key concepts of leadership were taken into account in order to make information open to us.
Models such as transactional or transformational leadership were profoundly articulated.
Transformational leadership defines how great personalities are appropriate to lead human and
drive them to attain goals all together. Whereas, transactional leadership explained the give and
take rule (Pietrzak, 2019). From my personal perspectives, all such models or theories are having
their own worth in an organisation and a leader is anticipated to be flexible in nature who utilise
their thoughts to make the circumstances appropriate to him or her and also obliteration of the
perils taking place and restricting the operations of business.
Furthermore, it is observed that implicit leadership theory and the structure that is covers
run the behaviour of leader, together with their performance towards attaining the bigger success.
They tend to increase the morale of others and conduct ethical practices that supported to grow in
every area as per the level of interest and choice.
As I have gained the knowledge of leadership and attending such module I have got a
chance to perform my duty as leader in a small team in the organisation, where I have gained the
experience of being a leader and being a part of team (Weststrate, 2019). Existing learning
module broaden my knowledge and scope which would help in growing in respective career.
Through personal experience of learning journals has completely altered my mind in
viewing leadership approach. Before learning such journals I followed conventional approach
and had intense value in them. Leaders who believe in conventional approach keep themselves in
centre and workers are found as just followers, but as the time has changed, it also alter the way

of leading people in organisation. Leadership concepts cannot be locomoted as they used earlier.
I had a strong belief in the concept of transactional leadership which signifies the concept of
simply give and take (Proud and Morgan, 2021). If a person or employee is not performing well
or match with the performance criteria then they should be punished as the theory suggest. So, in
order to boost employee’s performance, leaders or managers also give rewards or compensations
to get the work completed. By attending modules also helped me to alter my mindset and use
such such concepts and approaches as per the demand of time and circumstances.
From sessions 8, 9 and 10, I have got the chance to learn more about different concepts
such as ethical leadership and development. In this modern business world, it is important for a
leader to practice their roles and responsibilities in a ethical way with an intent to extinguish the
ethical perils. While, in sessions 11 and 12, it was learned that how by exercising effective
leadership theories, it becomes simple for making sure the better growth and development of
workers and developing greater performance groups. The leader's success is relied on the success
of his or her team. All such aspects I have learnt in this module.
The leadership model which I have perceived in my starting sessions was having some
faultfinding facets such as it is advantageous to show a long term view before the employees, so
that they can leader themselves as well for accomplish personal and professional goals. The
model of transactions leadership had the galactic perils such as these are relied on short term
wins and forceful and pressurable too (Riojas-Cortez and Whitlock, 2021). In the present
business world, leader cannot be autocratic in nature. Some other downside of this theory is lack
of proper focus on making effective relationship with employees and I observed that it is
complicated in nature. This model also discourage and demotivate employees and there is a
missing of long term objectives which is essential in the modern leadership. I have gained the
knowledge, together with experience that transactional and transformational leadership can be
perceived as per the demand of situation and a leader can lead better in order to manage business
operations and team effectively.
The conclusion is that all sessions and learning module had been quite impactful and
wonderful too where I have gained various aspects of leadership which would further help me in
improving required skills.

CONCLUSION
From the above report, it can be said that leadership is necessary within the organisation
to lead, guide, direct people in the organization. A great leader can support their employees and
team to be more efficient and productive towards the respective work. Different models or
theories of leadership were also a part of this report. If a leader performs his duties and
responsibilities in a well manner, then the positive outcomes can be expected within the
organization. Employees can be inspired by looking the way and act of their leader within the
organisation. It helps in influencing. In this report, personal experience and reflection were
shown on the basis of modules and sessions which were attended.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Hindocha, D., Devani, R. and Arif, A., 2022. Considerations on The Valuable Art of Self-
Reflection to Benefit the Clinical Teacher. Academic radiology, 29(2), p.335.
Karwat, D., 2020. Self-reflection for activist engineering. Science and Engineering Ethics, 26(3),
pp.1329-1352.
MacVittie, N.S., 2018. Guided self-reflection with video and changes in teacher instructional
behaviors (Doctoral dissertation, George Mason University).
Pietrzak, P., 2019. An integrated approach to assessment in translator training: the value of self-
reflection. In Contacts and Contrasts in Educational Contexts and Translation (pp. 105-
115). Springer, Cham.
Proud, A.D. and Morgan, A., 2021. Critical self-reflection: A foundational skill. In Indigenous
Education in Australia (pp. 38-50). Routledge.
Reljić, N.M., Pajnkihar, M. and Fekonja, Z., 2019. Self-reflection during first clinical practice:
The experiences of nursing students. Nurse education today, 72, pp.61-66.
Riojas-Cortez, M. and Whitlock, T.N., 2021. The Early Childhood Teacher Self-Reflection
Model. Diversifying Pedagogy in Early Childhood Teacher Preparation Programs, p.47.
Sacco, K.K. and Amende, K.E., 2021. Use of Creative Means for Expressive Self-Reflection
among Counselors-in-Training. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 16(3), pp.360-
373.
Schratz, M., 2020. From cooperative action to collective self-reflection: A sociodynamic
approach to educational research. In Qualitative voices in educational research (pp. 56-
70). Routledge.
Weststrate, N.M., 2019. The mirror of wisdom: Self-reflection as a developmental precursor and
core competency of wise people.