Developing Strategic Management and Leadership Skills

This assignment covers the impact of management and leadership on strategic decisions, the link between strategic management and leadership, and how leadership styles can be adapted to different situations. Practical examples from Emirates Airlines are used to illustrate the concepts.

Assignment Cover Sheet
Course/Unit Information
Course Pearson (Edexcel) BTEC Level 7 – Diploma / Extended
Diploma in Strategic Management & Leadership
Unit No. Unit 1
Unit Name Developing Strategic Management and Leadership Skills
Unit code F/602/2058
Batch OME6-DSML-SteynHeckroodt-1801
Instructor Information
Name Steyn Heckroodt
Phone
Email
Assignment Information
Full/ Part Assignment Full Assignment
Date Assignment Issued 14th January 2018
Date Assignment Due 10th February 2018
Turnitin Class ID 17189254
Turnitin Enrolment Key 1809
Student Information
(To be filled by the student prior submitting the assignment)
Name
Email
Date of Submission

Student Declaration
I, _________________ (Name) hereby confirm that this assignment is my own work and
not copied or plagiarized. It has not previously been submitted as part of any
assessment for this qualification. All the sources, from which information has been
obtained for this assignment, have been referenced as per Harvard Referencing format.
I further confirm that I have read and understood the Westford School of Management
rules and regulations about plagiarism and copying and agree to be bound by them.
Students Signature : _____________________
Student Name : _____________________
Date : _____________________

Learning Outcomes and Assessment Feedback
Name of the Assessor Steyn Heckroodt
Learning Outcomes Assessment Criteria (AC) Assessor
Feedback
LO 1 TASK-1
Understand the relationship
between strategic management
and leadership
1.1 Explain the link between strategic management
and leadership
1.2 Analyse the impact of management and leadership
styles on strategic decisions
1.3 Evaluate how leadership styles can be adapted to
different situations
LO 2 TASK 2
Be able to apply management
and leadership theory to
support organisational
direction
2.1 Review the impact that selected theories of
management and leadership have on organisational
strategy
2.2 Create a leadership strategy that supports
organisational direction
LO 3 TASK 3
Be able to assess leadership
requirements
3.1 Use appropriate methods to review current
leadership requirements
3.2 Plan for the development of future situations
requiring leadership
LO 4 TASK 4
Be able to plan the
development of leadership
skills
4.1 Plan the development of leadership skills for a
specific requirement
4.2 Report on the usefulness of methods used to plan
the development of leadership skills
Over All Result/Grade PASS/REDO Date:
Summative Feedback:
Overall Feedback on
current work with
emphasis on how the
student can further
improve in future.

Internal Verification Report
Internal Verification Done By Date
Assignment Brief
Assessors Decision
General Guidelines
(Please read the instructions carefully)
1. Complete the title page with all necessary student details and ensure that the signature
of the student is marked in the declaration form.
2. All assignments must be submitted as an electronic document in MS Word to the
LMS (Use 12 Times New Roman script).
3. Assignment that is not submitted to the LMS by the prescribed deadline will be
accepted ONLY under the REDO and RESIT submission policy of Westford.
4. You will PASS the full assignment task only if you achieve “AC Met” in each of the
Assessment Criteria.
5. The results are declared only if the student has met the mandatory attendance
requirement of 75% and/or a minimum of 50% under extenuating circumstances
approved and ratified by the Academic Director. The student has to repeat the module
(with additional fees applicable) if the attendance is below 50%.
6. The assignment should not contain any contents including references cited from
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www.scribd.com.
7. Students can refer Wikipedia as a source of information, but the references cited
in Wikipedia has to be mentioned.
8. Submit the assignment in a MS Word document with the file name being:
First Name Last Name_ abbreviation of the subject.
Example: John Smith_DSML.
Quick reference Checklist for the students before submitting the assignment:
1. Adherence to the deadline of submission date.
2. Original cover sheet and format retained.
3. Student information and signature intact.
4. Font style and size used as instructed.
5. Harvard Referencing System and Citations are strictly followed.

Assignment Task 1 - Word Count/Limit: 900 words (+/- 10%)
This task address the three assessment criteria under Learning Outcome 1
The Task:
Making use of the Drotter pipeline, explain the link between management and
leadership with specific reference to the difference between the two disciplines. From
this description, provide an explanation of how management and leadership impact
strategic decisions and show how leadership styles can be adapted to different
situations in the workplace. Give practical example from your own workplace to
illustrate your understanding of this Learning Outcome.
The assessment criteria that need to be considered are:
[AC 1.1: Explain the link between strategic management and leadership
AC 1.2: Analyse the impact of management and leadership styles on
strategic decisions
AC 1.3: Evaluate how leadership styles can be adapted to different
situations]
Your answer (Minimum 900 words)
Strategic management and leadership may seem closely related to each other, they have
almost a similar aim, but they have their differences. Strategic management is, therefore,
involves the control of the resources that belong to the organization. In strategic
management, certain activities take place, for example, setting goals and objectives in the
organization, analyzing the internal and the external environment of the organization and
creating lasting strategies to keep the organization running (Pearce, Robinson and
Subramanian, 2000). Strategic management does both inward and outward looking of the
environment wherein the organization is operating with the aim of keeping it competitive
and alive. Strategic management is how the strategies of the organization are created and
how they are implemented to achieve the goals and objectives of the organization. On the
other hand leadership share, almost a similar role like that of the strategic management
but its scope is limited depending on its level (David, 2011).
Unlike strategic management, leadership is the ability of the management of the
organization to set up a vision, craft strategies of achieving that vision and inspiring a

following of others to achieve the same vision and goals. Leadership is the process of
sharing that vision a manager or the management has and gaining the right influence to
attaining the same vision. Leaders set goals, aid their followers in achieving those goals
through good leadership and motivation (Bolman and Deal, 2017). The thin line between
leadership and management in the organization is that leadership utilizes influence to get
things done in the organization. However, for the case of management, there is the use of
power to effect the strategies and decisions on the organization. Leaders could be
managers in different levels of management trying to push the agenda of the organization
forward (Schein, 2006). Management has authority, and with that authority they make
rules, decisions and everyone else in the organization fall inline. On the other hand,
leadership has got influence as the only tool and currency to get work done, lead people
and achieve the goal and purpose that is assigned to an individual.
Management makes the strategies, comes up with decisions and goals to achieve,
however, it is the leadership that gets all those running. Leadership is the means through
which the management achieves their goals and objectives, and it acts as the bridge
between strategies, goals and objectives and delivering the same (Srivastava, Bartol and
Locke, 2006). Management takes care of the resources including the human aspect of it
while the leadership directs, plans and controls them to achieve the goals and objectives
set. Leadership and management are inseparable, and they must work together and
communicate for the organization to have order and achieve its goals. When good
management is missing in the organization, leadership will suffer a blow and vice versa.
Leadership styles and management have a significant impact on the strategic decisions of
the organization. I have worked for Emirates Airlines for a long time now, and their
leadership styles and management has a significant impact on the quality of their strategic
decisions. I work in the sales department, and I have a leader above me who is the
terminal manager of sales. There are 30 employees with five supervisors who ensure that
tickets are sold, advertisement platforms are available for purchase and the products the
company sales are moving. The manager who is like the strategic management is in
charge of setting goals and strategies of achieving those goals (Goetsch and Davis, 2014).
He is assisted with the supervisors in setting the targets and ways of achieving them and
the time. Often he delegates all the responsibility towards the supervisors who take over
the leadership role and ensure that the goals are met, concerns of the team are heard, and
the reports of progress are taken to the manager. The manager leaves the leadership role
top the supervisors and invigilates while at a distance to allow them to be innovative,
influence their followers and deliver results (Voon et al., 2011). That kind of relationship
has seen three supervisors being promoted to assistant managers in other wings of the
airport for good leadership. They were promoted because the manager was mentoring
them and allowing them to implement strategies effectively.
The relationship between the manager and the supervisors is the best example of
how management and leadership work. They both have the same goal, but they arrive at
it using different paths, management used authority while leadership influence. Strategic
leadership of the supervisors has always seen the team working towards achieving the set
goals because they are motivated by the leadership style, servant leadership (Boerner,
Eisenbeiss and Griesser, 2007). They strive to meet the needs of their team members
which makes them motivated to go the extra mile for their leader. On the other hand,

since the manager trusts his supervisors, they have the freedom to try leadership styles
that are fruitful and have yielded better results in the department.
Emirates airlines have seen leaders change the working atmosphere to the best.
Leaders have always led by example, and for example, my manager has led the five
supervisors by example (Voon et al., 2011). They allow us to work freely and deliver on
the goals they have set. There is the leading by being on the forefront, and the supervisors
are always helping us to accomplish the strategies handed down to him by the manager.
He allows us to think and brainstorm ideas and later on work together with us to ensure
that the plans are successful. The leaders are sociable and friendly, and it is easy to
approach them with any concern because they often listen. They never take sides because
everyone is important to them and their leadership. They assign tasks and responsibility
according to the ability of the worker. Leadership style must correspond with the
character of the leader. If the leader is honest, generous, have excellent interpersonal
skills and values the success and opinion of others, then it’s easy to lead.
References
Boerner, S., Eisenbeiss, S.A. and Griesser, D. (2007) Follower behavior and
organizational performance: The impact of transformational leaders. Journal of
Leadership & Organizational Studies, 13(3), pp.15-26.
Bolman, L.G. and Deal, T.E. (2017) Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and
leadership. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
David, F.R. (2011) Strategic management: Concepts and cases. New Jersey:
Peaeson/Prentice Hall.
Goetsch, D.L. and Davis, S.B. (2014) Quality management for organizational excellence.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: pearson.
Pearce, J.A., Robinson, R.B. and Subramanian, R. (2000) Strategic management:
Formulation, implementation, and control. Columbus, OH: Irwin/McGraw-Hill.
Schein, E.H. (2006) Organizational culture and leadership (Vol. 356). San Francisco:
John Wiley & Sons.
Srivastava, A., Bartol, K.M. and Locke, E.A. (2006) Empowering leadership in
management teams: Effects on knowledge sharing, efficacy, and performance. Academy
of management journal, 49(6), pp.1239-1251.
Voon, M.L., Lo, M.C., Ngui, K.S. and Ayob, N.B. (2011) The influence of leadership
styles on employees’ job satisfaction in public sector organizations in
Malaysia. International Journal of Business, Management and Social Sciences, 2(1),
pp.24-32.
Assignment Task 2 - Word Count/Limit: 900 words (+/- 10%)
This task address the two assessment criteria under Learning Outcome 2
The Task:
Reflect on the impact that selected theories of management and leadership have on
your organisational strategy and devise a leadership strategy that you believe will
support your organisation’s direction. Apply the theories of management and

leadership as we discussed it during the on-line sessions and give practical application
thereof on your workplace based experience. Do not just repeat the theories, but
explain the practical application thereof.
The assessment criteria that need to be considered are:
[AC 2.1: Review the impact that selected theories of management and
leadership have on organisational strategy
AC 2.2: Create a leadership strategy that supports organisational direction]
Your answer (Minimum 900 words)
The success and productivity of the organization are dependent on the leadership
style and management theories that are chosen. A good leader with the right leadership
style will choose the correct management theory to follow and will keep the company
successful, and productive in a competitive world. A leader influences, he motivates and
guides his team to achieve the desired goals. He will utilize various management theories
and leadership skills and styles to bring the team to a place of success. The organizations
have been evolving for many years now, and leadership too is developing. Leaders have
to identify the right style of leadership depending on the type of employees and workers
who are under their control (Van Buren, 2008). A leader will choose a theory of
management and leadership style that is complemented by his character and skills. Of the
many theories of leadership, two distinct theories have been found to be effective in
many situations.
Transformational leadership is all about people following a leader they feel
inspires them to achieve not only the goals of the organization but also their personal
goals in life. Working under such leadership, the employee benefits from gaining
experience and achieving targets they could have never achieved without such influence.
The leader does not lead the team through giving orders and threats, he inspires them to
follow his lead and teaches them on how to achieve the goals and objectives that are set.
Such a leader has a vision for his followers, and he sees his followers succeeding and
goes ahead to place supporting structures in play to enable them to achieve that dream. In
the Emirates, the leadership has created a culture that allows the teams under each leader
to be responsible for their actions and allows for accountability. Each leader ensures that
his team is mentored not just for the job but also to lead change or the team whenever the
chance presents itself.
Similarly, the situational leadership is effective in the organizations in the world
today. Businesses are becoming global, and leadership is no longer the preserve of those
of one region. Many leaders are crossing borders and leading employees from different
backgrounds. Leading a cross-cultural team will require a leader who is a situational
leader, who can rise to the occasion and adopt a leadership style that can fit the situation
and still inspire the followers and lead them to fruitfulness (Rosenberg Hansen and Ferlie,
2016). The leader must be able to assess the situation and know the right action to take.
When the employees are new, and they do not know who to trust, and they are still low

on productivity and performance, they will need the leader to step up and be a
motivational leader. To motivate them and inspire them to rise to the occasion and break
free from fear and barrenness. Equally, when the leader notices that the workers or those
under him are competing and no one is willing to listen to the other, and that is affecting
the work, he can become the servant leader (Ghoshal, 2005). He can come to the level
where he shows his subordinates that leading is more of being a servant and serving
others.
There are theories of management that must be incorporated in the management
and leadership for the organization to function properly. There is the systems theory
where the manager is expected to know how the various systems of the organization
affect the productivity and the effectiveness of the workers (Rummler and Brache, 2012).
Every system has parts that must work together to achieve a goal. A good manager will
understand the components of the system and how they affect the productivity of the
employees. There are the department, workgroups and teams/units and then the
individual employees. The management should ensure that all the parts of the system are
interdependent and working together in harmony. He must be on the forefront to initiate
and ensure that communication in the system is up to standard and there is the flow of
information. The best system for any manager is the open system which allows for the
coordination and interaction between the units and parts of the organization/system
(Catteeuw, Flynn and Vonderhorst, 2007). When the flow of information and feedback is
successful, the systems are effective.
Leadership has to engage the workers, influence them and encourage them to
perform better. Therefore five strategies can be adopted by any organization that wants to
improve productivity and performance. The leadership must strive to define what the
vision is and communicate it in a way others can understand. The leader is that
man/woman who paints the picture that is in his/her mind for the others to see and follow.
Without a vision, no one can follow any leader. The vision will always tell the workers
where you are going and how to get there. Secondly, when there is a good performance,
the leader should encourage and make the good work to be seen and celebrated
(Cameron, 2012). When employees are appreciated and rewarded for good work, they get
motivated and psyched up for the best. The leader must show honesty and always speak
to the employees from a place of love. He must show passion towards his team and
ensure that they can realize that he is passionate about them and their efforts.
Additionally, a good leader will always delegate work to the employees and other
leaders who are under him and also empower them to achieve those goals. When people
are given responsibility, they get motivated and are assured of the trust and confidence of
the leader. Such motivation was visible in the Emirates Airlines employees who have
always been allowed to take responsibility and perform the assigned tasks (Dyer and
Dyer, 2013). The first week of my second year in the company began on a high note
when the supervisor asked me to be in charge of leading sales in my team. Such level of
trust was not overwhelming, and it allowed me to know what it takes to be a leader and
some of the pressure one faces.
References
Cameron, K. (2012) Positive leadership: Strategies for extraordinary performance. San
Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Catteeuw, F., Flynn, E. and Vonderhorst, J. (2007) Employee Engagement: Boosting
Productivity in Turbulent Times. Organization Development Journal, 25(2).
Dyer, W.G. and Dyer, J.H. (2013) Team building: Proven strategies for improving team
performance. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons.
Ghoshal, S. (2005) Bad management theories are destroying good management
practices. Academy of Management learning & education, 4(1), pp.75-91.
Rosenberg Hansen, J. and Ferlie, E. (2016) Applying strategic management theories in
public sector organizations: Developing a Typology. Public Management Review, 18(1),
pp.1-19.
Rummler, G.A. and Brache, A.P. (2012) Improving performance: How to manage the
white space on the organization chart. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons.
Van Buren, H.J. (2008) Fairness and the main management theories of the twentieth
century: A historical review, 1900–1965. Journal of Business Ethics, 82(3), pp.633-644.
Assignment Task 3 - Word Count/Limit: 900 words (+/- 10%)
This task address the two assessment criteria under Learning Outcome 3
The Task:
Building on the second task, you now need to use the appropriate methods, as we
have discussed during the sessions, to review the current leadership requirements
specific to your organisation’s direction, objectives and goals. Based on the
shortcomings and organisational specific leadership and managerial needs, relative to
its envisaged strategy, you need to construct a plan for the development of future
leadership requirements in the organisation.
The assessment criteria that need to be considered are:
[AC 3.1 Use appropriate methods to review current leadership requirements
AC 3.2 Plan for the development of future situations requiring leadership]
Your answer (Minimum 900 words)
Leadership has many requirements, and even as the organizations grow and
become international, the need to upgrade and gather more skills is inevitable. Leaders
carry the vision not only in their hearts but also in their mind. They continually think
through the vision and make adjustments accordingly as they see fit (Mumford, Campion
and Morgeson, 2007). It is imperative that every leader who wishes to make a significant
change and impact in the world should be ready to transform from the mediocre to
someone who will influence many people. Bearing in mind leadership involves leading
people who are smarter than you are, it is essential to have the values and qualities that
enable you to accommodate such people and stiff function effectively. In the past, there
have been phenomenon leaders, and people were tempted to think and believe that such

people we born and inherited those traits (Bolden and Gosling, 2006). That theory has
been proven wrong several times, however, to some degree, it has some assumptions that
seem to be true. Leaders can be born and possess the qualities that are required for
leading and directing the rest of the people. However, it is also true that leaders are made,
there are specific requirements that people acquire in school, through training and
development, mentorship among others (Rainey, 2010). With the present leadership
challenges in organizations today some requirements can never be overlooked when
choosing leaders.
The future is here with us and technology will require that leaders can lead a
virtual team one that is not located in one physical place. Most companies are going
global, and the issue of having physical premises is losing its importance with the
growing developments in technology. There is the need for leaders who can lead virtual
teams and deliver excellent results. The virtual leaders, in this case, are said to gain
experience and learn from others. For a leader to be successful in that order, he needs to
be good with communication. He needs to master the art of listening, understanding what
is being said and then draw a plan that will work according to what he has heard and
understood (Goetsch and Davis, 2014). Among the organizations that have that kind of
leadership are Google and Yahoo. There are some of the skills and qualifications that
leaders require to have in this changing world. Interpersonal skills, skills to make sound
decisions, forecast, managing time, effective communication among others.
Effective communication is essential for every leader today, communication is
part and parcel of the organizations, and the leader must be excellent. He must be able to
communicate well with his employees. He must be a good listener, able to empathize
with the employees, send information and receive feedback. Effective communication
leads to stronger teams and understanding in the organization which helps in achieving
the goals and objectives. Besides that, the leader needs to have interpersonal skills which
are useful when relating and associating with the employees (Hannah, Avolio, Luthans
and Harms, 2008). There was a case at my place of work in my first year when the
regional manager came and found one steward resting in the visitor's lounge, he shouted
at him and asked him if he wanted to get fired for relaxing on a working day. That was
poor leadership, and he did not take time to understand the reason why the steward was in
the resting room. Interpersonal skills make a leader know how to talk to people, and it
breaks that barrier between the leader and the subordinate. Interpersonal skills are not just
for the leader and the subordinates, and it’s also for the leader and his fellow leaders.
When leaders can relate well, they send the same message to the staff which translates to
a culture of getting along with each other.
We are living in a world where businesses cross borders and leaders are going to
work with cross-cultural employees. Such cases need a leader who can make sound
decisions and has good judgment. The leader will be required to know the decisions to
make on ethical dilemmas, when there are conflicts or when issues that require decisions
arise. Sound decision-making ability will earn the leader the respect and trust he deserves
among the employees and other fellow leaders (Mathieu, Maynard, Rapp, and Gilson,
2008). When I was growing up, I grew up in the secular community, and there were no
religious issues that would arouse people’s attention. On one occasion a new student
came to school wearing religious attire, it drew attention in the whole school, and to some

people it was offensive; however, the principle was a wise man. He called the student and
enquired the reason for breaking the school rules, and the student gave the reason, and the
matter was solved. A leader in this generation must be one that depends on his intuition
and not the voices of the masses (Hannah et al., 2008). A leader who does what people
want for him to win their approval will always end up in ruins.
The future of leadership is bright, and there is a plan that can help in developing
future leadership requirements. One of the critical future requirements of leadership is
forecast (Mathieu et al., 2008). With forecast then comes planning for what has been
foreseen. The leaders of the future will be supposed to be forward-looking. They must be
able to use the information available to them to know what to expect in the future
(Goetsch and Davis, 2014). For example, my manager at work uses the sales information
to predict the sales for five months. 95% of his predictions have been correct, and for that
reason, the supervisors also have been drawn into the habit of studying the trends to
predict the future demand. Leaders must understand what their counterparts are thinking
and devise ways of remaining on top of their game before they get left behind (Rainey,
2010). Additionally, leaders of the future need to be relational. They must have the ability
to relate to other people at the place of work not for work alone but to create
relationships.
References
Bolden, R. and Gosling, J. (2006) Leadership competencies: time to change the
tune?. Leadership, 2(2), pp.147-163.
Goetsch, D.L. and Davis, S.B. (2014) Quality management for organizational excellence.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: pearson.
Hannah, S.T., Avolio, B.J., Luthans, F. and Harms, P.D. (2008) Leadership efficacy:
Review and future directions. The Leadership Quarterly, 19(6), pp.669-692.
Mathieu, J., Maynard, M.T., Rapp, T. and Gilson, L. (2008) Team effectiveness 1997-
2007: A review of recent advancements and a glimpse into the future. Journal of
management, 34(3), pp.410-476.
Mumford, T.V., Campion, M.A. and Morgeson, F.P. (2007) The leadership skills
strataplex: Leadership skill requirements across organizational levels. The Leadership
Quarterly, 18(2), pp.154-166.
Rainey, D.L. (2010) Sustainable business development: inventing the future through
strategy, innovation, and leadership. Cambridge university press.
Assignment Task 4 - Word Count/Limit: 900 words (+/- 10%)
This task address the two assessment criteria under Learning Outcome 4
The Task:
In conclusion of the assignment, reflect and report on how useful the methods are
that you used in Task 3 to plan the development of leadership skills that is required
for the specific strategic direction of your organisation.

The assessment criteria that need to be considered are:
[AC 4.1 Plan the development of leadership skills for a specific requirement
AC 4.2 Report on the usefulness of methods used to plan the development
of leadership skills]
Your answer (Minimum 900 words)
As leadership requirements and needs grow, leaders are faced with more
challenges of understanding whether they are meant for the task of they are not. A leader
has to examine himself, search his heart and be honest about whatever skills and
requirements he is mission and need. Among the criteria in part three were interpersonal
skills. A leader must find out if he has a people’s person or he is not, and when he finds
out he is not, he can then find a way of improvising or acquiring the skill that is missing.
A skill like interpersonal skill can be cultivated by the leader (Adair, 2007). He will need
to go through training and develop and improve the communication skills which are
necessary. Leaders can only lead through influence, and if that is the case, they need to be
good at communication. Communication will allow them to develop and build
relationships and also understand the people they are leading. The leader also must learn
how to measure the words he uses in communicating with the subordinates. Words can
build or destroy, therefore, the leader must determine the proper choice of words for
occasions.
Also, a leader can develop his leadership skills through formal training and
learning. Leaders always go for training over some issues like management, planning,
evaluation among others. Similarly, when a leader realizes that he is missing some
essential skills that are making his leadership suffer, he can opt to go for training and start
learning how to acquire such skills. Our managers are often trained once a year on the
emerging needs of the aviation industry. I also think training the leaders on the skills they
are missing prepares them for the future. Another was self-help and experience. A leader
can make it his burden to learn what he deems to be important in his duty and a leader.
For example, the aspect of time management and punctuality, he can discipline himself
and use self-help techniques that will enable him to be punctual and keep time (Avolio,
Luthans and Ryan, 2006). Additionally, as he works, he will get used to some of the
things he learns at work through experience and practicing for some period.
The leader can also undergo personality tests which will help him understand his
personality. By doing the test, the leader will know the traits that he has which are useful
and which ones are a burden and learn how to utilize both to the advantage of the
organization. Also, he can set objectives and work towards achieving them, and he can
also use one of his colleagues as the person who will be his accountability partner. Also,
there is the conduction of evaluation where he can allow other leaders in his level to
review his skills and see if he is meeting the requirements or he has come short. He can
use the leadership test tool which can be done by himself, or he can ask others to evaluate
him according to the skills he requires (De Meuse, Dai, and Wu, 2011). Also, the leader
can be attending seminars and webinars for leaders that handle several skills that he feels

he is missing.
The skills that are required in leadership must have methods of acquiring them by
the leader. Those methods have their advantages which the leader must know and focus
on to gain the benefits. First, there is examining oneself and finding out what is missing
among the essential requirements. The advantage of self-examination is that it is easy, to
be honest with yourself about what your weaknesses and shortcomings are and also easy
to find a solution (Leskiw and Singh, 2007). Self-evaluation allows the leader to see
deeper because of how he treated or reacted on a specific case, and it can help him know
his mistake and what he needs to do in the future. Additionally, it will help him be aware
of himself, and from that perspective, he can choose a leadership style that can
complement his lack of skills. For example, a leader who lacks the interpersonal skills
can find himself delegating most work.
The second method is training, and the advantage of training is that it refreshes
the mind by offering new ideas and skills. Training will also help the leader to make
stronger the skills that he has weaknesses in and get better. Also, training enables the
leader to have the first-hand experience with the skill in application and theory. The
leader can learn how the skill works and how it is applied through seeing it applied and
used during the sessions (Mumford, Campion and Morgeson, 2007). Training also
motivates the leader to want to learn more and become better especially if he is grasping
the ideas. Besides that, formal learning can benefit the leader by offering him a wide
range of skills and information he was not aware. Self-learning is also another way of
increasing the skills that are required. Some of the benefits of the method include, the
leader can start anytime and end anytime and that it is flexible.
Finally, the self-evaluation is very easy to understand and use the tools. Self-
evaluation is a long process that will give the leader a comprehensive report of his
position and how he is doing regarding leadership. The leader can learn the areas he has
not been performing better and also understand the reasons for his lower performance or
poor performance (Osland, Bird, Mendenhall and Osland, 2006). The method can be
done at any time; therefore, it does not need to eat in the leaders time of the evaluators
time, they can do it over lunch break.
In conclusion, leadership and management require specific skills which are
essential to making them be the best people in the organization. With the changing needs
of the organization and the globalization, there are challenges in leadership with include
failing to have all the requirements for leadership that has been addressed. Each
requirement has a method designed to meet that need. All the methods have the benefits
which have been discussed above.
References
Adair, J.E. (2007) Develop your leadership skills (Vol. 11). Philadelphia: Kogan Page
Publishers.
Avolio, B.J., Luthans, F. and Ryan, C. (2006) The high impact leader. New York:
McGraw Hill.
De Meuse, K.P., Dai, G. and Wu, J. (2011) Leadership skills across organizational levels:
A closer examination. The Psychologist-Manager Journal, 14(2), pp.120-139.
Leskiw, S.L. and Singh, P. (2007) Leadership development: Learning from best
practices. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 28(5), pp.444-464.

Mumford, T.V., Campion, M.A. and Morgeson, F.P. (2007) The leadership skills
strataplex: Leadership skill requirements across organizational levels. The Leadership
Quarterly, 18(2), pp.154-166.
Osland, J.S., Bird, A., Mendenhall, M. and Osland, A. (2006) 11 Developing global
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