Leadership Report: Strengths-Based Approach, Authentic Leadership

This report provides a comprehensive overview of the strengths-based approach to leadership, authentic leadership, and the social construction of leadership within the context of sport management. It begins by introducing the key concepts, including the strengths-based approach, which emphasizes developing individual strengths rather than focusing on weaknesses; authentic leadership, which highlights transparency and self-awareness; and the social construction of leadership, which examines how leadership is shaped through social interactions. The report then delves into the author's personal strengths, as revealed by the VIA-IS survey, identifying honesty, forgiveness, and kindness as core strengths. Feedback from peers further validated these findings. The report also reflects on the potential negative perceptions of these strengths and explores how emphasizing these strengths can enhance one's capacity for authentic leadership. The discussion section analyzes the VIA-IS test's validity and reliability, as well as the practical implications of applying these leadership concepts in sport management, including how these strengths can positively influence leadership skills and team performance. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of character strengths in leadership and the need for further research to refine the understanding of these concepts.

Running head: STRENGTHS-BASED APPROACH TO HEADSHIP 1
Strengths-Based Approach to Headship
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

STRENGTHS-BASED APPROACH TO HEADSHIP 2
Strengths-Based Approach to Headship
1. Introduction
A strengths-based approach to governance is more efficient compared to the old-style
technique of prioritizing on performance flaws. To assist sports companies to grow and prosper,
individuals need to understand their strengths. As a result, the tactic helps in leading people to
understand what are their strengths, instead of their weaknesses. According to recent research,
the best practice indicates that “strengths-based” headship endows front-runners, and the
individuals who follow them. In turn, this fosters healthy and progressive sporting cultures.
Notably, strengths-based governance enables heads to bring out the best in themselves, and
others by kindling their main persona strengths. Therefore, the emphasis on fortes is based on
accepting, and developing on a person’s best chances for achievement. Conversely, various
suggestions can assist one to become a “strengths-based” head, and create a constructive setting
in his or her sports management. For instance, the latter can know his or her top strengths by
completing a strengths evaluation like VIA to understand, and link with their strengths. As a
result, someone can identify how to yoke their strong points and toil towards them, such that they
recognize the downside of their strengths.
1.1. Purpose
The report provides an outline of the strengths-based method to leadership, which allows heads
to explore the best in themselves, and others by arousing their primary personality strengths in
sport management. Besides, the report covers both the authentic and social construction of
governance. Alternatively, a summary of results from VIA-IS suggests that the initial
psychometric facts presented are promising, although more validity work is required.

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1.2 Key Concepts and Structure
The first concept is the strengths-based method to headship that is based on the underlying belief
that an individual has the potential for growth by developing his or her strengths, instead of their
weaknesses (DeRue & Workman, 2012). Notably, strengths-based front-runners always invest in
their strengths, and those of individuals in their team. The second concept is authentic headship
that acts as a management model in which leaders are transparent and self-aware. Hence, a
genuine head can inspire loyalty and trust from his or her workers by continuously displaying
who they are as a person, and how they feel about their workers’ performance (Forsey, 2019).
The third concept is the social construction of headship, and it suggests that people’s
understanding of governance is socially constructed over time, as a person interacts with one
another. Thus, leadership becomes a reality when one or more persons in a social structure
succeed in framing, and defining how the demands of a group will be accepted, and who will
address the need for directing collective action (Besharov & Khurana, 2012).
2. Overview of Primary Concepts
2.1 Strengths-based Approach to Headship
As stated earlier, this concept has various benefits to a leader’s governance in sport, and
it also determines his or her team’s performance in multiple ways. By admitting that one needs
assistance, and accepts it from his or her team members promotes adequate delegation, which
creates a consensual headship style. Thus, asking for support is a sign of strength, not feebleness,
and it allows the leader to concentrate on what he or she can do best (Maps, 2016).
Consequently, sharing responsibility can encourage innovation, creativity, and a sense of purpose

STRENGTHS-BASED APPROACH TO HEADSHIP 4
within a team. Due to this fact, a front-runner can hire skill-personnel based on their aptitudes
and capabilities, as their experience and skills are similar to his.
2.2. Authentic Leadership
According to this concept, good governance needs touchstones to remind a leader, and
the people around him or her that they are human. Four components assist in demonstrating the
social nature of an authentic front-runner in sports. These are self-awareness, relational
transparency, balanced processing, and internalized moral viewpoint (Takos, Murray & O’Boyle,
2018). These components are functional to start points, although for a leader to be authentic, he
or she must be capable of expressing themselves as they indeed are. Importantly, authenticity is a
governance skill like others, and a determined leader always develops it over time, depending on
their conscious efforts (Kolzow, 2014).
2.3 Social Construction of Governance
This concept explains various well-developed issues with head-centric perceptions of leadership.
For instance, people are unique and have different elucidations of what surrounds them. It
explains why individuals regard different people as leaders, and why they have various reasons
for thinking of them as such. Alternatively, it explores why people cannot categorize a person as
a leader, despite everyone’s option. As a result, the social construction of governance is based on
well-developed and legitimate ideological foundations. Conversely, the concept influences
leadership development in leaders, mainly the approach adjusts development toward
enhancement of self- and social awareness. Notably, Billsberry et al. (2018, p.174) states,
“The fundamental idea is
that as people hoping to be
seen as leaders improve their

STRENGTHS-BASED APPROACH TO HEADSHIP 5
self-awareness and begin to
understand the nature of
their ILTs, they discover how
their unconscious
processes have been shaping
their behavior, which helps
them better appreciate how
the image they project is
perceived by others
This concept explores various well-developed issues with head-centric perceptions of
governance. For instance, people are different and have various interpretations of what surrounds
them. This explains why they regard different individuals as leaders, and why they have several
reasons for thinking of them as such. Consequently, it demonstrates why people cannot
recognize a person as a leader, despite others agreeing they are. Due to this fact, the social
construction of governance plays a central role in helping a front-runner to develop leadership
skills (Abbas & Asghar, 2010). Particularly, the approach orients development toward enhancing
both self- and social-awareness, specifically towards the identification of “Implicit Leadership
Theories” (ILTs), and how those being established come across to others. Notably, Billsberry et
al. (2018, p.174) note:
The fundamental idea is that as people hope to be seen as leaders improving their self-
awareness and begin to understand the nature of their ILTs, they discover how their own

STRENGTHS-BASED APPROACH TO HEADSHIP 6
unconscious processes have been shaping their behavior, which helps them better
appreciate how the image they project is perceived by others.
3. Personal Strengths
3.1 Summary of Results From VIA-IS
It is crucial to note that the 24 strengths in the VIA survey can be classified into six
classes: wisdom, transcendence, humanity, courage, justice, and temperance. After undertaking
the survey, it merged that my strengths are honesty, forgiveness, and kindness. According to the
VIA results, openness emerged as my core value, which enables me to present myself genuinely.
Notably, honesty is not only a value that needs to be implemented in all aspects of people’s lives,
but also in sports management as it improves productivity and teamwork. Besides, honesty
enhances the quality of the relationship a person has as a leader, and those around him or her. For
instance, having honesty as a strength enables one to build trust, respect, and openness in sports
management. When being honest, a competent leader must always tell the truth with respect and
affection, such that he or she takes into account other people’s feelings. Notably, telling the truth
is often a sensitive matter, so when a leader incorporates this aspect when telling the truth, he or
she emerges as an authentic head.
According to the VIA survey, forgiveness emerged as another strength that enables me to
forgive others of their shortcomings. As a result, l can give them a second chance, and nor be
vengeful. Alternatively, one may need to forgive himself or herself for their failures, such that
they can improve on their flaws. In sports management, a leader must understand that apology is
a crucial part of the mediation process, as it helps him or her to deal with conflicts and solve
them amicably. As a result, the latter can improve his or her business relations with parties that
wronged them.

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My third strength, according to the VIA survey, was kindness which enables me to do
favors and good deeds for others. Additionally, this strength helps me to take care of others
without expecting any in return. In sports management, a leader needs to have this trait, as it
improves how he or she engages with their team. Due to this fact, he can earn their respect and
trust. Normally, a kind front-runner is very Individual-focused because they treasure values in
the sports organization linked to equality, fairness, and respect.
3.2 Summary of Peer Feedback
I obtained my feedback from family members and good friends who l interact with most
of the time. Importantly, the feedback was given by the peers corresponded with the peer- and
self-assessments. They concurred honesty, kindness, and forgiveness were my major strengths,
which helped me to be more social.
3.3 Statements of Personal Strengths
My strengths have improved howl relate with people around me. Conversely, these attributes
greatly enhance my image, as a trustworthy and respectable individual.
4. Reflections
4.1 Potential of Strengths to be Perceived Negatively
One negative effect of honest is one tends to feel angry when others are not honest. When
an individual lives his or her life from the viewpoint of total honesty, it is natural that they expect
others to live as such. Unfortunately, they end up getting disappointed as most individuals adhere
to the social standards of telling white lies, rather than sharing their true views. On the other
hand, one negative effect of being forgiving is people will tend to take advantage, and consider

STRENGTHS-BASED APPROACH TO HEADSHIP 8
that as a weakness. Similarly, they perceive kindness as weakness, and someone may end up
being disrespected for being helpful to others.
4.2 Authentic Leadership Capacity
In order to develop these strengths and become an authentic head, one must become more
self-aware such that they listen to feedback, and understand the importance of emotional intellect
evaluations. Alternatively, an individual must recognize his or her personal values, which will
allow them to acknowledge their principles, values, and passions.
5. Discussion
The VIA-IS test proved to be a dependable and valid metric of a person’s strengths. As a
result, the most exceptional leadership skills include creativity, perspective, and honesty, which
could positively improve sports management. Conversely, the “peer-rating” form produced
adequate to high dependability constants, and demonstrated its importance in the research.
Besides, the “corrected item-total correlations” were within the recommended range depending
on what is projected for homogenous gauges that are not very expansive. Furthermore, some
items did associate highly with other indicators, although the correlations with the “own scale”
were quite high. Notably, since some of the gauges were vastly inter-associated themselves, it is
not astonishing that some products yielded great connections with other scales. In addition, the
psychometric outcomes may fluctuate for various subgroups, which makes further research is
crucial to coming up with the final judgment of the gauge (Littman-Ovadia, 2015). Generally,
the “VIA-IS” and “VIA-IS Peer” were set for further usage in exploration and practice.
The peer- and self-rated strong points congregated in the predicted range, a median of 40.
This merging was higher compared to the outcomes obtained for other nominations in sport

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management, and is analogous to results for other character variables. Even though the strengths
were highly desirable features, the “VIA-IS” did not seem to be sturdily biased by social
desirability (Ruch et al., 2010). Notably, this was evaluated by means of associations with a
gauge for social desirability, and means of linking “rank-ordered self- and peer-estimated
strengths.”
It is essential to examine how strong points overlay with unpredictable characteristics.
Usually developed replicas of character such as the “Big Five” intersection with the VIA
categorization, and the degree of dismissal or specificity of the strong points must be evaluated.
Due to this fact, character matters and the VIA grouping and “VIA-IS” have assisted in
reclaiming the study of personality for mental inquiry. Consequently, future inquiry projects are
required to offer additional data on the cogency of the metric. The research offers initial data on
the construction of the “VIA-IS” and “VIA-IS Peer.” Hence, it would be of great concern to
evaluate the factorial edifice of an instrument. For instance, to examine a possible dismissal of
the gauges that may be crucial when reviewing the inventory, or deriving a shorter form.
6 Conclusion
The strengths-based method of governance has emerged as an effectual approach of
assessing both the strengths of a person, and that of his or her team. Due to this fact, the concept
has assisted sports organizations in growing and succeeding, such that leaders understand their
strengths in the sector. In addition, three concepts have been included; these are the strengths-
based method of headship, authentic governance, and social construction of governance.
According to the strengths-based leadership, the idea has multiple benefits to a front-runner’s
governance in sport, and how it controls his or her team’s performance. Importantly, the concept
focus on a person’s strength, rather than his or her weaknesses. Alternatively, the authentic

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headship concept is best on four crucial components that help in demonstrating the nature of an
authentic leader in sport management. Lastly, the social construction of headship focuses on the
various issues with head-centric perceptions of headship. Alternatively, the VIA-IS study
provides conclusive research on personal strengths, and how they influence his or her leadership
in sports.
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