MBA401 Reflective Journal: People, Culture, Contemporary Leadership

This reflective journal, submitted by a student, explores the evolution of leadership from traditional to contemporary perspectives, emphasizing the significance of people and culture. The journal, written for the MBA401 course, delves into various leadership theories, including situational, trait, transactional, and transformational models, and discusses the importance of servant leadership and leader-member exchange. It reflects on online resources like videos and books, and the insights gained from an industry guest speaker. The student analyzes in-class activities, assessment feedback, and psychometric tests to assess their leadership traits and skills, concluding that effective leadership is situation-based and requires strategic abilities. The journal highlights the development of leadership skills through team participation and voluntary activities, and the importance of continuous learning and feedback to enhance leadership capabilities. The assignment aligns with the course objectives of understanding contemporary leadership approaches, analyzing leader characteristics, and applying leadership skills across different domains. The student demonstrates the ability to integrate leadership knowledge with practical experiences and personal development.

People, Culture and Contemporary Leadership 1
PEOPLE, CULTURE AND CONTEMPORARY LEADERSHIP
By (Student’s Name)
Professor’s Name
College
Course
Date

People, Culture and Contemporary Leadership 2
People, Culture and Contemporary Leadership
Introduction:
The leadership idea has altered over the decades and in the contemporary world, it has
gained increased traction due to the casualness and informality levels which has tiptoed in the
process. The phrase “tiptoed” is used in this essay since I still feel that some sections of the
populace exist that favor traditional leadership idea that encompass concepts of upholding a
formal as well as direct association with a leader by the other members of the group and initially,
I was a proponent of such a perception. However, having participated in the course about people,
culture and contemporary leadership, my perception of leadership has significantly altered and
these three topics made me acknowledge that the globe has fundamentally shifted towards the
zenith of developing and enhancing culture.
In this reflective leadership essay, I hold that traditional eras regarded leadership as the
sole quality which entail the purpose and action of leadership as well as motivating a cohort of
individuals and giving them desirable, yet restricted direction to thus the group utilization is
achieved in the best way feasible within a short while. Such a notion remains applicable to each
organization which operates globally irrespective of the work size and gravity occurring in such
organizations. However, the contemporary ideas of leadership remain essentially revolutionary;
and it has significantly embraced a dynamic approach (Priest and Gass 2017).
Theories:
Because the whole process remained a learning experience for me, I shall be attempting
to apply the existing norms alongside modern leadership models/theories in my future profession
and aspire to integrate the same in both my professional and personal development and lifestyle

People, Culture and Contemporary Leadership 3
as well as incorporate the other member of the team in a range of tasks to allow them receive
certain practical experiences and simultaneously the desirable organizational goalmouth might be
accomplished in a fun way (Linehan 2017). This an approach, I believe, might be applicable to
both talent hunting as well as management and my notion stood acknowledge and applauded in
the course of class sessions. Such theories as situational, trait, transactional and transformational
leadership theories were learned comprehensively in class based on a range of activities
(Nickerson and Goby 2017). I fitted mostly in situational theory since it holds that if a given
situation demands, a leader needs to be increasingly strong in his approach to achieve the
desirable task qualities out of the team. In the course of class deliberations, a fundamental aspect
emerged that unrestricted and unrestrained informality could result in casual approach towards a
specific work that might not harness the optimal potential of a worker (Narikae, Namada and
Katuse 2017).
I have learnt that a leader has to further maintain a desirable balance between striking a
healthy association among the teammates and holding on a leader’s status with ability to remain
firm with the changing situation. I have further learned the importance of using servant
leadership and leader-member exchange by HR department of an MNC in hiring and recruitment
processes. In such leadership styles, active listening remains imperative as it allows the
integration of the views and opinions of teammates into the company decision-making, policies
and operations leading achievement of maximum potential from the team (Komives and Wagner
2016). This fact stood increasingly fascinating to me since it allows a worker to automatically
strive to give his or her best input and try to effectively brainstorm to develop a desirable
solution for the identified problem without a leader necessarily having to push such a worker
(Antonakis and Day 2017). Thus, I will deploy this idea in my future leadership role by

People, Culture and Contemporary Leadership 4
requesting the teammates to give the specific views and opinions about an issue that might arise
and integrate their specific inputs and expertise to trigger the needed growth alongside
emancipation in a scenario/situation. Such a style of leadership remains effective as it contribute
immensely towards a friendly-team building in reference to theories of contemporary leadership
(Alvesson, Blom and Sveningsson 2016).
Online Resources:
Our session took several weeks and entailed a range of educational as well as informative
videos that altered my view and insights regarding people and the ever-changing culture among
the population globally and availed a wide overview useful in my reflection. Whereas the videos
on leadership, people and culture by Mark Zuckerberg, Aung San Suu Kyim, and Angela Markel
remained shown to the class. I learned that each of these videos reiterated the identical viewpoint
that the globe has become increasingly volatile, complicated and sophisticated. Accordingly, this
implies that the responsibilities and the duties of contemporary leaders have also fundamentally
changed and widened (Hartnell et al. 2016). The organizational culture for every firm remains
impacted directly as well as influenced by such leaders who head the specific departments in
such companies. However, I was specifically touched by the aspect given by the Simon Sinek’s
speech when he stated that contemporary world has become stiffly competitive hence the very
first duty of a leader is making all their staff secure and safe in their respective job profiles.
Several books further accorded me useful info on leadership (Rosenbach 2018). Especially the
book entitled, “Be More Pirate: Or how to take on the World and Win” written by Allender
Coniff Sam.
Industry Guest:

People, Culture and Contemporary Leadership 5
An incredibly dynamic leader (YYYY) further participated in our interactive session and
shared deeply with the class the practical experiences and encounters regarding real-world
situations when the leadership knowledge was contested and the practical and rational approach
needed to be embraced to effectively cope with the scenario. Such an interactive session
accorded me a realistic standpoint that life shall never always adhere to the rules provided in the
book.
Cognitive Exercises and Discussions (In-class Activities)
Leadership is acknowledged as that aspect of professional and personal build-up quality
or attribute which is slowly shaped via a range of classroom exposures. As a coursework learner,
I had a manifold engagements in a range of activities field including sports, cross-cultural
experiences, social group interactions, and internships. I was engaged in an array of voluntary
tasks which made me evolve in diverse leadership influences. I ultimately developed the sense of
understanding the importance of leadership that I endeavored to absorb within my individual
practices (Emmer and Evertson 2016). My passion towards wide-ranging academic projects
actively permitted me to familiarize and understand traits and qualities of leadership. My
personal experiences have additionally evolved my learning to assume a slow shape in a definite
course/direction about leadership. I feel that, being a learner within academic field, my potentials
have immensely evolved from the point I attempted to remain voluntarily active in diverse
deliberations and cognitive-related activities.
Diverse extracurricular activities exist which stay fostered within through classroom
sessions and courses that have immensely assisted me throughout my engagement in the course.
The irreplaceable traits and talents remain feasible to be evolved as well as shaped via my
practical skill acquisition schemes and initiatives. I trust that leadership remains feasible to get

People, Culture and Contemporary Leadership 6
the way of growing and developing whenever they are linked to self-discovered way. Thus, it is
via voluntary partake in active group/team working efforts that allows me to be self-aware of my
strengths. The roles I have played in the team have accorded me the needed impetus to
developing and imbibing the traits of leadership. I have developed a natural comfort via such
active team roles which have subsequently influenced my team. A leader must strive to develop
valuable team-player attitude via equal essential tasks and activities to accomplish the desired
goals. I have managed to display all these desirable ideas and traits of leadership in my previous
leadership roles.
One instance where I have displayed these traits is when undertaking independent
projects by leading a project which addresses the areas of interest which allows me to gain the
insights as well as acquire adequate experiences. Leading and organizing remains essential for
effective participation in any project operations. The courage within me has been immensely
shaped by the work-linked experiences I have gained. The second instance is when getting
engaged in voluntary tasks and activities by volunteering in leadership roles and skills which
have subsequently been reinforced and refilled within myself via extracurricular activities. My
volunteering opportunities have availed me the chance to apply my passionate sense of
experience in the organization. I have since developed certain compulsions useful in acquiring
the desired experiences. Thus, I have come to appreciate the need for embedding a desired
leadership opportunity to establish acquire leadership traits and qualities to create comfort in my
academic classroom deliberations (Huda et al. 2018).
Assessment Feedback:
I have received assessment feedback based on my participation and subsequent
performance in the 1st assignment. I undertook performances in leadership dimensions which

People, Culture and Contemporary Leadership 7
stay highly probable to inculcate feedbacks to enhance additional practicability. I voluntarily
extended my efforts via team engagements, meetings, deliberations, project configurations,
sports and gaming performance, all of which, have generated adequate and useful feedback
against each other. Each field of performance stood effectually maintained hence effective
results were realized based on new leadership-linked learning (Macpherson 2015). The
participation in joint team has permitted me to acquire feedback against my inputs. I have
acquired adequate leadership skills while serving as a team leader in our join team participation
sessions. I comprehended how to exert the instructions on my teammates, coordinate team efforts
as well as adhere to justified reasoning. I gained a valid feedback from both my sport seniors and
mentors which have helped me adequately orient my freshly-acquired leadership skills and traits
to accomplish a desired result. My future leadership roles will be essentially improved via
serious emphasis and attention on the received feedback. I will be reflecting upon these
feedbacks to ensure that I am fully aware of both strengths and limitations of my leadership traits
(Grint, Jones and Holt 2016). I have managed to test my leadership qualities and skills in terms
of their appropriateness in securing the desired outcomes via the feedbacks I got. I have managed
to gain productive results and this makes me acknowledge that leadership is situation-based and
require specific attribute to deal with the prevailing situation. I now understand that strategic
leadership abilities have assisted me inculcate source of inspiration into manifold fields. I have
identified both soft-skills production and management as my fundamental potential strengths
based on the received feedback.
Psychometric Test:
Throughout the course, I have completed useful psychometric tests, especially for
interpersonal and leadership traits. These test have allowed me submit a quantitative report

People, Culture and Contemporary Leadership 8
towards leadership hence validating my outcomes about my potentials. Specifically, I was
provided with a questionnaire on leadership that encompasses primarily fifty distinguished items
against which my reactions/responses were sought. These are necessary responses to generate
my leadership potentials and qualities which will get manifested via value-processed ways. My
particular personal qualities and attributes remain essential to get processes in respect of current
trait score which I will generate via the abilities of the candidate. Many online leadership
competency tests exist correspond to psychometric tests. Such personality tests remain
principally present within me and the strong skills shall manifest in high scores (Hellison 2018).
There exist personality tests that unmistakably display the skills of leadership present within me.
Therefore, it is via the successful leadership that I acknowledged my performances stood
effectually oriented. Further, it is via effective psychometric test administration through the
leadership questionnaire that my predominant traits’ summary will be evolved. Where I
demonstrate to be potent in my leadership roles and abilities that are probably to get significantly
manifested in my psychometric tests outcomes strongly in reference to contemporary leadership
models and theories. The high scores in particular attribute areas remain probable to show that I
have strong hold in such abilities and hence strong capabilities in leadership (Alvesson and
Sveningsson 2015).
Conclusion:
In this reflective essay, I have concluded that leadership has been increasingly informal,
both from viewpoint of dressing code to the extent of conversation tone which occur between the
leaders and team members. Even though the ground rules stay unchanged that leadership
methods and ideas rely predominantly on the situation and leaders themselves, however, the
contemporary times have changed leaders and other members of the team are increasingly being

People, Culture and Contemporary Leadership 9
encouraged as well as appreciated. Such an aspect of mutual influence alongside with shared
determination to achieve the set goals in a harmonious collaboration amongst teammates
(Epstein et al. 2018). Besides that, this essay has further unearthed that such a change of
standpoint and more transparency have culminated in increasingly substantial and greater
motivational levels. The contemporary leadership ideas have resulted in real change in culture
and people as demonstrated in this paper.
References
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in progress. Routledge.
Alvesson, M., Blom, M. and Sveningsson, S., 2016. Reflexive Leadership: Organising in an
imperfect world. Sage.
Antonakis, J. and Day, D.V. eds., 2017. The nature of leadership. Sage publications.
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Grint, K., Jones, O.S. and Holt, C., 2016. What is Leadership? The Routledge Companion to
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social change model of leadership development. John Wiley & Sons.
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Perspectives for a New Generation. Lexington Books.
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