Report on Leadership: People, Culture, and Contemporary Leadership

This report delves into the multifaceted concept of leadership, analyzing various theories and their practical applications. The author, through questionnaires and classroom activities, explores their personal leadership style, identifying strengths and areas for improvement. The Gibbs model is used to reflect on experiences, and the report highlights the importance of time management, planning, and stress management for effective leadership. The author identifies as a democratic leader and aims to develop into a situational leader to adapt to different circumstances. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of continuous self-assessment and skill development to enhance overall leadership capabilities, and by doing so, it demonstrates how to improve team performance.

PEOPLE CULTURE AND CONTEMPORARY
LEADEERSHIP

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
What is leadership........................................................................................................................1
Questionnaires completed............................................................................................................1
Gibbs model learning...................................................................................................................2
Class activities.............................................................................................................................3
Own development areas...............................................................................................................3
Type of leader am I and areas of improvement...........................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6
Appendix..........................................................................................................................................8
Appendix 1 Questionnaire...........................................................................................................8
Appendix 2 Learning Journal......................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
In the modern era, effective leadership skills play a vital role in growth and development
of an individual (Ward 2016). Nowadays, many businesses focus on enhancing the leadership
skills of workers so that smooth flow of all operations and activities can be achieved (Tourish
2014). Leadership practices also assist companies in motivating employees and directing their
efforts towards the accomplishment of common goals and objectives.
The present essay outlines the overview of leadership and theories linked with the
concept. In addition to this, my style of leadership and its effectiveness is also highlighted in this
report. I have used different types of questionnaires and classroom activities to analyze the
overall effectiveness of my leadership style.
What is leadership
Leadership can be defined as the process in which various tools, techniques, and
strategies are employed by a leader to lead and manage the team of people working in an
organization (Siegling, Nielsen & Petrides 2014). A good leader always encourages team
members to give their best towards the accomplishment of business goals and objectives. In
today’s corporate scenario, leadership has become essential for companies as there are different
types of benefits associated with the same (Renko et al. 2015). For example, leaders help in
initiating actions, motivating others, building morale and developing coordination among team
mates. A leader also plays vital role in designing and maintaining a healthy work environment by
resolving issues and conflicts between people working in an organization.
To gain insight into the overall concept of leadership, various theories can be taken into
consideration. For example, the trait theory of leadership emphasizes on the fact that leaders are
born, or there are certain qualities which are inherited by people which make them a leader
(Ramchunder & Martins 2014). Furthermore, the theory explains that there are certain behavioral
characteristics can be commonly found in almost every leader (Northouse 2015). Some common
traits of leaders which are highlighted by trait theory include energy, creativity, innovative,
business knowledge, honesty and emotional intelligence.
Questionnaires completed
I have completed different types of the questionnaire, and this was important because it
has helped me to get insight into my leadership style. I was required to answer different sets of
questions linked to various aspects of leadership. For instance, I was required to provide my
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opinion to questions such as is supervision of employee within the workplace is essential or not.
In addition to this, the questionnaire has also supported me in identifying the key areas where I
was lacking. From the information collected, one strengthens his/her existing leadership skills,
and overcome key weakness concerning leadership (Nahavandi 2016).
Another benefit of using questionnaire is that it has helped me to improve the way in
which I used to communicate with others. Apart from this, it has also highlighted different tools
and strategies which I can use to motivate and inspire other staff members working with me. I
have completed various questionnaires linked with leadership, and now I can handle and manage
changes more efficiently. These all things will directly contribute to individuals overall
professional development and will also them to become a highly motivating leader in the long
run (Ljungholm 2014).
Gibbs model learning
The Gibbs model or reflective cycle emphasize on six major elements which are
mentioned below as:
Description- I have filled various questionnaires, and I have also attended different class
activities to gain insight into my existing leadership style and its effectiveness.
Feelings- At the time of attending class sessions and filling questionnaire I was a little bit
worried about getting negative outcomes. However, my experience and knowledge have
supported me in staying calm during the process.
Evaluation – It can be expressed that the entire experience was quite good and I have learned a
lot of things about the overall aspect of leadership. For example, it has supported me in knowing
that effective leaders are the one who changes their styles as per need and demand of the
situation.
Analysis- It has been analyzed that I am required to work in some areas to enhance my overall
leadership skills. It will also assist in getting better opportunities for personal and professional
development (Mugridge 2013).
Conclusion – Apart from attending class room sessions and filling up the questionnaire, I believe
that strategies such as feedback from seniors and coworkers would have been taken. The
rationale behind this is that the feedback would have provided me with more relevant and
accurate information about my leadership.
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Action plan – I will be using the recommendations and information from questionnaire and class
room activities to deal with leadership issues in future.
Class activities
The class activities consist of various sessions in which different case scenarios were
provided to us. We were required to analyze every situation in the best possible manner.
Furthermore, based on our analysis we were required to take corrective actions. The class
activities have helped me to developed strong coordination with my fellow team members. At
the same time, it has supported me in getting knowledge about my existing style of leadership.
During the class room activities, I was required to write some comments on different statements
which were linked with the overall concept of leadership. This activity has helped me in explore
my knowledge base and skill set about the aspects of leadership.
Various types of leadership games and activities were carried out during the classroom
session (Goleman, Boyatzis & McKee 2013). The result of this is that these sessions have helped
me to identify and understand the fact that at present, I am not a great or effective leader. The
rationale behind this is I am a democratic leader, and I always prefer to consider the views and
opinions of my team mates before making any decisions. In some class activities, fast decision
making was required and taking suggestion from other team mates’ results in delaying the entire
process of decision making (Eisenbeiss & Brodbeck 2014). Thus, the classroom activities have
helped me to understand the fact that it is not useful for a leader to stick to one particular style of
leadership and he/she should adopt the style of leadership as per situations and conditions.
Own development areas
Various developmental areas are present where I need to focus on so that I can efficiently
perform as a leader and in turn, the performance of my entire team can be easily enhanced with
the help of this. No doubt, to become successful leader various traits and attributes are needed
which improves individual efficiency to perform as a leader and in turn leads to better results
(Daft 2014). My developmental areas involve working on the skills that are not present in me. I
lack some skills and particular knowledge due to which my performance declines at the time of
working as a leader.
Firstly I need to develop time management as it is a well-known fact that leader has to
carry out various activities and they have to be managed in particular period. So, this area still
requires development where I am unable to manage time as per the tasks that I have to carry out
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on a daily basis, and it directly leads to delay. Further, I am not able to prioritize which activities
are necessary that I need to focus on for enhancing the performance of my entire team.
Another area in which improvement is needed is linked with planning where I am not
able to plan all the activities properly. It is the moral responsibility of every leader to plan all the
key activities properly so that they can be carried out efficiently (Colbert, Barrick & Bradley
2014). Stress management is also one of the crucial areas where I need to work upon. In many
situations, I have found that situation of stress arises due to which my motivation level declines.
Due to this reason, I have to prepare myself so that I can properly deal with stress and this can
assist in making me a successful leader.
All these development areas are most crucial for a leader as it is a well-known fact that
leader must have skills such as stress management, time management, planning, etc., so that
contribution of an individual is maximum in the business affairs (Bird & Mendenhall 2016). Due
to this reason I have realized the importance of working in this area so that shortly my
performance as a leader can be enhanced easily and in short period. Further, it has been analyzed
that no leader is 100% efficient by skills and knowledge where some areas are present where an
individual has to improve.
For enhancing time management skills, I will prepare a time table for two months
regularly where I will prioritize tasks that need to be conducted by me. For enhancing my
planning skills, I will take advice from other leaders to know how they plan and for enhancing
stress management skills I will read various books, articles and will indulge myself regularly into
the situations that lead to stress. So, this will result in improvement.
Type of leader am I and areas of improvement
At present, according to me, I am a democratic leader who prefers to take advice from the
team members on a continuous basis. At the time of conducting any particular task I involve
every team member and with the help of a motivational tool such as reward, bonus scheme I
ensure that every member is actively participating in the company affairs. Further, I am a self-
motivated leader who can handle critical situation in an easy was as many time some situations
are faced where I am not able to perform better so with the help of self-motivation it becomes
easy for me to maintain my performance. I always prefer to take advice from others, and this
leads to my personal development.
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Working as a democratic leader, I have gained trust and confidence of all my team
members where they prefer work with me, and they are my real strength. Apart from this, I am a
good communicator where my team members are easily able to understand the information and
thoughts shared by me. I prefer to interact with my team members orally, and I encourage two-
way interaction where I gave more chance to my team so that they can quickly present their
views and ideas. The range of skills present in myself makes me an effective leader.
Critical thinking as one of the skill makes me different from others where it directly
contributes in handling various situations in the better manner (Antonakis 2017). The situations
that are adverse allow me to think critically and through this best possible solution is identified
about the problem being faced within the workplace (Bolman & Deal 2017). Further, I am an
honest and ethical leader who takes every decision keeping in view the expectations of all the
team members. Till now I have not faced any situation where I was biased and due to this reason
team performance declined.
Some areas are present where I need to improve. At the moment, I am a democratic
leader, but I want to translate myself into situational leader where there is a need that I must act
as per the situation. The reason behind the same is that in many cases democratic style fails as
dependency on the team members is high and this sometimes leads to decline in the overall
performance of the team. So, I want to translate myself where in some critical situation I will
decide by the situation and will encourage my team members to act accordingly.
CONCLUSION
The entire study carried out has supported in knowing my leadership practice. Further,
the skills and attributes that I posses are most crucial and they must be present in a successful
leader. As a democratic leader I prefer to involve my team members in every affair, and this
enhances the team performance. But I need to transform myself into a situational leader so that I
can take appropriate decisions by situations faced. Apart from this, my development areas
involve focusing on time, stress management and planning skills. I have received feedback from
the questionnaire which I have prepared, and through this, I will work on the development areas.
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REFERENCES
Antonakis, J 2017, The nature of leadership, Sage publications, California.
Bird, A & Mendenhall, ME 2016, 'From cross-cultural management to global leadership:
Evolution and adaptation', Journal of World Business, vol 51, no. 1, pp. 115-126.
Bolman, LG & Deal, TE 2017, Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership, New
Jersey, John Wiley & Sons.
Colbert, A, Barrick, MR & Bradley, BH 2014, ' Personality and leadership composition in top
management teams: Implications for organizational effectiveness', Personnel Psychology, vol 67,
no. 2, pp. 351-387.
Daft, RL 2014, The leadership experience, Cengage Learning, Massachusetts.
Eisenbeiss, SA & Brodbeck, F 2014, 'Ethical and unethical leadership: A cross-cultural and
cross-sectoral analysis', Journal of Business Ethics, vol 122, no. 2, pp. 343-359.
Goleman, D, Boyatzis, RE & McKee, A 2013, Primal leadership: Unleashing the power of
emotional intelligence, Harvard Business Press, Massachusetts.
Ljungholm, DP 2014, ' Transformational leadership behavior in public sector organizations',
Contemp. Readings L. & Soc. Just., , vol 6, p. 76.
Mugridge, RL 2013, 'Book Review: The Next Library Leadership: Attributes of Academic and
Public Library Directors', Library Resources & Technical Services, vol 50, no. 2, p. 146.
Nahavandi, A 2016, The Art and Science of Leadership -Global Edition, Pearson, London.
Northouse, PG 2015, Leadership: Theory and practice, Sage publications, California.
Ramchunder, Y & Martins, N 2014, ' The role of self-efficacy, emotional intelligence and
leadership style as attributes of leadership effectiveness.', SA Journal of Industrial Psychology,
vol 40, no. 1, pp. 1-111.
Renko, M, El Tarabishy, A, Carsrud, AL & Brännback, M 2015, 'Understanding and measuring
entrepreneurial leadership style', Journal of Small Business Management, vol 53, no. 1, pp. 54-
74.
Siegling, AB, Nielsen, C & Petrides, KV 2014, 'Trait emotional intelligence and leadership in a
European multinational company', Personality and Individual Differences, vol 65, pp. 65-68.
Tourish, D 2014, 'Leadership, more or less? A processual, communication perspective on the
role of agency in leadership theory', Leadership, vol 10, no. 1, pp. 79-98.
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Ward, J 2016, Keeping the family business healthy: How to plan for continuing growth,
profitability, and family leadership, Springer, Berlin.
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APPENDIX
Appendix 1 Questionnaire
Read each item carefully. Draw circle on the item which you think is most appropriate for
your leader
Question Always Often Occasionall
y
Seldom Never
Let group members know what is
expected from them
Your leader is friendly and
approachable
Convince in his arguments
Motivates you to take part in each
activity
Honest and ethical
Keep the group working together as a
team
Considers each member as integral part
of team
Implement suggestions given by you
Make accurate decisions
Never hesitates in taking initiatives in
the group
Treat all the group members equally
Handles complex situations properly
Schedules the work in proper manner
Appendix 2 Learning Journal
The situation – what happened, how did I feel,
think and act?
As a leader I failed in taking proper decision
for the development of my team. Actually the
situation was to choose communication mode
for sharing information where I selected email
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and this was not appropriate mode. I felt quite
frustrating due to this failure and it decreased
my motivation level. But I do not perceive this
situation as my failure and I will work harder. I
think I have acted in wrong manner
Why might things have happened that way? It was my mistake and I think that I have not
done proper analysis before selecting suitable
mode of communication. Lack of focus can be
main reason behind failure along with the
proper analysis
What might I have done differently? What
should I try next time
No doubt I have tried my level best to select
the best medium for sharing information which
is selection of email method. But it didn’t
prove to be successful in my team. From next
time I will take advice from my team members
so as to know which communication channel
they will prefer for interaction. So this will
support me in avoiding failure situation.
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