The term “leadership” comes with multiple definitions and interpretations. Leadership in the 21st century is changing and causing old measures of performance to become outdated (Clawson, 2006). However, Leadership Theories and Practice (LDR) enlighten students to understand the theories, applications, and importance of leadership. Throughout the LDR course and assessments, I will further discuss my learning in a reflective leadership plan. The reflective leadership plan will include the following factors about the author: leadership style, leadership strengths and weaknesses, leadership gaps, and how to fill those gaps. In addition, the paper will provide my timeline, implementation method, and assessment.
Leadership Style
According to the assessment, “What is My Leadership Style?” my score leans toward a task-oriented style along with a situational approach. The foundation of situational leadership is the theory that there is not a style that is the best leadership. According to Hersey and Blanchard (1977), a leader believes his or her actions and styles depend on the situation at hand. A situational leader focuses on contextual factors in the work required (Clawson, 2006).
Although a single and perfect leadership style does not exist, I feel transformational leadership will have an effective approach toward my followers. A transformational leader affects his or her followers into making self-sacrifices necessary in realizing the organization’s mission goals. Avolio and Yammarino (2002) describe transformational leaders able to provide a vision and future goals to the organization they are leading.
Leadership Strengths and Weaknesses
Leaders are constantly improving their skills to become more effective. Through the multiple assessments in LDR, I find my emotional intelligence score is strength. Emotional intelligence (EI) is a crucial ability that controls one’s emotions during decision-making and people
References: Avolio, B. J., & Yammarino, F. J. (2002). Transformational and charismatic leadership: the road ahead. Amsterdam: JAI. Clawson, J. G. (2006). Level three leadership: getting below the surface. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Drucker, P. (1986), The Frontiers of Management, Truman Talley Books, New York, NY Goleman, D. (2000). Leadership that gets results. Harvard Business Review, 79-90. Hersey, P., & Blanchard, K.H. (1977). Management of Organization Behavior: Utilizing Human Resources (3rd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Molinaro, V. (2005). CLOSING THE LEADERSHIP GAP. CMA Management, 79(5), 20. Yukl, G. A. (2006). Leadership in Organizations. Upper Saddle River, NJ, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.