A Critical Analysis of Personal Leadership Style with Reference to Classical Theoretical Frameworks.

A critical analysis of personal leadership style with reference to classical theoretical frameworks.

The aim of this study is to examine my personal leadership style, in the context of some of the major classical theoretical frameworks of leadership from within the wide body of literature available on this subject. I will aim to apply the analysis of these theories to my own leadership practice and style, and to identify areas where theory can improve my performance within the workplace. I will also look at data from a small scale study of my co workers’ perceptions of my leadership, as well as information from self assessments of my leadership style.

I have been a manager now for nearly five years, initially as a first line supervisor in a large urban local authority Children’s Social Care (CSC) department, and more recently, as a Service Manager for CSC in a large rural authority. As such, I have a good level of experience of leading and managing teams of social workers and team leaders. Prior to embarking on the Post Graduate Diploma in Leadership and Management, I had not studied leadership in any detail. My practice of leading and managing has as such been based on my own experience of being managed, my observation of other managers and leaders (both good and bad), my own ‘instincts’ as to what I think works, and on my own experience of success and failure as a leader and manager. As my career has progressed, and I have thought more about focusing on the quality and consistency of my leadership, I have wanted to understand leadership as an academic concept, with a view to improving my personal performance, the performance of my teams, and ultimately the service I provide to children, young people and families.
My interest in this subject is not only personal - it reflects a wider debate within the field of social care around how services for children can be managed more effectively, efficiently and safely, particularly in the context of high profile

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