Leadership Reflection Paper
Key Leadership Lessons from the Course Materials
This course material helped me to become an effective leader. Leadership process can help individuals to achieve a common goal. The leadership concept changed me from the first day of class, as I learned that how leadership can change the people or influence. I have the get great insight about the leadership practices and skill from the class, I come to know that how leaders can effectively work with subordinates.
Thus, management skills guide me that how to reach the designation with the involvement of the subordinates and how to create the efficient way in order to reach the goals. As defined in the book “In some situations, however, the task characteristics may call for leadership involvement. Tasks that are the unclear and ambiguous call for leadership input that provides structure (Northouse, 2016, pg. 120).
There are effective leadership concepts that help me to focus on the transformational leadership that how the leaders can be transformed and how they could create the visionary thinking so that management process can be given the benefits. As learned from course, “The transformational leader plays a pivotal role in precipitating change, followers and leaders are inextricably bound together in the transformation process” (Northouse, 2016, pg. 162).
In first leadership lesson from course materials focus on how the leader “Make decisions” and how much making effective decisions can be important for the organizations. However, the leaders need to focus on the problem-solving techniques in order to make effective decisions for the company and team members; managers gather information through people and other resources and then make the decision. Managers feel the great responsibility on their part while making decisions because they believe that if they cannot make effective decisions then there could be issues and overall organization can suffer so that effective decisions are made in order to meet the deadlines.
Here is learning from the book, “Ethical leaders have a responsibility to attend to others, be of service to them, and make decisions pertaining to them that are beneficial and not harmful to their welfare” (Northouse, 2016, pg. 343). I think I can learn more great concepts about leadership and skills in the next three months; however, it will take three years to reach the professional career and make myself the best leader for subordinates and the organization. In three years, I can be a good leader, who can help people and organization to grow.
In another leadership lesson from course materials about how the leader “Focus on the mission”, however, in order to reach the mission the leader focuses on the planning process, there are high inspirations, so that subordinates and managers could be encouraged in order to reach the goals. Transformational leadership factors include “they provide followers with a vision and a sense of mission” (Northouse, 2016, pg. 167).
This relevant learning from the manager helped me to achieve my goals, as I can see the difference that what I was in the past and now. I can also improve myself for the future. “Managers are people who do things right and leaders are people who do the right thing” (Northouse, 2016, pg. 14).
Key Leadership Lessons from the Assessments
The leadership lessons changed me from the first day of class because I assessed the need of the effective leadership that how effective leadership can result in the positive outcomes. As assessed in the lesson, “there is evidence that indicates that transformational leadership is associated with positive outcomes, such as organizational effectiveness” (Northouse, 2016, pg. 179).
The supportive style of leader also result in effective feedback, it could help the person to grow and to accomplish the tasks that are assigned. Feedback could provide effective information to the subordinates that could be essential for them. As assessed, “the supportive style includes listening, praising, asking for input, and giving feedback. A leader using this style gives followers control of day-to-day decisions but remains available to facilitate problem-solving” (Northouse, 2016, pg. 179).
In first leadership lessons from the assessment, I come to know that “Transparency” is very important for the effective leadership because, in this way, subordinates’ could understand that how the supervisor or their leader values and evaluates them. The leadership needs to overcome the issues that are related to the personal hardship so that there could be effective.
As assessed, “Social science literature emphasizes that it is important for leaders to have self-awareness, an internalized moral perspective, balanced processing, and relational transparency to be authentic” (Northouse, 2016, pg. 206). Through the assessment of the effective and efficient leaders, I have learned the effective leadership skills and be able to implement transparent leadership in my behavior or attitude in the next three years.
In other leadership lessons from assessments, I have learned that “Effective communication” is very important in the organization, or the leaders need to involve it in their leadership. As assessed, “Internal environmental influences affecting leadership performance can include such factors as technology, facilities, the expertise of subordinates, and communication” (Northouse, 2016, pg. 206). Effective communication can help subordinates to understand about the specific tasks. The leaders need to involve subordinates while taking the decisions through the effective communication skills so that there could be growth and the objectives or goals could be reached.
In order to achieve my goals as an effective leader, I will also focus on effective communication and transparent leadership so that employees or subordinates can understand the desired goals effectively. Effective communication can focus on the open-door policy, as employees could discuss the issues to reach desired goals. From the learning of key leadership lesson, “Team leaders must learn to be open and objective in understanding and diagnose team problems and skillful in selecting the most appropriate actions” (Northouse, 2016, pg. 380).
In the past, I do not believe that communication is important to reach the goals, as I never pay attention to the open communication environment. However, I believe that in the future, I can enhance my leadership skills through providing the environment of open communication to my subordinates so that they can share the experience and issues they are facing for the accomplishment of the tasks.
Key Leadership Lessons from the Lectures
The leadership concept changed me from the first day of class lectures because I able to think that how leadership could impact on the subordinates and help the organization to grow. A leader needs to help subordinates to grow, as he needs to trust his people and need to be trusted by the people so that they track or follow their leader. As learned from lecture, “LMX theory tells us to be respectful and to build trusting relationships with all of our followers, recognizing that each follower is unique and wants to relate to us in a special way” (Northouse, 2016, pg. 149).
I have learned, a leader needs to be passionate, if he wants to attain desired goals and if he wants. A true leader needs to have the skills or traits, that are related to biological leadership, as they are helpful for the organization, the leader needs to focus on the real world so that there could be effective in the processes. As learned from a course “the biological perspective to adaptive leadership recognizes that people develop and evolve as a result of having to adapt to both their internal cues/state and external environments” (Northouse, 2016, pg. 259).
In first leadership lessons from lectures, I have learned that “Creativity” is the most important thing in the leadership, as the leader needs to focus on the number of decisions before considering one decision. Creativity is very important in the leadership because human behavior can be more systematic in this way and subordinates or group-member could take more interest in order to reach the goals. As learned from lecture, “LMX theory was not directly associated with creativity, but it served as a mechanism to nurture people’s feelings, which then enhanced their creativity” (Northouse, 2016, pg. 141).
Creativity can help the organization to grow because there will be the openness to expressiveness and there will be exploration. In three months, I can learn about the creativity and its challenges that the leaders are facing. Moreover, I believe that in three years, I am going to implement leadership that is based or focused on the creativity so that group members can take interest in the projects and helps the organization to grow.
In other leadership lessons from lectures, I have learned that “Flexibility” is very important to consider in the process of effective leadership if a leader focus on the flexibility then the organization can grow and the group member can be more satisfied and perform their tasks effectively. Flexibility is considered as the coordination processes, which help the organization to achieve the competitive advantage and in order to achieve the organizational objective successfully. As learned from lecture, “behavioral flexibility is the capacity to change and adapt one’s behavior in light of an understanding of others’ perspectives in the organization” (Northouse, 2016, pg. 50).
In order to achieve my goal, I will focus on the flexibility, as a leader so that creativity could be facilitated in my organization and so that there could be the innovations and speed in achieving the tasks. In the past, I do not believe that creativity and flexibility are that important for the organization and for the management tasks. However, I failed to understand the principles of organization flexibility in the past. However, I believe that, in the future, I am able to manage the flexibility for my subordinates as I can help them in with the working hours that are suitable for them and I could design the organizational strategies and practices that are suitable for them.
Summary
This course material helps me a lot to understand about leadership concepts, skills, practices and theories, as this course transform my initial ideas about leadership. I come to know that how effective leadership can transform behaviors of the subordinates and how they can produce the positive outcome or result for the organization they are working in. The leaders need to positively interact with team members so that their performance could be better and enhanced and they could learn that how to reach the organization objective effectively. Thus, the leaders need to learn effective skills for effective practices.
The leadership training is very essential for every organization, as the excellent leaders can make the excellent teams and organizations can get the benefits from the good managers and subordinates as they can be motivated and encouraged in order to reach the desired goals. I gain the concepts regarding mission statement and that how planning is done that how to reach the scope and how to encourage the manager and the employees. Effective leadership can help the organization to grow, there could be the increase in profitability, and the plan could be accomplished.
Through the assessment, I am able to perform the best work as a leader and my leadership skills are strengthened now. I know that how to empower and influence on the team members so that they could work effectively. In the start, of course, I was not able to manage the team effectively but now I have learned about the relevant skills that are desired for effective leadership. However, I can help subordinates or team-members now, in order to reach or achieve team goals.
Reference;
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership Theory and Practice (7 ed.). SAGE.
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