Running head: THEORIES OF LEADERSHIP 1

 

THEORIES OF LEADERSHIP 2

 

 

 

 

Theories of Leadership

Delores Blango

Dr. Derrick Tinsley

Strayer University

PAD 515

February 1, 2020

 

Theories of Leadership

Introduction

Leadership is a skill in which an individual can guide others or an organization. It requires the leader to be motivating enough so that they can achieve a set objective. Leaders usually have a personality that draws others towards him or her. It is all about steering people in the right direction and ensuring that they remain focused on achieving the agreed goals (Silva, 2016). Additionally, it entails deciding on the group’s vision, sharing it with the followers, and ensuring that everyone has the information, knowledge, and skills for a triumphant accomplishment.

Definition of a Public Leader

A public leader is an individual that works in a public office in which he or she is supposed to serve the community. Additionally, public leaders such as the mayor are tasked with the responsibility of evaluating what the society needs and engaging in collective efforts, often geared towards ensuring that the community’s issues are addressed. There are various leadership styles and theories that support the definition of a public leader.

Leadership Theories

Contingency theory is one of the approaches that can support the definition of a public leader. The theory stipulates that the leadership style varies depending on the situation at hand. According to Dinibutun (2020), leaders should assess the situation and choose a method that will work best with the problem at that particular time. In defining a public leader, it is argued that the person must possess the ability to evaluate the community and understand the issues that it is facing. Similarly, the contingency theory claims that a good leader understands the needs of his followers and will select the best method to address the issue without any major setbacks.

Furthermore, Dinibutun (2020) explains that in Fiedler’s contingency model, a leader can either be task-oriented or relationship-oriented. While a task-oriented leader is concerned about the completion of tasks by ensuring that the subordinates exhibit high performance, a relationship-oriented leader is more interested in getting liked by the followers by developing a positive relationship with them. In this case, public leaders have to work towards ensuring that the employees within their office have to perform and provide positive outcomes and ascertain that the solutions help in developing a lasting relationship with the society and the peers.

Another of the theories that best defines a public leader is the behavioural model. The behavioural theory holds that a leader is described in terms of his characteristics, which are often developed over time. That is, a good leader should have the ability to interact well with the people, have ideas that help the smooth operation of the office held, and have the knowledge to achieve the objectives. Additionally, the behavior of a leader determines the degree of motivation, commitment, and satisfaction on the part of the followers (Nawaz & Khan, 2016). The rationale for this argument is that subordinates tend to be less motivated when the behavior of the public leader is wanting, and he has the tendency to ignore the issues of the community.

Leadership Styles

The definition of a public leader is primarily supported by the transformational leadership style. This method is focused on bringing change in an area in which a person is in charge. The strategy used by the leader includes motivating the employees to be innovative, creative, and hardworking with the aim of effectively causing change within an organization ( Choi, Kim, Kang, 2017).

Additionally, this style does not include micromanaging, whereby the leader only has to train his employees and then creates an environment in which they can be creative and contribute towards the accomplishment of objectives. A public leader is supposed to demonstrate authenticity in their work and be strong-willed. Situational leadership explains that it is expected of the employees to follow suit and utilize strategies that will help grow their organization and solve any problems that may arise.

What is more, is that transformational leadership emphasizes more on the need to have an ethical environment and to maintain high moral standards that should be emulated by the followers. Maintaining an ethical climate within the community is part of the definition of a public leader. That is, once one is entrusted with a public office, it is expected of them to deal with ethical issues such as corruption so that all members of the society have fair chances at the opportunities within the region.

Democratic leadership also supports the definition of a public leader. The method holds that a leader makes his or her decisions based on the input from the members of the team. A public leader works closely with people in society who have an understanding of what is happening in the community. He tasks them with the duty of determining the problems at hand providing solutions. As part of the process, the leader holds meetings with those that are part of his team to lay out strategies and decide on the way forward. This method ensures that even the lowest within the organization have an opportunity to air out their grievances and be hard. A public leader is required to encourage the exchange of ideas.

Comparison between Successful Leaders in Public, Private, and Non-Profit Organizations

There is a difference between successful leaders in public, private, and non-profit organizations. The public leaders are motivated by the need to cause a change in the society or the nation. However, the primary motivation of the leaders in the private sector is driven by the need to make profits and ensure that their organization survives in the economy. On the other hand, those in non-profit organizations concentrate on a select group of people, for instance individuals living with disability and work towards ensuring their plight is heard. Leaders in non-profit organizations rely on autocratic leadership style whereby the executive directors have strong connections with the donors and the community serves. While public leaders are keen on transformational leadership style, those in the private sector use transactional leadership which gets work done by motivating employees. For instance, bonuses the marketing team may be given bonuses when their efforts lead to an increase in sales.

Leadership

Leadership is not a born ability, and neither does it resort from a challenge. I think that leadership is learned. That is, through enrolling in leadership causes, one could pick up a few traits that help in changing their behavior and equipping them with leadership skills (Pandya, Dirks, & Kwok, 2017). Additionally, leadership can also be learned by observing what others are doing. For example, a student interacts with the school principal, sees how he manages crisis and gets things done, and is eventually equipped with leadership skills.

Conclusion

Leadership includes ensuring that team members remain motivated towards the accomplishment of objectives. Leadership styles differ depending on the situation whereby different theories and methods are applied. The best leaders are made by having them learning leadership skills through training, observation, and participation.

References

Choi, S. B., Kim, K., & Kang, S. W. (2017). Effects of transformational and shared leadership styles on employees’ perception of team effectiveness. Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal, 45(3), 377-386.

Dinibutun, S. R. (2020). Leadership: A Comprehensive Review of Literature, Research and Theoretical Framework. Journal of Economics and Business, 3(1), 44-64.

Nawaz, Z. A. K. D. A., & Khan_ PhD, I. (2016). Leadership theories and styles: A literature review. Leadership, 16(1), 1-7.

Pandya, T., Dirks, R., & Kwok, A. (2017). Leaders are Made, Not Born: A Leadership Development Curriculum for General Surgery Residents. Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 225(4), e154-e155.

Silva, A. (2016). What is leadership?. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, 8(1), 1.

* will provide the book

Discussion Board 4Discussion Topic

Original Post is DUE: Wednesday 3/25/2020 by 11:59 pm.

In Federalist 10, James Madison put forth the idea that in order to keep any one group from becoming too powerful in government, and to preserve the protections of freedom the Founders worked so hard to craft, that there must be mechanisms to allow for competition among groups. We can see evidence of this in the First Amendment allowing Americans “the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The ability for us to join together for a common cause is not a new idea, but Madison and the Founders wanted to ensure that our right to form common interest groups was legally protected. We see this in modern times expressed in interest groups. There are numerous interest groups in the country that range from local groups to national to international. Some are well funded and some struggle for funding. Some interest groups are about a single issue (NRA and gun rights) and some are much more broad (AARP and rights/treatment of retired persons).

In Texas, we have interest groups that are state specific, like Empower Texans or the Texas Community College Teachers Association, and there are also state chapters of national interest groups such as Texas NAACP or Texas Farm Bureau Association. These groups are made up of people who have a common interest in promoting, protecting, or creating public policies that benefit their members’ goals. We are free to join any interest group we would like to, however, some groups have membership requirements. The AARP require members to be over 55 years old, the American Medical Association requires members to hold a medical license, the Texas Bar Association requires members to be lawyers, and so on.

Information to help you answer this question will be found in Chapters 6 and 12 of your textbook.

In your original post you must:

1. Identify a strong interest group in the state of Texas.
2. Describe what area of public policy this interest group tries to influence/impact.
3. Identify a specific recent law/regulation that this interest group has been able to influence/impact within the last ten years.
4. Explain in some detail what actions this interest group took to influence/impact this public policy.

Post must also include:

• Works Cited at least 2 sources—MUST BE credible sources. To determine if your source is credible, you can visit: http://rasmussen.libanswers.com/faq/32400
• 200 original-content words (this means quotes do not count towards word count)
• Post must be written in paragraph format. Do NOT use numbering or bullet points. There is no need to include the original questions in your post.

Response Posts are DUE: Saturday 3/28/2020 by 11:59 pm .

In your response you must:

1. Discuss whether you agree or disagree with the actions taken by the original poster’s identified interest group to get their public policy goals addressed by the Texas government.

Post must also include:

• Works Cited at least 1 source DIFFERENT than your original post—MUST BE credible sources. To determine if your source is reliable, you can visit: http://rasmussen.libanswers.com/faq/32400
• 100 original-content words (this means quotes do not count towards word count)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

You must provide a properly formatted MLA citation. Please visit https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_and_style_guide.html to learn how to do so properly. NOTE: There is an ad-based citation generator at the top of the page this link takes you to – it does not format your citations properly.

Tips From https://www.unr.edu/Documents/liberal-arts/writing-center/Creating%20a%20Successful%20Discussion%20Board%20Thread.pdf

• Strive to always bring up new, interesting comments. There is no point reiterating a remark that has already been made. You should always try to further the discussion—be provocative! Even if you have a similar opinion as the previous respondent, bring up an additional example or resource. The second poster in the above example includes many comments for the next student—or even the previous poster—to agree or disagree with.
• Good discussion threads should be substantial but concise: convey only the information that is most meaningful and accessible to your classmates. Make sure to always re-read your response! A good habit is to copy and paste your thread into a Word document prior to posing to check for errors in spelling and grammar.
• Don’t just state that you agree or disagree with the poster—make sure you offer an inventive reason why (avoid things like “You go girl, I totally agree!”) Always be professional and respectful to your classmates and avoid ad hominem attacks (criticism against the person, not his/her comments.)