Category: Leadership Development

Understanding of My Leadership Journey

This essay endeavours to reflect upon the underlying influences and theories that have formed my understanding of leadership. It will seek to assess strengths, weaknesses and how I may integrate contemporary leadership theory to become a more effective member of organisational leadership.

It is critical to acknowledge a definition of leadership at the outset of the reflection. Leadership theory has changed dramatically during my lifetime, and as my reflection unfolds, we will see a progression of Leadership styles influenced by contemporary leadership teaching. Northouse defines leadership as a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to a common goal (Northouse, 2015, p. 5). The complexity and diverse nature of situations where this process of influence occurs have led to a plethora of teachings surrounding ‘how to be a leader’. Situational leadership, trait-based leadership, transformational leadership, servant Leadership, Collaborative Leadership, shared leadership, charismatic leadership, and authentic leadership are just a few examples of contemporary leadership theory ideas. Donna Ladkin explains the importance of understanding leadership’s nature better to study leadership intricacies in different environments. (Ladkin, 2010, p. 15). To reflect upon my leadership journey, I have chosen to consider how the contrast of settings and how leadership has been a central dynamic.

Looking back over my life, I can consider that I have been in leadership positions since a young boy. Some may consider these leadership roles merely role-playing and not holding any significant development to lead others as an adult. At a young age, I was significantly impacted by ‘hero leadership’ where great sporting heroes, adventurers or war heroes were often portrayed as the standard of leadership (Carlyle, 2007). Leadership was considered a natural gift or something that arose from within specific individuals at a time of crisis or opportunity. There was still a mixture of the early twentieth-century definition of leadership that focussed on power and the leader’s ability to impress or coerce their followers.

‘Leadership is the keynote to success– but leadership is difficult to define, and leaders are difficult to find. I have frequently stated that ‘any ass can be a commander, and a trained man may often make an instructor; but a leader is more like the poet– born, not manufactured.’

I became a keen Boy Scout learning from Baden Powell’s mantra ‘Be Prepared’, and I was being prepared for life as a member of society and given the opportunities to lead others. Baden-Powell was correct when he stated that leadership is difficult to define. Still, his opinion that leaders were born not nurtured did not align with the “Calchasian model of learning – a community of practice”. Grint suggests that “learning is not so much an individual and cognitive event but a collective and cultural process” (Grint, 2010, p. 65). A crucial aspect of leadership is the relationship between the leader and followers. It must be acknowledged that the dynamic provides a reciprocal flow of learning. The leader’s development is very dependant of the influence of followers and the communities’ shared practice. My leadership development has always been through the experience and through interaction with those whom I have served – “As iron sharpens iron, so a person sharpens an another”(Proverbs 27:27).

At the age of seventeen, I joined the Royal Navy as an engineering apprentice destined to reach the highest ranks of a non-commissioned officer and firmly in middle management. The trajectory that my career path took meant that the Navy spent many hours forming my leadership capabilities. This would involve periods of training and learning the intricacies of leadership and practical opportunities to hone those skills.

A military setting leads to an autocratic style based upon the rank and involves task orientated, team and shared leadership. Training would include team-building and problem-solving activities, focusing on building character traits like perseverance, articulation, and confidence. The trait approach to leadership development has been proved to have been over empathised and lacking any correlation that good leaders possess a definitive list of character traits. However, Northouse explains that although Trait theory has some weaknesses, it does afford an individual a better understanding of their strengths, weaknesses, and place within the organisation hierarchy (Northouse, 2015, pp. 29-31).

It is true that Trait theory does not make allowance situational influence and that the research is very subjective. However, I believe that there are positive aspects of understanding our personality and develop our character through experience. Northouse states that learning new traits is not an easy process, but I would challenge that character development comes by experience. Through success and failure, we are refined and shaped to become a more astute team member.

The Navy defines six core values that help to shape a cohesive force able to meet all the challenges of war and peacetime activities. Commitment, Courage, respect, loyalty, discipline and integrity form the foundation of personal character traits and a shared vision of community. These values outline the relationship between leader and follower, which forges the two-way reliance. (St. George, 2012)

An essential aspect of Military service is the camaraderie enthused with banter and positive energy even amid challenging times. Andrew St George explains the influence of informal and formal story-telling to maintain morale and, more importantly, the team’s cohesion. “Leadership comes down to protecting the story, bringing others into the story, and keeping the organisation accountable to the story” (Mohler, 2012, p. 38). Norseman (Northouse, 2015) expands upon the process of influence between the leader and followers. The leader’s role is to initiate and maintain a relationship through communication. Throughout my career in the Armed Forces and later in ministry, I have tried to strengthen unity by maintaining the narrative and keeping positive atmosphere, valuing the importance of building fun into the team life.

Upon leaving the Armed Forces, I was called to serve disabled and disadvantaged children in Asia. Suddenly thrust into a new arena of fluid organisational structure, I believe working in a people-focused ministry began a process of stripping away previous notions of leadership and hierarchy.

In Donna Ladkin book ‘Rethinking leadership’ she explains leadership from the perspective of the phenomenon and how important it is for us to appreciate all aspects of the process of leadership fully. She uses the example of a cube where each side is one aspect of leadership, e.g. the leader, followers, culture, situation or organisation. She goes on to emphasise that leadership cannot be viewed separately from other aspects but rather is a ‘moment of social relations’.

My new environment as a member of an NGO serving in an Asian context suddenly afforded me new perspective allowing me to appreciate these ‘moments of social interaction’. Culture is a critical part of any organisation. As we established a fledgeling charity, it was imperative to ensure that the vision and mission were embraced by all involved. The charismatic young visionary spearheaded the Charity, but as the ministry grew, he embraced the need to share the leadership responsibility. It was reminiscent of Moses under this advice of Jethro sharing his leadership responsibilities (Gen 18:21). I was invited to join a leadership team of men and women who would oversee various projects and responsibilities. It became our task to maintain the narrative and engage all the stakeholders with our organisational culture.

Different Approaches to Development of Leadership Management Skills

Although organizations may worry about dedicating time and resources to learning, if L&D professionals get the approach right, then the organization and people will benefit. L&D practitioners must engage with and support leaders and show that there is a more effective way to achieve the organization’s core purpose through a future-focused learning and development plan that enables it to flourish. The first step must be for L&D professionals to establish robust personal development plans to transform the knowledge and capabilities of L&D teams to create strategic, performance consultants that are data-driven and evidence-based, accredited and who have the commitment to engage with CPD to remain ahead of the curve. The evidence is clear and highlights that L&D leaders and teams in top performing learning organizations invest significantly in themselves as they plan for change and then make it happen. By addressing their own development before supporting learning needs in their organizations, they are able to provide the expertise and agility required and become the credible learning experts their organizations need. It is through the investment in professional development, qualifications and networking that the knowledge and capabilities of L&D professional will be transformed. It is this that will have the impact on the four critical levers of organizational success; growth, transformation, productivity and profitability.

Learning and development professionals improve their learning through:

• Membership of professional bodies;

• Informally with colleagues;

• Networking and

• Blogs, podcasts and online articles.

Management and leadership competency models

Many organizations now use competency or behavioral frameworks to develop managers and leaders. They are extremely popular in multinational organizations; how-ever, they are not without problems and are often viewed as a one size it’s all strategy

Competency modelling has become widespread. Organizations like them because they provide a consistent framework for integrating human capital management systems and can help align employee actions with common strategic organizational goals, and facilitate performance improvement through a competency-based development process. Competency models are based on the idea that every position requires the job incumbent to possess certain competencies in order to perform at his or her highest level.

Competency-based management and leadership development typically involves the following key activities:

● identification of the core competencies needed for high-level performance in

a specific position;

● assessment of the extent to which a particular job incumbent possesses those

core competencies;

• creation of specific developmental opportunities to match the requirements of

the competency.

However, though I find the competency models popular in organizations, there is little research that demonstrates a link between the bottom-line business performance and competency-based approaches to leadership and management development. They do not essentially lead to greater transfer of learning and enhanced leader effectiveness neither do they account for context. They normally have limited behaviors required for effective performance and they contain overlap.

A Skills Pulse Survey carried out by Towards Maturity on behalf of CIPD, defines key L&D development gaps themes in the CIPD’s new Profession Map. In addition, it provides practical insights to help L&D practitioners ‘make better decisions, act with confidence, perform at your peak, drive change in your organization and career progress. The transformation of organizations demands the transformation of L&D practitioners.

The two key surveys conducted by the CIPD and Towards Maturity together brings in insights as follows:

• The CIPD and Towards Maturity Skills Pulse Survey, which was completed by 175 L&D professionals which provided key insights into the development needs of learning practitioners, conducted in September 2018.

• The 2018 Towards Maturity Health Check, which provides insights into key L&D knowledge and behavior gaps of learning professionals linked to the new Profession Map. Over 700 L&D practitioners participated in this study.

• These reports reveals, organizations that provide relevant Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities for their L&D staff are more likely to be increasing business impact by building the capability of the organization to solve problems as they are better equipped to build the skills of their learners.

• Another approach to identify the fundamental skills and knowledge needed by all L&D practitioners is The new CIPD’s New Profession Map which brings clarity to the L&D industry making it easier to develop, track and grow your career as an accredited professional.

The CIPD’s New Profession Map is the product of wide consultation with CIPD members, business leaders, industry experts and partner organizations across the globe – It is very useful and strong to:

• Build capability in oneself, teams and organizations

• Develop expertise in emerging areas of practice

• Drive sustainable organizational change

• Help one be a more confident, decisive and credible people

professional

• Prove one’s value as an expert on people, work and change.

It’s built around the overarching purpose of the people profession: to champion better work and working lives.

It shifts the focus from generic best practice and processes to values-based decision-making. It doesn’t tell practitioners what to do, but shows how having the core capabilities to live CIPD’s professional values (principles-led, evidence-based and outcomes-driven) leads to better decisions and impact in any situation.

That could be why, 90% of high performing learning organizations within Towards Maturity’s 2018 Health Check (those companies that see the biggest business impact as a result of learning), ensure their learning professionals are given relevant CPD opportunities to develop their skills. Continuing to develop the capabilities and professional standards of L&D practitioners is a key to business success that is too often ignored. If organizations expect employees to engage in continuous learning to future-proof the organization, it is equally essential that people professionals are proactively supported and resourced to undertake professional development to remain effective in managing the constantly evolving L&D practice. The more investment into developing the skills and knowledge of people professionals, the greater the opportunity of seeing better organizational results. Like the proverbial children of the shoemaker who went without shoes, it is not only shortsighted but wholly detrimental to organizational success to ignore the CPD of people professionals. Their capability underpins the effective development of all others and their ability to innovate will drive learning beyond outdated, ineffective approaches.

This tells us that the above approaches i.e. conducting Skills Pulse Survey, Health Check Survey and the use of the CIPD’s New Profession Map together with the development of the skills and knowledge of their people professionals through planned continuing professional development (CPD) are powerful approaches to develop management and leadership skills for significant positive impact on growth, productivity and performance.

However, leaders are now seeing that these ‘quick fixes’ are not bringing the long-term change and performance impact required. Organizations lack L&D experts to bring the knowledge and capability on board and show how effective learning should be undertaken. They are also worried about dedicating time and resources to learning, in case the L&D professionals do not get the approach right. There is also a big challenge in failing to get sufficient budget to invest in L&D to yield wanted organizational and people benefits.

The CIPD survey ‘The People Profession in 2018’ found that nearly half of people professionals don’t believe their team or department has credibility in the organization. Findings showed that L&D professionals lack the ability to demonstrate and apply business acumen to a level regarded as satisfactory by the wider organization. This raises doubts about the competence 5rand professionalism of the function. The research data indicates that organizations in which L&D practitioners lack business acumen are substantially less likely to manage risk successfully and rarely drive innovation for organizational growth.

The spread of CPD through most professions demonstrates its importance, though there is a danger when it is imposed that it could degenerate into a box-ticking exercise. It is usually included in performance reviews and there is a need to check that learning is transferred into work, although this begs the question of who judges what can and cannot count as CPD Gold (2013a).

Whichever delivery method is used, evaluation is essential to establish strategic alignment and value for the organization, for the team/department, for the learner, and its durability over time. Although its importance, evaluation is normally neither comprehensive nor systematic. Naturally excuses are that it is difficult to carry out effectively and efficiently, it is a resource heavy, and managers at all levels are often not interested in evaluative data.

The CIPD (2015) L&D survey showed that most organizations evaluate the impact of the majority of their L&D initiatives. Obviously the extent of formal ad systematic evaluation is limited, despite its known worth. When the reason for evaluation is established, it should then be possible to determine what to be evaluated, when and how.

There are four levels of evaluation; Reaction, immediate, intermediate and ultimate Kirkpatrick (1967). The most important level of evaluation differs according to the circumstances and stakeholders’ needs eg, while the trainers will be interest on how well they performed, the finance director will focus on cost effectiveness and return on investment, while the manager will want to assess impact on performance.

This is the usual form of evaluation. Learner feedback and reflection was the most common method used by the organizations which CIPD (2015e) survey sampled at 80%. At every end of the course, ‘Smile Sheets; are typically used to assess the performance of trainers from the point of review of the learners in both absolute and relative terms. These views are useful and trainers find them valuable and prepared to act upon them.

However, there are concerns about the ‘Smile sheets’ and worries that students react to the quality of the performance, the ability of the lecturer’s to maintain surface-level interests or tell jokes to the class, rather than actual learning. Nor do smile sheets evaluate L&D in its wider context, or its relevance to future performance in work.

This measures outcomes in terms of Skills, attitudes and knowledge. Techniques of how to do it include tests, examinations, case studies, projects and structured exercises as well as discussion.

This refers to the impact on job performance and how effectively learning has been transferred back into the workplace. This takes many forms including interviews, diaries, self-report questionnaires, observation and line managers’ feedback. This been seen as the more effective methods. The CIPD (2015e), 52% of the organizations, used managers’ reflection and feedback.

However, at this level, evaluation is much less common than at the first two levels simply because it is harder to undertake and isolate the impact of training from the effect of other variables.

The above attempts to assess the impact on departmental or organizational performance, and on the individual’s total job. The distinction between intermediate and ultimate-level evaluation is somehow blurred. The formal usually refers to performance in a particular task for which L&D has been provided, whereas the latter evaluates impact on overall organizational results.

Ultimate level evaluation varies depending upon the key performance indicators, which should be measured before and after training (Gold et al (2013b), 32% OF organizations in the CIPD (2015e) sample used business metrics for L&D planning. Eg.

• The number of customer complaints

• Level of sales, turnover of productivity

• The number of accidents or lost employment tribunal cases

• Level of unauthorized absenteeism or labor turnover

• Increased morale in the workplace.

Ultimate level evaluation is the most difficult to measure. In some situations, there may be no clear and simple measures, or data may not be collected in a form that allows evaluation to take place. Other factors other than training could affect the outcome especially at higher level of the organization where external influences can have a significant impact eg a small portion of staff within the department or establishment might have trained and although their performance may have improved, this may have relatively little overall effect.

Finally, the leadership development process requires evaluation and review. Without personal transformation, sharing the learning with others and a commitment to lifelong learning individuals will not maximize on the value of their development. Likewise, at the group and organizational levels there should be attempts to identify success, future needs and requirements and meaningful measures and indicators of impact and performance. Given the mediated and time-dependent nature of many of these impacts the measures will need to be qualitative as well as quantitative, which together can be used to create a compelling story or account of why and how the development initiative gave rise to such outcomes and how this might change in the future.

However, even though it is important to be aware of costs and benefits, to roll off a number of general benefits from L&D would be difficult. To quantify them as well as demonstrating a measurable learning impact on organizational performance would be really hard.

Essay on Leadership Development Plan

Introduction:

I am a 26-year-old graduate working as an Assistant Accountant who deals with quite one hundred clients. I joined this firm while studying at University. I was stimulated by the University to compose a Future Leadership Development Plan. The module began to start in February 2019 and has taken four months. This is a favorable venture for me to improve my leadership aptitudes and proficiencies. However, I initially should conduct a Personal SWOT analysis to spot my strengths and weaknesses and the hypothetical matters for my personal development.

My personal S.W.O.T. analysis may be exclusive research of my personal attributes and aptitudes, that agrees with self-enhancement. A personal S.W.O.T. analysis will accelerate and inspire an individual to accomplish substantial accomplishments in their careers and lives. My personal S.W.O.T. will launch areas I surpass in, ought to progress upon, where a windfall lies, and achievable threats that will trigger hindrances I might aspire to beat. This presents areas where I will enrich myself to become a stronger person and a business proficient.

Strengths

• Time Management – I accomplish my assignments or any of my work in a judicious way and have been able to complete my work before reaching the deadlines set for any project or presentation at work or university and was able to organize and prioritize my work as scheduled. ·
• Communication- Remarkably penned and vocal communication throughout presentations, written documents, job consultations, and conversations. ·
• Technology- I am extraordinarily intimated by technology. The moment I encounter brand-new computer software, I can merely discover the ins and outs of the program.
• Arithmetic – I’m superb at numbers. I can easily play around with my accounting work.
• Memory power – This has been my strength since my childhood. I will simply bear in mind the things I stumble upon.

I do not swot up, I learn and look at to gauge things consequently.

Weaknesses

Patience is not my virtue. I am eager to learn new skills and techniques to achieve a high standard of my work product and that’s what makes me impatient. ·

I am a contestant with previous skills as a graduating student with however a year of skilled experience at my geographic point. Hence, I have been able to find a job as an Assistant Accountant at Accountancy Firm. Therefore, I have been able to convert my weakness into my strength.

• Parents – My oldsters have forever been my weakness. I can achieve anything for them
• Opportunities
• Acceptive appraisal and feedback from my Professors, peers, superiors, and knowledgeable professionals. ·

Demonstrating my interaction proficiencies throughout interviews, Career expo, and regular teamwork with Classmates, Lecturers, and potential employers.

• The financial system is a recurring thrust and conglomerates appear to be aiming to seek out young, and fresh Graduates to help them to stimulate the enterprise.

Threats ·

The market still is not on the verge of being back to maximum strength and this might restrain the number of enterprises who are employing. recurring into this trade market. I will be a fresh graduate who is astoundingly motivated and prepared to put my efforts into an organization. ·

The range of graduates and idle professional area units appear to be emulous for an even limited range of job openings.

My mission is proficient and identifiable.

The objective of this Future Leadership Development Plan (FLDP) is to supply the superior with an acute evaluation and clear judgment of my leadership aptitudes and proficiencies. Furthermore, this analysis permits me for reflecting on my Future Leadership Development Plan. The FLDP comprises intentions for future leadership development, Implementation, and conclusion.

Future Leadership Development Plan

Purpose:

The purpose of my personal leadership development plan is developed with the assistance of the Smart criteria, which denote that objectives should be distinctive, quantifiable, attainable, appropriate, and time-bound (Nevarez et al., 2015). These objectives are conferred as follows.

To develop my skills and qualities in formulating directions for peers/subordinates by the end of May 2019.

To contribute to my ability to line a vision for the company/department and understand this vision through possible objectives and widen my understanding of leadership by the end of May 2019.

Implementation

The action plan consists, that contains the event goals, actions, success measures, and schedule goals, which are conferred by suggestions in the subsequent table.

Goals Accomplishment Accomplishment Measure

To further improve my aptitudes and traits in framing the guidelines for my assistants. Achieve the leadership development plan.

1. Complete an assessment analysis.
2. Deliver my seniors with an assessment chronicle.

Allocate duties to my juniors throughout our assemblies.

Official and casual evaluation of undertaking mission.

To underwrite to my capability to establish a concept for my business and appreciate this vision through attainable purposes. Achieve the leadership development plan.

1. Complete an assessment survey.
2. Provide my superiors with an assessment report.

Interconnect the company’s tactical vision and aims with my assistants.

1. Construct a panel of staff.
2. Accomplish a study amid the crew.

To amplify my conception of leadership. Achieve the leadership development plan.

1. Complete an assessment survey.
2. provide my superiors with an assessment report.

Monitor and ascertain from more qualified leaders by achieving their summits. Validate that I have joined all the offered conferences.

The initial action is to fulfill the leadership development plan at the very first stage and distribute my seniors with an Associate in Nursing assessment chronicle. In turn, the subsequent action needs the functional application of my fresh improved leadership skills and aptitudes internally ensuing few days.

I am going to come through my initial personal development goal by finishing leadership development plan 1. Just like the antecedent mentioned objective, the primary segment of the second objective would influence the completion of the leadership development plan. In turn, when the appraisal of my freshly developed leadership skills would be done, I’m going to communicate my organization’s strategic vision and objectives to my assistants to spot whether I will use these skills or not. This task will be observed as a threat to the authenticity of the attained responses.

Lastly, the third personal development objective, which is to amplify my understanding of leadership, going to be accomplished through the end of the leadership plan 3. Hence, by attending these meetings, I will be able to capture implied leadership information, which might be viewed as a benefit of the chosen success assessment style.

Conclusion

The contribution to the leadership development plan is predictable to facilitate me further develop my leadership competencies and traits in framing guidelines for my assistants; Finishing the leadership module (May 2019) is not a restricted goal, but relatively an initiation in developing my understanding of practical leadership.

Authentic Leadership Development and Its Contextual Implications

Authenticity is a developmental process epitomized by the growing awareness of one’s true self. Accordingly, I believe mapping my leadership development in relation to the authentic leadership framework would be appropriate, as this unit has strengthened and encouraged my self-awareness journey. The prominence of self-awareness for authenticity is discernible in the leadership literature whether it is perceived with regard to values (Bass & Steidlmeier, 1999), purpose (George, 2003), or positive psychological attitudes (Luthans & Avolio, 2003). I will be exploring and scrutinizing my past and present approaches, as well as envisioning improvements to my future ones in an attempt to reflect on my current leadership ability and create a plan to enhance my authentic leadership capacity. Nevertheless, though most of the authentic leadership literature has remained gender neutral, I believe considering the contextual hurdles of gender bias is indispensable in the analysis of how a female leader is perceived for her authenticity juxtaposed to her male counterparts. Thus, I will be drawing upon the work of Liu et al. (2015) to highlight the contextual hindrances this brings to my leadership development and ways to target these differences.

Bass & Steidlmeier (1999) describe the true self in terms of the values or ethics that shape leaders’ idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. Amongst the strengths of my leadership ability, I prioritize my values. Growing up, my parents always had the development of my moral compass at the forefront of my education. In terms of my leadership style, I believe I have never shied away from these, no matter how pressured I have felt in the past to do something that went against them, I hold my values highly. For my leadership development, I believe I will further refine my moral beliefs, as I encounter distinct situations in the future that enrich and lead me to reflect upon my current values, considering Sparrowe’s (2005) view of a leader’s true self constantly evolving. Though I do not shy away from my beliefs, I can sometimes avoid vocalizing them if unrequested. However, authentic leader should actively display their moral perspectives transparently in order to activate followers’ moral perspectives and thereby reduce their inclinations to make unethical decisions (Hannah et al., 2005). Hence, I will work on enhancing the active portrayal of my moral compass prominently in my leadership approach.

Whilst I have my values and moral compass explicit, I’m lacking my unique purpose, which is disclosed by one’s self-awareness. According to George (2003), “to find your purpose, you must first understand yourself, your passions, and your underlying motivations.” Personally, it is challenging to look within me and infer an overall purpose, especially my passions and motivations. I find that most of my actions come from the expectations of others rather than my own enthusiasm. For instance, when deciding which course to study at university, I was swayed to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce, as it is the field in which all of my family members are involved, though my parents never pressured me to do so, I felt compelled to follow in their footsteps. Conversely, authentic leaders’ behavior should be consistent with their values as opposed to being externally influenced by the desire to please others (Gardner et al., 2011). George (2003) corroborates this account by arguing that being swayed by external pressures is a measure of inauthenticity, which is a great impediment to my leadership development. Nonetheless, Sparrowe (2005) argues that one’s true self does not originate in the absence of others but rather in relation to others, which does not justify my fault in pursuing validation from individuals, it simply offers the perception that authentic leadership is a dynamic journey. This encourages me with my leadership development, as it ratifies the idea that this is an ever-changing process that is influenced by one’s experiences, as well as the individuals in one’s life, and requires the constant reassessment to obtain growth; it is a “narrative project” as described by Ricoeur (1992).

Overall, I believe the most productive way to tackle this weakness and promote leadership development is to consider both perspectives. On the one hand, the purpose of my actions should not be undermined simply because it was influenced by others. According to Ricoeur’s (1992) theory, the self is narrated drawing on possible selves displayed by others, which highlights the spread of authenticity. Thus, if anything, authentic leaders should narrate their true selves and openly share their values and feelings with their followers (Shamir and Eilam, 2005; Sparrowe, 2005), allowing for the expansion of authenticity. On the other hand, I need to be wary of succumbing to external pressures and instead be driven by internal cues (Avolio and Gardner, 2005; Henderson and Hoy, 1983; Kernis, 2003). To do so, I should strive to realize my consciousness of situations, known as existentialism (Lawler and Ashman, 2012). In turn, authentic leadership will be emphasized regardless of whether my purpose was influenced by others or triggered internally. The essence of this analysis in my leadership development is understanding that I can find my motives in others, as long as there is no obligation to do so and it does not stray away from my core values.

Furthermore, it is essential to consider the context of gender bias when considering the perception of authentic leaders. This is a significant shortcoming, as, according to Angouri (2001), authenticity should be regarded as a performance, not a trait, and is performed in line with gender norms. Thus, performing authenticity parallels performing gender (Liu et al., 2015). Overcoming these contextual hurdles impose the biggest challenge in my leadership development, as these are systematic and require more than one’s inner work to break through. An incident in which this has been highlighted for me is when I was in my senior year of high school and was appointed to go as a leader on the 8th grade camp alongside a male classmate. One night, the kids in my group were acting in an impertinent manner toward the hotel staff, which went against my ethical inclinations. When trying to address their behavior, I was faced with negligible responses and dismissed by the kids. As a result, my male co-leader had to step in and impose respect, which, in contrast, was acknowledged. Eagle (2005) claims that authentic leaders are expected to support the values and seek the objectives of the group for which they are responsible. Her research displays how female leaders are perceived as belonging to an ‘outsider social group’ and hence encounter a greater strain in securing their followers’ trust and acceptance as authentic leaders. This perception of men’s authenticity as a display of authority and ambition is praised (Johansson, 2013), whilst when women attempt a similar approach, they are seen as inauthentic to their stereotypical characterization of being passive and caring.

In planning my leadership growth from this male-inclined perception of authentic leadership, I believe being aware of this disparity is the first step. Gender stereotypes serve as common expectations, or norms, that encourage conformity in both sexes (Wood and Eagly, 2012). People are aware of others’ gender-relevant expectations and by conforming they usually gain social approval, whereas diverging results in social rejection (Eagly and Wood, 2017). Understanding that others are likely adhering to these biased responses to achieve social approval allows authentic leaders to continue on their journey. According to Cianci et al. (2014), authentic leaders enact “relational transparency,” making their values and standards clear to others. In hindsight, I would have stood my ground and taken a firmer approach with the kids to defend my beliefs. An alternative would be to polish my feminine identity as an authentic leader and build on my nurturing and compassionate nature (Liu et al., 2015) to approach prospective followers in future encounters. Nonetheless, as a result of many changes in recent years, the gender identities of women and men have partially converged (Donnelly and Twenge, 2016), which only gives me hope that contextual hurdles will become less and less prominent.

Luthans & Avolio (2003) use the concept of authenticity to integrate positive psychology, outlining authentic leaders as confident, hopeful, optimistic, and resilient. I believe possessing these attributes is one of the biggest strengths of my leadership ability. Namely, when I worked as a barista and had to train incoming employees, I always found that demonstrating confidence and optimism generated “trust” and “acceptance” (Eagly, 2005). Authentic leaders influence and transform their followers through these positive psychological attitudes, as they are contagious. The issue arises when confidence is seen as a male discourse of authentic leadership, as it is considered authoritative and competent (Martin and Collinson, 1998), leaving me to wonder if I would have gotten more productive responses from my followers when emulating feminine orientations of authenticity, such as democratic and transformational approaches (Mano-Negrin and Sheaffer, 2004). Nevertheless, Luthans & Avolio (2003) argue that positive psychology states, whether it is a stereotypical male or female behavior, allows authentic leaders to portray their true selves and “positively transform or develop associates into leaders themselves.”

A fruitful course of action to further my leadership development in regard to my use of positive psychology would be to adopt a daily routine to promote hope and confidence within myself. For instance, staying vigilant in finding things and people to appreciate, approaching, and confiding in others with positive enthusiasm, creating a safe space to reflect upon recent occurrences, as well as my current sense of self. The emphasis on turning inward to find the true self is found in the claim of Lutheran & Avolio (2003) that authentic leaders “remain cognizant of their own vulnerabilities and openly discuss them.” Additionally, embracing gender-based attributes may be advantageous to my development, as the people-centric approach and tendency to seek consensus are typically linked to female leadership styles, making them more adept at managing crises (Ryan et al., 2011) and may yield trust and acceptance from followers more easily (Eagly, 2005). Taking this into account, I will be mindful to remain more open and considerate of the ideas of others in my future encounters to reflect my authentic leadership. Notwithstanding, Holmes (2006) argues that adopting normatively masculine strategies in order to perform some aspects of leadership can “contribute to de-gendering them and make it clear that they are discursive tools of leadership and not exclusively of male discourse.” Thus, by acting agentic, transactional, and task-oriented (Bass et al., 1996), I would be helping to break the contextual barriers instead of having to overcome them. I believe targeting this systematic construct at its source is the most at par with my beliefs, allowing me to perform a genuine and value-based interpretation of leadership – authentic leadership (Gardner et al., 2011).

In conclusion, this discussion has established various strategies to tackle my authentic leadership development. Firstly, the pertinence of self-awareness in this journey is imperative to achieving my objectives. It is the first step to realizing where my weaknesses and strengths lie. After analyzing instances that demonstrated my leadership abilities, I believe promoting development regarding my purpose (George, 2003), values (Bass & Steidlmeier, 1999), and positive psychological states (Luthans & Avolio, 2003) will strengthen my authentic leadership capacity. The alternative routes presented for my leadership development are practical, feasible, and applicable to varying scenarios in which I can display leadership. Besides, the consideration of gender bias in the perception of authentic leaders is essential when considering my individual context. The attributes associated with authentic leaders are often parallel to those of male leaders. Therefore, the course of action highlighted to address this limitation for females will be highly beneficial to my leadership development as an authentic leader.

References:

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25. Wood, W., and Eagly, A.H., 2012. ‘Biosocial Construction of Sex Differences and Similarities in Behavior.’ In Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 46:55-123.

Leadership Development: Definition and Literature Review

Introduction

The Learning and Development (L&D) umbrella has many areas that it covers from stress, employee engagement, and talent management to change management. However, this review will focus on the development of leaders through L&D practices and how these can be beneficial for Human Resources (HR) and an organization.

Leadership development is extremely important for any organization wishing to achieve long-term success. With this being said, nearly three-quarters of companies in England reported a deficit of leadership skills in 2012 according to BIS (Department for Business Innovation and Skills) which can lead to a high 56% failures in an organization. Therefore, proving that although improvements in L&D for leadership are made, there is still quite a substantial gap.

The aim of this essay, with the help of the literature on this topic, is to define leadership development as a concept with its processes and supposed outcomes and how this directly impacts Human Resource Management.

Definition of Leadership Development

Leadership development is one of those topics which does not have a set definition, but it is rather defined as it is perceived through the mind of the individual using it. Therefore, finding the right definition can be quite a challenge, however for the purpose of this essay Lynham’s (2000) definition will be used which says LD is a form of growth in the life cycle of a leader and helps the expansion of experience, knowledge, and skills.

When it comes to the methods used to implement LD, these can differ depending on the organization and its needs. According to a study from Megheirkouni (2016), there are four main methods: action learning, feedback methods, coaching/networking, and finally job rotation. These can disputably be categorized into two main sets one being collective LD which includes action learning sets and job rotation. Secondly, Leader Development methods such as feedback and coaching are ultimately more individualized in comparison to the first set (McGurk, 2010). The end goal of each method is eventually the same, to enable more effective organizational performance. The survival of any organization is extremely dependent on the ability to develop future leaders (Amaogh, F 2009).

Although, it is quite worrying that despite having studies and articles on the efficiency of methods for LD and the money invested by organizations which according to the CIPD is £3.2 billion annually, UK organizations still report a deficit of 72% of leadership skills (CIPD,2014).

What are the end goal and outcomes of Leadership Development?

The aim of an LD program is to give people the necessary attributes to be effective leader. Although, the goal will ultimately depend on what the organization wants to achieve through such programs whether that is to increase employee morale, increase retention, improve productivity or build better teams. Because of the outcomes LD brings, it is key for the company’s values, goals, and strategy to be aligned with the program created (Canals, 2014).

Leadership development literature

Most of the Leadership writing up until recently was dominated by style theories of leadership. However, given the new challenges organizations have to deal with in a time of such uncertainty and interdependency where rapid changes in the technology and economy areas are seen, can make such models quite incomplete (Clarke, 2012). These changes in the environment of an organization have shifted LD to move toward a more leader-centric view (Orvis and Ratwani, 2010). Therefore, although in the past a leader was seen as someone good at business, in today’s environment organizations demand many more skills for a leader such as managerial skills, excellent people skills, and creative ideas (Bolman and Deal, 2009). It is more than clear that, to meet such needs leaders need ongoing support and training and it is up to the company to identify the needs and create the best LD program.

Various models can be used for this purpose. Firstly, the Skills Gap Analysis model (SGI) which looks at the gap between existing skills and required skills while aligning these with the company’s needs and the job role. Obviously, the larger the gap is the longer the training is needed. The beauty of this model is that it aids organizations to focus on the areas with the highest priority while also estimating the time needed (Jean Brittain, 2016).

Secondly, the Training Needs Analysis (TNA) which identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to understand what is needed in a program (Moore and Dutton, 1978). Both models are used to identify the gap and therefore close this certain gap through learning and development.

However, both models lack continuity once the needs are established. They can be seen as a one-off analysis. According to PMC (Performance Management Consultants), there are seven factors that should be looked at for a successful LD program. The design of the program, good knowledge given to participants prior to starting the program, focus on behavior and not only training skills, management assessment objectives, flexible program design and process (to encourage dynamic), individual accountabilities for growth and lastly remembering that leadership effectiveness is directly related to the organization effectiveness (PMC, n.d.).

Therefore, it can be said that any model applied will need ongoing support to make sure the designed program is appropriate and effective. CIPD suggests that any TNA program should be used alongside an ongoing LNA program (Learning Needs Analysis for a continuous gathering of data and insights on operational demands for skills, new roles, changed roles, and employee capabilities (CIPD, 2020).

Edyn Group combines all the above models to create the most efficient development program for its leaders. The company analyzed the gap and training needs, created the program to align with its strategy and values, and now uses the LNA approach to continuously analyze the needs and get the best results.

Their leadership development program combines action learning, formal training, coaching, feedback, and stepping into the shoes of a higher manager approach. The company made sure the align its values, strategy, and objective with this program to ensure maximum efficiency. The company takes great pride in its L&D practices as well as the leadership development program which is proving to be very efficient according to their HR Director since most of the job promotions are usually done internally. Although, there are no reports to prove this.

Personal Leadership Development Plan

Introduction

In the multifaceted field of social work, leadership competencies are necessary at all levels of the organization to uphold vision-mission, operate effectively, and survive. Yet, the importance of leadership has been generally overlooked in social work research, education programs, and professional practice (Regehr et al., 2002, (cited in Bernotavicz et al.). Several studies (Elpers & Westhuis, 2008; Preston, 2005) have demonstrated that a unifying leadership model associated with a well-defined set of leadership skills has not existed in the human services field. The struggle lies between the need for leadership and the professional preparation of leaders in a rapidly changing environment (Bernotavicz, McDaniel, Brittain & Dickinson, 2013). Social work leaders today face the greatest challenge of transforming and surviving amidst the persistent disruption and turbulence caused by social, cultural, political, and economic forces (ADD: Howieson, Hodges, & Ashcroft, 2014; Lawler, 2007). Leadership in social work often operates within the public welfare arena which is mainly dependent on the power of government policies and funding controls (Peach & Horner, 2007; Webster & McNabb, 2016 – Prezi). Consequently, social workers confront a ‘permanent whitewater’ situation, underpinned by neoliberalism, where there is increased privatization and contracting, competition for limited funding/resources, escalating caseloads, heightened performance and accountability, and decentralization of federal authority (Bernotavicz et al., 2013). This reality of contemporary social work practice requires a wider range of leadership and management skills. It is not sufficient to merely preserve an organization’s internal operations and sustain the status quo. Rather, it is vital to foster strategic leadership skills that adeptly assess and synchronize an organization’s internal processes and external conditions (Hopkins & Hyde, 2002; Weill, 2000). Empirical evidence shows that most leadership development efforts have positive impacts on social service organizations (Avolio et al., 2005 in Riggio, YEAR). Thus, recognizing the need for leadership development and capacity-building among social workers may lead them towards advancing personal leadership development to incite organizational systems to change (Brungardt, 1997).

Leadership Development in Human Services

Leadership development is one of the most contended aspects of the field of leadership. Are leaders born or made? Or put otherwise, is leadership intrinsic or learned? Many scholars of leadership argue that leaders are both, born and made. Several leaders possess traits and qualities that facilitate them to be effective leaders (Avolio & Hannah, YEAR; Brungardt, 1997). However, how does one develop to become a leader?

Brungardt (1997) analyzed an extensive range of leadership literature to understand how leaders are educated, trained, and developed. He asserted that most leadership theories/approaches only deal with a limited aspect of leadership which can be classified into five categories: traits (personal attributes/characteristics), behavioral (how leaders act or manage group performance), power-influence (how leaders relate and use power/influence strategically) and transformational (how leaders create a culture to invigorate organizations). While these approaches provide different perspectives on leadership, they fail to address the issue of leadership development and education. Notwithstanding such findings, the literature also demonstrates leadership development can be understood by examining one’s life experiences including early childhood/adolescent development, formal education, job experiences, and specialist leadership education/training. These are significant factors that nurture leadership skills and influence the development of one’s leadership capability.

Furthermore, Day (2000) contends that it is important to distinguish ‘leader’ and ‘leadership’ development in the social work practice context. She states that most leadership research traditionally focuses on ‘leader’ development where an individual develops one’s leadership capacity through skills acquisition, self-awareness, and enthusiasm to lead. While ‘leadership development’ is more relational and collective where leaders and followers work together to increase the shared leadership capacity of the organization. Leadership development involves capacity-building for people to independently resolve unforeseen challenges or problems that result from the breakdown of conventional organizational structures and loss of sense-making (Dixon, 1993; Weick, 1993, cited in Day, 2000). Leadership, in this sense, is conceptualized as emergent from the existing social systems rather than added to the organization. Leadership transpires with the creation of ‘shared meaning’ – both in terms of adding value and sense-making (Day, 2000).

Hence, in this report, I will build on my leadership profile based on an integrative model that views the holistic personal development of a leader. I will critically reflect on my personal development as a leader and assess my current leadership capabilities by identifying certain gaps and potential developmental opportunities as a future social work professional. I will look into various ideas, life experiences, and personal circumstances that have shaped my leadership style as well as connect appropriate leadership models that are relevant to the context of my leadership development.

The Context of my Personal Leadership Development

Drawing on relevant theories of leadership in human services, I reflect on the context of my current state of leadership development. I particularly resonate with the following models of leadership: ethical, servant, and adaptive.

Ethical leadership refers to the moral goodness of leaders which highlights their values system in terms of making ethical decisions when personal values and struggles collide (Heifetz, 1994). As the eldest child of five in my family, I was considered the leader of my younger siblings. Growing up, I always reflected on my own values and principles when making decisions that affect my siblings and ensured that their best interests are served. My perspectives on morality are primarily influenced by my parents who taught me what’s right and wrong, fuelled further by my formal education in Psychology and some units in philosophy and ethics. I have always learned to treat everyone with dignity and respect, compassion, empathy, fairness, and honesty.

Along with this, I have also developed servant leadership or serving others to create a positive change for everybody’s welfare (Northouse, 2013). Being the eldest kid has instilled in me a sense of social responsibility where I greatly advocate for my family’s well-being. Knowing my family’s economic situation, I have always endeavored to become a breadwinner and supported my family through academic scholarships whilst being a student and through monetary provisions now that I am working. I was also profoundly involved as a student leader in various organizations in school/university or as a volunteer in humanitarian organizations like the Philippine Red Cross which further developed my desire to serve and empower others toward shared goals and better outcomes (Spears, 2002).

More recently, adaptive leadership is another style that I have developed. This has been mainly influenced by my work experiences where I learned to strike a delicate balance between employing technical (expert) and analytical (adaptive) problem-solving strategies as a leader (Heifetz, 1994). Being a Sourcing associate in recruitment and Marketing officer in an international education company taught me to be highly critical and responsive to change – analyzing the target market and quickly adapting business plans and engagements to meet the changing industry trends and client requirements. While being an Education Counsellor aided me in being more adaptable to diverse characters and adjusting to their needs suitably – providing them with sound advice on the school/university application and the fluctuating student visa application processes. Together, these job experiences taught me to be always flexible and adaptable to every circumstance – identifying available resources, harnessing energy, and crafting creative solutions to positively address organizational issues and opportunities (Howieson & Hodges, 2014). Creating a vision and directing change through innovation are the two most important aspects I have learned as an adaptive leader.

Leadership Gaps and Developmental Opportunities

Acknowledging the various leadership models related to the context of my leadership development, I believe that there are several developmental gaps and opportunities for improvement in my leadership. There is a strong need for me to develop a more shared/collaborative and transformational leadership approach as they deliver improved individual and collective leadership flexibility across various situations (Pearce & Conger, 2005; Riggio, 2008). The primary inspiration why I have chosen to further develop such skills is my placement organization, Mount Druitt Ethnics Communications Agency (MECA) – a community-based, non-profit organization that offers settlement services to new arrivals and refugee migrants from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. MECA is funded by Australia’s Refugee and Humanitarian program headed by Settlement Services International (SSI). MECA faces limited funding and staff resources which yields high accountability concerns. Despite this, I am very amazed by how the manager is able to instill a shared vision and goal among her team and empower each staff as well as a student volunteer to practice shared leadership and lead their own designated program.

Transformational leadership involves instilling a system/culture of shared principles and empowerment for effective group performance (Fisher, 2009). It considers motivating factors beyond rewards and punishments by promoting inputs into local leadership, task delegation, responsibility, and decision-making (Arches, 1997, cited in Fisher, 2009). Exposure to interesting ideas and engaging with intellectual discourse are key factors that encourage transformational leadership (Bargal & Schmid, 1989, Fisher, 2009). On the other hand, shared/collaborative leadership is characterized by meaningful collaboration. It is a decentralized, systematic leadership approach that utilizes collective social processes and relevant skills among team members to achieve group goals and organizational values (Bolden, 2011).

Reflecting on these concepts on myself, I realized that while I encourage and empower people to develop shared values/goals, I tend to accomplish tasks independently. This might be because as the eldest child and the breadwinner of the family, I have always learned to depend on myself and be self-reliant. As a result, I tend to focus on my personal efficiency and ignore my team members’ efforts during the group process, especially for tasks under time pressure. Additionally, I also tend to be more outcome-focused rather the process-focused or team-focused with time-bound responsibilities which might affect my relationship with others as a leader. I am an ambivert, an introvert masquerading to be an extrovert. And so, engaging with various people is a tedious task for me as I am shy and timid inside. Hence, I need to learn more strategies on how to become more inclusive and collaborative when working with tasks involving a group of diverse individuals. I also need to learn how to inspire and influence others to cultivate a cooperative environment successfully. In the ever-changing environment of social work, it is evident that leadership is seen as ‘influence’ rather than ‘authority’. Thus, I endeavor to become more distributive, participative, and enabling as a leader contrary to being performing and directive.

Personal Leadership Development Plan

Below is an outline of my Personal Leadership Development Plan based on Lord and Hall’s (2005) theory which suggests that skillful leaders can develop their distinctive skills by grounding their personalities and leadership development in self-relevant, coherent, and authentic values.

• Goal: To continually ground and develop leadership identity and values towards a shared/collaborative and transformational leadership approach
• Timeframe: Ongoing throughout the second year of the degree, Master of Social Work – Qualifying
• Resources: Tutorials and workshops, group work, network/organizations, field education, placement supervision, peer support groups, work experience

1. Areas for Development (Values/Skills) Actions/Strategies

• Empowerment
• Intellectual stimulation/Inspirational Motivation
• Idealized Influence
• Task Delegation/Responsibility
• Supportive Communication

Use strength-based and person-centered approaches in identifying other people’s skills; encourage them to utilize talents for others to increase confidence levels and build belief in a cause (Bass, 1985)

Engage with team members regularly and speak with them about goals and create new opportunities for development, if needed; Ask questions about their perspectives to promote motivation than giving answers

Use charisma, self-confidence, and enthusiasm to connect to people and draw them toward a shared vision/goal

Lead by example (role model) by accepting responsibility, being personally involved, and being passionate about organizational goals

Network and participate in several leadership organizations e.g. Golden Key Honour Society International to observe and draw lessons from ‘leader figures’ on how to influence and inspire others

Ask team member’s perspectives about duties; Assign tasks according to team members’ strengths/weaknesses and train them to become better; Trust teammates to deliver results and support them to facilitate change

Communicate thoughts/feelings about interpersonal relations transparently and in a respectful manner; Listen actively and respond sensitively; Use positive phrasing when giving feedback

2. Challenges/Barriers

• Group mix and group dynamics Use previous training experiences in cultural competence to manage culturally diverse team members; Attend workshops on effective group management; Work with people from diverse backgrounds
• Time management Use tools and techniques for prioritization, scheduling, focus and concentration, goal-setting, and self-motivation

3. Leverage Strengths

• Strong theory/research knowledge and experience in human services Use background knowledge and expertise in Psychology and Social Work to understand diverse personalities and complex circumstances; Reflect on practical work experiences to effectively deal with
• Self-awareness, critical reflection, and synthesis
• Manage to learn through continuous introspection and self-assessment about one’s progress in relation to the ideal self
• Continuously think about the impacts of one’s experiences; Develop new learning agenda from it, try-out and practice new behaviors to identify what works and what doesn’t

4. Feedback and Support

Be open to criticism and feedback for continuous learning development; Seek advice/opinions from placement supervisors, teachers, friends/peers on the progress status of leadership development

Essay on Personal Leadership Development Plan

’I believe in God because I just know our soul has to go someplace when it dies.” So God and life give us a chance to do something better now. Everyone wants to achieve their goals and they tackle plenty of problems to achieve their goals. I am also one of those people.

If I discussed my personal leadership development plan I want to become a manager at Canada goose which is the big company in Canada Company this is renowned in every city and I could be got the job of manager easily in this company. I will make a list of my qualities like what are the good or bad qualities, skills, and experience in me. For example, As good luck has it, my speaking skills are very good when anyone says something I learn and understand easily but unfortunately, I cannot speak in public because I am an unconfident and shy person. So I think this course will help me to improve my communication skills which are of utmost necessity for me and my future. Owing to these skills I can easily become a successful person in my life. Not only this, I am very honest, and ethical behavior I can use my creativity in difficult situations. My core values are that I am a very collaborative, responsible, creative, knowledgeable, self-respect, and achievable person. I will also develop my self-awareness, self-management, and problem-solving skills to achieve my personal leadership development plan. My course is related to leadership and management which imparts an immense knowledge about soft skills like [communication, motivation, managing time, group work, and many more].

This course has oceans of knowledge about making good decisions building time, managing conflict, and successful leadership to learn these skills as my short-term goal. These skills will disseminate good opportunities to find jobs if I talk about what I can learn from this course there are many things like facilitation, negotiation, mediation and how we can resolve the conflict, develop my BATNA, principles of negotiation, and also some negotiation rules which are very necessary for the workplace. What are the positive or negative effects of conflict in the workplace constructive or destructive conflict signs and causes of conflict? These skills are not only beneficial for me but also beneficial for the organization by these skills I can enhance the productivity of a company. And then another point is that I learned about negotiation or facilitation for example, as I said earlier I want to become a manager, and to become a successful manager these skills are very important. As a manager, there are many events or times that will come in my life when I will have to negotiate with other people and also solve different kinds of conflicts between employees so these skills provide me with enough knowledge to solve these conflicts. Moreover, I will work hard to achieve my personal leadership plan. And I want to achieve this plan after completing my education after two years. Because I think after two years I will have enough knowledge or skills and will able to take any responsibility. Because I think becoming a manager is big responsibility each and everything in the organization depends on the manager so this very tough job. My personal leadership development plan is realistic, attainable, measurable, and specific. At the end, I will do work hard and pay full attention on my this goal or plan so I could be completed this goal.