Leadership Journey Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Leadership Journey - Assignment Example In the very first journal for instance, one got to realize that my initial belief and understanding that leadership is the ability to influence others is just a partial facet of a more comprehensive and widely encompassing theory. It was therefore immensely appreciated that one got to realize that there are different definitions of leadership. In one’s search in Google’s online search engine for the definition of leadership, it amazingly revealed that the output generated as much as 94.7 million results (Google, 2013). This is an indication of the extensiveness and comprehensive depth of studies and information generated on the topic of merely trying to define leadership. Through the course, one eventually got to realize that the concept of leadership constantly transforms and unfolds. It was very helpful to have differentiated the concept of leadership with that of management (Journal 1, 2013). Though closely related, leadership was learned to be an important component as one of the functions of management through directing or leading; in conjunction with the other functions of planning, organizing, staffing and controlling (Management Study Guide, 2013). Thus, one came to realize and recognize that leadership in a crucial component in the quest and pursuit of strategies that influence and direct others to achieve explicitly defined goals. Leaders were learned to possess traits, skills, competencies, and qualifications that make them effective in their specialized endeavors (Journal 2, 2013). Likewise, one learned more about the three skill approaches that were reportedly developed by Katz (Journal 3, 2013) and the role of leaders as coaches (Journal 4, 2013). All the relevant theories also assisted in gaining a more in-depth knowledge of leadership and how this is applied in contemporary settings. How does this relate to the theory? One learned that the concept of leadership has been tried to be explained through the various theories which were presented and expounded: transactional leadership (Journal 5, 2013); the path-goal theory (Journal 6, 2013); transformational leadership (Simic, 1998); the contingency approaches to leadership (Martires & Fule, 2004); and situational model of leadership (Hersey & Blanchard, 1988); among others. For instance, the understanding that leaders are born with innate traits and skills; and not made were eventually inspired in the traits approach. As emphasized, â€Å"theorists sought to identify certain personality traits like intelligence, ambition, and charisma that are associated with effective leaders† (Martires & Fule, 2004, p. 155). On the other hand, there was another approach which allegedly emerged: the behavioral approach. According to Martires & Fule (2004), â€Å"the behavioral approach endeavors to find answers to the question of what behaviors, actions, and skills make effective leadership possible. Compared to the trait approach, the behavioral approach has a great pr actical usefulness since behavior, actions, and skills can be modified and learned† (p. 156). The path-goal theory, for instance, was deemed an action-oriented approach to leadership effectiveness (Journal 6, 2013; Martires & Fule, 2004). Therefore, the importance of understanding this theory lies in determining what factors or strategies would assist leaders and managers in achieving identified goals. It was disclosed that â€Å"beyond the dual functions of goal-setting and path-finding, the (path-goal theory) suggests that the manager’s job is to create a motivational environment that enhances the likelihood that employees will behave toward goals. This requires that managers have to