Guided Response: Review several of your peers’ posts. Give additional advice to at least two of your peers on the importance of knowing your beliefs on leadership and why individual beliefs may vary.
#1 Raymond
My Scores:
1. Trait emphasis: 12
2. Ability emphasis: 17
3. Skill emphasis: 17
4. Behavior emphasis: 18
5. Relationship emphasis: 14
6. Process emphasis: 18
Which two dimensions that are most similar to your own beliefs?
The two that are the most similar to my beliefs would be Behavior and Process. Behavior is defined as “what leaders do when they are in a leadership role” (Northouse, 2012, p.8). I believe that the character and traits developed over time and their experiences will help highlight the behavior of a leader given certain situations. I also believe that ensuring the people who follow you are comfortable within the situation they have found themselves in by increasing their knowledge of the pertaining material and with the people who surround them.
Which two dimensions are the least like your own beliefs?
The two dimensions that are least like my own beliefs are Trait and Relationship. Trait is defined as “distinguishing quality of an individual, which is often inherited” (Northouse, 2012, p.8). This definition focuses on the individual’s special quality which betters their ability to lead. I disagree with this, one’s ability to lead isn’t centered around inherited gifts but from a development of characteristics over time. I do agree with some aspects of Relationshp in that “A leader needs to be fully aware of the followers and the followers’ interests, ideas, positions, attitudes, and motivations” (Northouse, 2012, p.8) which can contribute greatly to the overall mission and further develop those that surround you in a positive way. With that said, I do disagree with leadership not being an individual or a select group. If everyone is involved in leading most times the mission is harder to complete. There is a saying when this happens, “too many chiefs not enough indians”.
#2 Martin
My scores:
Trait: 14
Ability: 19
Skill: 11
Behavior: 19
Relationship: 14
Process: 17
My scores suggest that I believe leadership is an ability that can be learned over time, given that you put forth the effort to learn it. Also, that leadership is a behavior that is viewable when an individual is placed in a certain scenario. I feel these two traits align pretty well with my own beliefs. Prior to the military, I would not have viewed myself as a leader by any stretch of the imagination. The Marine Corps taught me to be a good leader and through it, I found myself taking on the role of “leader” more and more. That being said, not every Marine is a great leader, some did not acquire the ability and would rather follow the lead of others. So in that regard, I do see leadership as an ability that can be learned. I also feel that your behavior plays a big role in whether or not you’re a good leader. Being able to hand out a list of jobs to be accomplished and then be absent from the team while they perform the jobs does not make you a good leader. Leaders motivate their teams to accomplish their objective and that is best done when you are there with them, aiding them in accomplishing the goal.
One dimension that least aligns with my beliefs, is that leadership is a skill learned through years of experience. Just because you know the processes inside and out, does not mean you can inspire others to perform those processes in an efficient manner. Unless you bring other leadership dimensions to compliment the knowledge that you gained through seniority, you will struggle to motivate others to accomplish a specific task. I also disagree with leadership being viewed as a relationship between follower and leader. While I do agree that leadership is not always from the highest position of authority down to the lower positions, I do not feel the process is a collective effort between leader and follower. I feel the process relies solely on the leader and their capability of keeping the group motivated.
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