I've created a diagram which I feel displays my personal leadership philosophy and what is important to me as a leader above. I feel that each of these components contribute to what I think defines a great leader. The components are as follows, with equal importance:
1. Awareness of Followers' Desires
2. Inspire a Passion for a Common Goal
3. Empathy for Followers
4. Expectations of Others Defined
Additionally, I have gone into written detail below in order to explain my personal leadership philosophy.
1. Awareness of Followers' Desires
2. Inspire a Passion for a Common Goal
3. Empathy for Followers
4. Expectations of Others Defined
Additionally, I have gone into written detail below in order to explain my personal leadership philosophy.
I’ve learned a lot about the subject of leadership from both my academic work and extracurricular involvement throughout my years as a student leader. Perhaps the most prevalent aspect of leadership that I’ve realized is that leadership is a process rather than a quality within a person. My own personal definition of leadership is “a process by which an individual envisions a common goal and motivates others to work towards that goal”. It is very similar to Peter Northouse’s definition within his book Leadership: Theory and Practice (Northouse, 2013). However, I realize that it is okay to have a similar perception of leadership as others, as well as how it is acceptable to differ in opinion with others on leadership. Stogdill emphasizes this concept in his book, Handbook of Leadership: A Survey of Theory and Research, when he states “there are almost as many definitions of leadership as there are people who have tried to define it” (Stogdill, 1974). Additionally, how I perceive leadership is a fluid and customizable concept – it will continue to change, with different aspects coming into focus.
As the many approaches to leadership that I have studied as a part of my ILRM coursework, I feel that I relate most to the Situational Leadership theory, developed by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard. Situational Leadership attempts to explain the relationship between the leader’s behavior and the situation at hand, including the followers’ level of readiness. Therefore, according to Wren in The Leader’s Companion: Insights on Leadership Through the Ages (Wren, 1995), as different aspects of the situation are adjusted – new goals are established, personal problems arise, new tasks are assigned – the level of readiness within the followers may change and the leader should adjust.
I feel that I’ve used Situational Leadership theory a lot as I’ve worked with others. For example, in group projects, I’ve had to internally assess the readiness or enthusiasm to work within other group members and whether or not we are working cohesively toward a common goal. I’ve used this approach in my extracurricular involvement as well. For example, I served as Vice President of Programming for my sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha. This entailed supervising many of my sorority sisters in positions where they planned a variety of events related to their positions – sisterhood chairmen, philanthropy chairmen, or social chairmen. About halfway through the semester, I realized that I was consistently reminding them about event planning steps and deadlines for paperwork that they needed to comply with. Thus, I assessed the situation and brainstormed what I could do to help them more without having to micro-manage.
I created an “event planning checklist” with each and every step they would have to consider when planning activities for our chapter members. Then, I created a “programming calendar” that outlined the dates we had planned to have our events along with all deadlines for each of the steps outlines in the “event planning checklist”. Although it was tedious to create, it allowed them more accountability in their positions and resulted in a more harmonious relationship between myself as the leader and my sorority sisters. Through this use of Situational Leadership, I felt that I sensed what my followers needed most, and I adjusted my leadership tactics in order to develop better results.
My empathetic qualities and ability to sense what others are feeling are likely what make me most comfortable using the Situational Leadership approach when working with others. I also feel that my Harmony and Individualization strengths play a part in my affinity for Situational Leadership. With my Harmony strength, I constantly am striving for a friendly atmosphere and cohesion among group members. Recognizing the readiness of followers and adjusting how I’m working in order to relate and work best with them is crucial in having a harmonious group. Individualization also comes into play when sensing the feelings of my followers and adjusting how I work with them in order to develop more effective results. I am able to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of others within my group environment and adjust my leadership tactics according to the situation.
I also feel that I relate to the Path-Goal leadership theory. According to Northouse, Path-Goal theory is about how leaders motivate subordinates to accomplish designated goals. I appreciate the theory because it is another approach in which the leader must assess the situation before moving forward with their action plan in motivating others. I feel that I possess qualities that contribute to the four leader behaviors outlined in the theory – directive, achievement-oriented, participative, and supportive.
When it comes to being a directive leader, I feel that I am clear in communicating to others what I expect of them as I work in a group with them. I also prefer for those in a group I am working with to outline exactly what they expect of me. I appreciate being direct with others because I enjoy a harmonious work atmosphere, and I feel that ambiguity has the potential to increase hostility. For example, I have learned how to become a directive leader in classroom group projects. I’ve noticed that I now take initiative in setting up expectations for group members at our first meeting, no matter what the project entails. We each collaborate in setting up group expectations, and it creates a friendly vibe by having each of our voices heard. This balance allows me to be a directive leader but also maintain harmony within the group.
I behave in an achievement-oriented manner through setting specific goals and holding others accountable to them. One of my top 5 strengths is Achiever, and I have always related to it specifically because I consider myself a determined, goal-oriented individual that enjoys meeting challenges each day. When working with others, I can inspire them to perform well also, showing my achievement-oriented leadership aspects. I enjoy creating lists of each detail that is necessary for success in whatever our group is hoping to achieve. Although it seems tedious, focusing on details and creating a schedule is what I feel produces results best. This may be displayed through my example of creating checklists and calendars for my followers as Vice President of Programming that I detailed above for Situational Leadership.
I believe that I am a participative leader through always wanting others’ input before making a large decision that may affect the group I am working with. Although I may take charge as a leader in situations, I like to inspire others to feel that their input is appreciated. Therefore, I inspire them to speak up by asking for their opinion individually and taking it into consideration. I exhibit this behavior often as a House Supervisor for my sorority on-campus house. Although I am the authority figure within the House, I make sure to take their input in before I set any House rules or plan any programming for fun activities that I plan. I related to them through this desire at the beginning of the year. I knew that I could set rules arbitrarily, but I wanted them to be something that we all collaborated on as a group. Therefore, I made sure that they knew what I expected of them and asked what they expected of me before diving into creating our “House Rules” and planning fun events. This shows a blend of directive and participative leadership qualities.
Lastly, I feel that I am a supportive leader most of the time due to my empathetic nature and Harmony and Individualization strengths. I desire peaceful relationships with those that I surround myself with. Therefore, I constantly am trying to have pleasant conversations with others and show genuine compassion for their well-being. This may relate to my work in Career Services as a Peer Career Advisor, where I perform walk-in advising where students can come in and seek help with any inquiries or support they may need in seeking a job or internship. My passion for helping others and supporting them in whatever way I can energizes me, and I feel that it shows my support leadership qualities coming into play.
Northouse, P. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice. (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Sage Publications.
Stogdill, R.M. (1974). Handbook of leadership: A survey of theory and research. New York, NY: Free Press.
Wren, J.T. (1995). The leader’s companion: Insights on leadership through the ages. New York, NY: Free Press.
As the many approaches to leadership that I have studied as a part of my ILRM coursework, I feel that I relate most to the Situational Leadership theory, developed by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard. Situational Leadership attempts to explain the relationship between the leader’s behavior and the situation at hand, including the followers’ level of readiness. Therefore, according to Wren in The Leader’s Companion: Insights on Leadership Through the Ages (Wren, 1995), as different aspects of the situation are adjusted – new goals are established, personal problems arise, new tasks are assigned – the level of readiness within the followers may change and the leader should adjust.
I feel that I’ve used Situational Leadership theory a lot as I’ve worked with others. For example, in group projects, I’ve had to internally assess the readiness or enthusiasm to work within other group members and whether or not we are working cohesively toward a common goal. I’ve used this approach in my extracurricular involvement as well. For example, I served as Vice President of Programming for my sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha. This entailed supervising many of my sorority sisters in positions where they planned a variety of events related to their positions – sisterhood chairmen, philanthropy chairmen, or social chairmen. About halfway through the semester, I realized that I was consistently reminding them about event planning steps and deadlines for paperwork that they needed to comply with. Thus, I assessed the situation and brainstormed what I could do to help them more without having to micro-manage.
I created an “event planning checklist” with each and every step they would have to consider when planning activities for our chapter members. Then, I created a “programming calendar” that outlined the dates we had planned to have our events along with all deadlines for each of the steps outlines in the “event planning checklist”. Although it was tedious to create, it allowed them more accountability in their positions and resulted in a more harmonious relationship between myself as the leader and my sorority sisters. Through this use of Situational Leadership, I felt that I sensed what my followers needed most, and I adjusted my leadership tactics in order to develop better results.
My empathetic qualities and ability to sense what others are feeling are likely what make me most comfortable using the Situational Leadership approach when working with others. I also feel that my Harmony and Individualization strengths play a part in my affinity for Situational Leadership. With my Harmony strength, I constantly am striving for a friendly atmosphere and cohesion among group members. Recognizing the readiness of followers and adjusting how I’m working in order to relate and work best with them is crucial in having a harmonious group. Individualization also comes into play when sensing the feelings of my followers and adjusting how I work with them in order to develop more effective results. I am able to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of others within my group environment and adjust my leadership tactics according to the situation.
I also feel that I relate to the Path-Goal leadership theory. According to Northouse, Path-Goal theory is about how leaders motivate subordinates to accomplish designated goals. I appreciate the theory because it is another approach in which the leader must assess the situation before moving forward with their action plan in motivating others. I feel that I possess qualities that contribute to the four leader behaviors outlined in the theory – directive, achievement-oriented, participative, and supportive.
When it comes to being a directive leader, I feel that I am clear in communicating to others what I expect of them as I work in a group with them. I also prefer for those in a group I am working with to outline exactly what they expect of me. I appreciate being direct with others because I enjoy a harmonious work atmosphere, and I feel that ambiguity has the potential to increase hostility. For example, I have learned how to become a directive leader in classroom group projects. I’ve noticed that I now take initiative in setting up expectations for group members at our first meeting, no matter what the project entails. We each collaborate in setting up group expectations, and it creates a friendly vibe by having each of our voices heard. This balance allows me to be a directive leader but also maintain harmony within the group.
I behave in an achievement-oriented manner through setting specific goals and holding others accountable to them. One of my top 5 strengths is Achiever, and I have always related to it specifically because I consider myself a determined, goal-oriented individual that enjoys meeting challenges each day. When working with others, I can inspire them to perform well also, showing my achievement-oriented leadership aspects. I enjoy creating lists of each detail that is necessary for success in whatever our group is hoping to achieve. Although it seems tedious, focusing on details and creating a schedule is what I feel produces results best. This may be displayed through my example of creating checklists and calendars for my followers as Vice President of Programming that I detailed above for Situational Leadership.
I believe that I am a participative leader through always wanting others’ input before making a large decision that may affect the group I am working with. Although I may take charge as a leader in situations, I like to inspire others to feel that their input is appreciated. Therefore, I inspire them to speak up by asking for their opinion individually and taking it into consideration. I exhibit this behavior often as a House Supervisor for my sorority on-campus house. Although I am the authority figure within the House, I make sure to take their input in before I set any House rules or plan any programming for fun activities that I plan. I related to them through this desire at the beginning of the year. I knew that I could set rules arbitrarily, but I wanted them to be something that we all collaborated on as a group. Therefore, I made sure that they knew what I expected of them and asked what they expected of me before diving into creating our “House Rules” and planning fun events. This shows a blend of directive and participative leadership qualities.
Lastly, I feel that I am a supportive leader most of the time due to my empathetic nature and Harmony and Individualization strengths. I desire peaceful relationships with those that I surround myself with. Therefore, I constantly am trying to have pleasant conversations with others and show genuine compassion for their well-being. This may relate to my work in Career Services as a Peer Career Advisor, where I perform walk-in advising where students can come in and seek help with any inquiries or support they may need in seeking a job or internship. My passion for helping others and supporting them in whatever way I can energizes me, and I feel that it shows my support leadership qualities coming into play.
Northouse, P. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice. (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Sage Publications.
Stogdill, R.M. (1974). Handbook of leadership: A survey of theory and research. New York, NY: Free Press.
Wren, J.T. (1995). The leader’s companion: Insights on leadership through the ages. New York, NY: Free Press.