INTRODUCTION

The importance of leadership has grown multifold in the 21st century. It is one of the most
important topics of study in the field of human sciences, at the same time, it is one of the
most poorly understood constructs as well. The concept of leadership has evolved
theoretically over time. It is important to understand the qualities of good leadership because
it is directly related to the issue of organizing the effort of a group. It is the quality which
impacts the effectiveness of the entire organization. It is pertinent for an organization to have
good leaders in the firm because bad leadership impacts the underlings working in the
organization, thereby failing to provide a work friendly environment. By definition, people in
a position of authority in any organization can be termed as leaders. The skills possessed by
people in position of authority is what sets them apart as effective leaders. Being a leader
means that one needs to enroll people into forgetting about their self-interest but rather
working for the interest of the organization and the teams. (Avolio, 2003). In my opinion, the
evaluation of a leader should be based on the performance of the entire team since the leader
is in charge of ensuring that the effectiveness of the group is at its optimal capacity such that
people are working in sync with each other to fulfill a common objective. An important
aspect of leadership is also about ensuring that the underlings are able to follow the leader. A
leader can only be considered a good or an effective leader if the people under him are able to
connect with the vision of the leader (Hogan, 2005). If the people are not clear on the
approach being followed, organizational effectiveness is bound to take a hit. It is also
important to point out that every leader is different in its own ways, no two leaders will be the
same even if they are proficient in the same kind of skills and also have the same
shortcomings. In simpler words, leadership can be considered as the ability to influence the
behavior of other people in order to fulfill a common objective. The qualities of leadership
are required at every possible level and are not restricted to the top level of management.
Taking on a leadership position comes with its own sets of responsibility and accountability
as the leader is not just responsible for his or her own performance but also has the
responsibility of the entire team as well.

ELEMENTS REPRESENTING KEY ASPIRATIONS

As a human being, I have the hunger to constantly grow and develop myself professionally and
personally. In order to be an effective leader, a few traits, and ways of being are necessary in my
opinion. In this portion of the paper, the focus will be on highlighting three to four broad elements
that I Aspire to pick up from various theories of leadership. In order to do so, we will discuss a few
theories in brief.

One of the famous theories of leadership is the management theory. It is also known as transactional
leadership. The aim of this theory of management is on the overall performance of the team. As per
this theory of leadership, a leader is known by the effectiveness of his or her team. This method of
leadership has been known to be a little ruthless but effective as it is based on a system of actions
having consequence (Karl Kuhnert, 198). For example, if an employee’s actions benefit the
organization in a significant manner, then the employee may be rewarded a hefty bonus whereas if an
employee’s actions harm the company in a substantial way then negative reinforcements are also
used. This method of leadership is considered effective because it keeps the employees cautious in
terms of the actions they take, thereby reducing redundancies. While at the same time, it may make
the employees too cautious such that the employees fear taking risk beyond a certain threshold which
can lead to missed opportunities. This form of leadership is considered transactional in nature as both
the leader and the follower are getting something in exchange i.e. a transaction is taking place
(William Hoel, 1982). In such a scenario, it is important for a leader to know his/her followers so that
the exchange can. Be of high value to both entities. A high Value exchange is only possible if a
personal bond exists between the leader and the follower (Landy, 1985). It is believed that this form
of leadership cannot function on exchanges alone. It is imperative that the leaders have a strong value
system also, with the spirit of justice and righteousness at the core of it. These systems of values are
considered sacred and cannot be traded upon. It is important for the leader to have a strong set of
values because often engaging in transactional exchanges, can lead to blur the line between right and
wrong, and only if the leader has a strong set of values, will he/she be able to distinguish between
right and wrong.

Another important theory for consideration is the Participative theory. It is also known as democratic
system of leadership because of the way it functions. It is aimed at keeping the followers involved in
the decision-making process. The leader acts as a facilitator of dialogue and takes inputs from
everybody before deciding on a clear plan of action. This theory of leadership keeps the moral high
for employees as they are included in the day-to-day affairs of the company, which makes them feel
valued. In order for this form of leadership, it is important that a relationship exists between the
follows and the leader, otherwise people are less likely to open up if they believe that the leader does
not understand the context of where they are coming from. Another important aspect of this form of
leadership is information sharing. The employees should have the same level of information as the
leader (Lam, 2014). This is necessary because if employees are being involved in the decision-making
process, then for their views to hold any merit, it is important that they have all the facts and
information that is relevant for reaching a certain decision. However, one of the biggest criticisms of
this form of leadership is that often in the process of keeping things democratic, leaders forget that
they are responsible for choosing the right course of action instead of choosing what the people think
is the right course of action for the company. Closing the loop of communication is also important in
this process, meaning that if the view point of the employees is being considered for any decision,
then the outcome of such decision should also be shared with the employees (Connelly, 2017). Doing
this will lead to two scenarios, firstly, if the outcome is positive then it will increase the moral of the
employees as they were able to contribute to the success of the company. Secondly, if the outcome is
negative, ten it will give the employees an opportunity to reflect on their reasoning and also make
them realize that their input matters, so they are likely to be more diligent the next time such a
situation arises.

The third theory that we will discuss is the power theory. It is a theory based on the five forms of
power established by French and Raven. This theory is based on the belief that leaders can use their
power ibn terms of their position to increase effectiveness in the company. These set of powers can be
distinguished into personal power and positional power. Even though this theory is considered to be
highly efficient, it is borne with resistance amongst the employees as they don’t prefer anybody
yielding authority or power over them. It may have the tendency of making the leader appear
dominant and ruthless at times. French and Raven had identified five bases where power resides. First
one being Legitimate Power. Under this form, the relationship between the leader and the employee is
such that it is considered a formal right of the leader to demand certain tasks from the underlings and
it is formally the duty of the underlings to complete those tasks (Lunenburg, 2012). The second power
base is Reward Power. Under this, the leader is in a position wherein he decides the rewards and
bonuses for his or her team, thereby yielding power in the hands of the leader as far as power is
concerned. This form of power works on the employee’s hunger to grow and remain valuable to the
company. In turn, the employees are rewarded for their hard work, dedication, and loyalty to the
company. The third form of power is coercive in nature. Under this, the leader usually steps in the
grey area and uses fear to get the work done. It is not an appreciated form of power as it creates
resentment amongst the employees and leaves no space for interpersonal relations. Even if the leader
is in such a position where he can use their coercive nature to punish people, it may not always be
justified (Podsakof, 1985). If overused, it may cause people to leave the firm and also become a legal
problem for the leader. The above discussed powers were all positional in nature. Now we will look at
personal sources of power. The first one being Expert power. The leader can rely on this power base if
he or she possesses special knowledge about a particular situation because that will enable them to
have an upper footing in terms of interpreting the situation in the right manner. In order for this to
work in the long run, the leader has to be very knowledgeable because only then will he or she be in a
position to provide rational solutions (Wrong, 2017).

Analyzing the abovementioned discussion, I believe that all theories of leadership have elements in
them which can be picked up in order to form my own model of leadership. The first and foremost
element which is imperative in my opinion is having a high set of morals and ethics. As we saw in
transactional theory of leadership and power theory, having a strong set of morals and integrity is
imperative to do things in the right manner, otherwise I as a leader may be deluded based on the
choices Infront of me. Another important element that I aspire to imbibe is being self-organized. This
is an important element as only if a leader is self-organized can the managerial theory of leadership be
followed. It is important for the leader to have clarity in terms of what is expected and what is needed.
Managerial Form of leadership requires the leadership to be involved in an exchange situation that can
only happen if the manager is organized enough to identify the right form of exchange that keeps all
entities motivated. Another important component is bonding with the employees. In the
abovementioned theories that were reviewed, the commonality in these theories is that it all relates to
the relationship that exists between the employees and the leader.

ROLE OF FOLLOWERS

It is a long-standing misconception that the leaders are perhaps more valuable than the followers, but
the followers are just as valuable as the leader in charge. In order to ensure that the followers are on
the right track and can relate to the vision of the leader, it is essential that as a leader, one ought to
engage with the followers. Level of engagement is necessary at times because it becomes the defining
factor in the relationship between a leader and a followed. Especially in current times, where the focus
of workers has shifted from mainstream goals like compensation and designation and has shifted to
the social environment of an organization and team. The workers take into consideration their
relationships with their superiors in the firm (Kellerman, 2007). It is important to also keep the
followers motivated and ambitious. Personal growth as a concept is important to each and every
person and people are advancing their skill set and by extension their careers. Therefore as a leader, it
would be my primary responsibility that the growth interests of the employees are aligned with the
future of the company. Following the participative theory of leadership can come in handy as it will
make sure that the followers are included in the decision-making process. It also demonstrates that
the followers also have a sense of accountability when it comes to deciding the future of the company,
as the followers are being consulted before decisions are taken (Landy, 1985). Using elements from
managerial form of leadership will also be helpful, as the system is based on a reward basis. Good
Followers who really take accountability for their actions and carry out the task assigned in an
appropriate manner, then such completion calls for reward as well (Kelley, 1988). While it is
important to keep followers motivated, it is also necessary to create an environment where the tasks
and directions are clearly communicated to the employees. Doing so will allow people to focus their
energy on clear tasks and when such tasks are completed, it gives them a sense of accomplishment
also. Doing so also makes it easier for the leader to decide who to reward and to what degree (Suda,
2013). The rewards can be justified with the successful tasks that have been completed by a particular
team or employee. As a leader, I would also want to focus on coaching the employees on a regular
basis. In my opinion there is a difference between coaching and giving feedback, when coaching
somebody the intention is not merely to inform them about the quality of their task but to also help
them identify the mistakes and choose the correct course of action to rectify their mistakes. As a
leader, I would expect the followers to come with the attitude of getting the work done and taking
responsibility for it. I would also make it a point to ensure that the followers understand that their
actions effect the team and the organization as a whole. One thing that I would consider imperative
for any follower to have is to be interested in his or her personal growth. If the Employee in an
organization does not have the motivation to grow and upskill themselves, then the entire exercise is a
waste. Therefore, as a leader and as a manager, I would consider it my primary responsibility to keep
the followers interested in their own personal growth because that is what will give them a sense of
fulfillment.

SELF-AWARENESS & DEVELOPMENTAL PRIORITIES

In an attempt to analyze my current strengths and weakness and contrast it with the current evaluation
of self, we will begin with a SWAT Analysis. A SWAT analysis is a planning and management
technique which helps people and organizations identify their strengths, weakness, opportunities and
threats related to a particular task or assignment.

 Strengths – In order to identify my core strengths and areas where I have exceled, I asked a
certain set of questions to determine my core competence. I am a very warm and welcoming
person, which allows me to get people to open up and share about themselves. Thereby
proving strong interpersonal skills. I pride on being discipline in carrying out my duties,
which means that I am also self-reliant, and I have the right attitude to get the task done.
Being skilled in a particular field is required to give one an edge over employees and other
colleagues, I believe I am skilled in the field of management such that I can take on tasks and
ensure effective flow of work such that all targets are met. Another trait of mine that can be
 categorized as my strength is my ability to be reliable for the job. If a task has been assigned
then I take it upon myself to ensure that the task is completed with full responsibility and I
can provide what is expected of me.

 Weaknesses - Weaknesses are areas where one believes that there is scope of improvement.
One quality that I would assign as a weakness is that I am reluctant in delegating tasks and
trusting people to complete them in a diligent manner. It has his own set of advantages and
disadvantages. In an organizational setup, this would be considered as a disadvantage in an
organizational sett it becomes imperative for anybody in a leadership role to Delegate the
task on a regular basis and trust that the team is capable of carrying out the task in a
successful manner. Another weakness of mien is the lack of focus on a wrk life balance which
often leads to burnouts. Such working schedules are fine for the short term but are not long
lasting and working in an organization, a leader cannot be seeking time off again and again to
deal with the burnouts.

 Opportunities – Opportunities in the context of self are unexplored areas that are generally
external in nature. One major opportunity for me is to take up certificate courses to upskill
myself and become better informed. Knowledge gathering is a time taking and a regular
process therefore, a constant effort is required in order to gain that extra knowledge. Apart
from that, networking with different people is also an unexplored opportunity which can
really add value to my personal growth as well.

Since this is an evaluation of self, no external threats exist. In order to identify key developmental
priorities we need to analyze the current situation of self-viz a viz the aspired elements that were
identified in the first section. In order to build a high set of morals, the task to be taken at priority is
to be in touch with my roots and seek guidance from men who are educated and have a high value
system. Doing so will allow me to inculcate those habits in my behavior such that it becomes second
nature. Being Self organized was the second element that was identified. In my opinion, time
management plays a key factor to becoming organized in day to day-to-day tasks. Managing time
such that one is able to fulfill all tasks assigned in a comfortable manner while leaving enough time
for personal interactions is the ultimate goal. Currently, I am able to manage my time such that I
Finish all tasks assigned in an effective manner but have no time left for personal interactions. In
order to correct this, I will look at the gaps in my day wherein I am not doing anything or not doing
anything worth enough. Doing so will allow me to reduce redundancies and become more and more
efficient leaving a sense of contentment.
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