AGED260 provided me with the chance to understand that leadership is a complex process. It helped me to study leadership in different dimensions and how different leadership styles apply to real-life situations. Some theories focus on leaders’ behaviors or developing leadership skills, while others emphasize on followers. However, although different leadership theories focus on different perspectives, they work well together and help me understand leadership better. The Trait Approach focuses exclusively on leaders. It conceptualizes leadership as set of properties owned in variable degrees by distinctive people. Moreover, traits show up not only in the trait approach but also in the transformational approach with the charisma piece. Traits even show up in the skills approach with individual attributes, which emphasizes on the abilities that leaders can develop. In addition, with the skills mentioned in the skills approach, leaders can adapt their leadership styles based on the style approach. The style approach highlights leaders’ behaviors and focuses on leaders’ actions. On the other hand, other theories focus on followers and the context. The situational leadership emphasizes on adjusting leadership styles based on followers’ development levels. It requires leaders to have certain skills that are mentioned in the skill approach such as communication skill to adapt with different types of employees. The servant leadership is a follower-oriented theory of leadership that leaders put followers first. It related to the leader-member exchange theory because it is also important to have effective interactions and communications with leaders and followers in order to perform well as servant leaders.
After learning different leadership theories, I believe leadership is a process that leaders and followers mutually influence each other in order to accomplish a shared goal.
I see myself in Leader-Member Exchange Theory the most. Working in the Illinois Leadership Center, I pay extremely attention to my interactions and communications with my leader. For example, I received a task last week from my leader to update our official website by interviewing four alumni through emails. I first communicated with my leader face to face in order to make sure my understanding of the task was correct. I then double-checked the alumni information with him. Secondly, in order to plan the best and personalized interview questions for each of them, I additionally requested my leader to share with me the LinkedIn pages of those alumni and researched their backgrounds. Through the interview processes, I maintained daily update with my leader and consulted him with the problems I encountered. When I couldn't get the timely responses from alumni, my leader encouraged and supported me to send them another remind emails to keep in touch. Through the dyadic relationship with my leader, I worked as an “In-Group” follower. LMX Theory helps me to understand the importance of interactions and communications with my leader. I wouldn’t solve the problems on time without the effective interactions with my leader. I am proud of myself being an “In-Group” subordinate. Additionally, LMX Theory also encourages me to continually working on my strengths by maintaining close and dyadic relationship with my leader.
After learning different leadership theories, I believe leadership is a process that leaders and followers mutually influence each other in order to accomplish a shared goal.
I see myself in Leader-Member Exchange Theory the most. Working in the Illinois Leadership Center, I pay extremely attention to my interactions and communications with my leader. For example, I received a task last week from my leader to update our official website by interviewing four alumni through emails. I first communicated with my leader face to face in order to make sure my understanding of the task was correct. I then double-checked the alumni information with him. Secondly, in order to plan the best and personalized interview questions for each of them, I additionally requested my leader to share with me the LinkedIn pages of those alumni and researched their backgrounds. Through the interview processes, I maintained daily update with my leader and consulted him with the problems I encountered. When I couldn't get the timely responses from alumni, my leader encouraged and supported me to send them another remind emails to keep in touch. Through the dyadic relationship with my leader, I worked as an “In-Group” follower. LMX Theory helps me to understand the importance of interactions and communications with my leader. I wouldn’t solve the problems on time without the effective interactions with my leader. I am proud of myself being an “In-Group” subordinate. Additionally, LMX Theory also encourages me to continually working on my strengths by maintaining close and dyadic relationship with my leader.