Approaches To Leadership And Personal Development Plans

Introduction to Leadership and its different approaches

Leadership can be rightfully defined as the art of managing people and assisting the different individuals in achieving the overall objectives by guiding them and assisting them to achieve the organizational goals (Baltaci & Balc?, 2017). A leader motivates the team to perform in a better manner and is required to take considerable steps to assist the organizational members to work united and ensure that the firm is able to achieve overall success.

There are various types of leadership approaches and styles available to the different managers and based on the different leadership styles which exist, the outcomes of the organization are quite different. Moreover, as students and individuals, everyone needs to ensure that they are successfully able to work upon their overall leadership approach and style. The different approaches to the leadership can be stated to be Authoritarian, Democratic and Laissez-faire Leadership Approaches (Glambek, Skogstad, & Einarsen, 2018). The Authoritarian approach seeks to ensure that, the leader is a dictator and all the activities of the organization are undertaken as per his advice and his reign. This leadership approach often results in the fall out of the firm. There also exists the Democratic Leadership Approach whereby the Leader provides the authority of the decision making to the different individuals as present in the organization and assists the employees in taking collective decisions on behalf of the different members of the organization (Baltaci & Balc?, 2017). The last leadership approach is the Laissez faire Leadership where the different employees are provided with the autonomy to perform as per their needs and in addition to this they are responsible for their own acts in the long run.

Many individuals, in order to improve their overall approach often engage in the formation of the Personal development plans and targets for the coming years which go a long way in assisting the different individuals to perform well and take considerate measures to see to it that they are able to achieve their targets (Miner, 2015). Hence, the given report is based on the different approaches towards the leadership aspect and other related plans which go a long way in assisting the different individuals to improve upon their personalities. The report will be undertaking this with the help of a case study with respect to which, the case of the Blue star health Vice president Jim Blaylock will be analyzed and critically evaluated. Certain recommendations will be provided with respect to the same (Skogstad, et al., 2015). This will be followed by the Part B of the project whereby the Leadership Personality Plan will be discussed.

Case study of Blue Star Health Vice President Jim Blaylock

The case study is based on the company Blue Star Health which is a company selling the health insurance. The competitors of the firm have made use of various aggressive plans and other in initiatives to undertake a competitive positioning in the market. However, the Blue Star Health has not been successful in doing so and for this reason appointed Jim as the Vice President of the firm`s sales department (Smith, 2014). Although Jim seemed as a bright candidate for the post of the leader, however with time his overall demeanor changed and he began to reflect signs of arrogance, mismanagement and a Laissez faire leadership style which led to the overall mismanagement of the firm and high turnover among the employees. In addition to this, in order to remain positive in the eyes of the different CEO`s of the company, Jim was in a habit of extending the pressure of the organization in the hands of the different junior management as present. Moreover, he was not concerned about the rising staff turnover rate of the different employees and was just concerned about the profits of the firm (Tichy & Devanna, 1986).

In this way, Jim avoided building relationships with all the stakeholders of the firm and was often late for the different meetings which took place and in addition to this, was not present at all (Yang, 2015). He did not respect the time of the other employees and often believed in seeing to it that, the employees and other related stakeholders are in a very low post as compared to the organization and hence the firm, including the different employees of the organization and the different stakeholders were agitated at him and refused to build any further relationship with him (Daft, 2014). Moreover, when Steve tried to build his image in the organization and intended to ensure that he is successfully able to maintain a strong relationship with the firm at large, he did not turn up for the meeting as well. Hence, in such a case it can be understood that Steve failed to manage the particular team in the right manner (Wong & Giessner, 2018).

The leadership approach which is largely being followed by Jim can be stated to be the Laissez faire Leadership. This leadership style is known as the delegative leadership with respect to which the leader tends to follow a hands off approach to make the different decisions accordingly (George, 2000). In addition to this, the researchers believe that the particular leadership approach is not very encouraging as it leads to a low productivity amongst the different employees. Although it is believed, that there exists certain positive impacts of the leadership style as well, it needs to be understood and realized that, there exists certain scenarios and settings where the laissez faire leadership style may not be useful and additionally, the scenario of the work environment needs to be reviewed (Wong & Giessner, 2018). In the case of Jim, it can be clearly understood that, the Laissez Faire leadership style was turning out to be very limited for him and considerable initiatives could have been taken by the leader to ensure that they were successful in attaining their overall goals. According to Yang (2015), as Jim did not take into consideration the overall team management ethics and principles he was not able to consider that the employee engagement forms an integral part of the organization and with respect to this, the organization staff turnover dropped considerably.

Characteristics of Jim’s Laissez Faire leadership approach

The primary characteristics of the Leadership style of Jim can be stated to be as follows:

• He provided little or no guidance to the different employees as present
• He allowed the followers to take their own decisions
• He did not engage in employee recognition and expected them to function on their own(Yang, 2015).
• He took no responsibility for the high staff turnover rate of the organization.

Hence, with respect to understanding the overall leadership approach of Jim and assessing the different initiatives which have been taken by him for the welfare of the organization as a whole it can be stated that, the Laissez Faire leadership style which is being adopted by Jim, is not suitable for the overall welfare of the organization at large (Glambek, Skogstad, & Einarsen, 2018). This is being stated because, the approach which Jim has with respect to managing the different people as present in the organization and looking out for the different ethical issues is very poor. There have been various instances at the workplace where Jim has demeaned the different employees and has made various false promises (Wong & Giessner, 2018). He has set a particular time for meeting the employees but has not turned up at the actual time. In addition to this, it also needs to be understood that, the behavior of Jim has deeply hurt the different employees (Hargreaves & Fink, 2012). In this manner, the employees have lost out their interest in the organization and similarly, they have felt that, the company does not care for their presence and time and this has been the reason why the staff turnover at the organization has been considerably high. According to Horng and Loeb (2010), it needs to be the duty of the leader to guide the different employees and ensure that they are successfully able to feel a part of the organization, however, as Jim applied the Laissez Faire style in a wrong scenario, the reputation of the organization dropped considerably.

In order to ensure that Jim is able to work upon his leadership style and improve his overall demeanor in the organization, it is considered to be critical that Jim follows the rules and regulations of ethical management and in addition to this, Jim is also able to see to it that, he is able to manage the overall team well and is able to engage in an organizational culture which is very supportive. The recommendations for improvements have been given as follows:

• Communicating the vision: The vision of the organization needs to be communicated by the leader effectively. This shall go a long way in assisting the leader to ensure that, he is able to maintain a sense of rapport with the organization and also able to ensure that, the employees feel aligned with the overall vision of the firm.(Hargreaves & Fink, 2012)
• Encouraging the recognition of employees: Moreover, a leader practicing ethical leadership will also be required to ensure that the different employees are communicated with regularly and provided educated information about the overall goal of the firm.  When the employees will be rewarded for all the efforts which will be undertaken by them for the welfare of the firm, only then will they be able to ensure that, the employees work for the firm.
• Delegate and empower: Delegation forms a crucial part of the firm and team management, hence, it is required to be ensured by the different managers as present that, they engage in the delegation procedure and empower the employees who are in line(Horng & Loeb, 2010 ). When the different employees will be empowered, then they will perform well.
• Continued education: Lastly, the leader needs to realize that, the continued education needs to form an integral part of the organization and that he must continuously interact with the employees and encourage them to learn and prosper(Wheatley, 2011).

Question 2-1-1 – Personal Audit – Attribute 1

Communication

The first attribute which has been chosen for the purpose of analysis has been stated to be the attribute related to Communication. In this, a leader would be required to ensure that, he is successfully able to communicate with the different employees and related shareholders as present in the organization and also with the customers (Melchar & Bosco, 2010). A leader is required to clearly communicate the vision of the team to the different members and this will assist them to get the required results of the firm. Additionally, words have the power to motivate the different people as present and this goes a long way in ensuring that the people tend to work for the overall welfare of the organization, and are able to attain the organizational objectives as well.  According to me, although I have adequate leadership skills, I do not possess the capability of communicating quite effectively with my team mates and my peers and with respect to this, I need to improve in this aspect.

Recommendations for improving communication and delegation skills

Delegation

The Delegation can also be considered to be an integral skill which is required to be possessed by any leader. The Delegation capability allows a leader to ensure that he or she is successfully able to delegate the responsibility and tasks to the different individuals in the organization and with the help of this they will be able to ensure that, the objectives of the organization are successfully met with (Miner, 2015). Additionally, the leader is required to focus on the key responsibilities of the firm and is required to leave the less important tasks to the different members of the firm. It is the duty of the leader to empower the different followers as present in the organization and foster a sense of trust in the organization. This ensures that, the organization will be able to focus on crucial matters and the employees become largely independent and tend to ensure that they are provided with an opportunity to bear the overall responsibility of the organization (Skogstad, et al., 2015).  Previously, I have not had the opportunity to interact very freely and provide instructions of delegation to the different members of my team and with respect to this, it needs to be seen that I am required to improve my delegation skills and ensure success with respect to the same.

Creativity

Creativity also tends to form a greater part of an organization. The main reason why creativity is crucial because in order to deal with the competitive business environment, it is crucial for an organization keep innovating and coming up with new ideas and services. Hence, any leader who is working towards the overall success of the organization would be required to ensure that they are quite creative in nature and that they are able to innovate with time and ensure that all the requirements of the dynamic business environment are met with (Miner, 2015). Hence, creativity is a crucial skill for any leader and all the leaders in question will be required to carry out the creativity skills effectively. I would be required to improve upon my creativity skill as I feel I lack his skill and am not very creative with respect to new ideas and innovative techniques.

 Team Management

A leader has to operate within the realm of the team. It can be stated to be the overall duty of a leader to ensure that they are successfully able to lead and manage a team properly. In addition to this, a leader needs to see to it that all the members of the firm get together and intend to achieve the overall goals of a firm. In this manner, a team leader needs to understand the manner in which he will be required to manage the overall operations of the team. This will also assist him in ensuring that the goals of the organization will be achieved (Skogstad, et al., 2015). Hence, all budding leaders will be required to ensure that they will be successfully able to attain team management skills in order to attain success in the long run. Although I have function in the teams earlier, I have not been directly involved in the management of the team and hence, I would rate my skills as quite poor in this scenario.

Commitment and Decision Making skills

Lastly, another crucial skill which a leader is required to possess can be defined as the commitment and decision making skills. As the business environment is very competitive in nature, then it becomes critical to ensure that, the company is being able to make the decisions adequately (Smith, 2014). Hence, this is where the role of a leader comes into the question. Hence, any leader who will be required to ensure success should see to it that they have good decision making skills which will help them to take certain decisions spontaneously so as to take advantage of all the business environment and ensure that the firm benefits from the decision making skill of the manager or the primary leader of the organization (Spillane, 2012).  Although overall, I believe that I am a committed individual however, I feel that my decision making skills are quite weak and that I will be required to improve in the same in order to ensure success.

Question 2-1 Leadership Development Plan 

Leadership Development Plan

Therefore, in the previous section, it was observed that there exists certain crucial skills which are required to be fulfilled by any leader of an organization, and with respect to this, it is crucial for the budding leader to ensure that they are successfully able to meet these leadership skills. Given below is a leadership development plan which a leader needs to build in order to ensure success in the future.

Hence, with respect to the above development plan, it is required to be noted that the goals which have been set out for the purpose of the future are SMART in nature and have been laid down in a manner such that it is successfully able to incorporate the overall goals of the firm and the career of the future leader. I have ensured that in order to overcome for my shortcomings in the past, I would be required to undertake certain actions and initiatives in order to see to it that, I am able to meet these Goals and be an effective leader in the future.

For this reason, in the particular reason, I had formed this Leadership Development plan which lays down the different SMART Goals which I have set out for myself in order to become a better person and overcome the shortcomings which I possess from the past. In lieu of this, it can also be considered to be crucial that I form a plan with the appropriate time frame and the appropriate resource requirements so as to ensure that I am rational in nature and that I am able to meet the requirements adequately and attain success in the long run.

In the given plan, I have noted down my shortcomings as a leader and have matched them against the particular actions which I will be required to undertake in order to improve myself. The next column to the Action lays down the different resources which will be required to carry out the leadership development plan (Tichy & Devanna, 1986). This helps in making the particular plan quite realistic in nature as it goes a long way in ensure that the different goals of the organization will be achieved at large. Lastly, the time frame to achieve the particular objectives has been given accordingly to make the entire Leadership plan objective and to ensure that I will be successfully able to achieve my goals in a timely manner.

In addition to forming the particular plan, I will also be ensuring that I tend to consult some knowledgeable person or a professor who will be able to successfully guide me and ensure that I will be able to meet with my goals and that the actions which I have stated in the particular plan are achievable with respect to my overall capacity. Once this is done, then I will be able to ensure that, I will be able to achieve the overall objectives with respect to the leadership which I have laid down for myself and be able to lead an organization successfully.

Conclusion

Therefore, from the given analysis, it can be stated that, Leadership forms a crucial part of an organization and all the firms who want to ensure that they will be able to achieve their overall objectives successfully, will be required to see to it that, they have determined and qualified leaders. The role of a leader in a firm cannot be undermined as he acts as a binding force for the overall functions of the organization and his skills and attributes will be able to assist the company in gaining a competitive advantage in the long run of the firm. The report was divided into two parts.

The first part discussed a case study relating to the case of Jim, the Vice president of Sales at the Blue Star Health firm and the leadership approach and style which was being followed him. From the case study analysis, it was understood that the Laissez Faire leadership approach which was followed by Jim was not suitable for the environment which the firm was dealing with. In addition to this, although it can be understood that the leadership approach which was being followed by Jim was not the one which would be suitable for the firm, however, his behavior and treatment of the different shareholders of the firm was also very poor. He often set up the different meetings with the employees in order to interact with them soundly and undertake the different business decisions, however, he ended up breaking those promises and often mistreated the different employees as present in the firm at large. He was unable to meet the different employees and related brokers on time and did not believe in engaging in Employee engagement in a similar manner. Hence, with respect to this, Jim would be required to adopt a new leadership approach and style which will go a long way in helping the leader to perform in a manner such that he will be able to manage the particular organization in a better manner (Van Dierendonck, 2011). For this reason, the leadership approach which can be followed by Jim can be stated to be the democratic leadership approach and style. In this manner, Jim will not only be required to maintain a profound communication level but also be able to manage the different employees adequately and be able to manage them in a manner such that the overall productivity of the firm increases. Once the organization will be able to respect the different employees and involve them in the decision making procedure of the organization, then they will be able to ensure that, the organization attains success in the long run.

With respect to the Personal plan and development which I formed for the purpose of the organization, it can be mentioned that, I have made the plan, keeping in mind the overall capability which I possess and also the resources which I have in hand. Through this, I will be able to ensure that, I am able to achieve my overall goals as a leader and ensure that I will be able to attain my overall goals and other aspects in my career (Wheatley, 2011). The report helped in understanding the different approaches which can be largely adopted by the different leaders as present and also assisted in seeing to it that I am successfully able to attain my overall goals as present and become a better leader. The report has made use of theoretical models as well as practical examples in order to present an analysis of the overall concept of leadership.

References

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Wheatley, M. (2011). Leadership and the new science: Discovering order in a chaotic world. . ReadHowYouWant. com. .Link: https://www.bkconnection.com/static/Leadership_and_the_New_Science_3rd_EXCERPT.pdf

Wong, S. I., & Giessner, S. R. (2018). The thin line between empowering and laissez-faire leadership: An expectancy-match perspective. Journal of Management, 44(2), 757-783. Baltaci, A., & Balc?, A. (2017). Complexity leadership: A theorical perspective. International Journal of Educational Leadership and Management, 5(1), 30-58. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.17583/ijelm.2017.2435

Yang, I. (2015). Positive effects of laissez-faire leadership: conceptual exploration. Journal of Management Development, 34(10), 1246-1261. DOI: https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/JMD-02-2015-0016

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