Leadership Application

Leadership Application

During the course of this class we have studied many different theories and concepts of leadership. There seems to be as many theories of leadership as there are leaders. For this discussion we are asked to choose the three most valuable leadership theories or concepts learned and why these theories or concepts are valuable in enhancing our leadership practice and effectiveness. Once these theories or concepts have been identified we must then explain how we will integrate them into our learning and apply them to our leadership practice. Each of the theories and concepts that we studied were valuable. The effective leader will use all the tools available, what works in one situation may not work in another. One must continue to use different techniques until you find the one that works. The three most valuable leadership theories or concepts I will be discussing are situational leadership, servant leadership, and moral leadership. The situational leadership style deals with the developmental level of the followers. The developmental level is defined as the amount of commitment and the amount of skill a person has in completing a certain task. There are four basic developmental levels. Each level is presented as various combinations of the level of commitment and skill of the follower. The follower's level of commitment can be either low or high and his skill level can be either low or high. The leadership style used will change as the developmental level of the follower changes. There are four basic styles of leadership in the situational model. The first is directing, followed by coaching, supporting, and delegating. The leadership styles use a combination of supportive and directive behavior depending on the developmental level of the follower. The four styles differ in regards to the amount of directive and supportive behavior that is displayed by the leader. The leader determines the developmental level of the follower in regards to the task being performed. The follower's developmental level will decide which leadership style is best used for the situation. Those with high needs and not much experience are best suited to the directing style of leadership. Those with low needs and a high level of skill will be best suited to the delegating style of leadership. "People low in task readiness, because of little ability or training, or insecurity, need a different leadership style than those who are high in readiness and have good ability, skills, confidence, and willingness to work" (Daft, 2011). The goal of the leader in this style is to bring the followers up to the level where the leader can use the delegating style and not have to spend as much time directing, coaching, and supporting. Servant leadership is about the duty of the leader to serve his/her followers. The role of the leader is to develop his followers and help them reach their full potential. Servant leadership has two parts, it is not just about the leader trying to please everyone in the organization. There is still the leadership part that deals with vision and direction of the company. Everyone needs to know what the company is trying to accomplish and how it is going about accomplishing it. This is vital because people need to know where they are going. The other part of servant leadership is what leaders focus on after the direction of the organization is clear to everyone. This deals with an organizations culture, the way they treat their people, and management practices that create an environment that is conducive to high employee morale. "Servant leadership is leadership upside-down. Servant leaders transcend self interest to serve the needs of others, help others grow and develop, and provide opportunity for others to gain materially and emotionally" (Daft, 2011). Moral leadership is the final concept or theory that I will be discussing. Moral leadership deals with making decisions based on what is right or wrong. Making the right decision means respecting the rights of all parties involved and not intentional causing harm to anyone. The wrong decision is made when one abuses the rights of those involved. The concept of moral or ethical business practices is in the news a great deal in this day and age. People behaving badly draw a great deal of media attention because that is what the public wants to see. When the person behaving badly happens to be the leader of a large corporation then the media attention is that much greater. The American public has lost a great deal of faith in corporate leaders due to the unethical behavior displayed over the last few years by many of today's corporations. When the product that you are selling is to the American public, this can cause a huge drop in sales resulting