Leadership Development

Contents
Executive Summary 2
Introduction 3
Methodology 4
Participants 5
Data Collection 5
Data Analysis 5
Findings of the Research 6
High-Quality keywords 7
Table 1.1; Relationship Oriented Keywords 7
Table 1.2; Task Related Keywords 8
Low-quality keywords 8
Table 1.3; Relationship Oriented Keywords 9
Table 1.4; Task Related Keywords 9
Discussion 9
Leadership Development Plan 11
Conclusion 12
References 14

Executive Summary
To be a successful leader, an individual needs to critically analyze and develop his or her own skills to ensure that employees will look up to him. From stress to task management, a leader needs to perfect on so much more. This paper uses quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, and the internet to develop theories on what is required of a leader. From the findings of the paper, a leader needs to first connect closely with employees in a personal relationship and then follow suit with task management. This step enables the leader to become closer and hence gains the trust of employees who will provide skills in task management.

 
Introduction
A successful leader needs to possess various competencies in many sectors. Leadership is not only focused on one area since a leader needs to be well developed in many regions. For example, a leader must first be able to manage themselves before they can have the skills to manage a set group of people. The way a leader manages stress in a personal situation can easily be used to foresee how favorable they will be in managing stress from an organizational perspective. The leader needs to adopt competent work habits, attitudes and insights, among many other skills. An excellent leader is one who can lead others appropriately, even under pressure. To be able to do so, a leader must be in a position to communicate effectively with others, promote interpersonal awareness among the employees, motivate them, influence and develop their abilities. The function of leaders in an organization is mainly to guide others in carrying out tasks so that the results are pleasant. Therefore, the area of task management is also one which the leader needs to perfect on. A successful leader must be able to execute tasks effectively, solve problems which occur during the process, manage the company’s resources appropriately, manage human resources, and also enhance their performance. For any company to become competent in a pool of other similar companies, innovation is a must have. The leader of the organization is the member responsible for contributing this idea and effecting its growth. Factors such as creativity, enterprising, forecasting, and managing change among others should come naturally. Every leader has a social responsibility to the organization, and this is why they need to possess social knowledge, they need to lead other ethically, and act with integrity. In this paper, all the sections of the CMU model have been applied since they are all powerful contributors in the development of an excellent leader.
Methodology
Leadership is a concept which is very complex. However, this complexity does not, in any way, render it immune from scientific study. Science usually differs from common knowledge in that it is systematic and can be controlled (Quigley, 2013).According to Horlings and Padt (2013), there are two major methodological research traditions: qualitative and quantitative methods. Quantitative methods are commonly used when the phenomenon being studied should be measured, when hypotheses must be tested, when generalizations need to be made from the measurements, and when generalizations made need to be beyond chance occurrences. Thus, choice of which one of these approaches to use will be dependent on a number of factors. Leadership researchers and analysts have typically used quantitative approaches. However, to have a better understanding of the complex, embedded phenomena, qualitative approaches to this study of leadership and leadership skills are also necessary (Akins, Bright, Brunson & Wortham, 2013).
Given the contextual and complex nature of leadership, it is essential that qualitative methods, as a theory generating approach, be used to complement quantitative methods since their strengths are in theory testing. The reasons for using qualitative methods in this research include; (a) Quantitative approaches to scientific inquiry are generally reliant on testing theoretical propositions. (b) A qualitative study mainly focuses on meanings as related in context. (c) Qualitative research has frequently been criticized for being biased since it is constructive in nature (Horlings & Padt , 2013). Hence, when a researcher needs to use the data to construct a specific reality, the process will be way much easier.
Secondary methods will also be used to obtain data for this research. The internet is a good source for obtain previous information about the strengths and weaknesses of a leader and how it can affect his leadership. The internet is the best source for quantitative sources since historical data may be obtained from various sources.
Participants
The participants of this research featured 25 full-time employees who are working within a variety of team settings in a large private property industry and a medium-sized construction material company. The number of people from both sexes included 8 males and 17 females who were aged from 20 – 58 years. This sample size was determined by use of information redundancy and theoretical saturation.
Data Collection
The data was collected through various means. Interviews were conducted using several open-ended questions about their workplace interactions with their supervisors and other leaders. Each interview was designed to last approximately 45 minutes. To ensure that the researcher will be able to review the information given during the compilation of a report, the same interviews were also recorded on tapes, and then the content of the tapes were transcribed verbatim.
Data Analysis
Thematic Analysis was used in the process of qualitative data analysis. Keywords from the interviews and phrases of transcripts were closely compared with each other. They were later grouped into themes judging from their similarities and also their differences. With the help of a few colleagues, all the identified keywords and phrases extracted from these interviews were coded according to the meaning of each specified theme. Content Analysis with the aid of the application Leximancer was also used (www.leximancer.com). It was applied to help quantify the keywords. Leximancer is a lexical computer program that is designed to objectively analyze the content of textual documents. It is initiated with a list of the interview key words, and then ‘learns’ additional coding and adds terms found in the text to create the full thesaurus. This creates room for the extraction of meaningful data strands which contain the frequency of each keyword or phrase, and the description of all other information provided by the participants.
Findings of the Research
The perception of most employees was based on a personal relationship, whereby they expect to have a relationship which goes way beyond workplace relationships. Workplace relationships is rather casual, however from the findings of this research, it is clear that employees prefer to have a supervisor who is rather close than the usual leader (Dugan, 2011). From the interview, most participants responded n the following ways. (a) “She’s a mentor. It’s more of a mentoring relationship since she guides the way forward. It is also a very supportive relationship unlike the cases where the leader shows no interest in the career of employees”. (b) “My supervisor instills a lot of confidence in me to do a task, even though I have never worked on that particular job”. (c) “I think we have a great leader-employee relationship. We not only work well professionally, but we go out and socialize in activities planned by the management and stuff like that”. From these responses, it is clear that the leaders who are being praised have really created a solid relationship with their employees. The employees feel like their leaders are not only working to improve the organization, but they are also making an effort to improve the skills of employees.
High-Quality keywords
The keywords obtained from the research were used in various frequencies. Judging from these findings, it is clear that the employees relate to their leaders in a more personal level. Relationship oriented keywords had the frequencies noted in the table 1.1 below. Judging from the results, it is clear that the employees feel more appreciative towards the leaders who show some kind of personal relationship towards them. According to Salter et al. (2013), leaders have an obligation of maximizing the potential of other organization members and also motivate them to attain their shared goals. They must have the ability to manage individual and group performance with an understanding of how group dynamics work and team building (Sarwar, 2013). Effective leaders are those who actively listen and communicate effectively with work colleges so as to persuade them to build consensus and trust (Dugan, 2011). They should be more understanding and be empathic toward an individual’s emotions and needs and be able to resolve conflicts in a respectful manner (Batool, 2013).
Keyword Frequency
Helping/caring/concern, supporting each other 106
Personal sharing and friendship 89
Recognition and appreciation 75
Mutual respect and trust 70
Table 1.1: Relationship Oriented Keywords
Leaders need to use their task-specific knowledge and previous experience to guide their followers in the process of attaining the organizations goals. Leaders must, therefore, be in a position to engage in problem solving, task delegation, time and resource management, and eliminating barriers to performance (Kark, 2011). This is essential since in any task situation, conflicts must arise. Conflict can either be internal or external. A successful leader can solve problems by using his or her analytic thinking skills. This basically involves the use of existing information to logically evaluate a situation and solve problems. In the case of an external problem, such as a highly competent neighboring company, the leader may analyze data and hence make inferences from summarizing the information through the application of statistics and qualitative analyses. Leaders also must strive for results by encouraging employees and thereafter provide feedback at the end of the task to ensure effective contributions from all constituents (Akins, Bright, Brunson & Wortham, 2013). The frequency of task related keywords used are tabulated below.
Keyword Frequency
Information and idea exchange 87
Work-related problem solving 72
Good and frequent work communication 68
Task requirement/work demands/job responsibility 39
Table 1.2: Task Related Keywords
Low-quality keywords
In this research, some companies were proven to have poor leaders. Their employees did not describe them favorably and their ability to deal with task situations was also not considered to be effective. Table 1.3 shows the frequency in which leaders were noted to show little appreciation, care and support for their employees. It also shows the level of trust which the employees have in their leaders including respect for them (Yukl, 2012).
Keyword Frequency
Little appreciation, care and support 64
Lack of trust and respect 68
Table 1.3: Relationship Oriented Keywords
Surprisingly, the same leaders who were thought to have a poor relationship with employees were also noted to have poor task management skills. Some employees described them as being confused and not being able to handle a job related discussion appropriately. Poor task management can also be associated with poor communication skills whereby the leader does not communicate with employees face to face (Parris & Peachey, 2013). The leader may also criticize an individual. Table 1.4 shows these results.
Keyword Frequency
Task-focused/job related discussion 54
Poor work communication, criticism 37
Table 1.4: Task Related Keywords
Discussion
Since my future leadership is as a sales manager in property industry, it is clear that I have some strengths and weakness which I need to correct. As a property industry manager, I need to be able to develop my leadership on various sectors so that I may be able to work on the tasks presented to me daily. The property industry is basically associated with the sale and rental of properties across the region. Therefore, I will be faced with a challenge of ensuring I obtain property and eventually locate buyers or renters of the property.
I currently have strength in self-management since as a sales executive, I was expected to work on my own without supervision. Hence, I learned to be self-disciplined by reporting to work and carrying out my designated duties without being followed to do so. I have a positive attitude that this work field is not as complicated as many people think. Most have claimed that working as a sales executive in the property industry is not fulfilling since convincing people to accept a new property is hard. Personally, I think it is a challenge I should take. In fact, I enjoy counting down the properties I managed to sell in a week. I have a good experience with stress management. This job can be very stressful especially when you are trying to make sales so as to give a positive report at work. My other strengths include innovation and task management. As a sales executive, it is a requirement for you to be innovative, otherwise no matter how hard you try, the goals set cannot be reached.
I have a weakness in leading others and social responsibility. I was never responsible for anyone, and my work revolved around me. However, to improve on these areas, I plan to take courses and leadership so that I may gain skills required to lead people effectively. This plan will also enable me to grow on the areas which I am already skilled in such as task management. After researching, I noted that this step to develop my leadership is simple and very effective (Johnson et al., 2012).
The trait theories of leadership apply to my situation in most perspectives. Most personal traits are often closely associated with effective leadership. According to Waldman, De Luque, and Wang (2012), if a specific individual possesses a certain trait, he or she will become a successful leader in any situation. There are special attributes that appear to make a leader successful regardless of the situation (Tintavee, 2010). These traits include; (a) Physical vitality and stamina (b) Intelligence and action-oriented judgment (c) Eagerness to accept responsibility (d) Task competence (e) Understanding of followers and their needs (f) Skill in dealing with people (g) Need for achievement (h) Capacity to motivate people (i) Courage and resolution (j) Trustworthiness (k) Decisiveness (l) Self-confidence (m) Assertiveness (n) Adaptability/flexibility (von Urff Kaufeld, Chari & Freeme, 2009).
These theories will help in my leadership development process as it will enable me to grow and focus more on many regions, including my personal side. From this research, it is clear that individuals are more appreciative and responsive to a leader who can connect to them at a personal level (Petkeviciute & Giedraitis, 2013).
Leadership Development Plan
Developmental Objective To be able to develop my skills in leading others in task situations and also to develop my sense of social responsibility
Development Activity Resources/ Obstacles Date Scheduled Date Completed Results
Find an appropriate school of management and enroll for a short course Scheduling March 1, 2014 2015
Read books on effective leadership Library Effective immediately January 2015
Attend workshops on leadership skills so as to improve my task management skills Organization April, 2014 January 2015

Conclusion
This plan has been approved by my current sales manager who is very skilled as a leader. The leader suggested that I attend the many leadership workshops which take place frequently. As a result, I changed my plan so I could have time to attend these workshops and benefit from them too. I will be able to achieve all these set out in my plan with the help of mentors and other online resources. Being a leader is not as easy as it seems. From this research, it is clear that a leader needs to possess many skills in order to be respected and in order to be successful.

 
References
Akins, R., Bright, B., Brunson, T., & Wortham, W. (2013). Effective Leadership for Sustainable Development. E Journal Of Organizational Learning & Leadership, 11(1), 29-36.
Dugan, J. P. (2011). Pervasive myths in leadership development: Unpacking constraints on leadership learning. Journal Of Leadership Studies, 5(2), 79-84. doi:10.1002/jls.20223
Horlings, I., & Padt, F. (2013). Leadership for Sustainable Regional Development in Rural Areas: Bridging Personal and Institutional Aspects. Sustainable Development, 21(6), 413-424. doi:10.1002/sd.526
Johnson, S. K., Garrison, L. L., Hernez-Broome, G., Fleenor, J. W., & Steed, J. L. (2012). Go For the Goal(s): Relationship Between Goal Setting and Transfer of Training Following Leadership Development. Academy Of Management Learning & Education, 11(4), 555-569. doi:10.5465/amle.2010.0149
Kark, R. (2011). Games Managers Play: Play as a Form of Leadership Development. Academy Of Management Learning & Education, 10(3), 507-527.
Parris, D., & Peachey, J. (2013). A Systematic Literature Review of Servant Leadership Theory in Organizational Contexts. Journal Of Business Ethics, 113(3), 377-393. doi:10.1007/s10551-012-1322-6
Petkeviciute, N., & Giedraitis, A. (2013). Leadership Skills Formation in Workgroup of the First Level Managers in Manufacturing Companies. Management Of Organizations: Systematic Research, (67), 69-82. doi:10.7720/MOSR.1392-1142.2013.67.5
Quigley, N. R. (2013). A Longitudinal, Multilevel Study of Leadership Efficacy Development in MBA Teams. Academy Of Management Learning & Education, 12(4), 579-602. doi:10.5465/amle.2011.0524
Salter, C. R., Harris, M. H., Woodhull, M., & McCormack, J. (2013). A Study of the Relationship Between Moral Maturity and Respondent’s Self-Rated Leadership Style. Journal Of Leadership, Accountability & Ethics, 10(5), 96-108.
Sarwar, C. (2013). Future of Ethically Effective Leadership. Journal Of Business Ethics, 113(1), 81-89. doi:10.1007/s10551-012-1283-9 Batool, B. (2013). Emotional Intelligence and Effective Leadership. Journal Of Business Studies Quarterly, 4(3), 84-94.
Tintavee, P. (2010). Development of effective private bilingual school’s principal leadership structural causal model: behaviors and skills. Review Of Business Research, 10(1), 1-13.
von Urff Kaufeld, N., Chari, V., & Freeme, D. (2009). Critical Success Factors for Effective IT Leadership. Electronic Journal Of Information Systems Evaluation, 12(1), 119-128.
Waldman, D. A., De Luque, M., & Wang, D. (2012). What Can We Really Learn About Management Practices Across Firms and Countries?. Academy Of Management Perspectives, 26(1), 34-40. doi:10.5465/amp.2011.0093
Yukl, G. (2012). Effective Leadership Behavior: What We Know and What Questions Need More Attention. Academy Of Management Perspectives, 26(4), 66-85. doi:10.5465/amp.2012.0088
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