Practicing Leadership Principles and Applications by Arthur Shriberg and David Shriberg
Chapter 1 – Introducing leadership and beginning to form your personal leadership model
Leadership is about guiding and transforming the lives of others. This entails nurturing your skills so that you can lead others. Leading is all about influencing, motivating and inspiring others to achieve certain goals. A leader must have the ability to influence others to follow a particular direction. This is followed by motivating them towards a particular vision so that they can achieve their objectives. The second concept is the importance of transformational leadership. Through transformation, a leader creates a change in the mind of followers. He gives them a new vision and inspires them to follow it until they achieve success. The third concept is the attributes of a good leader. For a personal leadership model to be effective, integrity, hard work, discipline and motivation must be exhibited. I would use the above concepts since they are the basic foundation of good leadership. I would succeed in leadership if I practised integrity and hard work. Working on my leadership traits would make it easier to influence others to follow my vision.
Chapter 2 – Ethical Leadership
Ethical leadership is when a leader respects the morals and values of others. Ethical beliefs and societal values shape the actions taken as they influence what is right or wrong. I would apply ethical values in my leadership since they restore dignity and order. An organization that abides by ethical values ensures that it obeys all the laws, and respects its stakeholders. It also creates trust and fairness, leading to a positive reputation in the market. Secondly, ethical leaders must have a vision of guiding followers towards creating a positive change. This vision should be in line with the ethical standards of society. I would apply this concept due to its benefit in creating positive changes in the world. Having a positive impact around the globe will lead to significant changes that will benefit future generations. Thirdly, ethical leadership is about being principled and holding deep convictions on what is right. Ethics requires one to be principled and determined to stand for what is right without any compromise. In organizations, managers strive to stand for what is right without being swayed away by detractors. This is important as it leads to respect for morals and all the laws.
Chapter 3 – Leadership in a Global and Multicultural Society
Globalization has led to the interaction of multicultural cultures within one organization. People of different religion, race, backgrounds and countries are now working in the same companies. The first concept in global leadership is understanding the cultural differences of all the stakeholders. This involves knowing their values and behavior, which helps in drafting a fruitful working relationship. This concept is critical in managing multinationals and helps all customers and employees feel appreciated by the firm. Besides, it creates a harmonious working relationship since all employees are motivated by the respect shown towards their culture. Secondly, managers must tap the opportunities created by the multicultural differences. Leaders should concentrate on the positivity of the differences existing between employees. I would apply this concept as it helps in taping talents that can help in transforming a company. Thirdly, a leader must learn how to create coordination and cooperation within the company regardless of the multicultural differences. This is important in creating cohesion and teamwork among the employees. Working as a team helps in accelerating the achievement of the company’s goals. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Chapter 4 – Evolution of Western Leadership
In the past, power and influence were viewed to be a significant characteristic of leaders. Previous leaders were influential and would rally their followers towards a particular course. Most of them had innate qualities such as courage, confidence and intelligence. The concept of influence is key in leadership since one cannot lead without influence. The second concept is the act of learning to be a leader. A person with innate abilities can learn to be a more effective leader. This can relate to following the footsteps of previous leaders who have excelled in various sectors. Thirdly, servant leadership is the most effective form of guiding people. It pushes one to respect his subjects and remain dedicated to public service. I would apply the concept of influence and servant leadership as they guide people towards a certain course. People will become more dedicated in following a specific path if they have confidence in the qualities of their leader. Servant leadership also helps in understanding the issues facing the followers at a personal level.
Chapter 5 – Psychology I: Intelligence and Personality
Intelligence is a cognitive ability that helps leaders in making critical decisions. In difficult situations, it requires an intelligent leader to come up with a solution. Conflicts in work, losses and stiff competition requires intelligent leaders to create sound solutions. This concept is critical in the recruitment policies of companies. Organizations should develop methods of testing the intelligence of employees before employing them. The second concept involves the big five personality tests. Personality traits such as openness, conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism and extraversion are important in shaping employees interactions. I would use a personality test to ensure that the employees recruited at least possess three of the five traits. The third concept is the interaction between intelligence and personality traits. Most of the successful executive leaders possess all the personality traits and are intelligent. This shows that hiring leaders who are possessing personality traits can help in scaling a company to the heights of success.
Chapter 6 – Psychology II: Motivation and Communication
Motivation is key among the followers of a certain leader. One must comprehend the intrinsic motivational needs of the followers. Intrinsic motivation is the driving force that pushes followers to undertake a certain task from within. I would apply this concept to learn the different aspects that push the employees to perform certain tasks. This would inspire them, as they would feel appreciated. The second concept relates to extrinsic motivation which takes the form of salaries and promotions. Extrinsic motivation pushes employees to work harder to attain certain benefits. This leads to better outcomes that help the company to excel. I would apply this concept by ensuring that employees are rewarded according to their performance. Thirdly, communication is vital in leadership. It is through communication that a leader expresses his ideas and visions to the followers. I would use the concept of cohesive communication to create open channels of passing information. This would create a united team of employees as they all share ideas about a certain project.
Chapter 7 – Management and Leadership
Management and leadership are terms that are often used interchangeably in organizations. However, leadership entails providing directions to the employees. A leader communicates and guides people towards achieving the objectives of an organization. Management then sets the structure of delegating duties and assigning roles of how the vision will be attained (Shriberg, & Shriberg, 2011). I would use this concept to help the executive members differentiate between leading and managing. Some would be assigned leadership roles of guiding the firm while others would have managerial responsibilities. The second concept is that management entails planning, controlling, directing, staffing and organizing. The management must have an actual plan of how resources will be used in the firm. I would use this concept to ensure that managers make sound plans before initiating any project. The third concept is about communication wherein management it is more formal and written while in leadership, it is verbal. Managing projects requires written reports documenting the progress of various tasks. In contrast, leadership involves more verbal communication of directing followers towards a certain path. I would use this concept to emphasize the importance of leaders engaging their follower’s verbally. This would create a harmonious relationship where leaders understand their followers.
Chapter 8 – Power and Leadership from the Top
Authority and power in organizations are important as it leads to respect and order. In positional power, junior employees respect seniors. This creates a hierarchical organization where communication flows freely. I would use this concept to designate power to the top managers. This would create a cohesive organization where employees know and observe their limits. Secondly, the idea of expert power is critical in a firm. The employees with expertise in certain aspects need to have the ability to channel their opinions without fear. I would use this concept to create a system where employees can air out their innovative ideas without fear or following protocols. This would promote creativity and innovativeness in the firm. Thirdly, power in leadership should not be misused. Most individuals in leadership positions engage in looting, mistreatment and harassing the juniors. I would apply this idea by setting the power limits of various executives. A code of conduct that provides for the sacking of any individual who breaks the rules would be enforced.
Chapter 9 – Teaming and Leadership
Teaming should be dynamic and keep on changing with time. Teams should be formed according to the abilities of individuals. Additionally, different teams should be occasionally formed to enhance the interaction of all the employees. This concept would help try out the combination of employees that would give the best results. Changing the teams would be critical in enforcing interactions in the firm. Secondly, teaming begins with leadership. A leader must show respect to the employees by appreciating all the ideas they raise as a team. This motivates the employees to accept being paired together. I would use this concept to inform the leadership about the importance of teamwork in the firm. Each leader would be challenged to initiate different mechanisms of pairing the employees. The third concept is on appreciating the team’s performance. The teamwork results need to be appreciated even if they do not meet the expectations. I would use this concept to acknowledge the participation of different teams in undertaking a particular task. This would motivate and inspire the members to accept being teamed up for different tasks.
Chapter 10 – Philosophy and Leadership
A leader must determine the philosophical beliefs that guide him in the leadership mantle. The philosophy adopted determines the decisions made and how the employees are directed. Secondly, the behaviors and attitudes of the employees depend on the philosophical leadership approach of the executives. Thirdly, democratic leadership philosophy is the most productive in an organization. In democratic philosophy, leaders create open systems where employees can share ideas and grievances freely. This creates cohesion and harmony in the firm since all the employees feel respected and appreciated. I would use these concepts to create an open philosophical approach in an organization. Employees would have the right of airing out their mind without reservations. This would create a cohesive working relationship and motivate employees to adopt positive behavioral change.
Chapter 11 – Leadership 2.0 (Virtual Leadership)
Communication is key in virtual leadership, and any breakdown affects the working relationship of different teams. Leaders must learn how to communicate with members in different time zones without delays. Secondly, developing trust in virtual leadership is difficult. Leaders must design a means of frequently communicating with team members as a way of developing trust. They must also be accessible for their team members, and this can build trust. Thirdly, emotional support and clarity are also needed when working in a virtual environment. Since members are prone to boredom and loneliness, leaders must frequently check on them to ensure that they are okay. Clarity of the specific tasks that employees are expected to perform is also important. I would use these concepts to ensure that team members are in constant talks with the team leader. This would lower boredom and raise the motivation of working on the firm’s projects. Team members in different areas would feel inspired and motivated when their team leader contacts them regularly.
Chapter 12 – Military Leadership
Leaders must always lead from the front. Like commanders who guide and direct their squads to war zones, corporate leaders are expected to show the way. Leaders must show resilience and motivate the employees to wither any fear and negative attitude when undertaking specific tasks. Secondly, leaders must show courage and be self-confident. They have to believe in their dreams and the objectives of the company. This motivates the followers since they are convinced about the high probability of attaining positive results. Thirdly, military leadership entails showing aggressiveness and boldness when tackling various issues. Leaders must be aggressive in achieving results and be risk-takers when tackling uncertainty. I would use these concepts as they create a team of employees that are bold to take risks. Courageous and aggressive leaders would also help a company withstand stiff competition and scandals.
Chapter 13 – Leading for Environmental Sustainability
Leadership on environmental sustainability requires a leader who is conscious of the surroundings. A leader must work with different stakeholders to ensure that the environment is conserved. Secondly, leaders must show a commitment to conserving the environment. This involves allocating some resources towards projects such as planting trees and recycling waste products. Thirdly, environmental sustainability creates a positive image of the firm in the market. The public prefers to purchase goods from a company that conserves the environment for the sustainability of the future generation. I would apply these concepts to inform the employees about the need for safeguarding the environment. Protecting the surroundings is a form of corporate social responsibility that would protect the company’s image.
Chapter 14 – Practicing Leadership: It’s Your Turn
Building relationships is an essential part of leadership. Leaders need to develop a number of followers who can work towards achieving a particular goal. This team must be committed to attaining similar goals with that of the team leader. Secondly, the leader must have a vision of what he aspires to achieve. A vision acts as a map that guides the steps of the team in their quest to achieve the company’s objectives. Thirdly, a leader must be aggressive and courageous when tackling challenges. This calls for boldness and innovations in developing ideas of tackling various issues in the company. I would use these concepts to guide young people into leadership positions. I would encourage them to be innovative and courageous when approaching various issues in life.
References
Shriberg, A., & Shriberg, D. (2011). Practicing Leadership Principles and Applications. John Wiley & Sons, Business and Economics.