Managerial Video Insight to Leadership Theory

Leadership Theory Analysis

Leadership is a word that represents a fairly vague and misunderstood concept. Leadership can refer to specific people, the actions or behaviors of a specific person or group of people, or any other conceivable combination. It's difficult for anyone to grasp a specific definition with an appropriate context because it can be applied in a plethora of scenarios. For example, a leader can still be a leader even though they are not currently in the state of leading. Or if that person is actively trying to lead a group and they are not performing well it could also be said that the person is void of leadership skills; thus the dilemma would be if that person was really a leader. However, the word is prevalent in the business community and any aspiring professional should have a deep understanding of the complexities relating to the notions of leadership.

One way to come to terms with the concept of leadership is to examine the typical work day of someone who is considered a leader. Yet different leaders have different strategies and approaches to leadership as well. Therefore, a broad category must be compiled when referring to specific traits and behaviors. After viewing the Management Interview Series Databases on company leaders, the fifteen different people in leadership roles exhibited a wide variety of personalities. From this, a realization was made that it isn't necessarily someone's personality that makes them a leader, it must be something more.

The leaders portrayed include males to females, young and older professionals, and also people in various levels of responsibilities; such as general manager or chief executive officer. Although each individual is completely different, one common denominator that was identified is that they all seem to be working toward stated organizational goals. A few traits that these leaders reveal in a typical workday are their dedication, communicate skills, and their ability to foster teamwork. However, things that work for one leader may not work as well for another leader. Also, things that work for one leader in one situation may not work for the same leader in a different scenario. A truly adept leader must therefore be flexible in his approach and adapt their strategy to meet the needs that the situation dictates (Business Strategy Review, 2005).

In a typical workday leaders schedules are incredibly demanding; consisting of long hours filled with activities such as meetings, countless correspondence through email, and often require travelling to different locations. Jack McDonald, the CEO of Compass Group Canada, attributes much of his success to his dedication to the company. He feels as though his drive and dedication allows him to lead by example. Leading through example is a common strategy that many leaders use to try to motivate employees. He states that the kinds of people that are successful are the kind of people that are motivated by winning, continuing to move ahead, and doing different things. A leader that brings a strong drive to work every day will be able to overcome any obstacle and this type of dedication as serves to motivate others to work towards that goal as well.

Not only does a good leader need drive in a typical workday but they also need to be good at communicating their vision. Communication skills are another aspect of leadership that was shared among the various leaders viewed. It is necessary for leader in a typical work day maintain effective communications with a multitude of different types of people and groups. No leader would be successful without a team supporting them. Therefore they have to be able to influence and motivate the team members to meet organizational objectives in order to ensure success. The leaders that can provide the highest levels of motivation among subordinates are often the most successful.

All of the leaders all have the experience of working with teams on an everyday basis and they all realize how important a dedicated team is in helping the company gain success. (AIEIS, 2009) Another example, Gina Haverstock who is a Wine Maker for the Gaspereau Vineyards, prefers the leadership style of being a team player. During her interview she states there are three of us at Gaspereau Vineyards in leadership roles who take on shared responsibility. There is the Vineyard manager, there's the store manager, and there is the wine maker who all have to make sure that they are all in sync and work together effectively to meet their goals (Haverstock, 2009). Shared leadership offers advantages from having more minds and skills available and can be very effective as long as the team maintains a high level of coordination.