A511.4.4.RB - Leadership Analysis

One of the most essential functions of management is to create willingness amongst the employees to perform at a high level.  That being said, the role of a leader is creating an environment to enhance interest in performance of employees. Motivation is a powerful tool for employee performance, particularly when it is induced by management. Over time there have been numerous studies that have tried to explain how motivation works. The advantages of motivation are numerous and include things such as enhancing overall organizational productivity, improving product quality and can increase employee unity.  What must be kept in perspective is that employees' motivation varies from employee to employee; what motivates one employee might not motivate another employee.  Just as motivation must not be considered as a single entity, neither must the trait that leaders possess.  The style of leadership that focuses on traits can be traced back to the argument that leaders are born versus being developed.  Through personal experience and research, I would definitely state that there are innate qualities and characteristics possessed by strong leaders as addressed by author Gary Yukl in his book Leadership in Organizations, Table 6-2 (Yukl, 2013).  However, this thought process is not without flaw; certain leadership traits will not always identify successful leaders and predict there overall effectiveness. Factors such as the type of organization can also have a huge impact on the effectiveness of a leader, no matter what traits or skills they possess.

Since joining the military at the age of 18, I have become very in tuned with my leadership skills, traits, and competencies.  These personal abilities that I possess have changed over time for various reasons.  I would like to think that I continue to gain knowledge when it comes to using the certain leadership skills and traits for success.  I have taken numerous personality and leadership assessments to include the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, DISC assessment, Dealing with Conflict Instrument (DWCI) and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.  To this date I have not been surprise by any of the results.  By analyzing the results of these assessments I have been able to identify at what stages in my life certain traits blossomed and when some were suppressed.   I believe I possess some of the skills mentioned in Yukl, Leadership in Organizations, Table 6-3 (Yukl, 2013).  Conversely my strengths are concentrating my aptitude to formulate ideas; conceptual skills. These ideas have been heavily influenced by both internal and external environments in which I have held leadership positions.  I feel this has given me an advantage over other leaders because I have held positions in the Department of Defense, Retail, Corporate America and the US Federal Government; all having different standards of operations.  These differences have allowed me to understand how to lead around situational variables and remain successful.   On the other hand, these differences have taught me how to focus on particular variables related to the environment that might determine which particular style of leadership is best suited for the situation.  This was particularly true when it came to the military because there was more control over the qualities of the employees and a better understanding of presented situations.