week 1_ Discussion 3

Week Two Discussion

Name:

Institution:

Week Two Discussion

Why the Topic is Interesting

Being a leader and having the ability to impart positive change has been a life-long dream. The topic has given one a different and better orientation to leadership especially when it comes to interacting with diverse people who may have different personality traits as well as varying cultural backgrounds. The effectiveness of leadership is a matter of a leader having a clear understanding of the followers by keeping them close and making them feel a sense of worth and belonging (McCleskey, 2014). The concept of personality styles and tests has been found impactful. On the journey of becoming a future leader, the content made one learn about personality traits and what they mean and behavior expected from such individuals. Additionally, it is imperative to note that the topic has introduced one to diverse topics where one can dig deeper and gain even more insightful knowledge and skills. In so doing, one will become even a better leader who understands the plight and issues among followers. In essence, the topic is interesting as it introduces one to content that adds on what one has been doing in preparing to become an effective leader.

How the learning will be applied in daily life

During day-to-day activities, it is common for one to meet and interact with other people. These interactions are sometimes marred by misunderstandings and variations in cultural backgrounds. However, the learnt concepts and content will be applied in understanding other people in-depth where their preferences, strengths, and weaknesses will be known. This will offer an important opportunity for putting the learnt concepts in practicing with the overall aim of perfecting them. Additionally, when working with other people on a project or a simple task, it will be possible for to apply the learnt concepts with the aim of determining any new trends and gaps that one should address. One can only learn about own weaknesses when interacting with other people. Learning and continuous improvement make someone an effective leader which will be the focus when interacting with other people in social places and at work. Additionally, taking up extra roles and responsibilities will also help one apply the learnt concepts. At work, it is common for line-managers to look for people who will take new roles especially in leading project teams. Such responsibilities will be undertaken and leveraged when it comes to putting in practice what has been learnt. In essence, as an aspiring leader, it is important that the learnt concepts are put into practice.

Reference

McCleskey, J. A. (2014). Situational, transformational, and transactional leadership and leadership development. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, 5(4), 117.

Reply 1:

Giselle Wrote:

The lecture was very interesting, there were many things that stood out to me but it was a different feeling when I watched What It Takes to be a Great Leader by Roselinde Torres. The quote that stood out to me was “What Makes a Great Leader in the 21st Century?”, (Torres, 2019). It was very interesting to hear about the many types of leaders that she encountered throughout her journey and the difference between the ones that were succeeding versus the ones that were failing. When Roselinde mentioned that preparing ourselves for the realities of today and the unknown possibilities of tomorrow is what makes a great leader in the 21st century, I started questioning whether I was doing that. It made me view things in a different perspective, I realized that I need to expand my professional relationships not only with those whom I am comfortable with but also with the ones that I am not. I need to work harder on networking and build teams that will lead us to accomplish something great. By networking and expanding my relationships it will allow me to accomplish goals with different ideas that will surface from these relationships. We will never know what others have to offer if we close ourselves off to what we know and are comfortable with. The main thing that remain unclear is what relationships to target, do I build relationships around certain topics or build relationships to build resources?

Reference:

TedTalks: Roselinde Torres. What it takes to be a great leader [Video file]. (2010). Retrieved April 1, 2019, from https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=18566&xtid=66132