Theory Thus Far

Prior to this course in particular, I honestly was quite blind to the realization that there are a numerous variety of leadership theories out there today. I thought about leadership and the idea that it was not solely based around traits, yet the concept never came to mind that there could be other theories besides the trait-based theory. Who would of thought there would be so many diverging views and so many widespread beliefs about leadership? Not I. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always valued leadership and the opportunity to grow as a person through helping others, I guess I just never really thought much past that. After reading about the variety of leadership theories and discussing them in class, I feel as though my mind has been renewed with a whole new sense of knowledge and a window to the future. I found it most interesting to see how ultimately many of the theories can somehow link together and you can find certain little similarities between all of them. Thus, leadership can be interpreted in a multitude of ways but the way I see it, it all boils down to a few similar components. I believe that each one of the theories is important and significant in it’s own way, however; I do harmonize with a few more than others.

Situational leadership theory stood out in my mind as a component that could not be done without. To me, leadership is VERY situational and very much related to the task and overall conditions at hand. My eyes were wide open and my ears tuned in when I began learning about situational leadership and how different leaders excel in different areas. To me, this makes complete sense. I was able to put two and two together because I did not like the idea of the trait theory. Trait theory in my mind was blind to the idea that everyone has the capacity to be a leader, not just certain people born with certain traits. Here, in situational leadership theory, this comes together with perfection as different leaders are able to take the reigns and drive in one instance and other leaders are able to do that and perform in a completely different scenario. An element of leadership theory that I found to be important was the concept of transformational leadership in that it relates to helping others better themselves as leaders and better the people around them. As it is evident, I love helping people, but often times it is uneasy to assist others and serve them when they aren’t willing to commit. I discovered that I would love nothing more than to serve as a transformational leader and inspire individuals to serve in leadership wholeheartedly while putting others before themselves. If I could touch peoples’ hearts and motivate them to be a positive influence in others lives, I believe I would have reached that goal. Until then I will set out with my new outlook on leadership theory, with all of it’s prime components at hand I will attempt my best to keep an open mind to fresh leadership techniques while staying motivated and determined to practice my own.