Are you a born leader? What makes one leader effective and another leader noneffective? These are but a few of the questions asked in the research community in analyzing what constitutes a good leader. Leadership research has for over a century tried to determine the traits of an effective leader. Over the years, emphasis has changed from characteristics, to situational influence, to behaviors. This paper will examine: the meaning of control and randomization samples, how size and randomization of sampling influence validity, internal and external validity in leadership research, and why leadership research is critical to the leadership profession, both in profit and non-profit realms.
Control and Randomization Control and random sampling
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Creswell (2009) stated, “data, evidence, and rational consideration shape knowledge. In practice, the researcher collects information on instruments based on measures completed by the participants or by observations recorded by the researcher” (p.7). After data has been collected it can be illustrated by descriptive statistics, results would then be generalized to the study population. Research findings can help companies reevaluate leadership roles or how to transition current staff into effective leadership roles. Changing leadership has been explained by ASHE (2006) as “social constructivist theory suggests, is an evolving concept that has changed over time as social mores and beliefs have changed, then researchers will continuously reconstruct new visions that fit the emerging social understandings and needs” …show more content…
This is important because it provides proof that the observed outcome “B” of the test was caused by what the study “A” did. Applying this to the leadership research example being used; internal validity would be that the common traits of intelligence, and credibility were caused by the survey given. Three factors that could have negative affect, or threaten internal validity are: history, maturation, and attrition.
History refers to an event has transpired during or before the research testing that change the result of the study. History applied to the leadership example could mean the older generation of employees that grew up in times of war, may choose leader traits such as structured,
“The study of leadership rivals in age the emergence of civilization, which shaped its leaders as much as it was shaped by them. From its infancy, the study of history has been the study of leaders- what they did and why they did it.”
Many definitions exist on what leadership is. Despite the many differences in definitions, they all describe the leader as someone who influences others. Leaders transform individuals around them allowing them to work to their full potential. In order for a leader to be successful they must be knowledgeable, self- confident, and effective communicators. These characteristics will create a positive workplace environment that results in an increase in productivity. Leadership is not defined by titles or salary. Leaders must acquire their skills and continue to improve on them through learning. Good leaders provide a vision and help motivate others to make that vision happen. The leader must be effective and successful in creating a strong institution.
In order to be able to understand what makes an effective leader, it is first essential to understand what leadership is. There are many varying perceptions about the concept of leadership. Different types of leadership focus on different principles that range from the character traits of the leader to the change the leader brings. However, at its core all types of leadership consist of the following components: a process between the leader and followers, influence, and a
Leadership is a quality which cannot be acquired by any person from the other but it can be acquired by self-determination of a person. Leadership can best be called the personality of the very highest ability-whether in ruling, thinking, imagining, innovation, warring, or religious influencing. Leadership is practiced not so much in words a it is in attitude and in actions. Their actions leave a long lasting memory in the line of history and lead up to may events that occur today. To be a leader one will need many qualities. Leaders have a purpose and strategies to accomplish that purpose. They are driven and motivated. In the end they should be able to attain good results. These innate talents help to make up a leader that will succeed and be efficient in carrying out tasks. But, the purpose of this paper is determine what truly makes a leader successful. A successful leader should be considered more on their impact rather than their accomplishments of their organizations alone for they are not sufficient in determining the key to their success .
Although there have been an unlimited amount of research done in reference to leadership styles in for profit organizations, there have been a lack of research done in the non-profit sector in regards to leadership. There have also been few research studies that address the differences in management process between non-profit organizations and for profit organizations.
While it is clear that leadership is about influencing others, what has been the subject of theoretical debate has been what creates a leader. Is a leader born, is it learned, or is it a matter of circumstance? Perhaps, better yet, since leadership is about influence, then leadership is a matter of relationships. Although there are many leadership theories, three theories set out to explain leadership development: trait theories, behavioral theories, and relationship theories.
Becoming a leader is never an easy task. It is complex with rational decision making and accepting responsibility for those decisions. Being the leader, does not mean that you always make the best choice, but it does mean you learn and grow from all you experiences. Sometimes becoming a leader is not a choice, but a responsibility that you inherit. Leaders are not born, but are created through trial and error. A true leader cares for his subordinate and will always respect, listen, and mentor them, but a true leader will also discipline correct subordinates when needed. Sometimes a leader needs to depend on his faith and look to a higher power, so that he can make choices with guidance.
Leadership is almost entirely gained through experience. Although many personalities are more suitable for leadership or less, like being good at time management (as good) or very quiet (as bad), there is almost nothing in a persons behavior as a leader that comes from external forces
Leadership at times can be a complex topic to delve into and may appear to be a simple and graspable concept for a certain few. Leadership skills are not simply acquired through position, seniority, pay scale, or the amount of titles an individual holds but is a characteristic acquired or is an innate trait for the fortunate few who possess it. Leadership can be misconstrued with management; a manager “manages” the daily operations of a company’s work while a leader envisions, influences, and empowers the individuals around them.
Since we are all born, the best answer to this question is: leaders are born and then made. A good leader is always moving forward; he never repeats the same thing! They strives to seek new experiences and they are in a constant self improving mode, that means he takes in information from a multitude of sources, including but not limited to his own interpretation of life experiences, observations, journals, website, informal training from an excellent mentor as well as from more formal training that is given in an academic setting.
Internal validity, unlike external and construct validity, deals with causal relationships. In other words, the question is whether any additional research that is found is actually associated with the study that is being conducted. The question, again, is whether we can be confident that the outcome of the study is a result of the experiment itself. What this means is that internal validity is the extent to which a change in a given variable is caused by the change in another variable.
For many years, I have been told by teachers, family, and friends that I am a good leader. Until fairly recently, I had never truly thought about what it means to be a good leader and just took it as a compliment. Leadership is an intangible concept which cannot be properly outlined in a dictionary, but one which must be formed and explained only through one’s own philosophies and experiences.
In my view, people employ certain traits that differentiate us from our neighbor next door, and leadership is no different. The test produced by the University of Kent in the United Kingdom (University of Kent, n.d.) has developed a process that I feel accurately defines what sort of leader you are based on 50 simple questions. I was not surprised by the results and found them to be quite accurate and expected. In this essay, I will explore why I feel the test is an accurate way to determine your leadership style due to my personal experience with
According to Wart (2013), this theory states that leaders can succeed in instituting changes in structure, procedure, ethos, technology, or production (557-558). From this, we can gather that some people are better at being leaders during a transitional part of a company. When a company is going through changes either through infrastructure, how they operate or adapting to technological changes, there has to be someone in charge in order to keep order and structure during these times. This might be a chaotic time period for the company and without a strong leader at the helm, it can go bad really quickly. An example of this could be when the internet was starting to take off in the United States. During this change in technology companies had to quickly adapt and change how they operated. No longer would they just be local or get the word of mouth about their products through the news or word of mouth. Now they had new venues to spread the word and sell their products. Several studies have been done over the past few years on leaders under this theory and the results show that they share some characteristics that are not often found under other theories. Some of these theories include according to Wart(2013), energy, determination, vision, and risk taking (558). This is interesting because our world is constantly changing and people need to adapt or risk being irrelevant. Also without having the energy or drive a company can falter and lose customers. It is why leaders should always strive and continue to try new things, reach new heights, and never being satisfied with their current
Many people associate leadership with a specific job title or form of power within an organization. However, through personal experience, I have concluded that leadership can come in many forms and position as well as from multiple sources of roles and job titles both with and without power. Based on the definition of leadership, anyone can be considered a leader as long as they have the ability to influence people to achieve a particular result or goal which benefits the organization or group as a whole. Individuals with a secure sense of self and understanding, acceptance of diversity within an organization tend to be the strongest leaders that not only make others want to follow, but they also encourage other leaders to gravitate to their