LDR 600 Leadership is a complex process that requires leaders to critically appraise the circumstances
Leadership is a complex process that requires leaders to critically appraise the circumstances in which they find themselves to best determine how to lead and influence those around them. There are multiple tactics a leader can employ in any given circumstance to influence a situation or their followers. Compare two leaders you have dealt with in the past. What different tactics did these leaders employ to influence situations or people? Which tactics were successful? Which tactics were not successful? As a leader, how can you critically appraise situations to make sure you select appropriate tactics for influencing a given situation?
Leadership qualities are intrinsic abilities that people are born with, according to early studies on the psychology of leadership. Despite the fact that leadership has been a topic of study since the beginning of time, formal leadership theories have only lately arisen.
Every team requires a leader to be successful. Take, for example, an orchestra that contains of the world’s top musicians but lacks a conductor. Even if every member of the orchestra can play flawlessly on their own, in the absence of a conductor, they will only produce an incompatible melody. Communities, businesses, and governments are all affected by the same principle. Nothing will ever function smoothly without a leader.
So, what makes a leader unique? Why are certain people chosen to be managers and presidents, while others stay followers? To find answers to these concerns, leadership theories were formed.
Theories of Leadership
1. The Great Man Hypothesis
Leaders are born with the ideal qualities and abilities for leading, according to the Great Man Theory (which should really be named the Great Person Theory). These traits and talents include charm, intellect, confidence, communication skills, and social skills.
The notion proposes that leadership talent is innate, and that the finest leaders are born rather than made. It portrays leaders as brave, legendary, and destined to climb to the top when the time comes. Because leadership was reserved for males at the period, notably in military leadership, the title “Great Man” was coined.
Important information for writing discussion questions and participation
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Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to
I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you.
Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted.
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Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements.
Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week.
I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!
Hi Class,
Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts.
Contact me if you have any questions.
Important information on Writing a Discussion Question
- Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references)
- There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article.
- Include in-text citations in your response
- Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information
- Follow APA-7th edition
- Points will be deducted if the above is not followed
Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor
- A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week.
- Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article
- Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references)
- Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count.
- Follow APA 7th edition
- Points will be deducted if the above is not followed
- Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points.
- Here are some helpful links
- The is a great resource
2. Theory of Traits
The Great Man Theory and the Trait Theory are extremely similar. It is based on the traits of various leaders, both successful and unsuccessful. The hypothesis is utilized to determine whether or not a person will be a good leader. Typically, the discovered attributes are compared to those of potential leaders to establish whether or not they have the ability to lead effectively.
Researchers studying the trait theory aim to uncover leadership characteristics from a variety of angles. They look at physical
characteristics like looks, weight, and height, as well as demographics like age, education, and family background, as well as intelligence, which includes decisiveness, judgment, and knowledge.
3. Theoretical Framework
The Contingency Theory highlights several variables in a given context that determine which leadership style is best suited for that situation. It is based on the idea that there is no one-size-fits-all leadership style that can be used in all situations.
The finest style of leadership, according to renowned leadership academics Hodgson and White, is one that strikes the optimal balance between behaviors, needs, and circumstance. Good leaders not only have the correct attributes, but they can also assess their followers’ needs and the scenario at hand. In conclusion, the contingency theory implies that exceptional leadership is the result of a complex interaction of numerous factors.
4. Situational Analysis
The Situational Theory is similar to the Contingency Theory in that it claims that no single leadership style is superior to the others. As the name implies, the theory suggests that leadership is conditional on the context. Simply put, leaders should match their leadership style to the scenario at hand by considering factors such as the work at hand, the nature of their followers, and so on.
The situational theory, as developed by US academic Paul Hersey and leadership guru Ken Blanchard, combines two crucial elements: leadership style and followers’ maturity levels. According to Hersey and Blanchard, there are four levels of maturity:
M1 – Team members lack the drive and tactical ability to execute required tasks.
M2 – Team members are eager to accomplish something, but they lack the requisite skills.
M3 – Team members have the skills and capability to complete tasks, but they refuse to take responsibility for their actions.
M4 – Team members have all of the necessary skills and are eager to execute projects.
Situational theory states that a leader’s style of leadership is determined by the maturity level of his or her team.
Behavioral theory, no. 5
The focus of Behavioral theory is on leaders’ specific behaviors and deeds rather than their attributes or characteristics. According to the notion, good leadership is the consequence of a variety of taught talents.
To lead their followers, people require three primary skills: technical, human, and intellectual. Technical skills pertain to a leader’s understanding of a process or technique; human skills allude to one’s ability to engage with others; and conceptual skills refer to the leader’s ability to come up with ideas for effectively operating the company or society.