Theories provide a basis for understanding different phenomena and enhance the development and application of knowledge. Leadership theories explain the concept of leadership from various perspectives, determining its traits and the nature of the relationship between the leaders and their followers. Since there are divergent views of leadership, several theories have developed, with each focusing on different leadership aspects. Leaders can choose the leadership theory in order to adopt and use it in their organizations based on its appeal to their personal traits, values, and goals. However, even though organizational leaders may have favorite theories, it is essential for them to examine the context to which these theories will be applied before choosing the most appropriate. Such precaution emerges from the fact that context can hinder the application of certain leadership theories and promote the use of others. Successful organizational leaders choose those leadership theories that fit their operational context. The theory chosen by a leader also determines the type of organizational culture and the ability of an organization to achieve its goals. The leadership concepts and theories learned throughout the leadership program have influenced my personal leadership approach, philosophy, and the spheres of their application, since they have provided vital knowledge that will guide my leadership choices in organizational settings.
Chosen Leadership Theories
The leadership theories that have had a profound effect on my leadership philosophy and approach include the authentic, the transformational, and the servant leadership.The characteristics and the effects of each theory in regard to the organization and its followers have shaped my leadership philosophy.
Authentic Leadership Theory
Authentic leaders have their personal experiences and beliefs and behave according to them. The leadership theory has become essential in modern organizations because of unethical behaviors in corporations witnessed in recent years (Walumbwa, Avolio, Gardner, Wernsing & Peterson, 2008). Such behaviors have created a gap between what leaders say and what they do. Consequently, firms are marred with mistrust, which has a negative impact on the affected firms in ways such as loss of earnings, inadequate performance, and reputation damage. Therefore, authentic leadership emerged as an answer to such malpractices.
Authentic leadership comprises four components that include self-awareness, balanced processing, relational transparency, and internalized moral perspective. The self-awareness aspect of authentic leaders defines the leaders’ ability to understand how they perceive the world (Ilies, Morgeson & Nahrgang, 2005). Balanced processing means that leaders can assess information without bias when making decisions. The relational transparency refers to how authentic leaders present themselves to others without hiding their weaknesses or strengths, in order to cultivate trust. According to Harter and Evanecky (2002), the followers can question leadership when the leader is perceived as unfair. The relational transparency can eliminate such perception of unfairness by portraying the leader as sincere. The internalized moral perspective defines the ability of the authentic leader to self-regulate their behavior by using integrated values and moral standards. It is evident that authentic leadership has positive and long-lasting effects on corporations, while authentic leaders have the capacity to inspire their followers to reach high levels of self-esteem, performance, psychological welfare, friendliness, engagement, and citizenship behaviors. The primary goal of any leader is to promote the welfare of all the stakeholders through the enhanced organizational performance. Followers with high self-esteem levels are highly productive, because they have the confidence to set high-value targets and to achieve them. Additionally, such workers are highly motivated, which can result in effective performance. Psychological well-being and friendliness promote collaboration, which leads to innovations. The employee engagement elicits commitment, while citizenship behaviors foster corporate social responsibility. The characteristics, the components, and the effects of the authentic leadership on the followers and organizations make the authentic leadership theory vital to my leadership philosophy.
Authentic leadership can be of critical importance when a corporation is facing the need to change. Although change may be beneficial to a firm, the employees are likely to resist it for various reasons, such as the uncertainty that change brings and the possibility of losing their jobs or control over the situation. When there is an imminent change, mistrust may emerge between the leaders advocating for it and the employees. Therefore, authentic leadership can be essential in re-establishing trust. The relational transparency aspect of the authentic leaders can help the facilitation of the process of change by ensuring that there is transparent sharing of information among all the stakeholders (Ilies, Morgeson & Nahrgan, 2005). Maintaining an open communication channel can help the authentic leaders address the fears of those resisting change, empowering them to deal with it.
Transformational Leadership Theory
Transformational leaders derive their power and influence from deeply held value systems. The outward expression of such values modifies followers’ behavior, aspirations, and goals, and unites them. Transformational leadership’s behavioral modification capabilities empower the leaders to convince their followers to forego their personal interests and focus on the overall success of the organization. Transformational leaders fuse their goals and visions with those of the followers and of the organization, which helps to produce the optimal results for everyone (Humphreys, 2005). The leaders understa