Marc’s MSLD Reflection Blog

One of the newest areas of leadership research has focused on leadership being real and genuine (Northouse, 2016). The need for authentic leaders has increased as people, in general, feel less secure about what is going on in the world. Increased connectedness through mobile devices, and a 24-hour news cycle provide ways for people to be aware of the world around them.  However, it also seems that greater awareness increases people’s anxiety and reduces their ability to trust their leaders (Davey, 2012). Northouse (2016) stated that “authentic leaders have a genuine desire to serve others, they know themselves, and they feel free to lead from their core values” (p. 197).  Authentic leaders understand their purpose, they have strong ethical values, they build trusting relationships, are self-disciplined, and passionate about their mission (Northouse, 2016).  Bill George, the developer of the authentic leadership approach, suggested that for an individual to become an...

Transformational leadership has been defined as “a process that changes and transforms people” (Northouse, 2016, p. 161).  Transformational leadership “is concerned with emotions, values, ethics, standards, and long term goals. It includes assessing followers’ motives, satisfying their needs, and treating them as full human beings” (Northouse, 2016, p. 161).   When I reflect upon the people who have had the greatest transformational influence in my life, and have had a hand in helping me become who I am today, one of the names I think of is Larry Durham.  When I was 16 years old I was looking for a job. My little brother’s friend, Nick Durham, said that his father was looking for a helper for his construction company. I asked Nick to mention to him that I was looking for work.  I remember one morning Larry called me and with his big friendly voice explained the nature of the work I would be doing: “You will be operating a piece of earth moving equipment at...

In a TED Talk entitled Itay Talgam: Lead like the Great Conductors (Talgam, 2009), Talgam demonstrated various different leadership styles by showing different styles of orchestra conductors.  The conductors’ styles closely resemble four common styles of leadership. In 1939 psychologist Kurt Lewin identified three major leadership styles, authoritarian, democratic, and laissez-faire.  Further research has since identified additional styles, including the bureaucratic style, but Lewin’s three styles established the foundation of leadership style research (Cherry, 2013). The authoritarian or autocratic style is characterized by a leader who sets clear expectations of what should be done, how it should be done, and when it should be done.  This type of leader makes decisions with little or no input from others. Autocratic leadership can be beneficial when decisions need to be made quickly and there is not time to seek group opinion, or in times of crisis were peop...