LEADERSHIP RESEARCH

AND CRITICAL REFLECTION

Leadership and Decision Making – BUSM 4188
Assignment 2
Lecturer: Do Thi Huong Nhu
Student: Pham Thanh Thu

S3798811
18/04/2022  
Contents
I. Introduction.............................................................................2

II. Critical Reflection...................................................................2

III. Leader’s Analysis.................................................................4

1. Leader Effectiveness............................................................4
2. Trait and Behaviors of an effective leaders..........................4
3. Source of Power and Influence Mechanism.........................6

IV. Conclusion............................................................................8

V. Reference................................................................................9

VI. Appendix............................................................................10

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 I. Introduction
Kruse (2013) considered Leadership as a wide term that may be defined in many different ways.
One way among them is to follow the idea of Pitis (2018) that defines a leader to be the one
inspiring, directing, encouraging, and mentoring individuals, groups of individuals,
organizations, society, or nations toward certain goals or outcomes. In this article, I will firstly
present my critical analysis on the industry talk. Then, through the analysis of the leader of my
choice, the article will compare theories of leadership versus the reality and how they can be
utilized in different situation. This will be accomplished by the explanation of theories, my
Observation of the chosen leader during the interview and finalized with the Analysis.

II. Critical Reflection

The industry talk was about the mindsets of global industry on contemporary leadership with the
aim of understanding the leadership personalities and how to be effective leaders. It is an honour
to listen to one of the successful women leaders in the business industry - Amber Williamson
who is the founder and CEO of Digital Willow. My original thought on effective leadership is
only assigning the task to the team members and ensuring that the deadline and requirements are
met. However, after learning the first few topics and listening to industry talk, I realised that
becoming a remarkable and effective leader requires not only work ethics but also the behaviour
of the leaders in the team. Ms. Amber had gladly shared her 10 mantras that have helped her to
become a better and successful leader. However, there are two qualities needed to be an effective
leader that I find impressive and the most relevant to my self-development.
The first mantras is not allowing anyone, even the clients, to treat her and her team members
with disrespect as this could portray the agency’s culture as well as the behaviour in the
company. According to Yukl & Gardner 2019, effective leadership behaviour contains broadly
defined task-oriented and relations-oriented behaviours. Particularly, task-oriented concern on
completing the task in efficient and reliable ways; while relations-oriented behaviour focuses
more on improving mutual trust, cooperation, job satisfaction, and identification with the team or
organisation (Yukl &Gardner 2019). By respecting her team members, I have formed my view
that Ms. Amber shows more of a relation-oriented behaviour. Therefore, she is more concerned
about building mutual trust and relationships with her subordinates creating a respectful and
professional working environment. Her concern and sympathy for her employees presents that
she has a high level of Extraversion and Agreeableness according to Goldberg (1990).

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 Figure 1: The Big-five personality factors (Goldberg 1990)
The second mantra is having clear boundaries since it is important to find the balance between
empathy and working. She believes that by only gaining her employees’ understanding and trust
will somewhat negatively affect the work; but if only focusing on how the work should be done,
the relationship between the leader and the team members will eventually distort, causing the
team to fall apart. Thus, balancing the empathy and working will make the team become stronger
and produce quality work. This suggests that apart from high level of Extraversion and
Agreeableness, Ms. Amber also has a high level of Emotionality as she knows how to control her
emotion in order to set clear boundaries with her subordinates.
These two mantras illustrate that an effective and powerful leadership should be able to motivate,
respect the team members as well as building a clear boundary to not having any conflict at
work. Knowing how to motivate, building trust and having a clear vision, and boundaries for an
organisation shows that she is a Transformational leader. Transformational leadership is one of
the approaches to leadership which focuses on how leaders can comprehend, build trust and
motivate their employees (Yulk & Gardner 2019). Overall, an effective leader not only requires
work ethics but also is able to form mutual trust with the team members.
In conclusion, the industry talk has not only provided me with the knowledge and practical
examples of a leader in an organisation, but also widened my view of qualities needed to contain
effective leadership as well as shows me the expectation and difficulties as a woman leader in
businesses.

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III. Leader’s Analysis
1. Leader Effectiveness
The leader I choose for this article is Nguyen Thanh Tung, Chief economist and HR leader of
Dubaotiente digital newspaper. I have followed and read their newspaper for years before I got
the chance to meet him. After hear the briefing of my assignment, one of my teammates at the
University, who had worked with Mr. Tung previously, told me to have an interview with him as
she believes that he fits all the criteria for a good leader and he can provide a clear insight on the
characteristics of one. Before the meeting with Mr. Tung, I had the opportunity to learn more
about him through his staff. When I inquired what they thought of Mr. Tung, the majority of
their responses focused on his personality rather than his working methods. They informed me
how much they like working with him and how much they respect and trust his decisions.
Furthurmore, I had the chance to meet Mr. Ngo Van Thinh. Mr. Thinh, who is Dubaotiente’s
economic analyst and Mr. Tung have worked closely and togerther for many years. From that
meeting, I realize that Mr. Tung shares a strong connection with his subordinates and he knows
how to motivate them to achieve higher results. Not only does he gain the respects from others
such as Mr. Thinh and my friend, he also creates a relaxing feeling so that others can talk about
him as a friend instead of their boss. The descriptions led me to the speculation that Mr.Tung is a
Relation-oriented leaders that share a strong bond and mutual trust with his subordinates. These
qualities align with the descriptions of an effective leader from the industry talk, hence, I decided
to proceed with the interview.
2. Trait and Behaviors of an effective leaders
a) Behaviour Theory
Regarding the Behavior Theory, there are two different surveys from two universities, which
determine different characteristics of a leader’s behavior. The Ohio State University claims that
leader behavior can be divided into two categories: Consideration (care for employees and
interpersonal connections) and Initiating (concern for accomplishing tasks and high
effectiveness). Whereas, the Michigan study provides a more detailed look. There are three types
of leadership behaviors: Task-oriented- the type of leaders who aim to finish task effectively and
consistently; Relation-oriented- or People-oriented. This type focuses on improving employee
trust and happiness. Finally, participatory behaviors aim to improve cooperation by allowing
employees to participate in decision-making (Kelton 2017).
b) Big Five Personality Test
Five broad categories were created to illustrate main personality traits people can have:

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 Figure 2: The Big-five personality factors (RMIT University Powerpoint)
c) Observation and Analysis.
As previously said, before to the interview, I developed the opinion that Mr. Tung exhibits more
relational characteristics. The conversation I had with him had justify the speculation. Despite
the fact that during the interview, he was really busy, he did not hurry me through the questions.
He took his time and answered my questions thoroughly and thoughtfully. He declined the phone
call and asked his employee to stand outside while he conducted the interview. His response to
my questions demonstrate that he is more concerned about his connection with his subordinate.
He told me that when his staff were reporting, he will never interrupt or lose concentration, even
if the report is lengthy. Because he feels that interrupting during the presentation will make his
staff feel embarrassed and make them more hesitant to express their ideas. He is concerned about
his workers' working conditions and makes every effort to offer them with the finest possible
working environment. His reasoning explains why all of his employees I met appreciate him so
highly and like working under his guidance. Finally, he advised me to learn more about
Philosophy and Political Economics, claiming that these disciplines would help me become more
successful, both in my career and in life. After speaking with Mr.Tung and his staff, I am
convinced that he has a high level of Extraversion and Openness. As the positive energy I gain
from talking with him as well as the desire to learn new things at his age are just clear example
of Extraversion and Openess. In addition to a high degree of Extraversion and Openess, Mr.
Tung's care and sympathy for the staff implies his high level of Agreeableness. Since the leader
with this type of traits usually motivate his/her employee, resulting in a comfortable atmosphere

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around the office. He also displayed more people-oriented characteristic than other
characteristics.
A Transformational leader is defined by Judge and Bono as having a high Extraversion and
Agreeableness score. Mr. Tung is expected to impact his staff through motivation, morale, and
performance, according to the notion. Mr. Tung's favored manner of communicating with staff is
through praise and encouragement, lending credence to this theory.
3. Source of Power and Influence Mechanism
a) Power and Influence Theory
Power is the capacity to influence those who are dependent on you. Power may be used on
individuals as well as organizations. Power has both bad and good connotations. French and
Raven (1959) defined power into five categories: legitimate, remunerative, coercive, referent,
and expert.

Figure 3: Five types of Power (RMIT University Powerpoint)

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 b) Observation and Analysis.
As the Chief economist and HR leader of Dubaotiente digital newspaper, I feel Mr.Tung
possesses significant Legitimacy. I believe he is also in charge of the emulation and reward
process, he now wields much more reward and coercive authority within the organization.
Regarding the Referent and Expert powers, I believe he possesses them based on responses from
his staff and his well-regarded past.
This turned out to be the most important section of our interview. During our conversation
regarding leadership, I noted that Mr. Tung used two terms: the Authority of the Chair and the
Authority of Oneself. The Authority of the Chair here can be interpreted as the power gained
from your position in the organization. He thinks that we should never utilize the chair's
authority to influence or lead others. When one has to utilize the authority granted by one's
standing, it shows impotence in his/her opinion. He valued the act of rewarding and inspiring
people. He makes every effort to supplement his subordinates. This is consistent with his people-
oriented activities and demeanor. In terms of reprimanding, he never criticizes people in front of
his/her colleagues since he understands it will lower their self-esteem and have a bad impact. His
stance on the subject is summed up in the following sentence: "If you want others to respect you,
you must first respect them." Furthermore, Mr. Tung gave me a wonderful tale about how
employees feel much better when their employer remembers their names rather than when they
earn merits. I can tell how much he appreciates the referent and expert power from his response.
According to him, the power gained via respect and understanding is considerably bigger and
more efficient. Overall, it appears that Mr. Tung recognizes the value of reward, referent, and
expert authority while being wary of legitimate and coercive power. Throughout the interviews,
he stressed that we should influence others with our hearts, not our chairs.

Figure 4: Employees responses to Power (RMIT University Powerpoint)

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With his chosen leadership style, it is evident why he can acquire such a high standing within his
firm. According to the thesis, expert and referent authority will elicit the maximum level of
commitment from workers. This corresponds to my observations and the real responses of his
staff. According to the notion, an effective leader has expert, referent, and legitimate authority,
but he or she prefers to depend on personal power over position power. Mr. Tung, who checks all
the boxes, is unquestionably a successful leader.

IV. Conclusion
The progress of preparing this article really help me to understand the lecture in a more in-depth
and clearer manner. First of all, the industry talk has provided me with lesson from real-life
experience. The lesson then helps me to identify an effective leader and key points to observe
during our conversation. Secondly, comparing the theories with what I gain from the
conversation, I realize both the similarities and differences between theories in the book and the
way a leader might work in real life. Thus, it can be interpreted that in order to be effective,
theories should be improvised and adapted based on different situations. Finally, there are
multiple ways to lead others, just because one way is effective does not mean other types of
leadership are not.

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V. Reference
- French, J. R. P., Jr., & Raven, B. (1959). The bases of social power, University of
Michigan.
- Goldberg, L.R (1990), An alternative “description of personality”: The Big Five factor
structure, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59, 1216-1229
- Kelton, W 2017, ‘Michigan Leadership Studies’, Investopedia, 11 December, viewed 15
April 2019, <https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/michigan-leadership-studies.asp>
- Kruse, K 2013, ‘What Is Leadership?’, Forbes.com, viewed 20 August 2020,
<https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2013/04/09/what-is-leadership/
#2cfe42b35b90>
- Pitsis, T. 2008. Leadership theory. In S. Clegg, S. & J.R. Bailey (Eds.), International
encyclopaedia of organization studies (pp. 796-801). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, viewed
20 August 2020
- Sample, n.d, ‘Leadership and Decision Making’, PowerPoint slides, BUSM4188, RMIT
University, viewed 8 April 2022, <
https://rmit.instructure.com/courses/101155/pages/week-2-class-activities?
module_item_id=3901867>
- Sample, n.d, ‘Leadership and Decision Making’, PowerPoint slides, BUSM4188, RMIT
University, viewed 8 April 2022, <
https://rmit.instructure.com/courses/101155/pages/week-3-class-activities?
module_item_id=3901880>
- Sample, n.d, ‘Leadership and Decision Making’, PowerPoint slides, BUSM4188, RMIT
University, viewed 8 April 2022,
<https://rmit.instructure.com/courses/101155/pages/week-6-class-activities?
module_item_id=3901951>
- Yukl, G & Gardner W 2019, Leadership in organizations, Pearson Education, Boston,
USA.
- Yukl, G.A 2012, ‘Leadership and Decision Making’, PowerPoint slides, BUSM4188,
RMIT University, viewed 08 April 2022, <
https://rmit.instructure.com/courses/101155/pages/week-2-class-activities?
module_item_id=3901867>

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VI. Appendix
Mr. Tung instructed me to ask all of my questions at once and that he would organize his
response as he spoke.
• What qualities do you believe make a good and effective leader in general?
• Would you be able to explain why you made the decisions you did?
• Can you describe what qualities make a strong leader for your organization
• Do public and private organizations differ in any way?
• Can you tell a tale about a time when you succeed as a leader?
• Have you ever failed to lead your team effectively in the past
• Do you believe whether rewarding or punishing is more effective?
• What are your thoughts on the power you gain from the position you hold in the organization
And his response was, "If you want to be a leader, you must first prove yourself." As a result,
when you become a leader, trust is the most critical component. When you achieve that position,
keep in mind that you now have both the authority of the 'chair' and your personal authority.
However, you should never utilize the authority of your chair to influence others, because doing
so demonstrates your ineptitude.
It is not required for a leader to have all the technical expertise, but he or she should have much
broader knowledge than the employees. The employees can advise you on what to do, thus they
must have specialized understanding, but you must have information on other areas to make
better judgments. For example, in order to lead successfully in my position, I need to grasp the
financial system, finance, and private enterprises.
You should not be concerned about your staff outperforming you. As a result of their abilities,
you will be able to do chores more quickly. I like the sort of leader who appears to do nothing all
day but nevertheless gets the job done. It signifies that his or her subordinates have done such a
good job that his or her job has grown easier. As a result, you must care for your personnel,
encouraging and facilitating them. They may like you if you do this. For an employee, a pat on
the back from his supervisor is far superior to obtaining a merit. Even the boss knowing his name
is a source of joy for him. Meanwhile, you must be patient, listening to your employees' reports

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without interrupting them, since this would harm their sentiments. Also, you should not
reprimand the employee in front of everyone at the meeting; instead, call him out afterwards and
do what has to be done. If you want others to respect you, you must first respect them. That is
why you should lead people with your heart rather than your position.
I've had a lot of success, which is why I'm here right now. But I believe that in order to achieve
all of this success, I must adhere to my principles:
- All of my actions must be public and transparent, and every staff under me must be treated
equally. For example, when it comes to allocating the budget to the lower levels, my task is
straightforward and everyone receives the same amount. By doing so, there will be no vague in
the process, and I will avoid internal friction among my personnel.
- I did everything I could to help my subordinates achieve their objectives.
I've only had a few failures as a leader, but there are still some. I basically informed them what to
do at the time, but they still didn't do it, which irritated me. And I shouted at my staff while
throwing all the paperwork on the ground. Later that day, I recognized what I'd done was
inappropriate, and I'd learned my lesson.
A private organization is not the same as a public one. Obviously, there are protocols that must
be followed but as a private firm, we can be much more flexible. Working at a public
organization may result in a lack of inventiveness and preparedness. However, public officials
are unconcerned about this since they join the organization because they desire solid careers.
Private firm, on the other hand, must adjust rapidly to the circumstances and seize the chance. As
a result, these company may occasionally be able to circumvent the law in order to increase their
profits. Furthermore, even if you are in the highest position in a public institution, the action you
take must originate from below, and if it is uncertain, you will need the opinion of other
ministries, departments, and so on. In a private business, if the leader believes a plan is lucrative
and productive, he or she can implement it immediately without discussing his or her
subordinates or colleagues.

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