1.

Give the definition of leadership used in this text, and then explain the following
components of leadership: process, influence, group context, and goal attainment.
Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a

common goal. Process is the relationship of growth between leaders and followers in both direc-

tions. Influence is the effect you have on followers. Group Context is the conduit to which lead-

ership operates, a group needs a leader large or small without a group there is no leadership.

Goal Attainment is the alignment of movement to reach the stated goal.

2. Explain the six types of power identified by French and Raven.

Referent is the power held by a person revered or liked which allows for people to follow. Expert

is the perception of competency or knowledge. Legitimate is the formal authority that is held

through an assigned position or by holding a specific title. Reward is the ability to give rewards

in some form or fashion. Coercive is the power to punish a person for failure to comply. Infor-

mation is the power of possessing knowledge that others want or need.

3. Describe the similarities and differences between leadership and management.

Leadership and Management are both concerned with the accomplishing the stated goal, and they

both involve working with people. Management and leaderships main focus is effectiveness and

efficiency. Their differences is leadership primary function is to produce change and movement

while seeking adaptive change. Management is focused on seeking order and stability.

4. How has access to technology empowered followers today?

The separation of power has been reduced. 50 years ago the knowledge of leaders and managers

greatly out-weighed the common employee. With the internet everyone has access to the same

information making informational power less effective. This also has changed the way leaders

operate. Because we can now empower employees to influence change from within the team, this
forms a trust between the group and the leader. By doing this effectiveness is increased because

change is created from the source and not from the top every time.

5. Fairhurst (2007) argues that the leadership process can be negotiated through the com-

munication between leader and follower, and not solely stem from a leader’s traits, skills,

and behaviors. Give an example (hypothetical or real-life) of how a leader and follower can

talk together to mutually understand an issue and see how it should be dealt with. I use this

tactic every day. Some things have to be done and are directed, but others I find it easier to get

input from the group or let them know what needs to be done but empower them to find the best

way to do it. This gives them buy-in to the process, makes the team connection stronger, builds

confidence and expands understanding of processes.

6. Define and discuss the importance of the following traits associated with leaders: intelli-

gence, self-confidence, determination, integrity, and sociability. Is this list all-inclusive?

Intelligence is having strong verbal, perception and reasoning abilities. This is important because

there needs to be a balance between levels of intelligence. Too smart and they can’t relate

but smart enough to lead without losing their position. Self Confidence as a leader is vi-

tal, if you do have have confidence and conviction your followers will not believe in your

vision and direction and you will fail. Determination as a leader this is a trait you that

pushes you to keep going and guide your followers through rough or tough times. In-

tegrity forms the trust you need to make people follow, if they don’t trust you to do the

right thing they will not and they will not get to the end goal. Last sociability, if you can-

not communicate with people they will not know what direction to go in. Also a charis-

matic leader can guide people through the impossible by motivating them and leading

from the front. If you cannot interact with them you cannot lead them.
7. How might traits that enable a person to emerge as a leader in one situation not allow

them to maintain leadership over time? Give an example?

The military is a great example of trait differential. In combat situations people have traits that

excel on the battlefield, leading people through impossible situations to victory. Then

those same people when required to lead from an office cannot. Some people can only

lead in their area of expertise when removed from it they do not have the self confidence

to continue to lead.

8. What are the “Big Five” personality factors? How do they affect your leadership abilities

and capabilities? Which factor(s) was most strongly associated with leadership? Dis-

cuss which of these personality traits you feel you possess and give a personal exam-

ple of how they benefited you in a leadership context.

The Big 5 personality factors are Neoroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Con-

scientiousness. Extraversion is most strongly associated with leadership. I feel I possess

all 5. I have been anxious and insecure, I have no problem speaking to large crowds and

taking control of situations, I am very open to suggestions and different/better ways of

accomplishing things. I also think I conform to my teams needs, I trust them and focus on

developing individuals, I am also dependable and decisive. Openness is probably my

strongest factor but I have a balance of all 5.

9. Define/describe emotional intelligence. How big of an impact do you think emotional in-

telligence has on helping people be successful? Give a personal example of its impact on

your life. Emotional Intelligence is the ability to see and understand not only the emotions you

are dealing with but also within others. You also know how to balance your own emotions while

being empathetic and aid others to improve theirs. This goes a long way to being a leader. It al-
lows you to maintain your stability and lead with consistency, but it also ensures you connect

with your people and understand when they can be pushed or when they need help or to throttle

back. One of my co-workers cannot read anyones emotions this inhibits his ability to connect

with them. When something is bothering them he can’t tell and usually makes it worse with his

lack of empathy. This creates a huge problem because when people need help they are reluctant

to go to him which inhibits our ability to lead successfully.

10. Is charisma an inborn trait or can it be acquired later on in life? How might a person

acquire charisma? Charisma can be acquired, Charisma is built off of self-confidence and expe-

rience, Some people are born with it without a doubt, but with practice and comfort charisma can

be nurtured and grown. I think it takes a lot of extraversion to get there and some people will

never be able to over come being introverted to develop much charisma. For myself As I ma-

tured gained the self-confidence I lacked growing up and pushing myself to break out I was able

to be more charismatic.

11. What is the skills approach? What are the three basic personal skills that Katz out-

lines? Define and describe each of these skills. The skills approach is simple the skills that can

be learned versus the traits you’re born with. There are 3 types of skills Technical, Human and

Conceptual. Technical skills are knowledge and proficiency in a specific area. Human skills is

the ability to work with people and Conceptual skills are the ability to work with ideas or con-

cepts which are vital for upper level leadership to possess.

12. Rate yourself on the Skills Inventory. What are your leadership competencies? Do your

scores suggest that one or two of the skills are stronger? Give a personal example to sup-

port this. How might you expect your results to change 5 years from now?
I scored a 22 on technical skills, a 25 on human skills and a 26 on conceptual skills. I think my

competencies are problem solving skills and social judgement skills. Since I have been out of my

field for many years and my knowledge has been lost to an extent but my leadership knowledge

has increased vastly. My human and conceptual skills rank the highest. Overseeing 260 people I

feel I have greatly developed these 2 skills. I have helped people through numerous personal is-

sues, developed manning schedules with greatly reduced manning to continue the mission with

only 25% of the available manning.I expect over the next 5 years my knowledge will be further

reduced as my human and conceptual skills increase.

13. How do the problem-solving skills of leaders and managers differ?

The differ in the sense of scope. A manager will have a clearer picture of the problem and a

means of fixing it. Where as a leader will often be presented with a problem that has no

clear solution. A leader can analyze a problem and develop a solution, where a manager

implements a solution a leader develops.

14. The Mumford Skills Model was based on studies of more than 1,800 Army officers.

How might leadership in the army be similar to/different from leadership in busi-

ness, the arts, collegiate sports, or scientific research?

I believe the Air Force at least is moving towards more conventional leadership to match their

civilian counterparts. In combat there is not time for discussions on best practices or effi-

ciencies but day to day at home we always look for ways to innovate, increase efficiency

and overall effectiveness. Always challenging the people to improve the organization and

make the team better. I haven’t been in the civilian world in over 20 years but I imagine

they are following the same path since profit is the most important thing.
15. Which of the nine key problem-solving skills are most important for the career you are

in or planning to enter?

Of the 9 skills I feel creative thinking will be the most important. If I want to continue in a lead-

ership role on the civilian side I would think companies would greatly value continuous

improvement which requires creative thinking to stay ahead of the competition.

16. What are the characteristics of each of the seven leadership styles shown on the Leader-

ship Grid?

Authority-Compliance: heavy emphasis on task and job requirements less on people.

Country-Club Management: low concern for task accomplishment with high concern for inter-

personal relationships.

Impoverished Management: leader that goes through the motions acts uninvolved and with-

drawn.

Middle of the road management: Intermediate concern for the task and the the people doing the

task.

Team Management: strong emphasis on both tasks and interpersonal relationships.

Paternalism/Maternalism: someone who acts graciously but for the purpose of goal accomplish-

ment.

Opportunism: uses any combination of the 5 styles for personal advancement.

17. Rate yourself on the Leadership Behavior Questionnaire. Do your scores suggest that

you are more task-oriented or people-oriented? Tell a story that shows how your be-

havior in one situation illustrated your dominant leadership style.

My scores suggest I am people-oriented. I have a subordinate who’s wife had significant medical

issues that required multiple surgeries. Instead of doing the easy thing and making him
 use his vacation time I had him gather the correct paperwork and coordinated it up the

chain to get him a medical caretakers leave. Saving him from using all his time off and

reducing his stress of not having enough time to care for her.

18. Is the “Impoverished management” style ever appropriate or desirable for an organiza-

tion? Explain. No, there is no team or group that can thrive in a situation where manage-

ment is not engaged or involved. The team can survive but it cannot reach its full poten-

tial.

19. What makes it difficult to identify a universal “best” leadership style?

Environment is what drives leadership style. In combat Autority-Compliance is a must, the hos-

pitality industry will focus more on the Country-Club style, Google is best suited for

Team Management, while small business owners might find middle of the road their best

fit. You need to adjust your leadership to your environment.

10.  What are strengths of the behavioral approach? What are criticisms of the behav-

ioral approach?

This looks at the behavior of leadership, more so the balance of task vs relationship. The 2 main

components that leaders must balance. Some people need more direction, while others need more

personal involvement. It allows for the scale to more and adjust to what the individual needs in-

stead of the team. The criticism is that there isn’t substantial date showing any significant differ-

ences in outcomes from this style. And it is based from a U.S. centric perspective which does not

align with other countries needs and styles.