E-Portfolio 

1)    Should leaders have certain qualities or traits to be able to lead? If not, why? If so, why, and what traits or qualities should the person have? Yes, a leader should exhibit certain qualities to ensure a great leader. A leader should be open-minded, have integrity, be passionate about what they believe in, and to be confident. When a leader is open- minded it lets people know that they can voice their opinions without being shut down. Having integrity is essential because follows rely on their leaders to be truthful about their values or beliefs. Having a passion is important because it pushes a leader to work hard and effectively because they feel so strongly about what they are trying to accomplish. Being confident is a powerful thing and can lead to great success; uncertainty can lead to mistakes and followers becoming unsure if they should continue working for that leader.

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2)    Who decides who leads? Why? How does this relate to your definition of leadership?

Members of the group choose who they want to as a leader to lead them they do this because it is the same people who chooses this person. My definition of leadership is leading by taking action and being passionate about a goal. Leadership is about having confidence and being able to articulate how you want to motivate others while being patient in trying to gain success.  

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3)    How do leaders gain credibility? Be specific and give examples in your response.

A leader gains credibility through various possibilities. One could be the leader has been around the longest out of everyone and they have the most knowledge about the subject. One example is if you are the creator of a software product you would be the most credible in knowing how to fix things or even explain a process to a new employee. Another way to gain credibility is to respect others ideas and keep an open mind; leaders not immediately shut down an idea that may not align with their original motives. Being educated in a certain field like a top neurosurgeon will show how credible he is through his success rate on surgeries along with where he was taught.

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4)    In general, is there something good about leadership? (What do we mean by "good" here? Ethical? Positive?) Yes, usually someone who is a leader is given that position and they do not use their power for personal score but for a greater good, also there are positives they make decisions some might not be able to make and communicates well.

 

5)    As you reflect on the assumptions of Theory X and Theory Y from chapter 4, how would you describe your own philosophy? My own philosophy would be a more of theory Y, I feel that being in any group that I willingly joined I should be interested in the tasks that are given to me or that I give to someone in the group. Theory Y describes the members of this as dedicated to their work and I am someone who enjoys working, 

 

6)    Take the Leadership Styles Questionnaire in Chapter 4.  What does this questionnaire tell you about your beliefs regarding leadership?  My scores showed me that I lean more towards a democratic leadership with a score of 20, but I scored a 17 in authoritarian leadership. These scores along with what I already believed shows I am somewhere in between trying to ensure control but also want input about the work we are doing. I am someone who wants to be in change and make sure everyone is doing their work, but I also know people are able to get their work done on their own. So once instructions are given, I leave them to it, and only check in to make sure progress has been made. There is also the want for everyone to have a voice in the matter and to be praised or criticized on work.