“As long as there have been leaders, there have been those who tried to determine how and why they were successful. Leadership itself has not evolved, but our understanding of it has” (Leaders Excellence, 2019). Dr. Fong’s first Introduction to Leadership lecture (n.d. a) gave an overview of the shifts in leadership approaches over the last 120 years. At the turn of the twentieth century, leadership was viewed in a very controlled, top-down approach. Authority came from the position and those subordinate to that position were expected to follow accordingly. As the century progressed, the views on leadership and the relationship between leader and follower changed. Throughout the first decades of the twenty-first century, leadership approaches have become more collaborative and more open.
Dr. Fong continued in the second video lecture (n.d. b) with the discussion of contemporary leadership approaches by providing much more detail about three distinct approaches: Transactional, Servant, and Transformational. It is easy to see these three approaches to leadership develop as the leadership eras evolved (Fong, n.d. a). While the three views on leadership have been growing over time through the same periods, they have many differences that make them distinct. Understanding the similarities and differences can be done by looking at four components of leadership as explained in Dr. Fong’s lesson: process, influence, groups, and goals. The process by which the leadership approaches work shows differences between all three of them. The transactional approach is done through a system of pay for work, the servant approach is accomplished through the leader working to help and provide for their subordinates, and the transformational approach is a collaborative effort where leaders and subordinates come to a consensus on both goals and means. The differences in process are highlighted in the differences in the ways that leaders influence the rest of the organization. Transactional leaders are very direct and exert influence by providing and restricting rewards. Servant leaders seek to influence through their efforts and sacrifices. Zig Ziglar is attributed with the statement, “You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want” (Eha, 2012). This statement sums up way a servant leader influences the organization. The transformational approach to influence focuses on the individual and getting buy-in to the organizational goals and methods. While a lot of differences are seen in the process and influence actions of these three contemporary approaches, Dr. Fong’s lesson (n.d. b) show several similarities in the groupings and the goals. The group dynamics of a servant and transformational leader are not as clear cut and separated as previous approaches. The leader focuses more on the individual and does more work alongside those in subordinate roles. The goals of all three approaches focus more on the individual than previous approaches. Contemporary leadership approaches place a great deal of emphasis on the individual impact of each member of the organization to the overall success of goal attainment. The focus on the individual is a collectively defining characterization of all three approaches to leadership. The shift to open, collective relationships in leadership can also be seen in the classroom. Understanding By Design (Novak & Rose, 2016) provide explanations and resources for teachers to design lessons that take all learners abilities, needs, and preferences into account during the lesson design stage. Understanding by Design is a more collaborative approach to learning design that provides more input and choices for learners. This method of design seems to mirror the transformational approach to leadership. Mark Perna (2018) explains how the goals and motivations of youth today are different than those of previous generations. These differences are shown to need a different teaching approach more in line with the transformational leadership style. The evolution in leadership approaches has changed significantly over the last 120 years. Over that time, the approaches have become more focused on the individual and more open in communication of goals and methods. A similar shift in teaching styles has been seen in the classroom. Teachers and students collaborate more on the outcomes and methods for learning. The new and updated understandings in leadership will likely continue to evolve and grow as new understanding of people and organizations comes to light. References: Eha, B. P. (2012, November 30). Zig Ziglar and the Importance of Helping Others. Entrepreneur. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/225131. Retrieved January 23, 2022 Fong, D. (n.d.). Introduction to Leadership: Week 1: Lecture 1 [video]. Blackboard. https://luonline.blackboard.com/ultra/courses/_183930_1/cl/outline Fong, D. (n.d.). Introduction to Leadership: Week 1: Lecture 2 [video]. Blackboard. https://luonline.blackboard.com/ultra/courses/_183930_1/cl/outline Leaders Excellence. (2019, September). The Evolution of Leadership. Leaders Excellence. https://leadersexcellence.com/the-evolution-of-leadership/. Retrieved January 22, 2022 Novak, K., & Rose, D. H. (2016, September 1). UDL Now!: A Teacher’s Guide to Applying Universal Design for Learning in Today’s Classrooms. CAST Professional Publishing. Perna, M.C. (2018, September 18). Answering Why: Unleashing Passion, Purpose, and Performance in Younger Generations. Greenleaf Book Group Press.
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