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Leadership Research Assessment Paper

Brianna Torkelson

Beacom School of Business, University of South Dakota

BADM 761: Leadership Development

Professor Chet Barney

June 22nd, 2023

Leadership Research Questions

According to Waters (2022), “Self-awareness is about recognizing and understanding our

personalities, emotions, and skills. It helps us understand our strengths and weaknesses, which

helps us better solve problems.” There is a link between higher self-awareness and strong

finances within a company. This is a positive asset to have when one is in a leadership position.

Furthermore, men are found to have less self-awareness than women in higher management

positions (Ellevate, 2018). There is much room for growth in male self-awareness. Self-

awareness and emotional intelligence have a strong positive correlation. Being able to manage

your emotions and influence how others feel makes one a strong and valuable leader (Gallo,

2019). Strong companies will have strong, self-aware leaders guiding them.

Question 2

Negligent or poor leaders will negatively affect an employee’s wellbeing. This type of

leadership will cause high turnover and negative engagement between leaders and employees.

The feeling of power in leaders can affect their brain’s ability to correspond with those “lesser”

than them (Tenney, 2023). Strong, positive leaders, however, can decrease the emotional tole

employees may have in their work environment. This, in turn, decreases burnout amongst

employees (Batz, 2018). Being on top of emotional exhaustion at work can prevent sleeping

problems, anxiety, headaches, and more. When leaders can clarify roles, be predictable, and

bring meaningfulness to work, they are positively affecting their employees and their

environment.
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Question 3a

According to Llopis (2013), there are four effective ways to solve problems: transparent

communication, broken down boundaries, open-mindedness, and a solid foundational strategy.

Problems can be solved quickly when everyone is communicating freely. Furthermore,

boundaries are going to hinder the problem-solving process. Leaders need to be able to engage

with their employees without trouble. Without open mindedness, there would be strong

boundaries and no communication. One must be willing to take risks for the betterment of the

company. Lastly, leaders must establish a strategy that the team or employees are willing to

follow. Without structure, there is no order or discipline to solve problems (Llopis, 2013).

Question 3b

The team at Eller Executive Education in Arizona discuss the many barriers to effective

problem solving. The few that stood out the most were groupthink, paradigm blindness, and

mental set. According to Barriers to Effective Problem Solving (2019), groupthink is described

as “Be wary of the tendency for group members to agree with each other — this might be out of

conflict avoidance, path of least resistance, or fear of speaking up. While this agreeableness

might make meetings run smoothly, it can actually stunt creativity and idea generation, therefore

limiting the success of your chosen solution.” On the other hand, paradigm blindness can be seen

as narrow mindedness. Those who suffer from paradigm blindness are unable to see other points

of few, making problem solving difficult (Barriers to Effective Problem Solving, 2019). Lastly,

the way people may solve problems the same way they have solved other problems is an

example of mental set. Every problem is different and should be treated as such (Barriers to

Effective Problem Solving, 2019).

Question 4

There are many ways to practice and earn communication skills. However, it is important

to be patient with yourself if you are unable to understand these skills on the first try. Landry

(2019) states, “To improve your communication skills and become a better leader, begin by

assessing your effectiveness so you can identify areas for improvement. Then, set goals and hold

yourself accountable by creating a leadership development plan to guide and track your

progress.” Practice active listening techniques, transparency, empathy, open body language, and

implementing feedback (Landry, 2019). Adapting the way you communicate based on the

individual(s) you are talking to is a great quality in a leader, as well. Everyone is different and

has different needs, so it is important to study those around you while you practice proper

communication (Landry, 2019).

Question 5a

According to Munduate & Medina (2017), “A person with power commands prominence,

respect, and influence in the eyes of others. Possessing power means that a person can influence

others more easily and perform his/her job more effectively. Power relationships affect how

managers and employees work together to make decisions and manage.” Those with less power

are psychologically drawn to listen to those with power (Munduate & Medina, 2017).

Furthermore, Duryee (2022) discusses the types of power in leadership: coercive, legitimate,

reward, expert, and referent power. There are positive and negative types of power, so it is

important to choose a positive form so positive employee behavior remains constant (Duryee,

2022). For example, legitimate power is the given power people have in a certain position within

the organization. This can be positive or negative, so one must use their power for good (Duryee,

2022).
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Question 5b

As stated above, there are five different types of power: coercive, legitimate, reward,

expert, and referent (Duryee, 2022). Coercive power is good if you are seeking temporary results

and a negative mentality from your employees. Legitimate, reward, expert, and referent will

generally provide longer lasting results with less negativity received from employees. Referent,

for example, is one of the more important types of power (Duryee, 2022). A referent leader is one

who is there to serve and inspire others. They are usually well liked and have a positive aura

around them. This draws people in and encourages others to be like them. Referent leaders are

largely born with this ability. They can make others feel safe and heard (Duryee, 2022).

Question 6

According to Caldwell (2019), there are 4 steps to foster positivity in a work

environment: no complaining, clear communication, positive recognition, and social

connections. When employees are encouraged to find solutions rather than complain about their

problems, the work environment is more positive (Caldwell, 2019). When communicating, it is

important to structure how you communicate with your employees. For example, daily or weekly

check-ins with your employees can foster positivity. Furthermore, being able to give recognition

when deserved is extremely important for your employees. There will be more respect and

admiration towards coworkers (Caldwell, 2019). Lastly, being able to have coffee breaks or team

dinners with your employees will increase bonding and bring positivity to the group (Caldwell,

2019). I have seen my own managers practicing positive recognition towards my coworkers and

I. This made us feel cared for in our work environment.

References

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https://executive.eller.arizona.edu/news/2017/11/barriers-effective-problem-solving

Batz, C. (2018, August 20). How leadership behaviors impact employee well-being. HR Dive.

https://www.hrdive.com/news/how-leadership-behaviors-impact-employee-well-being/

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Caldwell, P. (2019, April 16). 4 Steps leaders can take to foster positivity within their teams.

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Duryee, L. (2022, December 6). Power and Influence in Leadership. GCU.

https://www.gcu.edu/blog/business-management/power-influence-leadership

Ellevate. (2018, February 15). Great Leadership Starts With Self-Awareness. Forbes. Retrieved

June 23, 2023, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellevate/2018/02/15/self-awareness-

being-more-of-what-makes-you-great/?sh=4b1100140ddb

Gallo, S. (2019, May 15). The Importance of Self-awareness in Leadership - Training Industry.

Training Industry. https://trainingindustry.com/articles/leadership/the-importance-of-self-

awareness-in-leadership/

Landry, L. (2019, November 14). Communication Skills Every Leader Needs | HBS Online.

Business Insights - Blog. https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/leadership-communication

Llopis, G. (2013, November 4). The 4 Most Effective Ways Leaders Solve Problems. Forbes.

Retrieved June 23, 2023, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2013/11/04/the-

4-most-effective-ways-leaders-solve-problems/?sh=59a32d274f97
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Munduate, L., & Medina, F. J. (2017). How Does Power Affect Those Who Have It and Those

Who Don’t? Power Inside Organizations. An Introduction to Work and Organizational

Psychology, 176–191. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119168058.ch10

Tenney, M. (2023, February 16). The Positive and Negative Effects of Leadership - Business

Leadership Today. https://businessleadershiptoday.com/what-are-the-positive-and-

negative-effects-of-leadership/

Waters, S. (2022, September 14). Self-Awareness in Leadership: How It Will Make You a Better

Boss. Www.betterup.com. https://www.betterup.com/blog/self-awareness-in-leadership