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Annotated Bibliography and Outline: Leadership

Lilienfeld, S. O., Waldman, I. D., Landfield, K., Watts, A. L., Rubenzer, S., & Faschingbauer, T. R. (2012). Fearless dominance and the U.S. presidency: Implications of psychopathic personality traits for successful and unsuccessful political leadership. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 103(3), 489-505.

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Psychopathic personality also known as psychopathy refers is associated with negative personality traits such as guiltlessness and poor impulse control, which are largely negative traits in a person. However, there are other personality traits associated with psychopathy that are associated with strong leadership qualities; these traits include fearlessness, immunity to anxiety and social dominance. The authors of this research paper studied 42 U.S presidents up to George W. Bush by examining personality data collected by experts on each of the presidents. The findings of the research indicate that fearlessness and social dominance wee key traits that were associated with many of the presidents who were regarded as world leaders as well as the presidents who had better performance ratings. The researchers indicate that minimal research has been done on the positive impact of psychopathic traits as traits that have contributed largely to the acquisition of political power and success in such political positions. Fearless dominance is a personality trait that comprises of traits such as immunity to anxiety, physical fearlessness and social charm among other positive traits and it is these traits that the study focused on in each of the presidents analyzed. This study explores a new area of research that has largely been ignored as most researchers’ focus on the traits that lead to failure in most social situations based on traits that relate to impulsive antisociality, which is the opposite of fearless dominance. These two factors form the entire structure of current pyshcipathic personality study. However, fearless dominance has been demonstrated through this study to show that it leads to success in the social and political arenas, while impulsive antisociality leads to unsuccessfulness in most social scenarios and is largely associated with criminal and antisocial behavior. The study’s conclusion that fearless dominance is a crucial success trait for most leaders is an appropriate conclusion that could open a new field of research for leadership experts. Given that majority of the presidents who demonstrated fearless dominance in their leadership styles were more successful that presidents who did not have this quality. It can be inferred that not all psychopathic personality traits have negative consequences.

van Eeden, R., Cilliers, F., & van Deventer, V. (2008). Leadership styles and associated personality traits: Support for the conceptualisation of transactional and transformational leadership. South African Journal of Psychology, 38(2), 253-267.

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This article focuses on the full range model of leadership, which constitutes of transformational leadership, transactional leadership and laissez faire leadership. The researchers study a group of managers who exhibit all the three styles of leadership by assessing the personal leadership profiles of the managers. The researchers study both transactional and transformational leadership in-depth as these are the two most dominant styles of leadership found among managers. The characteristics of transformational and transactional leadership are defined and the managers involved in the study are profiled according to the identified characteristics. There is a distinct difference that is established between the transactional and the transformational leader. The transformational leader motivates his followers to go beyond their own self-interest and put the interests of the group first, which results in the good of the group. On the other hand, the transactional manager reinforces the behaviors of his followers by either punishing or rewarding them for their actions. In contrast, laissez faire leadership refers to an absence of leadership where the leader allows his followers to self manage, which is not good leadership, but can be used in collaboration with the other types of leadership. The study seems to lean towards approving transformational leadership as the most suitable form of leadership for the global business environment given the dynamic nature of this environment. The article also supports the conceptualization of both transactional and transformational leadership using the full range model of leadership as a viable research model that can be used for further leadership research. The subject of the article leans heavily towards the trait theories of leadership as the study was based on the leadership behaviors of people in leadership positions, but deviates from the common research methods by conceptualizing the different styles of leadership. The behaviors associated with transformational leadership include a tendency to always be proactive, frequent planning, a higher degree of taking risks and a focus on change within an organization. These are the transformational behaviors highlighted by the study, which identify transformational leadership as the most suited to the competitive global business environment and the success of most businesses.

Read: Odom, S. F., Boyd, B. L., & Williams, J. (2012). Impact of Personal Growth Projects on Leadership Identity Development. Journal of Leadership Education, 11(1), 49-63.

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This article focuses on the development of leadership identity among leaders participating in college-level leadership course where the participants were required to participate in Personal Growth Projects (PGP) in order to develop their leadership skills. The PGPs that the participants were involved in allowed them to engage in learning new skills that took them out of their comfort zone and to reflect on what they had learnt in order to develop their leadership skills. The Leadership Identity Development model was used to assess the development of the leadership identity among the participants through their experiences while participating in the Personal Growth Projects. Students demonstrated all aspects of the development of self component, which includes applying new skills, establishing interpersonal efficacy, building self-confidence and deepening their self-awareness. Therefore, the researchers concluded that PGPs are effective in helping students develop their leadership identity. The study participants were able to relate what they learnt in their Personal Growth Projects to the course content of their leadership classes, which included topics such as life purpose, personality type and emotional intelligence, which are all crucial for effective leadership. The researchers identified that a mastery of self was crucial to effective leadership and that the PGPs were helping the students to develop a high level of self-awareness that made them better leaders. The article identifies that continuous learning is vital for the development of leaders as it helps them keep track of the rapidly changing global leadership environment. Participating in experiential learning experiences is one of the ways in which leaders can engage in continuous learning in order to keep improving their leadership skills. PGPs allow leaders to gain a concrete experience, reflect on the experience through reflective observations, state expected changes through abstract conceptualizations and to apply the lessons learnt to their lives through active experimentation.

Outline

Trends in Modern Leadership

1. Introduction

Modern institutions require unique leadership abilities and traits in order for the organizations to succeed in the global competitive environment. Some of the crucial leadership required in modern organizations includes charismatic and fearless leadership, effective transformational leadership and continuous personal development in leadership. Therefore, I champion the thesis that modern leaders should be charismatic, fearless, transformational leaders who continuously invest in their own personal development.

1. Theme 1: charismatic and fearless leadership

An important theme represented within the three articles is the theme of charismatic and fearless leadership, which is portrayed as being essential for success within the highly competitive global business environment. Business leaders need to be fearless and charismatic in order to succeed within the political and business environments.

1. Theme 2: transformational leadership

Transformational leadership is also an important theme portrayed within the three articles as leaders need to motivate their followers in order to achieve organizational goals. The three articles stipulate that leaders need to be motivational figures that can motivate their followers to put the interests of the group above their self-interests.

1. Theme 3: continuously evolving leadership

The theme of continuously evolving leadership is also evident within the three articles as leaders need to keep improving their leadership skills in order to keep up with the rapidly changing global environment. The three articles highlight the importance of leaders evolving and keeping track of the rapidly changing business and political environment by continuously learning new skills and increasing their self-awareness.

1. Conclusion

In conclusion, the three articles highlight three themes that relate to leadership, which include the theme of charismatic and fearless leadership, transformational leadership and leadership that evolves continuously. This supports the papers thesis that modern leaders must be people who exhibit the qualities of being charismatic, fearless, transformational and experiential learners who never stop updating their skills. The three articles can portray a message that modern leaders need to be transformational leaders who are dynamic individuals with unique qualities that adapt them to the more challenging business and political environment. The challenge of modern leadership requires leaders to keep learning and adapting in order to be successful leaders. Modern organizations require transformational leaders who prioritize the needs of the organization and can anticipate future trends in order to keep their organizations ahead of competitors.