Leadership is a multi-sided phenomenon that overlaps in the path of numerous disciplines like academia, business, politics, or social relations. It defines who we are, declaring a set of virtues that should govern our collective endeavors toward the overall goal. Peeling off the layers of people’s intuitive concepts of leadership discloses a picture with colored threads, which have a design based on the perception of efficient leadership. To gain insight into the particularities of these generic leadership concepts, the paper will use a semi-structured interview method to engage respondents, including one male and one female. All the acquired knowledge, views, opinions, and experiences of leadership form an excellent basis on which the critical traits of leadership, the impact on a group’s dynamics, and the essence of leadership itself can be further realized. By considering these intuitive perceptions together with more established theories and research findings, we seek to critically analyze the phenomenon of leadership and its past, present, and future implications for different contexts. As a result, this inquiry not only helps to disclose existing perceptions regarding leadership but also becomes the basis of communication and sharpens people’s minds.
Interview Analysis:
Respondent 1 (Male):
- What is leadership?
As the respondent mentioned, leadership is about helping people reach their goals and keeping all teammates favorable to each other. He argued that this management style should be imparted with the persistence of a can-do attitude, communication skills, and strategic thinking.
- Can you name 2 or 3 people you feel were or are great leaders?
Three people, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Steve Jobs, are great leaders. He respected their gift to motivate change, manifest the resilience needed, and ensure development.
- Is leadership an inborn talent or a learned skill?
The respondent agreed that although some people tend to have certain qualities that can make them become good leaders, in the end, most leaders are not born as leaders. However, they become leaders through experience, mentorship, and continued learning.
- Are the leaders influential people who can impose their will on others?
According to the interviewee, a natural leader does not force others to do things but serves and knows how to empower others. He pinpointed collaboration, empathy, and inclusivity as critical leadership skills.
- Do people like to work in groups that have leaders or groups that are leaderless?
According to those interviewed, most of the team members that perform a task have a leader since leadership guides and structures their actions and then makes them accountable. On the other hand, he recognized that one person cannot be an omnipresent leader and thus consented to shared leadership and developing autonomy within the group.
- Who makes a better leader: A woman or a man?
According to the respondent, gender was irrelevant as the ground for analyzing the effectiveness of leadership qualities discussed previously. He differentiated between the strong points of women and men and reasoned that neither gender was better placed than the other; instead, each had something that could propel one to a leadership position.
- Have you ever been in a group where the leader failed to carry out his or her duties properly?
Yes, the discourse brought a real-life occurrence where the leader portrayed ineffective communication, failed to allocate the right tasks, and poor accountability, leading to decreased culture and work output among the group members.
- Have you ever been in a group led by a skilled leader?
Yes, the respondent narrated an event where the leader exhibited top-notch communication skills, nurtured a teamwork atmosphere that was supportive and sustaining to all, and emerged as an efficient and inspirational leader who motivated the team intensely to accomplish their target.
Respondent 2 (Female):
- What is leadership?
According to the statement, leadership consists of guidance, motivation, and empowerment, resulting in common goals. She highlighted the values of honesty, compassion, and genuineness as the vital qualities that characterize effective leadership. Join us at Diversity Tyche for engaging discussions on global events and current affairs.
- Can you name 2 or 3 people you feel were or are great leaders?
In the respondent’s opinion, Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, and Malala Yousufzai are among the best leaders of the present age. She valued and found inspirational their resilience, fight for social justice, and inclination to help others primarily by elevating women and minorities.
- Is leadership an inborn talent or a learned skill?
As the respondent believes, while some people are born with leaderly propensities, to be a true leader is the result of both a learning process and ongoing on-the-job experience.
- Are leaders influential people who can impose their will on others?
The statement that leaders are only described as individuals who can order others with their authority philosophically contradicts the presented person’s opinion (Ciulla & Ciulla, 2020). Instead, she highlighted that servant leadership, collaboration, and consensus build-up are the key components that create a positive and pleasant organizational culture.
- Do people like to work in groups that have leaders or groups that are leaderless?
Leadership was about being so influential that one could channel the group energy to provide directions, responsibilities, and support to team members. More than anything, she emphasized the greatness of this matter as it was left to the communities to accept and manage themselves. Until then, even more decisions had been concentrated at the political level.
- Who makes a better leader: A woman or a man?
The respondent pointed out that successful leadership goes beyond the gender category, and followers are usually more attracted to a leader with more individual qualities and the essential skills and experiences that are more important than gender stereotypes (Bierema, 2016). She also firmly believed in diversity in decision-making positions and leveraging different minds and skills as tools for success.
- Have you ever been in a group where the leader failed to carry out his or her duties properly?
Yes, the interviewee recalled a situation where the leader failed to communicate effectively, did not allocate tasks appropriately, and presented a deficit in taking responsibility; this brought chaos and dismay among the group members.
- Have you ever been in a group led by a skilled leader?
Yes, the respondent narrated an episode that manifested the leader’s extraordinary communication abilities, empathy, and strategic drive, among other aspects. She boasted the leader’s aptitude for building trust and collaboration and helping the team members to pursue thus a shared goal.
In conclusion, the interviews of our two respondents have given us a valuable view of the acquirements of the intuitive approach to leadership. This part of the discussion aimed to examine different perspectives on both sides and demonstrate the multi-dimensional aspect of leadership, which included being empathetic, a good communicator, and collaborative. The evidence from this research is from the previously set classical theories of leadership, which refer to the significance of relationship-building and visionary thinking during the pursuit of Mutual objectives. More so, the incorporation of gender neutrality in leadership effectiveness destroys the paradigm whereby direct leadership is absent or restricted to male counterparts and allows the participation of many people. This investigation reveals that leadership is a flexible, multifarious, and subjective phenomenon affected by personality characteristics and the environment. Going forward, more communication and investigation are critical to tweaking our apprehension regarding the leading. Thus, leaders will be able to meet all the challenges of the rapidly moving world while lighting the fires of inspiration in the people they lead.
References
Bierema, L. L. (2016). Women’s leadership: Troubling notions of the “ideal”(male) leader. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 18(2), 119-136.
Ciulla, J. B., & Ciulla, J. B. (2020). Leadership and the problem of bogus empowerment. The search for ethics in leadership, business, and beyond, 177-195.
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