Introduction
As stated by Northouse (2016), leaders are determined to perform with all of their followers rather than interacting with just a small group of them. This is the primary principle that determines what leadership is for me. While answering the questions in the questionnaire, I realized that some of the questions were not expected, and I had to think about my answer for a long time. It is easy to view leadership outside of the practice, but when it comes to dealing with leaders and followers in some context, the situation becomes significantly different. Guan et al. (2013) note that it is necessary to create productive networks within a team. This assumption is correct. However, it often happens so that a leader does not care about their followers or their followers do not respect and trust them. There are a lot of conflicts when it comes to leadership.
In my opinion, a successful leader is one that is able to carry out their responsibility regardless of their influence in a company or their formal authority. However, the type of leader that abuses their formal authority is the most common one. Still, I believe that there are many leaders who take care of their followers even though they abuse their power from time to time. This is why questions four and five’s answers are somewhat contradictory. I do not respect nor hope that leaders resort to their personal authority to solve a follower’s problems for them. However, there are often situations when formal means will not help a follower pertain well-being. Such situations often occur due to the “problem of many hands.” Even though the problem was initially created by someone else, an employee may receive punishment for it simply because they were next in the responsibility chain. This is why I find the ability of a leader to “bail me out” believable and wanted.
Another important aspect was represented in question six. Indeed, it is important to defend and justify a leader’s or follower’s decision if they cannot do it themselves. However, the most important thing to know here would be the justification for their decision. I will only be able to defend their position if the rationale for it is correct, and, therefore, I agree with it. This is why I agree with the statement but not strongly.
Unfortunately, currently, I am unable to state that my leader-follower relationships are extraordinary in any way. Although they are productive and, in my opinion, efficient, they are on an average level. I find it necessary for these types of relationships to grow and develop to gain more efficiency and to create more opportunities for leaders and followers to influence each other.
Sample Items from the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ)
Omilion-Hodges and Baker (2013) essentially describe leader-member exchange as the process of receiving mutual benefits from forming different relationships with every follower. It is often necessary to do so despite one’s own interests or personal goals. This is why the first question received a “frequently, if not always” answer. I believe it is important for a leader to be able to act despite their personal interests. However, I also think that followers must be able to do so because it is often followers who may create the most significant impact if needed. Therefore, if both leaders and followers place common goals first and only then their personal ambitions, a group becomes efficient and united by similar intentions. This perspective is also supported by Richards and Hackett (2012) who state that LMX promotes an approach to leadership, “one founded on social exchanges that are mutually beneficial to both parties” (p. 687). Thus, it is essential to achieve union and the ability to act despite one’s personal interests.
Moral and ethical considerations regarding leadership are also the crucial points of this questionnaire for me. Although it is most rational actually to act disregarding moral and ethical principles, one must not forget that their colleagues, followers, and clients are people, and maintaining integrity is of utmost importance. It is, however, possible to carry out one’s duties even if they contradict with moral and ethical principles of others. This is why question number two received a “fairly often” answer.
One of the other important aspects of leadership for me is transparency. It is imperative that a follower fully understands each aspect of their duties and the reward for carrying them out flawlessly. It is also often important to omit some information. For example, if a follower’s ability to perform some task will be influenced by the fact that they will know that the reward is somewhat incomparable, it might be reasonable not to mention this. This is just an abstract example, and real decisions must be taken much more seriously. Additionally, it may be rational to revise a leader’s approach to motivating their followers if such problems arise.
Finally, I believe it is most important for a leader to be able to handle problems as soon as they occur. Passive and avoidant leadership styles are unacceptable because they are ineffective. Passive leader as a concept must be considered as something non-existent because it is near to impossible for a leader to maintain their status while also not making any decisions. This is why questions eight and nine received such answers.
Conclusion
Leader-member exchange and transformational leadership theories may impact me in several ways. Firstly, I will be able to create a new perspective to evaluate both leaders’ and followers’ qualities, responsibilities and rights. Secondly, I will be able to create a bigger influence on my followers, if I am a leader, and assess my leader more precisely, if I am a follower. All in all, these theories mostly create a theoretical basis for me to improve my leader-follower relationships. Therefore, I will be able to become a more effective leader.
References
Guan, K., Luo, Z., Peng, J., Wang, Z., Sun, H., & Qiu, C. (2013). Team networks and team identification: The role of leader-member exchange. Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 41(7), 1115–1124.
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Omilion-Hodges, L. M., & Baker, C. R. (2013). Contextualizing LMX within the workgroup: The effects of LMX and justice on relationship quality and resource sharing among peers. The Leadership Quarterly, 24(6), 935–951.
Richards, D. A., & Hackett, R. D. (2012). Attachment and emotion regulation: Compensatory interactions and leader-member exchange. The Leadership Quarterly, 23(4), 686–701.