Leadership Development Programs and the Company’s Corporate Culture

Learning Journal Module 5- 7
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Learning Journal Module 5- 7
Module 5
(1) If you have participated in leadership development programs, how effective did you find them in (a) teaching you techniques and (b) giving you practical strategies you could use? What could they do better?
I have participated in leadership development programs, and I must say they were quite effective in teaching me leadership techniques. The leadership programs instilled in me techniques of how to relate with others in the workplace as well as key skills such as conflict resolution, motivation, and feedback mechanism. I feel that modern leadership development programs focus extensively on addressing the affairs of employees. I would say, therefore, that they are employee-centered, and I believe they do this because of the idea that employees’ productivity depends on how you treat them. In this sense, therefore, the programs were effective in teaching leadership techniques.
However, I think they were lacking in providing practical strategies that I could use. I think while leadership programs are instrumental, they need to involve more practical exercises to equip learners with the practical skills necessary to address the challenging modern business environment. Therefore, the programs could do better by incorporating more practical exercises, where learners face challenging leadership situations.
(2) According to the Leadership Self-Assessment Questionnaire, what kind of leader are you. Do you agree or disagree with your assessment? Why?
I had a score of 91, which shows that I have not only a huge desire to be a leader but also a high perceived ability to perform the responsibilities required of a leader. I absolutely agree with the results of the assessment because I have always assumed leadership responsibilities whenever I can. In my organization, I am always the leader for team assignments, and this is due to many of my abilities, including speaking clearly to others, providing guidance, giving feedback, and always being the person to try to find the middle ground in conflict situations. Therefore, the results indeed confirm that I am a leader, and I perceive myself as such.
(3) Watch Stanley McChrystal’s video where he discusses his thoughts on the relationship of listening and leading. How important do you believe listening is to being an effective leader?. Why?
Stanly McChrystal delivers an inspirational talk on leadership, where he emphasizes listening. I believe listening is significantly important for every leader today. I believe that you cannot claim to be an effective leader if you are not a good listener. Today’s work environment is made up of people of not only different generational backgrounds but also from diverse social and economic backgrounds. This means that the way they perceive things could be different from the way the leader does, which calls for leaders to listen more to be effective. When a leader listens, it shows that they are willing to learn. I believe a leader who learns from their followers are in an elevated position to be effective in leadership. Listening also means that the leader ...