Discuss leaders, including the type of leader you believe you are and a leader who has influenced you. Then, you will visit The Wall Street Journal (in Resources) to explore current leadership articles and share one article that may align with your personal leadership theory (check out Getting Started on how to access WSJ articles if you have not set this up). As an example, from the WSJ you can focus on an article on “Leaders that are Democratic” who encourage diversity in the workplace.
Then, address the following:
•What type of person and situation does your personal leadership theory describe?
•Are the results congruent with your results from the Unit 2 Personal Values Appraisal discussion?
•Identify and describe a mentor or role model who most strongly has influenced your beliefs and preferences in regard to effective leadership.
•From your WSJ research, share the one article you found that helps you complete the third incomplete sentence on Figure A.3 on page 417 of the textbook stating “My Experience with Leadership and Leaders has taught me that the most important aspects of leadership are …”
Unit 2 discussion
Personal values develop in individuals depending on various factors such as age, gender, religion, social status, family background, and education. They change and grow with the person. The principles one develops over a certain period determine one’s social movement. Personal values also affect the choice of the occupation, as people tend to work in favor of their ideals. In this regard, a self-evaluation in terms of aspects helping a person in organizational life could provide an enjoyable working environment.
The values appraisal exercise that I recently took was an exciting one as I evaluated myself and acknowledged my standards. When answering several interesting and straightforward questions, I understood what I value the most in life. Such exercises act as a mirror to show people their inner selves. The result of the exercise showed that I valued family and creativity the most, followed by money, social values, aesthetics, and power.
Relating the results with work values, I believe the importance that I provide for my family makes me an asset to the organization. Several personal values have been known to affect the work life, such as the locus of control, self-esteem, tolerance of ambiguity, social, and risk-taking (Shockley-Zalabak, 114). People who value their families tend to tolerate ambiguity and tend to focus more on the task. Social judgment increases and helps when someone does not value money as his top priority. Having money as a top value can be both a good and bad thing. The good associated with having money as a top priority is the drive it provides to earn better income, while the bad is in that it could make one ignore other ideals and focus on gaining wealth only.
Luckily, my values have never been a hurdle in making my work environment enjoyable, so I cannot say that I am experiencing issues with value congruence. Value congruence is a topic that has attained great importance in recent years. It means the degree to which an individual’s value matches the values found in the work environment. The workplace becomes less enjoyable when the way we are expected to behave differs significantly from our values. Although my work environment differs with a few of my principles, my highest values are intact.
Personal values define an individual, so they are essential to gain an identity and constantly improve the quality of life. At the same time, it is also essential to understand and work on a value that could affect organizational life. Finally, achieving a minimum value congruence should be the ultimate goal as it will make one’s personal and professional life better.
Sample Solution
