Resources: Leadership Assessments Found Online

Resources: Leadership Assessments found on Internet

Open your web browser and search for either "Leadership Legacy Assessment Test" or "Disc Personality Test." Complete one of these free online tests. Write a 700-word report in which you summarize the elements of leadership using the following criteria: Examine your individual, essential elements of leadership and management. Differentiate between leadership and management roles, and provide specific examples from the text, literature, or a personal example. Cite at least one peer-reviewed source in addition to the course text (be certain to include the web link for your test in your citations). Format your report consistent with APA guidelines.

Paper For Above instruction

Leadership is a multifaceted concept central to organizational success and individual growth within any professional environment. The assessment of leadership through tools like the Leadership Legacy Assessment Test or the DISC Personality Test provides valuable insights into one's leadership style, strengths, and areas for development. This report explores the core elements of leadership and management, differentiates their roles, and integrates insights from peer-reviewed literature to deepen understanding.

Essential Elements of Leadership and Management

Leadership fundamentally involves influencing others towards achieving common goals, fostering motivation, innovation, and a shared vision. Key elements of effective leadership include emotional intelligence, communication skills, integrity, adaptability, and vision setting. Emotional intelligence, as defined by Goleman (1998), encompasses self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills, which are vital in building trust and rapport with followers. Leaders who demonstrate high emotional intelligence can motivate their teams effectively, manage conflicts judiciously, and create an environment conducive to collaboration and creativity.

Management, on the other hand, primarily focuses on planning, organizing, controlling, and executing operational activities to maintain stability and efficiency. It emphasizes establishing processes, allocating resources, setting timelines, and ensuring quality standards. Mintzberg (1975) describes management as a discipline that emphasizes administrative functions such as budgeting, staffing, and problem-solving, which are essential for organizational continuity.

While leadership inspires and motivates, management ensures that organizational goals are systematically achieved. Both are necessary; leadership provides vision and change management, whereas traditional management sustains the organization’s day-to-day functions.

Differentiating Leadership and Management Roles

Although often used interchangeably, leadership and management serve distinct roles within an organization. Leaders set strategic direction, influence organizational culture, and foster innovation. For example, a CEO initiating a new strategic vision exemplifies leadership. Conversely, managers implement the strategy by organizing teams, allocating tasks, and monitoring performance to ensure consistent operational execution.

A practical example can be seen in healthcare; nurse managers oversee daily clinical procedures—inventory management, staff scheduling, compliance—which aligns with management roles. At the same time, hospital administrators develop long-term strategies to improve patient care quality, reflecting leadership roles that influence organizational culture and future growth.

Research by Zaleznik (1977) distinguishes leaders as visionary and managers as administrative, indicating that while management consolidates stability, leadership drives change and innovation. An effective organizational structure integrates both roles, with managers executing strategies and leaders inspiring future directions.

Insights from Leadership Assessments and Literature

The Leadership Legacy Assessment Test or DISC Personality Test provides personal insights into leadership styles. For instance, the DISC assessment evaluates dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness, thus highlighting traits that influence leadership effectiveness. A high influence score indicates strong interpersonal skills vital for motivating teams, whereas dominance translates into assertiveness and decisiveness.

Literature emphasizes the importance of aligning leadership styles with organizational contexts. Northouse (2018) underscores transformational leadership as a transformative approach that inspires followers to transcend self-interest for the collective good. Transformational leaders foster innovation, inspire trust, and promote a shared vision, which enhances organizational performance.

Personal experiences align with these insights; for example, a leader with high emotional intelligence can adapt their approach to different team members, fostering engagement and productivity—traits derived from assessments like DISC or Leadership Legacy tests.

Conclusion

In conclusion, understanding the elements of leadership and management is vital for effective organizational functioning. Leadership involves inspiring and motivating toward a vision, with essential qualities such as emotional intelligence, integrity, and adaptability. Management emphasizes operational efficiency and stability through planning and controlling resources. Differentiating these roles highlights their unique contributions, with effective organizations integrating both leadership and management seamlessly. Insights from leadership assessments and scholarly literature underscore the importance of contextualizing leadership styles and continually developing personal leadership capacities to meet evolving organizational needs.

References

• Goleman, D. (1998). Working with emotional intelligence. Bantam Books.
• Mintzberg, H. (1975). The manager's job: folklore and fact. Harvard Business Review, 53(4), 49-61.
• Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: Theory and Practice (8th ed.). Sage Publications.
• Zaleznik, A. (1977). Managers and leaders: are they different? Harvard Business Review, 55(3), 67-78.
• Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. Bantam Books.
• Bass, B. M., & Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational Leadership (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
• Harms, P. D., & Crede, M. (2010). Emotional intelligence and leadership effectiveness: A meta-analysis. The Leadership Quarterly, 21(4), 611-620.
• Herold, D. M., & Fedor, D. B. (2008). Managing organizational change: A multiple-level perspective. Journal of Management, 34(6), 1039-1064.
• Chun, A. (2012). Leadership development: Theory, research, and practice. Journal of Management Education, 36(4), 484-516.
• Judson, D. H. (1991). Changing behavior in organizations: Minimizing resistance to change. Motivational management series. McGraw-Hill.