Reference no: EM133580717

The article, "The Practical Qualities of Effective Leaders", written by Stephen Axely is an informative piece that focuses on qualities that were mentioned by leaders he questioned. The suggestions were overwhelming but he was able to narrow it down to a list that he thought was beneficial for those interested in leadership. First, he talks about the history of trying to pinpoint what makes an effective leader. The most critical error that past researchers made was trying to find a singular best leadership style. According to Axely, there is no singular leadership style that can account for all of the different scenarios and problems a leader can encounter. He then goes on to list the qualities suggested, which include: clear communication, listening, being approachable, delegating, leading by example, being able to read people and situations, having a full tool bag of power bases, being able to teach, etc. Being able to read and interpret this advice is one thing but incorporating it into practice is a different story. As previously stated, not one of the categories listed is enough to make a perfect leader. You have to be able to incorporate these tactics at different times and at varying levels.

I enjoyed how Axely acknowledged the past and the shortcomings of previous research because I believe that sometimes we try to focus on one thing that can bring us closer to being an effective leader instead of incorporating multiple things. The recurring theme in all of the pieces of advice is learning. This is a prime example that even when you graduate, you will continue to learn regardless if it is in a classroom setting. The only way to be able to utilize this information is by learning and experiencing it in real life. Of course, it helps to read about it but there are a lot of underlying factors that can arise in the real-world setting. For example, Axely talks about reading people and situations, the world is a very diverse place with people from all walks of life. There are countless ways someone can react to a scenario and the only way to gain knowledge in reading that person is by experiencing it and seeing the non-verbal communication and understanding what is taking place.

Question:

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