Implicit theory of leadership

Aims: To determine your implicit theory of leadership, to self-assess your strengths and areas
for development and how they link to leadership emergence and effectiveness and how your
leadership attributes can be successfully developed.
Activities:
1. Certain attributes possessed by leaders are important for leadership emergence and
effectiveness.
i. Individually write a list of what you consider to be the attributes of a good/effective
workplace leader (i.e., your implicit theory of leadership).
ii. From this list, select three attributes that in your view you currently excel at (i.e.,
strengths) and three attributes that in your view you currently do not excel at (i.e.,
areas for development).
Assignment: The assignment should cover the following (percentages give an estimate of the
weighting for the marks):
1. List your characteristics of a good workplace leader. Identify your choice of the three
attributes that in your view you currently excel at (i.e., strengths) and three attributes that in
your view you currently do not excel at (i.e., areas for development). For each of the
attributes selected briefly discuss to what extent they relate to leadership emergence and
effectiveness. [40%]
2. For the three areas you do not currently excel, describe the leader development techniques
you could engage in to successfully develop these attributes. [30%]
3. What advice would you give an organisation who wanted to select people with the three
attributes you recognise as important for leadership? [30%]
Where relevant, your answers need to be supported by appropriate theories and
research.
Word count: 1,250 words +/- 10% (including tables, figures, but excluding bibliography. No
Appendices). Note you need to submit all three Applied Lectures.
All materials relevant to the Applied Lecture will be available on Blackboard.