Photo By Kristi R Britt | A handout from the Norfolk Naval Shipyard Evolution of Leadership – Part Two...... read more read more
In the September edition of Service to the Fleet, we explored the course Evolution of Leadership Part One – which touched on the evolution of paradigms in leadership across history. Code 2300T Professional Development Facilitator Clinton McRae Jr. wanted to take the conversation a step further in a secondary four-hour course entitled Evolution of Leadership – Part Two, which leads participants through how leadership has evolved from the late 1800s to present day operations. This course examines leadership theories and modern constructs, including the Great Man Theory, Traits Theory, Behaviors Theory, Contingency Theory, Influence Theory, and Relational Theory.
“To understand leadership as it is viewed and practiced today, it is important to recognize that the concept of leadership has evolved over time,” said McRae. “Leadership typically reflects the larger society, and theories have evolved as norms, attitudes and understandings in the larger world have changed. This course provides an avenue to challenge your thinking and introduce conversation of thoughts with our participants as we follow a timeline of these theories and how they have bled into present day thinking.”
The Great Man Theory and Traits Theory, the two theories that are more philosophical in nature, introduce the participants into beliefs that perhaps that there are those that are either born to be leaders (Great Man) or that good leaders must be intellectual (Traits). The Behaviors Theory, Contingency Theory, Influence Theory, and Relational Theory are all more practical in nature. You may be qualified as a leader for what you do more so than who you are as a person (Behaviors). Alternatively, perhaps leadership behaviors are influenced by the contextual and situational variables, tailoring the effectiveness of leadership overall (Contingency, similar to what has been discussed in the course High Performing Teams). The Influence Theory examines the influence processes between leaders and followers, linking strategic vision and action to determine what style of leadership you hold and how that can affect those you lead. And lastly, Relational Theory, the most modern style talked about in the training, touches on leadership being a relational process that meaningfully engages all participants and enables each person to contribute to achieving the vision.
“Leadership is not automatic and there truly is no correct way to be a leader,” said McRae. “We use these theories to discuss how they pertain to leadership we view in our own lives, discuss our personal viewpoints on what we feel is best in leadership, and where we hope to see improvement in leadership overall. Together at NNSY, we can strive to build a culture of performance, trust, and integrity. I highly encourage others to join us in future courses to bring your own insight to the conversation.”
This course is available through the Nuclear Engineering and Planning Department (NEPD) and can be registered through Waypoints with the course title 24-NNSY THE EVOLUTION OF LEADERSHIP PART 2. You can view the article regarding Part One in the September 2024 Service to the Fleet at https://www.dvidshub.net/publication/issues/71923.
| Date Taken: | 12.02.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.20.2024 11:05 |
| Story ID: | 488079 |
| Location: | PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 44 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Exploring the Evolution of Leadership Through Theories Spanning History, by Kristi R Britt, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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