MSLD 511 - Module 4 - Locus of Control - Madeline Campbell


This week my class and I learned about the Path-Goal Theory, which boils down to how a leader motivates his/her followers to achieve goals (Northouse, 2016, p. 115). Within our studies, it reveals that there are numerous ways to lead and motivate others, and often it can simply depend on the situation. I completed the Rotter’s Locus of Control Scale Test, which measures expectancy of internal or external control for reinforcement. The test results revealed that my locus of control is internal. As Rebecca Vandegrift and Jonathan Matusitz defined in their article, Path-Goal Theory: A successful Columbia Records Story (2011), “Locus of Control is a psychological term that refers to a person’s personal belief on what causes good or bad. An internal locus of control means they openly take responsibility for their wrongs” (p. 353).

First and foremost, I fully agree with the results as I subscribe to the belief that individuals should always take responsibility for their actions. Only I can control how I act and how I respond to different situations. If I make mistakes within my work, then I accept them as my own fault as I was the one responsible for seeing that task through to completion. If I become an unhealthy weight (and have no medical issues) it is due to my eating choices and poor exercise. I am responsible for my actions and would never want to put the blame on my spouse, family members, friends or colleagues. Due to the fact that my locus of control is internal, this will directly affect my leadership style, as well as my responses to others leadership styles.

Having an internal locus of control will directly affect how I lead in any given position. Hypothetically, if I am wanting my company to go from point A to point B, I will want to motivate my team and encourage/help us to get to that point of growth. I believe that we can get there by how I help and support my team. With an internal locus control, I feel that the end result is within my own power of how I lead. This is a byproduct of my somewhat achievement-oriented outlook on leadership. As House describes in his article, “Individuals who are highly achievement motivated are motivated to make accomplishments through their own personal efforts rather than through influencing others or delegation of responsibility for achievement” (House,1996, p. 338). 

While not totally an achievement-oriented leader, I do still value my own input as a main factor in how the goal is achieved. As a subordinate, the Path-Goal Theory is not the leadership style that I respond to best because it is highly individualized leadership style which seems unnecessary to me. Path-Goal Theory is, “… about how leaders motivate followers to accomplish designated goals” (Northouse, 2016, p. 115) but as a subordinate, if the goals are clearly defined I am very self-motivated and do not feel the need for a leader to cater their leadership style directly to me.

While not my preferred leadership method, I do believe that I can and will adapt to the different types of leadership styles with the Path-Goal Theory. Having an internal locus of control, I require little motivation to achieve a goal, I take responsibility for my actions and am driven. This makes me a better team member because I actively take responsibility in my team role and do not expect other members to pick up any of my slack. However, this can impact how I lead others who may not have an internal locus of control as I do. In those situations, I must learn to adapt my leadership style to their personality so that they can feel encouraged and supported in the best possible way to maximize the potential for the team’s success.


References
House, R. J. (1996). Path-goal theory of leadership: Lessons, legacy, and a reformulated theory. The Leadership Quarterly,7(3), 323-352. doi:10.1016/s1048-9843(96)90024-7
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice. Los Angeles, Calif.: SAGE.
Vandegrift, R., & Matusitz, J. (2011). Path-Goal Theory: A Successful Columbia Records Story. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment,21(4), 350-362. doi:10.1080/10911359.2011.555651



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MSLD 511 - Module 7 - Inner Work for Authentic Leadership - Madeline Campbell

I have had three “real-world” professional experiences since I graduated from my undergraduate studies in 2016. All three have been extremely instrumental in shaping who I am professionally, how I carry myself and how I adorn leadership qualities when need be. Each position I have held has grown me in ways that were originally outside my comfort zone, but now are no longer. My daily thought as I drive to work has always been: be who I am to my core, be kind, work hard and treat each individual I encounter with worth and dignity. This is where my personal and work ethic stem from. Being self-aware of my work-habits, conversations and work-ethic has also aided in developing who I am professionally. One key example of how I learned to be self-aware and adopt positive qualities instead of negative was in my first sales position. My two managers (I shared an office with one of them) were very sporadic in emotions, would yell and scream often and had inappropriate relationships with co...
Read more

MSLD520 - Module 2 - 10 Minutes per Day - Madeline Campbell

At first, the thought of spending ten minutes a day doing nothing made me a little stressed and anxious, as I feel as though my “to do” list is never ending. My initial thought was, “why not use those ten minutes to work on my Fall travel or start on homework?” However, throughout the last 4-5 months, I have learned and am learning the art of taking time to reflect and take time out of school and work to do things that I love. Taking ten minutes a day doing nothing helped me to learn that ten minutes can fly by and I learned that some of my stress is self-induced.   After listening to Puddicombe’s talk, he made multiple statements that stood out to me about stress and resting our minds. He states, “we are no longer present in the work in which we live and we miss out on things most important to us” (2012). With the influx of work and school lately this is true for my life. When I am trying to enjoy time with family, I am thinking about all the work that needs to be done bef...
Read more

MSLD520 - Module 5 - What makes us feel good about work? - Madeline Campbell

There are numerous things within my position that motivates me to work hard and with a purpose. The first would be my family and working for them. I know the current position I carry is very important to me, my husband’s life, and educational goals. Working at Embry-Riddle was a goal of mine before I graduated with my undergraduate in 2016. I reached that goal 2.5 years later, but it was something I was able to achieve, to become a part of the ERAU family and what it consists of. Therefore, with that in mind, family is my first goal. I work hard to help support a life with my husband, to save for our future children, to provide support and care of our family members to bless them and to give to others within our community that are in need of groceries, or a meal, etc. I go to work every day with this in mind and grateful for my position at Riddle. Much of my personal beliefs, ethics and morals also play a role in going to work and working hard for others and not my own personal goals...
Read more