Leadership learning refers to a process where leaders engage in learning activities to enhance their skills and traits necessary for the leading positions. To facilitate the learning process, leaders engage in a relationship with peers to help in encouraging and facilitating individual learning. Leadership learning is a crucial aspect that enhances the ability of the leaders to influence other people towards the achievement of set goals and objectives. Considering that the main objective of leadership is to improve the performance of an organization, it is necessary to capitalize on enhancing the expectations of the leaders. During the leadership learning process, it is necessary to capitalize on the key factors that influence the ability of the leaders to achieve the desired level of performance in an organization (Guthrie & Jenkins, 2018). In that case, the leadership learning process should aim at equipping leaders with adequate knowledge regarding the approaches and measures that may help to improve leadership skills.
How Leaders Learn
Leadership learning is a continuous process considering the changing dynamics and trends that require the implementation of new and advanced skills. Greaves (2012) maintains that good leaders do not stop learning as they focus on obtaining a wide range of information concerning their positions in an organization and within a given industry. In most cases, leadership learning occurs automatically and implicitly because of the external and internal forces that create the need for change within the leadership positions (Kempster, Smith, & Barnes, 2018). In this case, leaders tend to ignore the fact that they are learning considering it is an automatic process that does not require the implementation of physical measures. However, it is important to understand and appreciate the leadership learning process and identify the effective measures that would be necessary to promote effective learning among the leaders. The primary factor that would help to enhance leadership learning involves creating self-awareness and expand on the personal comfort zone.
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The learning process of leaders differs from the learning process of people that are not in leadership positions. For the leaders, the learning process involves a series of steps that help to obtain the necessary skills and abilities to lead others and help towards the achievement of the set goals and objectives. The first major step in the leadership learning process involves learning through experience (HCLIAsia, 2013b). Learning through experience enables a leader to pay attention to the five common senses and feelings to help in making proper decisions. The second step involves reflecting on issues to gain different perspectives concerning any given issue that may involve leadership. The third step involves applying logical thinking to understand the facts.
Lastly, the leadership learning process involves acting, which is the final step that focuses on the final action based on conclusions made (HCLIAsia, 2013c). When comparing the leadership learning process with other learning processes it is evident that the process follows a systematic order to ensure that leaders gain knowledge, which is important in solving challenges that may arise in an organization. Additionally, the process is different as it focuses on establishing appropriate measures and conclusions, which is not the case in the normal learning processes. The learning process for individuals that are not in the leadership position aims at providing information that broadens an understanding of a given issue (HCLIAsia, 2013a). In that case, the intention is not always to provide techniques and approaches to deal with different real-life stations.
Challenges in the Leadership Learning Process
The leadership learning process faces a wide range of challenges that impact on effectiveness. The challenges influence the individual capacity to perform and engage in measures to support the achievement of stated goals and objectives (Morison & Hunt, 2018). In the learning process, leaders tend to face ta challenge that concerns over control, which is an aspect that relates to the inability to delegate duties. The overcontrol challenge results from a lack of confidence with other people in an organization. The second major challenge that impacts the ability to engage in an effective leadership learning process involves the lack of proper negotiation and problem-solving skills (Bolden & Kirk, 2005). An effective leader should have the ability to negotiate and solve individual and organizational problems.
The skills play an important role in promoting growth and development in an organization considering the positive outcomes associated with problem-solving (PsychSpeakerSeries, 2011). Another major challenge that impacts the leadership learning process involves poor communication skills. For leaders, communication is a vital aspect that helps to deliver important information to other people effectively. Lack of the given communication skills would mean that a leader cannot connect with other people effectively thus hindering the ability to perform efficiently (Liden, 2012). Overall, challenges in the leadership learning process hinder the ability of the leaders to undertake their roles effectively thus impacting the ability to achieve set goals and objectives in an organization.
Conclusion
Leadership learning is a crucial aspect that enhances the ability of the leaders to influence other people towards the achievement of set goals and objectives. Leadership learning occurs automatically and implicitly because of the external and internal forces that create the need for change within the leadership positions. For the leaders, the learning process involves a series of steps that help to obtain the necessary skills and abilities to lead others and help towards the achievement of the set goals and objectives. However, the leadership learning process faces a wide range of challenges that impact on the effectiveness of the leaders. The challenge influences the leaders' ability to perform thus leading to the downfall of an organization.
References
Bolden, R., & Kirk, P. (2005). Leadership in Africa: Meanings, impacts and identities . https://www.alnap.org/help-library/leadership-in-africa-meanings-impacts-and-identities
Greaves, S. (2012). A primer of Middle Eastern leadership culture. Journal of Strategic Security, 5 (4), 99-118.
Guthrie, K. L., & Jenkins, D. M. (2018). The role of leadership educators: Transforming learning . IAP.
HCLIAsia. (2013a). Asian ways of leadership - Conversation with Fu Ping Ping [Video File]. YouTube . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwIxtoXl_fU
HCLIAsia. (2013b). Asian ways of leadership - Conversations with Hong Ying-Yi [Video File]. YouTube . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj0KadYL7vU
HCLIAsia. (2013c). Asian ways of leadership - Conversations with Henry Moon [Video File]. YouTube . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpr9Z2PK9pw
Kempster, S., Smith, S., & Barnes, S. (2018). A review of entrepreneurial leadership learning: an exploration that draws on human, social and institutional capitals. In Research Handbook on Entrepreneurship and Leadership . Edward Elgar Publishing.
Liden, R. C. (2012). Leadership research in Asia: A brief assessment and suggestions for the future. Asia-Pacific Journal of Management, 29 , 205-212.
Morison, S., & Hunt, O. (2018). Aspiring to leadership: learning from the perceptions of dental students. Leadership for improvement: Perceptions, influences and gender differences (pp. 53-87). New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
PsychSpeakerSeries. (2011). I/O Psychology: Cross-cultural issues in leadership [Video File]. YouTube . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCIMUrqg_uA
