Leadership and Personal Strategy (MBA 520)

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering leadership styles, authentic leadership dimensions, Force Field Analysis, emotional courage, and personal strategy.

Authority

Formal power conferred by a title that provides structured control, such as direct reports, an assigned budget, and an office door that closes.

Influence

Earned power granted by followers who freely choose to follow a leader, independent of formal authority.

Authentic Leadership

A leadership model defined by self-awareness, relational openness, fairness, and principled behavior; shown by Kleynhans et al. (2022) to foster trust and human flourishing under heavy workloads.

Self-Awareness (Authentic Leadership)

The authentic leadership practice of deeply knowing oneself, including personal strengths, limitations, and emotional triggers.

Relational Transparency

A pillar of authentic leadership where the leader is open and allows team members to see their genuine, real self.

Balanced Processing

The practice of objectively analyzing all relevant information, including evidence or perspectives that run counter to one's own preferences.

Moral Perspective

An authentic leadership component whereby a leader's core values remain steadfast and ethical under organizational or situational pressure.

Contingency Theory

A leadership model asserting that there is no universally ideal leadership style; effectiveness requires reading the situation and flexing between task and relational orientations.

Visionary Leadership

A leadership style focused on illustrating the big picture; best applied when an organization or team requires clear direction.

Democratic Leadership

A leadership approach centered on soliciting team input; best utilized when gaining consensus and broad buy-in is critical.

Servant Leadership

A people-first leadership methodology; primarily deployed to build foundational interpersonal trust.

Autocratic Leadership

A directive style where the leader makes decisions rapidly and alone; most effective during an acute organizational crisis.

Coaching Leadership

A leadership style dedicated to personal and professional development; best applied when long-term human growth is the primary objective.

Transformational Leadership

A leadership approach that elevates team members to a higher performance level; best utilized during major systemic change.

Transactional Leadership

A style rooted in rewarding specific results; best leveraged when operational structure and standard processes drive required output.

Laissez-faire Leadership

A hands-off leadership style that provides significant autonomy; best deployed with highly self-driven experts.

Situational Leadership

A flexible style that continuously modifies leadership behavior to fit evolving, fast-paced moments.

Strategy (Mintzberg)

Defined by Henry Mintzberg as 'a pattern in a stream of decisions,' practically reflected in how one allocates time on a calendar.

Force Field Analysis

A change management framework developed by Kurt Lewin and expanded by Thomas (1985), proposing that change occurs when driving forces surpass restraining forces.

Driving Forces

Forces in Force Field Analysis that push toward change, including goal alignment, external pressure, and financial investment.

Restraining Forces

Inhibiting factors in Force Field Analysis that impede movement toward change, such as habits, fear, and time constraints.

Cost of Not Deciding

An organizational pattern documented by Motloung & Lew (2023) where a leader's hesitation stalls work, dampens team motivation, and degrades final results.

Emotional Courage

The psychological willingness to acknowledge fear or discomfort and proceed with necessary action anyway.

Boredom (Functional Signal)

A functional state described by Elpidorou (2014) that acts as an informational signal indicating that current work lacks sufficient meaning.

Authenticity

A daily behavioral discipline described practically as the active practice of pretending less.