Assessing the self-perception of selected leadership behaviors in a professional leadership development class

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify several leadership behaviors that were deemed as being essential elements of a successful leader and then determine if these behaviors could be taught to AGED 340, Professional Leadership Development, so that the participants perceived a heightened sense of self efficacy with regard to their leadership potential. The study also sought to determine if males and females exhibited a significant difference in how they perceived their leadership behaviors. The design of this inquiry was Post/Then methodology. The purposive sample were students who enrolled in AGED 481, Agriculture Development Seminar and had completed AGED 340 at Texas A&M University. All participants answered two questionnaires that asked them to rate how they perceive their leadership behaviors. The leadership behaviors they were asked to evaluate were communication skills, motivation techniques, problem solving, their ability to engender trust and their ability to establish a vision. The first questionnaire asked the participants to rate how they perceived their leadership behaviors before AGED 340. The second asked them to rate how they perceived their leadership behaviors after completing AGED 340. The major findings of the study were as follows:1. Leadership scholars have identified several behaviors that help a leader motivate a group toward a common goal. According to the Literature Review, the following five leadership behaviors were identified as keys to being a successful leader: communication, motivation techniques, problem solving skills, engendering trust, and establishing a vision. 2. This study found the participants who completed AGED 340 felt they exhibited a heightened perception of how they can use these leadership behaviors to help facilitate their role as a leader. The study showed the participants perceived a heightened sense in their ability to communicate, motivate, engender a follower's trust and establish a vision for their organization. 3. This study shows that these leadership behaviors can be taught in a manner that will heighten a participant's awareness of his or her leadership behaviors. By having an increased self-efficacy of these leadership behaviors, the participants should be able to facilitate their role as a leader more effectively. 4. There is no significant difference in the manner in which males and females perceive a change in their leadership behaviors as a result of completing AGED 340. Both males and females exhibit an increased self-efficacy in how they perceive their leadership behaviors after completing AGED340.