Leadership and Management—A Personal Perspective

Last week, you began exploring the similarities  and differences of leadership and management roles and the contributions  these roles make to an organization’s functioning. Social workers need  to be aware of these similarities and differences in order to determine  which management or leadership skills are most appropriate in a given  position or situation.

This week, you have  focused on the influence of external factors on an organization’s  functioning with a special focus on their impact on the leadership of  social workers in supervisory roles.

As you  have explored leadership and management roles, skills, and behaviors,  you may have become aware of how these align, or do not align, with your  personal skills, strengths, and interests. You may also have begun to  consider how external factors might influence you if you were to assume a  leadership or management role in social work.

For  this Assignment, you assess your strengths and areas for growth in  order to determine what aspects of leadership and management are a good  “fit” with your personality, leadership style, and relevant skills. You  also address how external factors might influence you as you serve in a  leadership or management role.

Assignment (5 paragraphs): Complete the following: Assess your strengths and areas for growth with regard to both the  leadership and management roles based on what you understand about these  roles so far. Be sure to address whether your skills and interests  align better with the leadership or management role.  Identify at least one area of growth in either of these roles you would like to further develop, and explain why.  Identify two significant external factors that  might influence your work if you served in a leadership or management  role in social work.  Explain why these external factors are significant  and how they might affect your work as a leader or manager. 

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Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice (6th ed.). Los Angeles: Sage Publications
Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications via the Copyright Clearance Center.
 Chapter 1, “Introduction” (pp. 1–17)
Northouse, P. G. (2018). Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Sage.
Chapter 1, “Understanding Leadership” (pp. 1–18)
Chapter 2, “Recognizing Your Traits” (pp. 21–44)
Chapter 6, “Developing Leadership Skills” (pp. 117-138)

  Lauffer, A. (2011). Understanding your social agency (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: Sage.
Chapter 3, “Role Playing and Group Membership” (pp. 70–98)
  Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014b). Social work case studies: Concentration year. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing [Vital Source e-reader].
“Social Work Supervision, Leadership, and Administration: The Phoenix House” (pp. 82–84)