Leadership theories range from direct to supporting, task to relationship, active to passive, and everywhere in between. And those are just the academic theories. A leader then makes it their own. Their personality, ethics, and passion shape the way they perform as a leader. In the same way that each musician has their own sound, even when playing the same instrument.
Starting at San Diego State University, in the Hospitality & Tourism Management program is like starting Piano Lessons: Book 1.
Lesson 1:
The first step is learning your major scales. You learn to identify the note both by its sound and how it is played on the piano.
The focus is on the task. You play the right key; you hear the right note; the task is completed. At this step you are still a stranger to the music and the notes. Perhaps you are only doing this because it is a class assignment, not enjoyable for you. But, path-goal theory was a success and now you know your major scales.
Lesson 2:
Learn to play a song you already know the tune of. By knowing the desired outcome of the situation, you will be able to monitor your playing and adjust as necessary to achieve the proper sound. Let's start with "Mary Had A Little Lamb."
Contingency theories state that an effective leadership style can be determined by the situation. Although it does say that you are not able to adapt your personal leadership style for the situation. If this were the case, you would be unable to play the song, even when you know the situation. Luckily, you've learned situational leadership and know that you can change your style as you play. You as a piano player are gaining experience to makes changes as you grow for improvements. You've moved into an acquaintance phase with the music and are learning what to expect when you play.
Lesson 3:
Now that you have learned the building blocks and understand how they can be combined, you are ready to write your own music. You can transform the once individual sounding notes into a beautiful melody.
Hopefully by now you've started to enjoy the piano and the playing process (or else I'm guessing you would have quit during lesson one.) Your experiences and passion will help you combine notes from the piano, other instruments, and outside influences. You can take inspiration for everywhere around you to coalesce into a melody. The transformational outcome will be greater that the sum of the inputs. You've learned that sometimes you will play the wrong key, but you can fix it, move on, and next time you'll play it right. Music and you have become partners in your journey as a musician; you can trust the notes.
Throughout this journey, you've learned skills and competencies. You've taken bits and pieces of other musical styles to define your own distinct manner of playing. The traits that people are born with can give them an inclination to play music, but personal practice and the passion are key in becoming a successful musician.
In my journey, I'm still in lesson two. I know the type of leader I want to be, and I know the effect I want to have on the people I work with. Implementing it within the next year as I begin my career as a leader will be my experience playing a song I already know. I've had the chance to observe many leaders, both good and bad. I've learned from them, my classmates, and my teachers. I can take what I've learned apply it to my leadership career, but I won't know what it sounds like until I play it out loud.
