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Synthesis Paper
Kirsten E. Shier
University of Ontario Institute of Technology
Professor Diana Petrarca













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Synthesis Paper
There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known
unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also
unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know.
- (D. Rumsfeld, public communication, 2012)
I began this course believing I had ties to the known knowns concept, as
well as the known unknowns concept. My past life and work experiences left me
feeling like a leader. Im the oldest sibling in the family, type A personality,
organized, caring, and a little bossy. Ive taught swimming lessons for the Town of
Whitby on and off for seven years. I participated in the Tawingo Leadership Course,
where I then stayed on staff for 5 years fulfilling various leadership roles. I
completed Teachers College with good grades and even better practicum reports. Of
course I knew what leadership was. I am a leader. I was interested in this course as
a means to talk to other leaders in the field to answer some questions I had, my
known unknowns. I was very excited to begin the semester and then you asked
us to define leadership. My mind started spinning in circles and I realized how naive
and narrow minded I had been prior to that moment. How was I able to identify as a
leader if I did not even know what a leader was; nevertheless the difference
between a leader and leadership. I was disappointed in myself but excited by the
large amount of learning I would be doing this semester. Since I was unable to form
a working definition on my own, I turned to Google (after class). The first result
Google yielded for what is leadership? was an article written in Forbes magazines
discussing the confusion behind a working definition of leadership. If Forbes
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magazine, a business leader, is concerned with the definition of leadership; and the
education world is concerned with the definition of leadership, how is it possible for
there to be one definition? Business and education are vastly different fields. My
time spent in class has led me to believe that there really cannot be one definition
for leadership and that I am in fact part of the unknown unknown concept.
Exploring the idea that leadership is subjective and applicable to various fields are
two areas I have enjoyed thinking about thus far.
Ive come to realize that the term leadership is subjective. What I believe
successful leadership to be may differ significantly from the person working next to
me. For example, Trait theory suggests that successful leaders are born with certain
traits. These traits include but are not limited to: intelligence, self-confidence,
determination, integrity, and sociability (Northhouse, 2010). So, a leader may be
confident. However, the way confidence is portrayed in one individual may differ
substantially from another individual. Thus, the term confidence is completely
subjective, leaving Trait Theory to also be subjective. Trait Theory has in fact been
criticized for being subjective when dictating what traits are deemed important or
not. This theory supports my idea that defining leadership is subjective.
Fortunately, there are numerous published leadership theories to explore.
Almost 40 years after Trait Theory gained popularity, Situational Leadership
became popular. Situational Leadership is multi dimensional, unlike theories
presented in the past. It factors in behavior, personality, influence, and situation
when outlining successful leaders (Van Seters & Field, 1990). This theory is the first
studied in class to assist with my personal quest to define leadership.
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Prior to Situational leadership and Trait Theory was The Great Man Theory. I
did not choose to include it in my synthesis because it is too far outdated and
unhelpful in developing a personal working definition of leadership.
How is it possible to define leadership without exploring the past to see how
the theories have developed? This is a question I had not thought of before the
course began. The historical readings can be daunting, but for the most part are
extremely interesting and informative. Understanding the thought process behind
theories from 1841 and their transformations over time to the Transformational
Era is really not something I had valued before now. I will keep this appreciation
for history in future courses.
I have also begun to believe that leadership is not only personally subjective
but also discipline specific. Leadership is researched from an education perspective,
as well as business and health care to name a few. What each discipline values as
important qualities as a leader will be unique to their needs. For example, an
Emergency Room Nurse may be a successful leader if they are able to make quick
decisions on their own. While an educator may be valued for discussing all possible
plans of action with colleagues before making a decision. This realization leads me
to believe that there will never be one all-inclusive definition to leadership,
however, many definitions specific to corporations, personal values, and disciplines.
I look forward to creating my own definition of leadership by the end of the
semester.


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References:
Northouse, P.G. (2010). Leadership: Theory and practice. Thousand Oaks, California:

Sage Publications, Inc. Chapter 2

Van Seters, D. A., & Field, R. H.G. (1990). The evolution of leadership theory. Journal
of Organizational Change Management, 3(3), 29 - 45.

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