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Cognitive Factors And Leadership Essay

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A frequent theme when discussing leadership theories, is that intelligence and experience play a critical role in determining a successful leader. The Dubrin text indentifies six common cognitive factors and links them closely with intelligent leadership. The desired outcome of this exercise is an in-depth assessment of each of the factors and their role in Margo’s own cognitive development.

The first attribute relates to an individual’s mental capability. As defined in the book, cognitive intelligence is the “general mental ability” of a person. This differs from emotional intelligence in that it focuses on the ability to make logical and reasonable decisions through the use of problem solving and analyzing. When thinking about …show more content…

Would she be able to utilize her knowledge and translate it into such a different environment? One of the first tasks she undertook was to learn all she could about the helicopter industry. She accomplished this by reading trade manuals, brochures and websites, and speaking with several employees, from maintenance personnel to pilots. Very quickly, she gained an understanding of the aviation industry in general and was able to employ this knowledge to assist her in reconciling inventory and performing thorough audits of the company assets. Because of her extensive understanding in many areas of the company, management often turned to Margo for concise and comprehensive reports and presentations to other employees in functions other than accounting.

Creativity is an area that Margo struggles with. Because she prefers consistency over change, she tends to turn to her peers for inspiration in the creativity department. She is however, very open to innovation because in the words of Sternberg,
Creativity is important for leadership because it is the component whereby one generates the ideas that others will follow. A leader who lacks creativity may get along and get others to go along--but he or she may get others to go along with inferior or stale ideas. A good leader, on this view, is one who embodies a creative vision. (Sternberg, 2005)
So while it is not her strong suit, she

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