MSLD 511 Module 4, Locus of Control

Complete Rotter’s Locus of Control Scale Test. Based on your results, is your locus of control external or internal? Reflect on how your locus of control affects your leadership behavior and your responses to others’ leadership styles or is this a bunch of poppycock?

When I first started reading about follower characteristics and the locus of control in regards to the Path-Goal Theory (Northouse, 2016), alarm bells started going off in my head. I thought, “This is why I’ve gotten so frustrated in the past with some leadership!” I learned two major things about myself as a follower this week: One, with a score of a four, I have a very high internal locus of control; two, a key follower characteristic that I have is the need for affiliation (Northouse, 2016). As a result of these two findings I realized why I have had difficulty working with bosses who have a heavy directive leadership behavior. Although I would argue that these bosses were managers, not leaders, in those situations I have felt that my voice wasn’t heard and I didn’t have any control. I was told what to do and how to do it and that was the end. I often felt that the bosses were very black and white and although some were open to change everything had to go through them first to the point of micromanaging. I found this to be very stifling and I often felt devalued because of the exact reasons that Northouse points out when he says, “Another way in which leadership affects follower motivation is the followers’ perception of their own abilities to perform a specific task…In effect, directive leadership becomes redundant and perhaps excessively controlling when the followers feel competent to complete their own task” (2016, p.199). I remember a very candid conversation that I had with a boss where I asked her if she felt that I was meeting the proper bench marks that she was looking for because my perception was that she didn’t think I was capable of the job because she was always telling how to do the tasks. I also explained my frustration that I felt that she always pointed out mistakes, but overlooked my successes. She told me that she thought I was very capable and didn’t understand why I had concerns. She also explained that she was trying to help by telling me how to complete the task and by pointing out areas of improvement.  I wish I would have had the tools that I have now to redo this conversation because we never got to a point of understanding to move forward.

So, how does my internal locus of control affect my leadership behavior? To clarify, I do believe that many things happen in my life that I have zero control over. However, the vast majority of the time I think that I can choose how I react to the situation. For example, as a military spouse I have no control if my husband has to leave for training, or if we are told that we have to move. However, I can choose to see my husband leaving as an opportunity to have more time with my girlfriends, and I can see moving as an adventure instead of a burden. So as a leader, I think I look for what I can control vs. focusing on what I can’t control.

On the other hand, I struggle with the locus of control in regard to the Path-Goal Theory in that it only addresses follower characteristics, not the leader’s locus of control. To me, a leader has to have at least some level of internal locus of control, otherwise they would say that only luck or fate is what got them where they are now. If I follow that logic then it leads down a slippery slope that means only some people are capable of being leaders based off of their luck, and as a result there really isn’t a need as leaders to build people up, have vision, and be forward thinking because life happens to you vs. you controlling your life. At the very least, it also indicates that a leader with an external locus of control does not feel the need to assume responsibility for their mistakes (Vandegrift, Matusitz, 2011). This goes against what we have learned about leadership.  

In the end, I think that internal and external locus of control, in relation to the Path-Goal Theory, is a reminder that leaders cannot assume that everyone thinks like them. As a result, it is important to very my behaviors and approach to leadership based off of the cues and characteristics of my followers. The trick however, is that I will not pick up on these cues if I do not take the time to get to know my followers at least at a foundational level and show that you care about them. At the end of the day I think everyone wants to feel that they matter and have purpose. My mom was a homemaker for most of my childhood, and in the last couple of years has ventured out into the workforce. Until recently, she hated most of her jobs because of poor management. Recently she got a job working in a flower nursery. She said that it is one of the most caring places that she has worked at. When I asked her why she said, “They never make us take just 15 minutes for our break. They always have us stretch it out to 20 or 25 minutes. They always have snacks for us, and on cold days they have a fresh pot of coffee, and hot days they have lemonade. Everyone gets to take their breaks at the same time.”  After my mom told me this, I thought to myself: Why don’t some companies see that something as simple as coffee and lemonade can make all the difference in an employee’s motivation?

References:

Northouse, Peter G. (2016) Leadership Theory and Practice 7th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Vandegrift, Rebecca; Matusitz, Jonathan. (2011). Path-Goal Theory: A Successful Columbia Records Story. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment. 21:4, 350-362.