Leadership Professional Development: Key Elements and Stages
This paper reviews two peer-reviewed journal articles addressing leadership professional development in the modern workplace. Drawing on Adamek's (2007) discussion of John C. Maxwell's four elements of effective leadership—influence, empowerment, process, and inner circle—and Roof and Presswood's (2004) summary of Maxwell's five leadership stages, the paper examines what separates effective leaders from ineffective ones. The review argues that while some individuals may possess innate leadership qualities, nearly anyone can develop stronger leadership competencies through deliberate effort, self-awareness, and structured development. A brief reflection connects these frameworks to practical workplace improvement.
- Introduction: Context for leadership development review essay
- Maxwell's Four Elements of Effective Leadership: Influence, empowerment, process, and inner circle explained
- Maxwell's Five Stages of Leadership: Leadership growth from position to personhood
- Reflection and Conclusion: Synthesis and practical takeaways from both articles
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper uses direct quotations strategically to ground its claims in source material, allowing the authors' original language to anchor key arguments rather than relying solely on paraphrase.
- It organizes its review around a clear conceptual framework — Maxwell's four elements and five stages — giving the paper a logical, progressive structure that is easy to follow.
- The reflection section connects academic content to practical application, demonstrating the student's ability to synthesize sources rather than merely summarize them.
Key academic technique demonstrated
This paper demonstrates effective secondary source analysis: the student engages with journal articles that themselves interpret a primary theorist (Maxwell), and accurately traces the chain of attribution — citing both the original theorist and the scholars who summarize his work. This multi-level citation approach is an important undergraduate skill that shows awareness of how academic knowledge is built and transmitted.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a framing introduction that identifies the problem (poor leadership promotion practices) and states the essay's purpose. The body is divided into two article summaries, each organized around a named theoretical framework. The first summary breaks down four leadership elements with dedicated subsections; the second presents a numbered five-stage leadership model. A combined reflection and conclusion closes the paper by synthesizing both sources into a practical takeaway.
Introduction
One of the harsh realities of working in an organization is the inevitability of inappropriate promotions based on friendship, cronyism, or nepotism rather than merit — or situations in which employees find themselves thrust into leadership roles by virtue of luck, fate, or a combination thereof. In addition, some leaders who intentionally attempt to climb the career ladder into the executive boardroom may find their path frustrated by a lack of appropriate leadership training that could help them become more effective in the workplace. Although history has shown time and again that some people are born leaders, far more people need assistance to achieve their maximum potential in leadership roles.
The objective of this essay is to review two recent peer-reviewed journal articles concerning the importance of leadership professional development and the steps that can be used to facilitate the process in the modern workplace. The review of the two articles is followed by a reflection on how the experience relates to improving leadership development, and a summary of important findings in the conclusion.
References
Adamek, M. S. (2007, July 1). Elements of leadership development: What contributes to effective leadership? Music Therapy Perspectives, 25(2), 121–125.
Maxwell, J. C. (1993). Developing the leader within you. Georgia: Injoy, Inc.
Maxwell, J. C. (1998). The 21 irrefutable laws of leadership. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Roof, J., & Presswood, K. (2004, Spring). Is it leadership or management? College and University, 79(4), 3–9.
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