Path-Goal Theory of Leadership: Encouraging Performance to Achieve Goals

the participative approach, the leader can involve followers in idea development and decision-making, allowing everyone to contribute. Another approach is achievement-oriented leadership, which sets challenging goals for work and self-improvement (Evans, 2000).
I greatly admire one leader for their leadership qualities - my senior teacher from my college folklore movement.

Since high school, I have been actively involved in the folklore movement and this passion has continued into my college years. Our main goal as part of this movement is to help those in need, especially those living near our campus. As a result, we decided to raise money to assist the people affected by the Tsunami. Subsequently, we contacted a relief agency that was working in the affected area to gather more information about the situation and find out how we could make a contribution.

To accomplish our objective, thorough preparation was necessary. We came across a project involving the reconstruction of a children's home that had been destroyed. Initially, we were unaware of the financial requirements associated with the project. Nevertheless, we made the decision to undertake it and put forth our best efforts in its execution. Upon contacting the agency responsible for this endeavor, we were taken aback by the substantial amount of funding required as revealed in the initial study.

The predicted amount was exceeded by 10 times, which was overwhelming for us as college students. We were uncertain about raising the extra funds, but our patron reassured us. Committed to building the house, we couldn't withdraw. We understood the consequences of project failure, not only for the university club's reputation but also for those who depended on us.

Thus, we had to give our best effort to make it a reality.

Our patron instructed us on how to raise funds for our project and emphasized that the outcome depended on our efforts. It was crucial for us to set a goal and establish a structure to achieve it. Additionally, our patron took charge of guiding us through the implementation process.

He told us that we would collaborate to accomplish the objective and stressed the significance of staying concentrated. We opted to launch a fundraising drive at the university and in neighboring businesses. Our goal was to raise our contribution so as to meet the project's required amount within the given timeframe. However, upon reviewing our finances, we realized that we needed eight times the initial amount we had contributed. The fundraising campaign turned out to be difficult.

Throughout our journey, our patron has unwaveringly supported us despite the obstacles we faced. We often felt discouraged when we struggled to gather the necessary funds, but our patron's consistent support never faltered. They frequently organized coffee hours, providing not only nourishment but also words of encouragement to motivate us and push us towards greater achievements. In the end, we were able to raise the required funds and successfully launch our project. The overwhelming joy we experienced was a result of accomplishing what we had set out to do.

Our patron provided guidance and showed us the way to achieve our goal. His leadership skills were evident throughout the project, demonstrating the path-goal theory of leadership which emphasizes accomplishing tasks through focus and determination. Our patron used various approaches during the implementation

process.

Utilizing a participative leadership approach, he involved everyone in the decision-making process to determine the direction we should take. He granted us autonomy in choosing which project to pursue. Furthermore, he employed an achievement-oriented leadership style by motivating and encouraging us to remain focused on our goals. He set a challenging target for us, demanding that we gather a sum eight times greater than our initial amount. Additionally, he offered substantial support and guidance on how we could achieve our desired outcome.

In my opinion, our patron was a good leader but lacked control over the process. Some club members took advantage of this and did not fully contribute. If our patron had taken control to establish guidelines for everyone to follow, the process would have been simpler and more effective. We would have collected the money in less time if all members had participated.