Summary:
During the training we discussed the various types of leadership that Goleman has described. Those are according to (Sinek, n.d.):
- Visionary - inspiring, “come with me and you will do fine”;
- Affiliative - trust, connection, team spirit, conflict management, “first the people, task second”;
- Democratic - motivation, support, giving space, seeking consensus, “lets do it together”;
- Pacesetting - performance oriented, “do it my way”;
- Coaching - combo of democratic and strategic, encourage, challange, feedback, ”let me help you”;
- Commanding - no employee input, controlled.
We also discussed what we think makes a good leader, who we could call such and why. For me, a good leader is someone who is helpful, confident, adaptable, confident and unbiased. A good leader understands the whole process of the project and how it must be done, they listen to the group, collaborate with them, are responsible, have good management skills. From my personal observations, my mum is a good leader. She has been working in managing for most of her career, she leads her followers by setting a good example, coaching them, helping when someone is struggling, but also setting strict deadlines to ensure that project is done on time. Also, we discussed how we have shown our leadership this year, personally - I was the general manager of both teams this year, I set up timelines, assignments for those teams, I tried to be encouraging but also enforce the rules we have set in collaboration contracts.
Suitability:
For me the most suitable leadership style would be a combination of democratic and pacesetting since it would make sure everyone is heard and has an option of what they want to contribute to the project but also would mean that the leader is experienced and knows how to do most of the tasks so the followers have a good example (Sinek, n.d.). I feel that pacesetting style of leadership is the most motivating.
Key points:
Develop ability to work with others by using democratic leadership techniques.
Encourage a coaching style of leadership to give team members autonomy and offer helpful criticism.
Acknowledge the significance of situational leadership and modify my approach to leadership appropriately.
Summary:
My SMART learning objectives are directly aligned with these findings. Combining democratic and pacesetting approaches promotes high performance and inclusivity, which makes achieving objectives easier. Prioritising coaching and collaboration helps individuals grow as a team and as individuals, which leads to quantifiable achievements. Taking situational leadership seriously guarantees flexibility, which is essential for handling changing circumstances. At the end of the day, these realisations enable me to lead successfully, motivate teams, and produce quantifiable results.
Exercise:
Form a group of 4 people you have worked with last year, write down what kind of leadership style each has and share with each other. Write that down.
Me - Situational.
Zuza - situational.
Emmeline - pacesetting and coaching.
Claude - affiliate.