Participative Leadership There is a variety of leadership styles that one can be identified as. They can be authoritarian, procedural, transformational, participative, or laisses-faire, each one possessing strong trait that make an individual a great leader. It is certain that each style carries its pros and cons; however, when properly applied, anyone can flourish into a well-rounder leader. Being a leader is about understanding organizational goals and applying effective methods to reach those goals. Goals that once achieved brings positive change to any organization. One cannot be a change agent without being a leader. Likewise, a leader without a vision for change will be ineffective and short-lived (Trybus, 2011). For the purpose …show more content…
In past years, I have taken a variety of self-assessment to identify my leadership traits, management styles, and other characteristics, but have never taken one to identify my style. After reviewing the traits of such leadership style, it hit home knowing that I was classified as participative. As a firm believer of teamwork and the term “it takes a village to raise a child”, participative leadership is exactly what those two term reflect. In this case, the “child” is a project or an organization and the village is the team leading the surge to successfully complete their tasks collaboratively, knowing that the village chief is always available for advice and guidence. The village chief possesses this leadership style that encourages healthy communication, teamwork, and self-confidence amongst his team. Gorkman (as cited in CSU-Global, 2015) discusses the Communication, Opportunity, Advisory, and Talent (C.O.A.T.) assessment that guides leaders into making effective decisions and build such strong …show more content…
Nonetheless, this style of leadership is not for everyone. A perfect example where participative leadership is heavily demonstrated is Google. Google built their company based on family and teamwork and they validate what Gorkman (as cited in CSU-Global, 2015) stated, effective leaders research trends before leaping on a bandwagon. They want to learn if those trends represent true opportunities for the organization, and, if they do, leaders take strategic steps, aligning the talent of their followers and the resources of their organization to take advantage of the trends in a productive way. Obviously, then, learning how to anticipate the future is important. Google empowers their employees to use their skills and collaborate with others to develop progressive products, and by doing so Google as a company continues to
You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink is a proverb I have heard since I was young. Leadership is the skill of influencing people to accomplish goals (Huber, 2014). In today’s world with policy and technological changes the leaders must use their leadership skills to not only get the horse to the water, have him drink, but also do it with a smile an invite others to join him. Leaders use a variety of styles to accomplish their goals. I will discuss the leadership style that I utilize most often, how my style relates to leadership theories and the work type environment it is most useful in.
After completing the “Leadership Style Questionnaire” and analyzing my results, I have learned what my preferred leadership style is and how that influences how I lead and may be perceived from members of the group. From the results attained from the questionnaire, my preferred style of leadership is directing. This type of leadership style is best for individuals who have a low competency and high commitment level. These types of leaders are highly focused on tasks and less focused on relationships. They make decisions without consulting with the group and communicate without regarding the group’s concerns or suggestions. This type of leader also supervises the followers intently. They are very successful in creating objectives for each follower and the group as a whole to guide the group in reaching a certain goal.
Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge is an organizational management book written by Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus for those who aim to become better leaders. The authors emphasize that having executive positions or being a manager does not automatically make one a leader. A leader is one who inspires his staff, help them find purpose in their work, and effectively implement their plans. They separate the book not quite into chapters on different topics, but rather by four strategies that they have determined are vital for any leader to take on. The strategies are effectively concluded as attention through vision, meaning through communication, trust through positioning, and the deployment of self. A prominent feature of Leaders is the various
Based on the leadership survey, my leadership style is participative in nature. According to Huber (2014), this style of leadership is characteristic of a leader that takes part in completing the assigned task. When I
Although there are many outstanding, albeit necessary qualities of a good leader, it is the leader’s beliefs in which greatness is given its first breath, fostered by action, and spread throughout the institution. A great leader believes in encouraging, not destroying; in setting the precedence instead of yielding to prominence ; in collaboration, not division; in giving, not taking; and in having high standards and volunteering to be the first of many to be held to them. A great leader does not take advantage of the people being lead, but instead, creates an advantage for the people by giving them the opportunities to lead. Only when people take ownership of an institution will passion be cultivated, action be taken, and greatness be achieved.
As an officer in the United States Army, it has been imperative for me to understand every facet of leadership and why it remains important to be an effective leader. During this course, I have learned some valuable lessons about myself as a leader and how I can improve on my leadership ability in the future. The journal entries along with the understanding of available leadership theories have been an integral part of my learning during this course. For all of the journals and assessments that I completed, I feel it has given me a good understanding of my current leadership status and my future potential as a leader. All of the specific assessments looked at several areas in regards to leadership; these assessments covered several separate focus areas and identified my overall strengths and weaknesses as a leader. Over the course of this paper I will briefly discuss each one of these assessments and journal entries as they pertained to me and my leadership.
It is true to say that not every leadership is about changing or disputing people’s vision of the future. According to Stanley (2012), most leaders are not followed and respected based on their vision or creativity, but on their beliefs and values. Even though a leader may have vision coupled with the ability to alter other people’s visions and perspectives about the future, he/she must be able to empower and motivate them to perform even better. This explains a new theory of leadership known as congruent leadership. As discussed by Stanley (2012), congruent leadership is a new theory of management in which the actions, activities, and endeavors of a leader, are driven and matched by their beliefs and values, in this case, relating ...
In my view, people employ certain traits that differentiate us from our neighbor next door, and leadership is no different. The test produced by the University of Kent in the United Kingdom (University of Kent, n.d.) has developed a process that I feel accurately defines what sort of leader you are based on 50 simple questions. I was not surprised by the results and found them to be quite accurate and expected. In this essay, I will explore why I feel the test is an accurate way to determine your leadership style due to my personal experience with
Have you ever had a leader that inspired you to develop your own leadership traits? “A leader is someone who demonstrates what’s possible” (Mark Yarnell, 2015). There are numerous leadership styles. Each of the numerous leadership styles can be beneficial if utilized in an appropriate means. I have chosen three leaders and their unique leadership styles to discuss in this paper. The unique styles that will be discussed are situational leadership, transformational leadership, and laissez-faire leadership. I will also discuss each leader’s approaches, their fundamental leadership principles, and how each leader used their style within their profession.
Colvin (2008) stated, “Through deliberate practice, your task is to deepen your knowledge about what works and about how to support and develop others, including the particular others with whom you are working.” Change will happen when leaders are able to generate an energetic and passionate purpose in others (Fullan, 2011, p. 22). I must be committed to change taking place. The leader does not work alone, but mobilizes and develops others in the organization throughout the change process (Fullan, 20011, p. 31). When leading, I do so in a manner that is demanding but empathic.
During the predominant leadership role research, I have determined that I have a participative leadership personality. I have a sharing or open to suggestions attitude. I feel like working in this type of environment, enhanced the participative personality. A participative leadership style is an organization’s consensus aspect to meet goals (Salahuddin, 2010, p. 2). Participative leadership is a type of management that allows staff members to provide recommendations and input on decision making. It was imperative to me that management be aware of the strengths and weakness of the employees that they manage. When taking into the consideration of staff members, the input
Throughout my life, I have been fortunate to have many opportunities to take on leadership roles, and to use these roles to influence others in very positive ways. After taking the leadership quizzes or survey, I was able to determine that my personal leadership style is Participative. Participative style is the leadership style where a leader gives team the opportunity to wholly take part in
As individuals, we all strive to grow and become better in all that we do. There are some however, that look to enact positive change on the world and not just themselves. These individuals seek to change for the betterment of others, the community and their society (Higher Education Research Institute [HERI], 1996). The people who work tirelessly to make the world a better place are perceived as leaders. As one who looks into becoming a better leader and establishing their own individual leadership commitment, that vision must be involved in the process. Along with other elements like the StrengthsFinder assessment, Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle, and the Social Change Model of Leadership, the goal of achieving
Participative leaders or better known as democratic leaders include team members and others, but making the final decision is up to the participative leader. Participative leaders build confidence and knowledge within team members because their inputs matter within decision making. It helps team members think their opinions help with decisions. If there is change that needs to be implemented a participative leader helps team members understand the change in positive way. I would definitely consider myself a participative leader because I love gathering as many opinions from people just in case I don’t see the situation from another point. It helps me put everything in a good perspective.
So what does this definition mean to me? First, it means that leaders who embrace a participative leadership style, values and involves their entire team. Second, it means leaders work closely with their team members, focusing on building relationships and rapport. Lastly, it means that leaders allow their team to assist in the decision making process, accepting their input and allowing them to share their ideas. As a leader, I would incorporate this style of leadership when leading project teams because it creates a level of trust between a leader and its members. In addition, this leadership style creates motivation and empowerment. When team member’s skills are acknowledged and their opinions are being valued, they see how their contributions aid in completing the final project goal and take ownership. This type of leadership also provides higher levels of motivation and better strategies and solutions because a variety of people contribute with different perspectives and ideas. Although the team leader is required to give up some control, I believe that the motivational benefits of doing so are greater than with other leadership styles. According to Lam, Xu & Chan (2015), “many practicing managers acknowledge the potential motivational benefits of participative management practice, and value its performance implications” (p. 836). I would