Vince Lombardi states that “leaders aren’t born, they are made”, which makes it crucial for mangers to understand the importance of effective leadership in team building and communication. While it is an accepted fact that efficient leaders motivate their teams to deliver results, it is also extremely essential to understand different styles of leadership and the situations in which they can be effectively applied.
This paper aims to analyse the leadership styles of successful mangers through a literature review with the intention of a personal reflective analysis of my leadership communication style and skills and their contribution to the success of the training session of my team. The following paper reports how my leadership communication style skills benefited my team during the training process including the initiating of the members of the team, the preparation of the training session, the training session itself and after the session concluded.
Coming together: Taking on the Cross-Cultural Challenge
Effective leaders need to recognise the needs of cross-cultural organizations and need to develop skills and competencies to promote cultural diversity. Research confirms that leaders who function in cross cultural settings need to have “relationship competence” so that they are able to bring out the best qualities of the people they work with by connecting with these individuals who come from distinct cultures, communities and backgrounds (Manning, 2003). Keeping this as an important aspect of training, my team and I decided to initiate the session with this topic by using the “visionary style” which is one of the six styles which Goleman (2003) identified in his leadership research. I was also well aware that teams function effectively when the “climate” of the environment is one which facilitates flexibility and responsibility so that members work with commitment and a common sense of purpose (Goleman, 2003).
As a team member I decided to initiate the session positively, and acceded to the medium of a ‘live skit’ would enable all the team members to share their ideas and views and gain new insights which were essentially missing. The visionary style is extremely popular due to the positive impact it has on business situations and enables the team members communicate with one another without being overbearing in the exchange of view and ideas. I am aware that relationship skills include the ability to communicate effectively and to create a social environment (Manning, 2003). My knowledge of sensitivity to culture stems from the knowledge of the leadership traits of distinguished leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King who were well aware of the needs and requirements of the people who followed them and used these needs as the basis of their personal beliefs (Joplin & Daus, 1997). Keeping this aspect in view, my team and I decided to conduct a training session to experience the impact of culture in the interview process and learn how cultural ignorance and lack of knowledge could hamper important business meetings such as interviews.
Preparation of the Training Session
As decided, we functioned as a team and used the platform of a mock interview by preparing a skit to find out the possible hindrances which could occur due to differences in culture. Being aware that an ‘affiliative style’ places importance on people and their values, I realized that this would be most appropriate when preparing for the training session of cultural sensitivity (Goleman, 2003). The style also promotes harmony and enables teams to function with flexibility and trust (Goleman, 2003). The first skit for the mock interview included an HR manager from the United States interviewing a software engineer from India, and how the lack of cultural knowledge by the interviewee hampers the interview process and reduces his prospects of being selected for the post, despite having the necessary credentials. The goal of the first mock interview was to educate the team regarding the importance of knowledge and understanding of the host culture, when applying for and giving interviews for specific posts.
During the session
As we progressed during the course of the training session, I realized that I would have to use several styles of leadership based on the situation. I am in favour of a democratic style of functioning since I realise that this approach would enable me to take direction from the ideas of my colleagues and that by giving flexibility, the team would be able to produce enhanced results (Goleman, 2003). I was also aware that the democratic style has its drawback since it involves endless meetings; as such, I decided to suggest that we should use technological tools such as e-mails and telephones to share ideas with one another as this would provide my team with flexibility and convenience. Needless to say, the results were positive and all team members gave valuable input based on their personal experiences, which proved to be an important factor in the success of the training session.
After the Session
Thus, as a member of team l was able to lend my leadership style to produce optimal results through a blending of various styles and techniques, as the situation demanded. I used my “interpersonal acumen” to understand the behaviours and motives of my team members and used the all important traits of encouragement, motivation and cooperation to ensure that my team progressed successfully towards its goal (Aditya & House, 2002). I was patient and supportive and involved actively with the team to enhance the “climate” which is a crucial factor in enhancing the productivity of teams. I ensured that my personal experiences and input were able to benefit the team rather than be a hindrance to the productivity of the team.
In conclusion, it can be affirmed that leadership and communication skills are crucial for effective functioning of teams and their positive outcomes. Researchers have explicated several leadership styles and communication techniques which can be applied to various situations and organizations. Managers must study and use these styles to become successful team leaders.
References
Aditya, R. N. & House, R. J. (2002). Interpersonal acumen and leadership across cultures: Pointers from the GLOBE study. In R.E. Riggio, S. E. Murphy and F. J. Pirozzolo. (Eds.). Multiple intelligences and leadership. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Goleman, D. (2000).’Leadership that gets results’. Harvard Business Review, March-April, pp. 78-91.
Joplin, J. R. W. & Daus, C. S. (1997). Challenges of leading a diverse workforce. The Academy of Management Executive, 11(3), 32-48.
Lombardi Vince (2003). What It Takes To Be Number #1: Vince Lombardi on Leadership. McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing.
Manning, Tracey T. “Leadership across cultures: attachment style influences.” Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies 9.3 (Wntr 2003): 20(11).