One of the effective leaders I know is one of my school teachers. Moreover, he is a role model for many. Bodell (2014) claims that the use of a creative approach is the central characteristic feature of an efficient leader in the modern world. Mr. Good, I will use this name for convenience, was one of such creative people who could lead many followers. It was really interesting to listen to him and complete his assignments that were not confined to a simple drill of facts. The assignments he gave were always creative. He also paid a lot of attention to the atmosphere in the classroom. It seemed that boredom rather than ignorance were the major enemies for him. Students loved him as he hardly ever gave bad marks. I was inspired by this teacher who made me even more passionate about history. At that, the discussion of leadership styles made me reveal some gaps in Mr. Good’s approach.
His leadership style could be defined as country-club management. This approach is characterized by a high concern for the atmosphere and relationships accompanied by a low concern for the accomplishment of particular tasks (Northouse, 2016). Mr. Good focused on the relationships within the group and failed to pay necessary attention to actual teaching objectives. It is necessary to note that his teaching had certain positive effects as we learned to be a team, to be creative thinkers and problem solvers. We also learned how to learn. However, one of the major objectives of teaching was not achieved as many students scored poorly during the required tests.
As has been mentioned above, I loved the subject and benefited greatly from the creative approach used, but many students did not like history and were not very diligent. They were active during the classes, but they did not do all the assignments and hardly learned a thing. They noted that Mr. Good was outstanding, but they still did not want to pay necessary attention to the subject. Therefore, on the one hand, the leader was inspirational and helped many followers (I was not the only history lover in the class) to achieve great results. On the other hand, Mr. Good failed to achieve central objectives in many cases as students performed poorly during tests. I also remember completing some surveys concerning different teachers’ performance, which meant that there was a certain assessment of employees’ efficiency. Clearly, Mr. Good was one of the top teachers as everybody loved him.
It is necessary to state that Mr. Good was quite an effective leader as he helped many followers to perform well. At that, he had to reconsider his leadership style and become more concerned about the accomplishment of particular goals. He tended to focus on high-performers and let others enjoy the classes. Nevertheless, it is essential to involve all the members of the team and make them perform in the most effective way. Therefore, the teacher could use some less creative assignments since some students found it difficult to complete them as they would benefit more from drilling, memorizing, and practicing. Moreover, the assessment of skills and knowledge should be more formal and rigid. Students should understand that there are certain goals to be reached. Finally, Rowold and Borgmann (2013) argue that leaders’ assessment should not be confined to their subordinates’ views as the perspectives of supervisors and peers could also be helpful. Students would score better if the school’s management evaluated the teacher’s strengths and weaknesses.
On balance, Mr. Good was an example of a leader with a strong concern for people. Subordinates loved him, but their performance was not very high. Therefore, the use of a more task-oriented approach could be beneficial. It could also be effective to use peer and supervisors’ assessment at school as students revealed their positive attitudes towards fun they had rather than academic goals they achieved. I believe these improvements will be especially applicable in Asian countries where the focus on relationships also prevails. Targets, goals, and particular tasks cannot be ignored.
References
Bodell, L. (2014). Soft skills for the future. T+D, 68(3), 35–38.
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Rowold, J., & Borgmann, L. (2013). Are leadership constructs really independent? Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 34(1), 20–43.