Introduction
Maxwell (2005) and Kirimi (2007) argue that everything rises and falls on leadership. This means that leadership is a very important component of every organization. Therefore, this paper examines different leadership styles and their applicability within Clayton County Library System.
Notable Elements of Servant and Delegative leadership Styles
Robert K. Greenleaf was the first person to propose the concept of servant leadership in 1970 (Wallace, 2011). Servant leadership is a framework of ideas that emphasizes service to others as the basic motivation for a leader. Servant leadership style has notable elements that make it distinct from other styles (Wallace, 2011). One of the elements is that the leadership style is based on service to others (Hannay, n.d). In this regard, servant leadership commences when a leader assumes the position of a servant during his or her contact with the followers (Hannay, n.d). Again, servant leadership has a holistic approach to work (Wallace, 2011). Besides, the servant leadership style encourages a sense of community, which promotes teamwork for the benefit of an organization (Wallace, 2011).
Delegative leadership style is a kind of leadership in which a leader is hands-off; the leader allows his or her followers to freely make decisions and perform duties delegated to them (Gill, 2012; Pollard, 2008). It is also known as laissez-faire leadership (Stanfield, 2009). One of the notable elements of this style is that a leader does not provide guidance or assistance to followers. This means that the followers are left free to make their own decisions (Gill, 2012). However, the leader is still held accountable for all choices made by the followers. Besides, with this kind of leadership style, the leader provides all the necessary resources to the followers (Hamilton, 2010).
Elements of the Leadership Styles Matching my Personal Style
With respect to servant leadership style, one of the elements that match my own leadership style is that of serving others. In every leadership opportunity I get I always want to help others first before considering my personal interests. Listening is one of the most important elements of servant leadership (Hannay, n.d). Listening to what others have to say has always made my communication with followers very effective. However, I still aspire to be able to be committed to the growth of others. I also aspire to be able to build communities and establish stewardship, which are also very crucial elements of servant leadership.
Delegative leadership has some elements that match my own leadership style. One of the elements is that it provides autonomy to subordinates (Sprenger, 2009); I find this important to an organization in terms of allowing everybody to contribute his or her ideas freely without the fear of negative consequences. Besides, allowing followers to do what they can do the best without any interference also matches my style. Otherwise, I still aspire to be able to effectively evaluate the abilities of each follower so as to be able to delegate tasks accordingly.
The most Appealing Leadership Style
Of the existing leadership styles, the most effective one is servant leadership. A servant leader possesses the attitude of a modest and selfless individual (Spence, 2008). Besides, a servant leader humanizes the workplace by treating subordinates as human beings worthy of unqualified respect and dignity. With this kind of leadership, a leader is able to earn the trust of subordinates. All these leadership traits motivate employees to selflessly work to achieve organizational goals.
Clayton County Library System
This is a library headquartered in Jonesboro, GA 30236. It has six branches serving various community members. It is currently headed by Yvonne Carmichael in the capacity of an Interim Library Director (Clayton County Library System, n.d). Clayton County Library System provides a range of services to diverse community members. Unlike most libraries, Clayton County Library System has special services specifically designed for youths, teenagers and kids. In its quest to meet the information needs of the local community members, the library participates in various programs; for instance, it is currently a member of PINE, which is a network of public libraries with 281 located in more than 130 counties within Georgia. Besides, it also participates in various online programs to enhance its services to the community (Clayton County Library System, n.d).
The most Effective Leadership Style for Clayton County Library System
Considering the kind of community members the library serves, the most effective leadership style is servant leadership. As noted earlier, servant leadership style entails service to others; service to others is one of the most notable elements of servant leadership. It is about placing the needs of others before one’s own (Hannay, n.d). Most of the activities in which Clayton County Library System is involved are about giving service to others and helping them experience personal growth. For instance, the library provides some of its services to teenagers, kids and youths (Clayton County Library System, n.d). These constitute a group of individuals who still require a lot of assistance and guidance.
This, therefore, necessitates a kind of leader who is selfless and ready to help others achieve personal development. This is the reason servant leadership will be the most effective for the library. The importance of this style is that the leader will be able to set precedence for his or her subjects to see the sense of helping others first before considering their own personal interests.
The least Effective Leadership Style for Clayton County Library System
Delegative leadership style would be the least effective. In relation to delegative leadership style, the leader allows his or her followers to make decisions and perform duties delegated to them without much interference from the leader (Gill, 2012). However, this kind of leadership style may not be effective in the context of the library. For instance, it may not work where the followers do not have enough knowledge on how to make the right decisions and complete a task, especially in situations where the community members have diverse information needs.
Besides, there is always a tendency for individuals to be self-centered, especially when there are no restraining factors (Gill, 2012). Therefore, using the leadership style may deteriorate the library services when followers emphasize their personal interests at the expense of the diverse community members who seek the library services. Moreover, there is always the possibility of things going wrong if the actions of every follower are not checked.
Conclusion
Different organizational settings require different types of leadership styles. The types of people an organization serves often determine the most effective and the least effective leadership styles. This implies that the success of every organization is significantly informed by the type of leadership style practiced within the organization. However, it is important to note that no one type of leadership style is singularly perfect for an organization. In this case, a mix of leadership styles may be appropriate considering the circumstances in which an organization may find itself.
References
Clayton County Library System. (n.d). Web.
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