Leadership is the central role within a workspace that requires a particular set of skills and level of commitment. Therefore, the leader must be qualified for the job, is well aware of its nuances, and balances the needs of fellow employees and the work standards. While other workers play no less integral role in a workplace’s functionality, a leader is a person who wraps it all up together and helps the unit achieve the best results possible.
Several types of leadership styles can be described depending on the leader’s approach and performance. Leadership can be transformational, transactional, and thoughtful (Wen et al., 2019). Transformational leadership has a mutualistic effect on both leader and their employees: they engage with each other, raise motivation, and form strong but professional bonds. Transactional leadership requires a leader to control their followers via reward and punishment and create clear cut and dry expectations on work. Thought leaders inspire their workers to think creatively and form new ideas on approaching problems and tasks.
In my past several workplaces, there were a few leaders of each type. The first leader was thoughtful, as they inspired our team to think for ourselves and create unique approaches to the customers. The second leader was transactional, as they focused solely on deadlines, expectations, and rules, and both punished poor workplace performance and rewarded proper work ethics. The third leader was transformational: they interacted with the employees and showed genuine interest in their work and well-being, which created a well-bonded workplace atmosphere and motivated everyone to work harder together. The current leader also falls under these criteria, as they inspire their workers to work hard while also demonstrating moral support and listening to the employees’ feedback without using punishment as a tactic.
In my practice, the transformational method is the most effective style of leadership. It is not as strict and unbendable as transactional leadership. It allows for great flexibility for workers, but it is also more cohesive and concrete than thoughtful leadership because it gives clear and achievable goals. Therefore, transformational leadership is the type of leader I would want to be. It motivates both leaders and workers to put themselves into work to create the healthiest and most productive work unit.
Reference
Wen, T. B., Ho, T. C., Kelana, B. W. Y., Othman, R., & Syed, O. R. (2019). Leadership styles in influencing employees’ job performances. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 9(9), 55-65. Web.