Leadership Position
Recently I had the opportunity to hold a leadership position in a group project that I was assigned in one of the classes at the university. The group project required the construction of a concept map in a group of five students. Although I was not appointed or elected as an official team leader, I initiated and managed tasks throughout the project. Specifically, I organized meetings, managed the workflow, delegated tasks among group members, and came up with ideas and initiatives. Other group members also implicitly acknowledged my leadership by, for instance, asking me questions about the coordination of the project.
Leadership Types
My leadership style most approximates transactional leadership as opposed to transformational leadership. Transactional leadership “offers rewards in exchange for compliance,” focuses on the management of tasks, and meeting deadlines, among other characteristics (Giltinane, 2013, p. 36). Instead of motivating with shared values as transformational leadership assumes, I encouraged groupmates by reminding them of the reward in the form of excellent grades that we can obtain due to exemplary work. In addition, I adopted a democratic as opposed to an autocratic leadership style since I allowed other team members to develop their leadership skills (Giltinane, 2013). Specifically, I invited groupmates particularly to lead while deliberately remaining passive and non-interventive myself. Thus, transactional and democratic leadership styles are the primary modes of leadership I practiced.
The Impact of Leadership Style
The transactional leadership helped me and the group to accomplish the project on time. Meanwhile, democratic leadership allowed us to create a decent project since it opened up new and innovative ideas. Since I was open-minded to any interventions, other group members did not hesitate to contribute, which enabled better decision-making. This type of leadership also allowed to maintain a good relationship between team members. Hence, transactional leadership, added with democratic leadership elements, helped the success of the team.
Reference
Giltinane, C. L. (2013). Leadership styles and theories. Nursing Standard, 27(41), 35–39. Web.