Introduction
Whenever there is a need to work toward achieving a common goal, leadership qualities are required, which is why developing even basic leadership skills is crucial for any person. However, one should keep in mind that there are several leadership types, each having its own set of advantages and disadvantages. The choice of a particular leadership style hinges heavily on one’s personality and value system. For instance, with my focus on empowering others, I suppose that the skills approach known as transformational leadership (TA) style as the means of inspiring people to complete a certain goal is the superior one. However, while the TA approach is my goal, I currently tend to resort to the Laissez-Faire Leadership (LF) style since I do not feel confident enough in the strategies that I develop. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to reflect on my current leadership style and locate the steps that will help me achieve the desired one.
Leadership Approach
From the perspective of the Situational Leadership approach (SL), my current leadership style can be seen as rather flawed since it does not allow the active reinforcement of corporate values as the platform of decision-making. In addition, as an LF leader, I have less control over the choices that staff members make. However, the flexibility in meeting the culture-specific needs of staff members opens additional possibilities for enhancing their performance (Skogstad et al., 2014). In addition, staff members are not motivated to improve their skills. Therefore, the existing strategy needs improvement.
Strengths and Weaknesses
As a leader, I have a certain potential. For example, I focus on the staff’s culture-specific needs, which allows motivating and empowering them. As long as team members are treated with respect to their values and beliefs, efficient communication between a leader and a team can be maintained (Korzilius, Bücker, & Beerlage, 2017). Therefore, the skill of developing a flexible approach and establish a cross-cultural dialogue successfully can be regarded as my key strength. However, the existing approach also has its weaknesses, the lack of focus on professional and personal development being the key one. As a leader, I wish to inspire people to change positively, yet I currently have a rather vague idea of how to achieve the specified goal. Therefore, I will need to learn to motivate team members.
Leadership Plan
In order to learn to motivate and inspire staff members, I will need to ensure that team members are given enough opportunities to be creative. Since the current leadership framework of LF implies transferring the task of decision-making partially to staff members, I have less control over their professional development. Thus, I will have to prompt an initiative for personal and professional growth among participants. The identified task will require taking three essential steps. The latter include setting a personal example, reinforcing values associated with professional development, and focusing on the greater purpose such as lifelong learning (Bouwmans, Runhaar, Wesselink, & Mulder, 2017). Following these three simple steps will guarantee a steep rise in motivation levels among staff members and the following increase in their performance levels.
Summary
Although the current leadership style that I adopt can warrant a passing grade in a general assessment, it requires improvements. With a tighter focus on motivating employees and inspiring them to acquire new skills, I will be able to improve their performance significantly. In addition, the use of the TL approach will help invest in team members and reinforce their loyalty. The suggested technique may also result in the development of lifelong learning skills among participants, thus making the process of continuous improvement within an organization possible.
References
Bouwmans, M., Runhaar, P., Wesselink, R., & Mulder, M. (2017). Fostering teachers’ team learning: An interplay between transformational leadership and participative decision-making? Teaching and Teacher Education, 65, 71-80. Web.
Korzilius, H., Bücker, J. J., & Beerlage, S. (2017). Multiculturalism and innovative work behavior: The mediating role of cultural intelligence. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 56, 13-24. Web.
Skogstad, A., Aasland, M. S., Nielsen, M. B., Hetland, J., Matthiesen, S. B., & Einarsen, S. (2015). The relative effects of constructive, laissez-faire, and tyrannical leadership on subordinate job satisfaction. Zeitschrift für Psychologie, 222(4), 221-232. Web.