Abstract
PSY FPX 6720 Assessment 1 Within an organization, the leadership function is fundamental to any team, as much as success is concerned, there are three key traits one needs to possess as a leader. Integrity, decisiveness, and enthusiasm are the traits one can achieve as a leader in order to prioritize followers, i.e., those of affiliative management style and adaptive leadership. Successful and effective leaders who are able to develop these attributes along with redefining different approaches to leadership and management, are shown to be more successful at influencing others within their team in order to make them more successful too.
The Importance of Leader Values, Traits, and Context
More than a title in the workplace is required for a person to be an effective leader. A leader should be someone with some and certain qualities that can make him/her a better leader in the workplace to become more effective. Becoming a great leader might intimidate some, but a thought needs to be remembered during this period of transformation: leaders are not born, they are shaped. The things one learns through navigating his journey to emerge as a leader have the ability to change him for the better and develop a better and more forceful self (Bennis & Thomas, 2002).
The key traits all leaders need to ensure they cultivate on their course of transformation are those of integrity, decisiveness, as well as passion. In order to use qualities within groups, a person needs to know what each one individually is. The integrity trait covers having the drive to complete something and possessing the desire to be a leader, the decisiveness trait covers having the ability to face daily challenges with the attitude that all goals will be achieved, and finally, the enthusiasm trait allows high-energy leaders to move towards their goals and never lose hope (Emere, et. al., 2019).
PSY FPX 6720 Assessment 1 The Importance of Leader Values, Traits, and Context
I was a staff worker at a local cinema in my former workplace, where the general manager exemplified all the elements of being a good leader. For example when this manager was present in the workplace he always ensured that a good experience is had by all the guests while present in the theater, this entails all the theaters being clean for the next group of people and ensuring the staff have a good working experience. So when the time came to prepare for the next movie set and the crew was behind in cleaning, this manager would take a broom and dustpan and join his followers. This was not only a display of integrity as well as decisiveness in upholding the standards he placed on the workers, but also on himself. Also, this act showed his willingness to ensure that all the people had a good time while in the theater. Also, these habits that this leader had, had strengthened his relationships with his followers.
PSY FPX 6720 Assessment 1 Observing a workplace, the role that contributes the most to the rest of the team is the leadership or, more precisely, the leader. In spite of the ever-evolving definition of effective leadership, there have been traits such as integrity, decisiveness, and enthusiasm shown to be significant ingredients in becoming a successful and effective leader (Hunt & Fedynich, 2019). Studies have shown that if leadership can prove to show these traits, then it provides their followers with a reason to have more confidence in them as well as makes them confident that their leaders are capable enough to complete the task at hand, as great leadership can make a lot of difference in a company (Putra & Cho, 2019). The significance of this is to indicate that qualities that leaders contribute to the equation not only impact them, but it also impacts their team and their company.
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Choices that Reflect a Leader’s Values
Leaders play a significant role in motivating their employees and team. Even though there are many leadership styles that are being emulated by most, one style that appears to be the most effective when it comes to applying the qualities of enthusiasm, decisiveness, as well as integrity, to promote positivity is that of the Affiliative Management Style. The Affiliative Management Style is the process of making sure your followers, or team, are in a harmonious and unified working environment (Pinelli, et. al., 2018).
The importance of this is to show that when team members and leadership can work harmoniously together in accordance with their expectations of one another, then it is a more pleasant work environment. Whether one can make wise decisions or not as a good follower is as good as another decision. This one is because an individual who builds criteria for a good follower is one that can have an interest in holding the courage and confidence to communicate respectfully with your leader if, in your perspective, you do not seem to be going into the right path (Chaleff, 2009). The significance of having good followers in your team, is to have mutual trust and understanding of the things that need to be accomplished on both sides.
PSY FPX 6720 Assessment 1 The Importance of Leader Values, Traits, and Context
In the video “Leadership Lessons Learned at Starbucks,” Howard Behar recounts a story about how his followers, who had at first been excited with his promotion, over time had started doubting his ability to represent them. After Howard began altering his personality, in a bid to live up to some unstated benchmark, in meetings. This shift of his traits had begun to undermine the relationships Howard had built with his followers. The leadership traits and abilities Howard displayed that led his followers to believe in his competence, was how passionate their leader was and how receptive he was to the willingness to share his opinions and ideas with other people.
The leader, Howard in this instance, thought about followership because he was aware that he was not the one who would be the quiet man in the meeting room, he was there to represent and speak on behalf of his followers. This situation illustrated how a leader would be more effective if they pay attention to what their followers are worried about. It has been shown through research that whenever Affiliative leaders lose grip over influencing members of their group, as well as themselves, it makes workers feel like their work has become meaningless and their job satisfaction and morals drop (Preston, et. al., 2015). The importance of these value-based leadership and ethical leadership in this case study is that when the leadership-followership relationship is tense, the performance of employees can suffer.
The Importance of Adaptive Leadership in the Workplace
Adaptability should be a quality all leadership needs to learn in order to have a successful career. Adaptive leadership shares major similarities with the Affiliative Management Style where both styles are follower-centered that is primarily concerned with the leader-follower relationship (Nelson & Squires, 2017). Leaders who possess traits like enthusiasm, decisiveness, and integrity can assist leadership in relating to their followers. Adaptive flexible leaders who are able to adopt the affiliative leadership approach presents another mechanism that is solutions-focused that involves collaboration between the follower side and the management side. Literature has shown that the ability to combine several different types of leadership tactics into their skillset, ensures that the relationship between leaders and their followers are enhanced (Nelson & Squires, 2017).
In my previous job, where I worked in a cinema theater, the management would reward staff members who were doing exceptionally and selling a lot by giving them a “shout out”. The shout out would be that the management would announce their performance and achievements to the whole staff and vow to pay back for one of their lunches within a week. Through the reward of their followers in such a manner, adaptive and affiliative leaders signaled to their followers that their contributions are valued and leads to the success of the rest of the team and organization (Heifetz, et. al., 2009).
The value of how a leader makes choices and how they illustrate a leader’s values is that everything in their vicinity is impacted by what a leader does. Therefore, when a leader can properly identify his/her followers, it generates a greater sense of employee morale and job satisfaction. Research has shown that when adaptive leadership can properly connect with followers on multiple levels, it generates increased retention, increased job motivation, and a more collaborative work environment (Randall & Coakley, 2007).
Conclusion
The role of the management leadership is key to every organizational team, as well as being one of the most crucial occupations. Successful leaders who possess the skills and ability to work with different kinds of leadership and management styles have been shown to be more productive in terms of inspiring others on the team to become more productive. But management skills are something that one can’t be born with, but actual and effective leaders are conditioned by experience. It takes very strong traits, such as: enthusiasm, decisiveness, and integrity, in order to connect with one’s subordinates. Having these will ensure that followers and leaders are able to live together successfully because without living together, both will not exist.
References
Bennis, W. G., & Thomas, R. J. (2002). The crucibles of leadership. Harvard Business Review, 80(9), 39–45.
Chaleff, I. (2009). The courageous follower: Standing up to & for our leaders. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Emere, C. E., Aigbavboa, C. O., & Thwala, W. D. (2019). Critical Traits for Effective Leadership Style in the South African Construction Industry. Creative Construction Conference. 19(37). https://doi.org/10.3311/CCC2019-037.
Heifetz, R. A., Heifetz, R., Grashow, A., & Linsky, M. (2009). The practice of adaptive leadership: Tools and tactics for changing your organization and the world. Harvard Business Press.
Hunt, T., & Fedynich, L. (2019). Leadership: Past, Present, and Future: An Evolution of an Idea. Journal of Arts & Humanities. 8(2), 20-26. https://dx/doi.org/1018533/journal.v8i21582.
Nelson, T., & Squires, V. (2017). Addressing Complex Challenges through Adaptive Leadership: A Promising Approach to Collaborative Problem Solving. Journal of Leadership Education, 16(4).
Preston, G., Moon, J., Simon, R., Allen, S., & Kossi, E. (2015). The Relevance of Emotional Intelligence in Project Leadership. Journal of IT and Economic Development. 6(1), 16-40.
PSY FPX 6720 Assessment 1 The Importance of Leader Values, Traits, and Context
Pinelli, N., R., Sease, J. M., Nola, K., Kyle J. K., Heldenbrand, S. D., Penzak, S. R., & Ginsburg, D. B. (2018). The Importance of Authentic Leadership to all Generations Represented within Academic Pharmacy. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. 82(6). 637-640. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe6694
Putra, E. D., & Cho, S. (2019). Characteristics of small business leadership from employees’ perspective: A qualitative study. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 78, 36-46.
Randall, L. M., & Coakley, L. A. (2007). Applying adaptive leadership to successful change initiatives in academia. Leadership & Organization Development Journal.
