Personal Narrative: My Primary Leadership Style

My primary leadership style is democratic in nature, and depending on the situation, I will also utilize coaching, authoritative, and pacesetting. I am less apt to use the affiliative or coercive styles, simply because I am not as comfortable with those two approaches. At the beginning of projects, when there is ample time to decide on the direction, I try to include everyone in the discussion, asking for their input in the various decisions that need to be made. Once I’ve heard everyone’s input, I’ll work with the team to flesh out the best direction. If there is an item of contention that I feel passionate about, I’ll present my case as to why I feel my direction should be chosen to persuade the other members of the team. If we are still …show more content…
There were four members assigned to my team, and I kicked off the project by holding workshops where we reviewed the requirements of the project, brainstormed ideas on the approach, and assigned tasks to the individual members of the team. During the first stages of the project I provided an overview of my ideas, garnered input from the team on any ideas they had, and asked for feedback on what could be improved. I received quite a few ideas, which assisted in determining who would be a good fit for each of the modules requiring development. One of the team members was very passionate on a particular item, and was insistent on taking her approach to solve the problem. I listened to her ideas, provided input on my interpretation of what the business wanted, and pitched my design. After hearing her arguments, I relented to her approach as I felt she had a solid grasp on the subject, and felt comfortable that she could handle the design. At the end of the workshops I asked for volunteers for each item, and assigned tasks to each team …show more content…
I’ve always taken more of a hands off approach in interacting with my employees in an attempt to empower them to make decisions for themselves. I have also been fearful of coming across as being insincere or saccharine by using an affiliative leadership style. I will typically recognize the work products of each individual as they are delivered, but going forward, to hone my skills with this style, I will make more of an effort to spend time getting to know each person and gain a deeper understanding to foster a more cohesive team. I will attempt to use more positive reinforcement in my day to day activities, and attempt to tie their accomplishments into the bigger picture. My teams consist of highly educated people, so I find the coercive style is typically frowned upon and individuals react poorly to it. In a crisis situation, I can see where this style makes the most sense, but I’m also fearful I might make the wrong decision and the blame would fall on me. I have one employee that needs a high level of input on every decision she makes. I’ve been employing the coaching leadership style when she asks questions, but I feel it has led to frustration on both sides. In the next month, I will make a concerted effort at providing clear directions, and simply provide her with the answers. I’ll follow up with her in a couple weeks and ask for her