Thursday, February 26, 2015

A633.7.3.RB - Leader Follower Relationship


After taking the assessment on chapter 10, my results were 5 for strategy 1, 2, and 3 and only once did I use strategy 4. This shows that I have a diverse opinion on different situations and when to use each strategy. I believe that this gives me an advantage as a leader because I am able to adapt to the specific situation and deal with it how I see best fit. I don’t think it is advantageous for a leader to rely solely and always on one strategy. Every situation and individual calls for the right way to approach and solve it. These results also reassure me that as a leader I have a good balance of people focus and goal focus. This means that as I assess each individual situation I read and see if it calls for me to mentor the person or for me to be more goal-oriented.

I would have to say that my thinking has not changed, but evolved as I learned about new concepts and theories on leadership. Complexity theory and the role that complexity plays in organizations and leadership was something that I never truly considered a factor. Chaos and complexity are inevitable and should not be something negative all of the time. Organizations should establish cultures ready to adapt and embrace chaos and complexity. Another concept that I learned about is the leadership charade. This is something that is very important for good leaders to be aware of and not fall into. We should establish open communication in the workplace and not ever pretend to know something simply based on our position. These concepts and theories have not changed my thinking about leadership but expanded it and increased my factual knowledge of leadership. One of my favorite learning points is that of upward leadership and how great leaders should establish an organization that allows for leadership from the bottom up, where people’s voices are heard and considered.

These are all things that I will take on with me as I continue striving to be a better leader. I will have better theoretical understanding of leadership techniques, methods, and concepts. This will give me the knowledge foundation to make better-informed decisions. This knowledge alone will not make me a great leader. That will come with the application of such contents and the personal experience of leading every day in a real working organization. Having a self-critical approach and being open to following and learning from others all around me. This knowledge has provided a great foundation for my leadership and it will continue to guide and help me grow as a leader.

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