1) Do you think that leaders can be flexible in
how they interact with others?
A
good quality leader must be flexible.
Many leaders are not strong in the ability to be flexible, but must
learn to be flexible to be successful as a leader. Leaders need to welcome and encourage change
and learn to adapt. Facing large quantities
of adversities, multiple demands, and frequent interruptions is a necessity in
a busy and successful work environment. Welcoming
change and therefore being flexible indicates to co-workers that the leader is
open to accepting what it takes to get the job done.
Do
you believe that leaders can change their behaviors? All people are different,
but a good quality leader must be able to be flexible when they interact with
others and they need to acquire the ability to change their behavior. Some people are introverts and some are
extraverts, but adjustment to their personal styles can help them change their
behavior so that they function well within the work structure. Keeping an open
door policy can enhance interacting with co-workers and help address many of
the demands, but knowing how to delegate, prioritize and work outside their own
comfort zone is a must. Many leaders
find changing their innate behavior can be difficult, but it is a skill that
can be developed.
Do
you believe that leaders can change their personalities? Psychologists
generally agree that a person’s personality cannot be changed, however they do
support that a leader can improve their success by learning new skills and new
behaviors. Generally it is believed that
a tiger cannot change it stripes so it is necessary to do a good selection of
the candidate for the job in the very beginning. However some people do possess
the ability to develop better quality leadership skills. The person needs to
have a firm control over their own personality in order to develop
self-awareness of how they can develop skills and behaviors that are conducive
for improved leadership ability. A leader can learn how to be a more effective
leader by learning new skills and new behaviors, but personality is personality,
and it cannot be changed and the leader needs to learn to adapt to become an
effective leader.
Brusman,
M. (2001). Leadership Personality: Do You Have the Big Five Traits? Working Resources Newsletter: Volume IV, No.
8. Retrieved from http://www.workingresources.com/nss-folder/pdffolder/LeadershipPersonality.pdf
2) Of
the 5 contingency approaches to leadership, which approach seems like the best
fit for you and why?
The
theory that most applies to me best is the Leader-Member Exchange Theory. This
theory has three components: role taking, role making, and routinization. Role
taking is the opportunity to evaluate follower performance and potential. I
have found that I accomplish role taking well under a strong leader-member
exchange style. If I have close, consistent and structured direction in
learning a new skill then I am able to absorb the information and develop
quickly and easily. Role making is a trust building process and if the environment
is conducive to making me feel welcomed and accepted, I develop trust and I can
grow and feel comfortable during the learning process. In the leader-member
exchange theory routinization establishes relationships where similarities and
differences become equal. When I feel that within the situation I am different
from the others but not treated like I am different I feel connected for just
being me. Connecting with people is a very important aspect of my life, but I feel
that I have been in many situations in the past where leader-member exchange
has not been practiced. I struggled and
did not feel that I belonged even in situations where I was not that different
from everyone else in the situation. Now
I am aware that when this theory is practiced I can know that I am different,
but still feel accepted. When I entered
a situation where I felt like I was taking on an unfamiliar role, development
of trust and routinization occurred, and I knew that leader-member exchange
theory was occurring and that because of it, I would positively grow and enjoy
the process.
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