Exercise: What's your leadership style?
As mentioned throughout this module, leaders can choose to be either selfless or selfish in their leadership style.
Take time to review the following examples of assumptions leaders make about their employees. Reflecting on these examples can provide valuable insights into your own leadership approach, helping you to better understand and refine your personal leadership style.
Positive Leadership Style: Leaders who embrace this approach are typically characterized by selflessness and a strong focus on others. This style of leadership is conducive to fostering higher levels of motivation, building trust, and enhancing overall morale within the team. The interactions these leaders have with their employees may be influenced by the following beliefs:
- Most employees view work as a natural and enjoyable activity.
- Workers don't require constant supervision when they are dedicated to a goal.
- Employees are usually committed to goals when they are rewarded for their accomplishments.
- Employees not only accept but actively seek out responsibilities.
- The average worker possesses a relatively high level of imagination and creativity.
- The typical worker is capable of self-direction when properly motivated.
Negative Leadership Style: In contrast to the positive style, there are leaders who adopt a more self-centered and consequently less effective approach. This style is often rooted in assumptions that lead to decreased motivation, diminished trust, and reduced morale among employees. The assumptions guiding leaders who follow this negative style might include the following:
- The average person tends to dislike work and will avoid it if possible.
- Employees must be directed, controlled, or even threatened to perform well.
- People, in general, are resistant to change and lack creative abilities.
- The average worker is primarily self-centered and not concerned with corporate objectives.
- Typically, employees lack ambition and try to avoid taking on responsibilities.
- Workers generally prioritize security and financial rewards above all other considerations.