A good leader is not only important to the organization as a whole, but especially to the group of followers the leader influences firsthand. One thing I have learned is that a good leader establishes a good relationship with a group, which motivates them to produce more results than expected. This leader displays behaviors that encourage a group of followers to go farther than they ever thought they would. Another thing I have learned is that this type of leader’s absence is felt tremendously when they are gone.
Stephanie, the former leader in my department was quite possibly one of the best leaders I have ever worked for. She was a good listener, a problem solver, and motivating. If anyone had a question or confronted an issue, she was more than happy to help. She displayed behaviors that encouraged the team to reach success. According to the style approach to studying leadership a leader’s behavior seems to have a direct relationship to a leader’s effectiveness, (PSU WC, 2014, L. 5). Stephanie displayed both task and relationship behaviors while working with the team. Her task behaviors focused on working toward and completing a goal. Northouse (2013) suggests that task behaviors help group members achieve their objective, (p.69). She accomplished this by encouraging us to work hard and work together. Her relationship behaviors focused on the team feeling comfortable with each other and with her. These relationship behaviors also help the team feel comfortable with the situation they are in, (Northouse, 2013). Eventually, Stephanie was offered another job that was a great opportunity and she couldn’t pass it up. It was wonderful for her, but not so great for the team left behind.
Stacy, the new leader of my department was promoted from within the company. When it was announced who the new leader would be, everyone in the department was excited for her. She was a great person and fun to be around. Unfortunately, it takes more to be a good leader than to be a good friend. It wasn’t long before her leadership style became clear. It was expected that her experience level would be low considering she had never been in a leadership role but the fact that she didn’t have a desire to learn was unexpected. She was not communicative about goals, did not do much to motivate the group, and avoided problems like the plague. On one occasion, I went to her with a problem the team had confronted. She was walking out of her office at the time and when she noticed the report in my hand, a look crossed her face that said, “uh oh”. I thought for a moment she was going to hide behind a fake tree sitting in the corner.
The task behaviors she displayed were weak. According to Northouse (2013), task behaviors include organizing work, giving structure to work context, defining role responsibilities, and scheduling work activites. She did not pursue motivating the group to achieve a goal, but rather told us what needed to be done without guidance. It felt like it was every man for his self. She had established a relationship with the group but it was more of a friendly relationship, rather than work oriented. Relationship behaviors include building trust and respect, (Northouse, 2013). Sadly, the team in my department found this area lacking. The group was left wondering, “where did the good leader go?”. There was a long road ahead for the department.
I still work in the same department and Stacy is still the leader. Things have gradually gotten better but only because many team members addressed the behaviors in the situation. The style approach focuses on leaders behaviors, (PSU WC, 2014, L.5). Some leaders possess the ability to display behaviors that make a group feel comfortable and motivated. Some display behaviors that are likely to make a group feel agitated and lost due to lack of leadership. It takes both task and relationship behaviors to produce effective leadership, (Northouse, 2013).
References: Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage PublicationsPennsylvania State University World Campus (2014). Lesson 5: Style and Situational Approaches. Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/su14/psych485/001/content/05_lesson/01_page.html
Megan R Baker says
Brooke,
It is unfortunate that you lost such a good leader from your department. It sounds as though she taught you and your team how to work together effectively. More importantly, she taught you how to accomplish the tasks without her. You reached a developmental level (acquired skills and motivation) that gets the job done without a need for a formal leader (Northouse, 2013). Essentially, she empowered you and your team members to take on this emergent leadership role. As you explain, you and your team are teaching your new assigned leader to reach such a developmental point. I think that this is a good example of the leader-follower relationship that Northouse (p.6) addresses in the beginning of the text. He explains that “leaders are not above or better than followers.” The two roles are interchangeable depending on the situation.
Northouse, P. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Rachel Ann Randall says
I can empathize with your new leader, Stacy. I am in a situation similar to hers right now. I have just been promoted to a leader position and, this being my first, I am still learning as I go. As a new leader without any formal training or experience, it can be difficult to acclimate to the new situation. Attempting to find my leadership style has proven difficult and I’m sure Stacy feels the same way. Though I don’t find myself wanting to hide behind fake foliage, I do find it very difficult to deal with new issues as they arise. When new problems come to my attention it often takes a lot of time and analysis on my end to determine the best course of action. Unfortunately my employees often are looking for an immediate response. But I find myself, as Stacy is too I’m sure, growing as a leader everyday. Never having though of myself as having the traits of a leader, I am attempting to ensure I behave in a manner appropriate for a leader. As in the style approach to leadership, I tend to focus on my relationship behaviors. My employees give a lot of hints that loyalty, compassion, and care for them is important. So it is my attempt to lead them by behaving in a manner that shows I am concerned for them as employees and as people. Northouse states this style would be “country-club management,” where there is a high concern for people and low concern for results (Northouse, 2013). This style comes across as too laid back in print but for my organization and my employees it seems to be the most effective. I’m sure in time Stacy will develop her own style or discover a situation in which she will succeed as a leader.
References
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.