Traits are undeniably important to understanding leadership, specifically what makes for good leadership practice. The research on traits is extensive, and while it helps us understand the leader in the leadership equation, it neglects to account for the followers and the situation which are critical to understanding effective leadership (PSU WC, 2020). A leader in one situation with one set of followers may be extremely effective, but when that same leader is placed in another situation with another set of followers, they may struggle. However, when understanding how the leader’s traits can translate in the new environment the leader can be successful. Even more powerful, if that leader takes the opportunity to learn from others in that environment and vice versa, it makes the team even more successful. This concept is something I experienced, and it transformed the way I approach leadership and the way my peer understands a new world he was not accustomed to previously as a leader.
My work experience has been restricted to the private sector in a for-profit environment. Several years ago, I had the opportunity to be paired up with peer who had 20+ years of experience in the military. We both had experience leading others, managing projects, and providing mentorship. We found quickly that we saw things similarly and could easily bring our teams together, but after a bit of time we also found that we would have difficult discussions regarding disagreements as to how we might approach a given situation. Particularly, this was the case when dealing with gaining employee involvement in a changing situation and reviewing policies.
While Joe had more years of experience than I did as a leader, his experience came from an environment he was no longer in. His past life called for respect for authority and direct decision making; managerial skills were essential (Yeakey, 2002). Joe’s leadership traits in the military were necessary in life or death situations and while he also exemplified leadership traits such as dependability, teamwork, and knowledge, he often struggled with the need to gain employee input. His communication style was, as Yeakey describes, “between the leader and subordinates rather than among all members of the group” (2002, p. 73). This difference in communication approaches would spark disagreement between the two of us, especially when it came time to review and change policies or practice. While I stressed the need to gain acceptance for changes and setting roll out communication plans, Joe thought this was unnecessary. While I believed in detail and illustrative explanations, he wanted things to be short and didn’t understand why I wanted to include language regarding why the change was necessary and examples of what this could mean to people.
Early on in our working relationship he had to deliver news of an important change to employees. He chose to include only the essential information and did not include specific language about the why and how the change would impact them as individuals. Following the announcements, employees asked some tough questions which he struggled to answer, leaving everyone frustrated. He came to me afterwards because he realized why I was stressing adaptive communication and together we developed a more thorough message to be distributed to employees. This turned the situation around and while not everyone agreed with the change, we were able to communicate why it was important to the success of the organization.
This case illustrates one of the pitfalls of the trait approach to leadership. Stodgill (1948) explains traits necessary in effective leadership look different in different situations. What works in the corporate sector for one leader doesn’t work the same in the military. As much as gathering employee input is important to setting strategy in a corporate environment (Rajesekar, 2013), it is equally important in the military for leaders to act decisively and often important to keep strategy close to the leader until it is time to execute (Yeakey, 2002).
What Joe and I found by working together was not the differences, however. We found there were lessons to be learned for both of us. Where I was previously too inclusive of opinions, oftentimes pivoting based on one or two opinions, I learned that there are decisions that need to be made by a leader that can be difficult but necessary. I learned from Joe how to take a stronger stance for the greater good when it was necessary, and he learned from me that adaptive and democratic leadership is necessary in other situations.
In the end, we found we have more similarities than differences given the situation. By leaning on our shared traits of drive, willingness, and honor, we were able to teach one another something which made us stronger leaders for our followers and more adaptable to future situations.
References
Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2020). PSYCH 485 Lesson 2: Trait Approach. Retrieved from: https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2040131/modules/items/28001669
Rajasekar, J. (2013). A comparative analysis of mission statement content and readability. Journal of Management Policy and Practice, 14 (6), 131-147. Retrieved from http://ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/1503084621?accountid=13158
Stogdill, R. M. (1948). Personal factors associated with leadership: A review of the literature. Journal of Psychology, 25, 35-71.
Yeakey, G. W. (2002). Situational Leadership. Military Review, 82(1), 72. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=05b35c37-5f84-45b7-ac36-aa77180779ce%40pdc-v-sessmgr04
alo5241 says
Hi Tracy!
I really enjoyed reading about your exploration of different leadership styles, I think that every leader finds themselves in situations like these at some point in their careers. I think that the points that you make about Joe and his style are so important to understanding why, as leaders, we need to seek to understand the reasons why someone behaves as they do. Some people may have written off Joe as rude or uncaring. You were able to look at how Joe’s traits served him well in his previous career and understand the why behind how he was showing up.
It sounds as though Joe was learning about adapting his leadership style to his audience. While fit may be obvious to us that Joe could no longer engage people the same way he had engaged new military recruits, it was likely a situation that was totally new to him. “The most effective leaders will employ a variety of leadership styles to get the best out of each individual employee or team – they know there is no one-size-fits-all. Adaptive leadership means tweaking your default style to individuals rather than trying to be a leadership chameleon.” (Chiha, 2018)
My other takeaway from your writing is what you were able to learn from Joe as well. I think that it was great that you were able to reflect on your own style and draw from Joe traits that you felt that could serve you well in your career. There are absolutely times when as a leader, the time cannot be afforded to incorporating everyones options and we need to be decisive. I find that my organization suffers from this sometimes. We can be too interested in ensuring every opinion is heard and wind up with “analysis paralysis” when trying to make a decision.
Thank you for sharing what you learned from your time working with Joe. There are some great lessons there for all of us.
References:
Chiha, Rony. “How to Adapt Your Leadership Style to Suit Your Staff.” The CEO Magazine, The CEO Magazine, 4 June 2018, http://www.theceomagazine.com/business/management-leadership/how-to-adapt-your-leadership-style-to-suit-your-staff/.
Madison Bridget Laezzo says
Hi Tracy! I think you bring up a great point when you say that leaders in one setting may be more effective than if the same leader was placed in a different setting. Many times, the different groups that people work with change depending on the type of people in a group. One group may need a leader to take charge and designate roles, alternatively another group may experience conflict in determining who is going to lead the group. People go into groups with different attitudes, ideas and knowledge and so it is very common to experience different types of groups that can be productive, or many require some work. Often times, groups require hard work not only to get the goal accomplished, but to also find a common ground amongst all group members in order to create a positive work environment. Some useful ideas that can be applied to a group which promotes cohesiveness is to initially build strong communication amongst the members and establish what the best form of communication for everyone is (Carnegie Mellon University, n.d.). Once this is completed, then establishing and delineating roles is the next step when building the foundation for the group. As you mentioned, if a leader learns from others in the group, then it will make the group more successful. Therefore, when deciding roles, it is important to hear everyone’s strengths in order to properly assign people a specific job that they agree with. Working in groups is all about adapting to new environments and deciding what type of leader is needed depending on the situation.
I also found it very interesting in your past experience, the importance of understanding other people and working with other people in order to better oneself. I thought that the way you learned from Joe and what Joe learned from you is the perfect example of the benefits of working in a group. By recognizing the each of your strengths, and sharing advice with one another about how to improve can allow for better partnerships within the group (Strengths, n.d.). Instead of putting each other down because one person might not be as knowledgeable in one area on furthers the division and makes the group members feel inferior. However, as you mentioned, when you and Joe were able to use your similarities in order to build one another up, you both were able to become better leaders. From this, the strength of your team was able to directly influence the outcome of the group. I know that at my job, I have to work with people who have a lot more experience than me and have more knowledge about certain things. However, I am always willing to learn from them and by having a positive dynamic within the group, we are able to get our jobs done efficiently. I work at an orthodontist office and all of my coworkers work very closely with each other so it is important to have strong communication amongst one another in order to prevent conflict. However, when I am working with other groups, such as in school, I have to adapt to my new environment with new people and use my strengths and knowledge in order to have a cohesive and efficient group. Great post!
References
Strengths, C. (n.d.). How to Improve Teamwork in the Workplace. Retrieved from Gallup: https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/278225/how-to-improve-teamwork.aspx
University, C. M. (n.d.). What are the Challenges of Group Work and How Can I Address Them? Retrieved from Eberly Center: https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/teach/instructionalstrategies/groupprojects/challenges.html