Part One – Understand the role of the leader and leadership styles and behaviours in supporting and developing the team and its members and providing a common sense of purpose.
AC 1.1 – Explain the importance of the team having a common sense of purpose that supports the overall vision and strategy of the organisation.
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A common sense of purpose is vital for the unity of the team and consequently effective and efficient delivery of the strategy. To fully appreciate the importance of this unity it is first necessary to define what is meant be vision and strategy and highlight the place of the day to day tasks, the team carries out, in achieving this. Figure 1 is an example of a strategy pyramid showing the hierarchical structure of the various facets required to efficiently execute the vision. The tiers can be defined as follows;
MISSION – The mission can be thought of as the fundamental principle of the business i.e. why we are here. In the case of PBL, the mission statement is to protect patients’ health through the quality-assured development and manufacture of biopharmaceuticals whilst maximising revenues through worldwide sales.
VISION – The vision is a picture of a desired future that supports the mission, or an image of the future we seek to create. It is a specific destination that is concrete and achievable CITATION Kon18 l 2057 1.
VALUES – These are the altruistic ideals of how the company operates and will not be compromised for short term benefits. Examples of values of PBL include integrity and respect.
STRATEGY – Specific set of long term plans and broad principles of how to obtain the vision.
OBJECTIVES – Objectives are the measurable deliverables of the strategy and clearly map out the individual streams that are required to deliver each goal. It is important that objectives are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound.
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN – Is the minutiae of each objective and breaks these down into the specific tasks.
EXECUTION – Is the actioning of the implementation plans.
The requirement for the understanding of these facets, within the organisation, is of paramount importance to getting the necessary engagement and commitment off the teams to drives these goals to fruition. The executive is typically responsible for the higher levels statements and philosophies of the organisation and must take the responsibility to ensure that that the vision is cascaded throughout the company. The highlighted tiers are those that can be affected in a more local environment and is managed through day to day interactions and annual review type systems. As with any hierarchical structure the top levels cannot be reached without first establishing the foundation on which to build, in this case the vision will not be realised without those people “on the ground” having an appreciation and engagement of said vision.
Figure SEQ Figure * ARABIC 1: Strategy Pyramid adapted from ILM Course material CITATION Uni l 2057 266675014528800
The formation of a harmonious sense of purpose, and engagement with the corporate vision, can have vast implications on the working environment and delivery of the strategy. Some of the key positives that can arise from a shared purpose are;
Teams become united in their goals and work towards the commonality
Increased motivation of employees as they can clearly identify how their roles fit with the wider organisation and objective delivery.
Increases the feeling of loyalty and commitment to the company and team.
Helps to break down boundaries and promote cross functional working
Allows the organisation to share the success across both teams and individuals.
The embracing of this common purpose can also have a significant benefit to the external stakeholders and customers. The observation of a unified workforce will serve to enhance the brand and build confidence and trust in the brand.
AC 1.2 – Explain the role that the leader plays in supporting and developing the team and its members and give practical examples of when this will be necessary.
In my opinion, the supporting and developing of team members is the fundamental principle of leadership. The leader is the person that sets the tone for the entire team and consequently has the influence to destroy morale or encourage and engage. It is this tone setting that enables an effective leader to “sell” the vision to their team and create the common sense of purpose that is critical to performance. By championing the purpose the leader can be seen as the link between the corporate strategy and the local objectives. Whilst driving for this vision it is also vital that the leader recognises the individuality of their team and the personal aspirations and personalities. If employees have scope to develop and opportunities to learn new skills this can have a positive effect on the overall productivity of the team. By aligning these, sometimes conflicting, pathways an effective leader is able to synergise the teams’ skillset and still provide opportunities for personal growth and challenges for keeping individuals motivated.
In my leadership role I have encountered numerous scenarios where the desire of my team member, on a personal level, has not aligned with that of the team. I have had staff members that were actively seeking opportunities in a different department as that is where they felt their career would be best served. I then took the time to listen to the motivation factors of the team member and evaluated if there was any way I could aid in this pathway. I subsequently arranged training courses in the basic fundamentals of the new area, and highlighted how these new skills could actually be implemented in her current role, thus realigning the personal and team objectives. As a requisite of this course the employee was required to incorporate this learning into her current project, this has not only increased the employees’ morale but has led to and increased productivity in her current work.
Another key area of leadership is supporting team members through challenges that may not be as straight forward as a career change, but could be highly personal in nature. As much as we would all like to “leave our problems at the door” it is important to realise that external factors often affect performance as much as internal. According to Goleman good leaders are effective because they create resonance and are attuned to other people’s feelings and emotional state. Resonance comes naturally to people with high emotional intelligence CITATION Gol02 l 2057 3. The ability to move people to a more positive mental/emotional state will serve to have a positive effect on the team as a whole.
AC 1.3 – Describe the factors that will influence the choice of leadership styles or behaviours in workplace situations.
There is no “one size fits all approach” to leadership and consequently many different styles are required. Numerous factors can, and invariably do, influence the choice of leadership style in any given situation.
The task based factors can be a significant influence on the choice of style as if the task is tightly controlled i.e GMP manufacture a more autocratic style could be required. Conversely, in a research environment which promotes creativity, a more laissez faire approach might harbour the best results.
Relationship with the team member will also play a part in the adoption of a particular style. This can be thought of in terms of support & direction considered against maturity and competency. If a team member is mature and competent then a delegating style would work best. However, if the team member is a new starter then a more directive approach is required CITATION Uni l 2057 2.
Follower readiness and willingness, in its extremes can be described by the X and Y theory proposed by Douglas McGregor CITATION McG60 l 2057 4. This theory categorises leaders as either X – Authoritarian and assumes that their staff have no incentive to work, need direction and avoid responsibility. Theory Y leaders are parcipitative and assume that staff enjoy work, are self-motivated and take ownership of it. A team member who does not appear engaged could bias the leadership style towards the X type, with the converse true for a highly motivated team member.
AC1.4 Explain why these leadership styles or behaviours are likely to have a positive or negative effect on individual and group behaviour.
An effective leader is one who can recognise the requirement of a different style in response to a given scenario and personnel. Given that there numerous styles it is also true that all these styles can have positive and negative effects based upon the situation and people involved. Goleman theorised that there were 6 leadership styles which are summarised in REF _Ref518050216 h Table 1 and highlighted the probable effect on the climate within the team when utilising that particular style.
Table SEQ Table * ARABIC 1: Goleman’s six leadership styles CITATION Uni l 2057 2Visionary Coaching Affiliative Democratic Pacesetting Commanding
Leader Characteristics Mobilises people towards a vision. Inspires belief in that vision, explains how and why. Listens, helps people recognise strength and weaknesses, encourages improvement. Creates harmony and builds emotional bonds, empathetic and morale boosting Superb listener, team worker, collaborator. Gains consensus through participation Sets high performance standards, low on empathy and impatient. Controlling, demands immediate compliance, “Do as I say”, drives away talent.
How style builds resonance Moves people towards a common goal Connects what the individual wants with the company goals Creates harmony between people Values peoples input and gains consensus Meets challenging and exciting goals Soothes fear by giving clear direction.
Impact on Climate +++ ++ + + Often –ve when used poorly Often very negative
When style works best. When changes require a new vision or direction To improve competent and motivated employees. To heal rifts and motivate during stressful times. To build buy in or get input from team. To get high quality results from competent and motivated team Crisis Management or to deal with problematic employees.
It is immediately seen that, generally speaking, the more positive impact styles are those that encourage and garner input from the employee. However the leadership model proposed by Hersey and Blanchard (summarised in REF _Ref518051596 h Figure 2) says that an empowering/delagating style would actually have a detrimental effect on an employee if that person is of low maturity and competence. In this instance they suggest a more commanding/directing approach.
Figure SEQ Figure * ARABIC 2: Summary of Hersey and Blanchard Leadership Model CITATION Mul12 l 2057 5
It immediately becomes clear that the ability to select the appropriate tact is critical to obtaining a positive outcome to any given scenario. In general the main leadership styles can be summarised into three levels depending on the input from the staff in the decision making/goal setting process.
An authoritarian/commanding/directing leader does not ask for, nor value, input from the team and has little regard for feelings of those around them. They are often the source of conflict and do not usually foster an environment where the team feels devalued and unimportant. However this style of leadership comes to the fore when in a crisis situation or emergency, decisions are made quickly, as they do not require consultation and emit a sense of confidence in a panicked situation.
Delegating/Coaching/Laissez Faire leadership can work very effectively when you are dealing with a highly competent and motivated team. The staff can feel trusted and valued as they are afforded the opportunities to direct their own work and feel they can influence the culture. However this style can have negative impacts when things start to go awry and the staff can feel isolated and lost. This style does not typically work well with new starters.
Democratic/Affiliative/Supporting leaders generally empower their staff and offer support when required. The team feels valued as their opinions are always welcomed, even required, which requires a high degree of emotional intelligence. The drawbacks to this style are that no decisions are made without consensus and the leader must be aware of the competence levels of those that they are seeking input from.
Part Two – Understand the role of the leader in motivating and communicating in order to gain commitment to objectives and establish a common sense of purpose.
AC 2.1 – Describe the main motivational factors in a work context and how these may apply to different situations, teams and individuals.
Factors that motivate people are unique and subjective, what really interests and stimulates one person to perform can have the opposite effect in the next person, even if on the same team. Motivational factors can be broadly considered as two categories, namely intrinsic or extrinsic CITATION Lin07 l 2057 6. The latter focuses on the goal-driven reasons, e.g. rewards or benefits earned when performing an activity. Typical extrinsic factors can be incremental pay increases for members of the team that perform well at annual review; team bonuses for completing projects or targets. The former indicates the pleasure and inherent satisfaction derived from a specific activity in other words intrinsic motivation is defined as the doing of an activity for its inherent satisfactions rather than for some separable consequence CITATION Rya00 l 2057 7. Ryan and Deci have summarised the taxonomy of human motivational factors, as shown in REF _Ref518067304 h Figure 3, and highlighted that this is not necessarily two distinct factors but more of a spectrum and as such it is crucial to understand the individual to truly ascertain their motivational factors.
Figure SEQ Figure * ARABIC 3: Taxonomy of Human Motivation taken from CITATION Rya00 l 2057 7
Table SEQ Table * ARABIC 2: Summary of some motivational factors discussed during our sessions
Motivational Factor Intrinsic/
Extrinsic Individual Team Maslow Level
Financial Extrinsic Can increase feeling of security, tangible reward for job well done. If people know that their performance could negatively impact others then they are more likely to step up. Physiological Needs
Progression Extrinsic Promotions increase self-esteem which in turn can increase motivation to continue progression Could encourage others if they see the possibilities for progression based on performance. Esteem
Praise/Acknowledgment Extrinsic Emotional reward for performance. Feels good to be recognised for your efforts Esteem
Altruism Intrinsic Feeling of importance, that the work you do matters Self-Actualisation
Learning Intrinsic Continual self-development leads to increased confidence which can breed motivation. Group learning can have a synergistic effect by forming relationships that strengthen unity on top of the individual learning. Belongingness and Love needs ; Esteem
During discussion with colleagues numerous factors were discussed and are collated in REF _Ref518068120 h Table 2 and highlight the effect of that particular factor to an individual or team. It is important to note that as with leadership styles the motivational triggers can also change with time and as such effective leaders need to be in tune to their teams and individuals. Maslow’s hierarchy of motivation outlines the categorisation of motivational factors based on an increasing complexity of cognitive processing and needs. As with all hierarchical representation the foundations must be met before motivation can be raised to the next level. It can be seen that the factors in REF _Ref518068120 h Table 2 cover the entire spectrum of the pyramid. It is worth noting that the movement through these pyramidal levels in not permanent and disruptions in life such as redundancy, divorce or bereavement could result in a vast decrease in motivational state due to a foundation need no longer being satisfied.
Figure SEQ Figure * ARABIC 4: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Motivational Needs taken from CITATION McL l 2057 8
AC2.2 Explain the importance of a leader being able to motivate teams and individuals and gain their commitment to objectives.
It has already been established how important the role of leader is in supporting staff along with the criticality of a common sense of purpose. Merging these themes and it becomes apparent that arguably, the key role of a leader is to support the staff in delivering the common goal of the corporate vision. Dwight Eisenhower is famously quoted as saying “Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it” although simplistic in its essence, this sentiment can aptly describe one of the key functions of leadership; which is to motivate the team to buy into the vision by aligning the individual and team aspirations to the objectives of the company.
It is a function of the leader to set the goals of the team and promote these to ensure that the team work load is effective, stimulating and in line with the corporate vision. Daniel Pink suggested a three pronged approach to motivation which can be summarised as “Motivation = Autonomy + Mastery + Purpose” CITATION Uni l 2057 2. That is to say if a team member feels that their job has a purpose within the company, that they have the skillset to carry out the task and develop new skills while being empowered to own their work and make decisions then this employee will be motivated to do more. All three facets to this are within the remit of the leadership role and can be implemented throughout the employees’ developmental path as shown in REF _Ref518051596 h Figure 2.
The facilitation of the above can significantly promote motivation within an individual, however a less tangible factor in promoting motivation, is arguably more significant; this is the concept of leading by example. Leaders, by definition, should be willing to go first and lead the way, thus creating the trust and confidence in the team that they know the leader will be there to guide and support. This in turns breeds the commitment to the leaders proposed goals and objectives with the “they’d do it for me” mentality. However if the criticality of understanding motivation, and the factors thereof, is overlooked by the leader then this will result in dissatisfaction among staff and low engagement. According to Frederick Herzberg job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction are not polar opposites but, in fact operate on the same plane. He proposed that there were two key elements to job satisfaction; the motivators (performance, empowerment, responsibility) and hygiene factors (salary, relationships, working environment) CITATION Kui18 l 2057 9. The relationship between these two groups is summarised in REF _Ref518074555 h Figure 5 where it can be seen even if employees are motivated they can still be dissatisfied in their role and conversely they cannot be dissatisfied but not motivated. Therefore the importance of a leader to maintain the motivation and satisfaction levels of their staff cannot be understated as if overlooked it can lead to high staff turnover, inefficiencies, increased time off work and more.
Figure SEQ Figure * ARABIC 5: Herzberg two factor theory taken from CITATION Kui18 l 2057 9
AC2.3 Explain the role that communication plays in establishing a common sense of purpose.
The vision of the company is what defines the brand and creates the internal atmosphere and unity if promoted properly. The establishment, and propagation, of a common sense of purpose is fundamentally underpinned by the ability to communicate that vision and purpose. There are numerous communication methods that are deployed across organisations and as such it is important to understand the limitations of each method to ensure accurate and successful delivery of the message. Some of the most common communication methods in PBL are outlined in REF _Ref518077542 h Table 3 along with their advantages and disadvantages .
Table SEQ Table * ARABIC 3: Evaluation of Communication methods employed by PBL staff members
Communication Method Internal/External
/Both Pro’s Con’s
Telephone Both Quick, direct Limited availability if not at desk; not recorded.
Face to Face Both Conveys full message including non-verbal cues Time consuming; Not documented.
Email Both Immediate; traceability Can lead to decreased ownership; can lack context; sent to wrong person/confidentiality
GembaInternal Short and Informative; Resolves issues in a timely manner Not clearly understood; still in its infancy so not seeing tangible benefits.
Company Tutorials Internal Disseminates wider company information that you may not get in your role. One way information; importance and relevance not always apparent
Meetings Both Can communicate with stake holders directly; face – to – face and minutes taken. Too many; time consuming; don’t always stick to the point.
Appraisals Internal Can serve to engage and lift motivation; resolution of issues Can feel like a box ticking exercise if not a two way communication.
Notice Boards Internal Can contain lots of different information Not updated regularly – leads to a sense of complacency
Conferences External Networking; Broaden company profile Costly; Confidentiality/IP concerns
Social Media External Worldwide communication platform; wide audience base Staff are not aware of it; not used to its full potential
PBL Website External “Shop window” to a wide audience; chance to sell the brand Can be limited in information and vague
PBL Intranet Internal Lots of information readily available Not everyone is using it
The role of communication is not only critical to establishing the vision it is also crucial to motivation and engagement. An effective communicator will be able to demonstrate, clearly and concisely, how they buy in to the vision and disseminate this to their staff. It is important that staff see this and and understand that the communication streams are a two way system and their thoughts and opinions are not only listened bought actively sought and valued. This will create a feeling of trust and a sense of integration into the company strategy.
Ineffective communication is a serious issue, and with the myriad of communication tools at our disposal today it is an easy pitfall to stumble in to. It is shown in REF _Ref518077542 h Table 3 that all communication has its potential drawbacks which can result in the message being misconstrued, misrepresented or lost in the background noise all together. The consequences of failing to communicate effectively can have significant negative impacts on all levels from individuals – feeling not listened to/unimportant/disconnected from the company to the whole team – not understanding objectives/discord between members and create division and silos across the wider organisation.
AC2.4 Assess the effectiveness of own communication skills on the basis of the above.
I have assessed the effectiveness of my communication by a variety of methods including discussions with people in my team; self-assessment questionnaires, feedback from peers and questionnaires completed by selected members of my team. The people asked for the more detailed feedback were part of my directorate with our relationships shown in REF _Ref518079310 h Figure 6, the project team member is not a direct report but is working with me on a cross functional project. These people were asked as I trust that their assessments would be honest and I was curious to see if the relationship between us had a significant impact on the perceived communication style.
Figure SEQ Figure * ARABIC 6: Organogram highlighting the direct line management of those that provided feedback for my evaluations.
The general feedback that I have received has been positive with a strong emphasis on my strengths when communicating verbally, be that in an informal manner or a presentation etc. I faired less strongly in other typical work place communication styles with my manager feeling that “I do not copy her into emails frequently enough” and my direct team member felt “I place too much emphasis on face to face that it can sometimes appear inefficient”. The self-assessment questionnaire provided in the course material CITATION Uni l 2057 2 was completed by me and modified to be completed by my team members discussed above with the results shown in REF _Ref518081138 h Table 4 & REF _Ref518081214 h Figure 7. It is immediately apparent that I have a relatively broad distribution of styles across all levels with the exception of instructive communication which no one thought was my go to response. Interestingly there seems to be two trends with the student and my manager in good agreement suggesting that my preferred style is empowerment whilst the two team members thought that I primarily adopt a consulting approach. After further discussion with my direct report it became evident that there are times when she feels that I start a discussion though I have already decided the route we are going to take. This resulted in the consulting style as she said she “felt she was part of the discussion but not the decision”. When contrasted with my self-evaluation it becomes evident that I have not been communicating my intent to involve her in the decisions effectively enough. This could be through poor listening as I often answer before people have finished their point, which is something that I must develop in order to prevent these intentions not being conveyed clearly. The observations of the student are likely a result of the “distance” between us in the management structure which could lead to a sense of a hands-off approach thus empowering her to lead her work. The self-evaluation was particularly revealing as it placed my perceived style directly between the two trends.
I have been described a passionate about the direction of my team which although generally positive can become a little “overbearing” as I focus on the details and want to iron out every possible scenario at once. One of the discussions highlighted that I sometimes expect my audience to have the same level of as me and can “go to fast” when explaining new concepts or ideas. Overall I feel positive about my communication skills and glad that the feedback I received reflected my belief that this was a personal strength. That being said there I need to develop my active listening to ensure I fully understand and appreciate the message people are trying to convey to me. I aslo need to take a step back from conversations and afford time for reflection for both myself and my team before suggesting the proposed path forward. These changes should ensure that my team members feel understood and that I value their input.
Table SEQ Table * ARABIC 4: Evaluation of communication stlyes.Communication Style Manager Direct Team Member Project Team Member Student Self-Evaluation
Instruct 9 0 7 12 2
Inform 15 3 9 13 7
Consult 6 27 19 12 16
Involve 6 18 11 3 26
Empower 24 12 14 20 9
Figure SEQ Figure * ARABIC 7: Graphical representation of REF _Ref518081138 h Table 4
Part Three – Be able to use feedback from others to assess and enhance own leadership behaviours and potential in the context of a particular model of leadership.
AC 3.1 – Assess own leadership behaviours and potential in the context of a particular leadership model and own organisation’s working practices and culture, using feedback from others.
Before undertaking this course I would have considered myself as falling into the pacesetting category of Goleman’s model. I have always had a drive to succeed and I felt that it was more important to get the hard facts than focus on the softer side of management. I have never felt particularly empathetic and have often considered emotions as something to work around not to embrace and utilise. One of my primary objectives during this reflection and evaluation was to try to ascertain how those within my sphere of influence viewed my style and personality.
The reflective assignments and questionnaires have actually highlighted a strong bias towards a coaching style. I have completed the leadership skills questionnaire and also the traits of a good leader as a self-assessment and also asked my team to complete them as well. Along with some verbal feedback and my communication assessments it became evident that I valued the opinions of others more than I may have first thought. REF _Ref518085223 h Table 5 & REF _Ref518085225 h Table 6 detail the outcomes from this evaluation with the cells highlighted according to value (5/4 – green, 3 – yellow, 2/1 – Red) the averages were calculated and analysed. REF _Ref518085223 h Table 5 collates the data from the questionnaire rating my performance/personality against a series of leadership skills with scores ranging from Excellent (5) to Very Poor (1). The primary conclusion from this was generally positive with few skills falling below 3 of these 2 of them were part of the self-assessment where I possibly underestimated my emotional intelligence. The other score below adequate was my managers assessment on my “ability to assess and take appropriate risks”, as this was in stark contrast to the other scores I asked for clarification of her thoughts. It was fed back that she feels that “I do not have an issue with taking risks, but I do not fully assess them and over simplify the connotations of said risk”.
REF _Ref518085225 h * MERGEFORMAT Table 6 displays the data collected form the leadership traits questionnaire where it is immediately evident that it is overwhelmingly positive with almost all personal traits being rated Excellent or Very Good. The areas that require improvement are focus and charisma. There was a single trait actually scored at very poor by my direct report, which was in stark contrast with how the other team members observed that particular trait. After further discussion it became evident that my direct report was scoring against the literal definition of gravitas whilst the others were scoring my “presence and authority, or the ability to command a room”. The literal definition of gravitas is “dignity, seriousness, or solemnity of manner”, the latter of which I actively try to discourage as I prefer to promote a light hearted, enjoyable atmosphere.
In summary, it has been revealing, and encouraging, to me that I have developed the ability to make other people feel that their opinions are valued, that they are trusted and that I will provide opportunities for them to feel empowered. I take pride in a job well done and now feel that I do have the necessary skills to convey the same ethos to my team and wider directorate.
Table SEQ Table * ARABIC 5: Leadership Skills Questionnaire modified from the course material CITATION Uni l 2057 2 Leadership Skills Manager Direct Team Member Project Team Member Student Self EvaluationAverage
A Communicating information to other people 3 3 4 5 4 3.8
B Listening and absorbing information from others 3 5 4 5 3 4
C Demonstrating a sense of vision, a direction for self and others 3 3 4 3 3 3.2
D Motivated to achieve personal goals, having personal drive 4 5 5 3 4 4.2
E Dependable, conscientious and persistent – gets things done 3 4 4 4 4 3.8
F Able to motivate other people to work towards goals 4 3 4 3 3 3.4
G Innovative, keen to try new ideas 5 5 5 5 5 5
H Honest, shows integrity 3 4 4 5 4 4
I Fair, treats people equitably 3 5 4 5 4 4.2
J Trusted and trustworthy 3 4 4 5 5 4.2
K Self-confident, willing to accept challenges 5 5 5 5 5 5
L Able to assess and take appropriate risks 2 4 4 5 4 3.8
M Emotionally stable but not afraid to show emotions, when appropriate 3 3 4 4 2 3.2
N Sensitive to other’s emotional state, caring about others 3 3 3 5 2 3.2
O Willing to learn, not afraid to ask when meeting something new 5 4 5 5 5 4.8
P Interested in and valuing others 3 3 4 5 4 3.8
Q Willing to make decisions and take responsibility 5 5 5 5 5 5
R Working well in a team 5 4 5 5 5 4.8
S Recognising others’ achievements 3 5 5 3 4 4
T Technically competent 3 5 5 5 5 4.6
Table SEQ Table * ARABIC 6: Leadership traits questionnaire modified from the course material CITATION Uni l 2057 2Leadership Trait Manager Direct Team Member Project Team Member Student Self-Evaluation Average
Dynamic 5 4 5 5 5 4.8
Focused 3 2 4 4 3 3.2
Resilient 4 5 5 4 5 4.6
Ambitious 4 4 5 5 4 4.4
High energy 4 2 5 4 3 3.6
Gravitas 4 1 4 4 4 3.4
Charismatic 4 2 4 4 3 3.4
Courageous 4 3 4 4 4 3.8
Effective 4 4 4 4 3 3.8
Good orator 4 5 4 5 4 4.4
Creative thinker 4 5 5 5 5 4.8
Visionary 4 4 4 4 4 4
Visible 4 4 4 5 5 4.4
Credible 4 4 4 5 4 4.2
Strategic thinker 4 4 5 5 5 4.6
Determined 5 4 5 5 5 4.8
Fully informed 4 4 4 4 3 3.8
AC3.2 – Describe appropriate actions to enhance own leadership behaviour in the context of the particular leadership model.
In an attempt to quantify the analysis of the leadership and communication data all the scores were averaged and those below 3.5 were identified as areas that require improvement. Although “above average” this value was chosen as the risk of bias in the responses could be high as they were not carried out anonymously and, as such, could be scored more positively. Comparing and contrasting REF _Ref518081138 h Table 4, REF _Ref518085223 h Table 5 & REF _Ref518085225 h Table 6 there were two primary areas that I feel requires my attention to develop.
Focus & Vison
I have a strong desire to do well both from a personal reward and progression approach but also I can be a perfectionist with work and often get hung up on the details of a particular result. This fits well with Goleman’s pacesetting model but I can apply this mind set across numerous projects and relationships. This can lead to the apparent lack focus, as I am constantly divided in my priorities, which in turn can demotivate my team and feel I am not providing enough attention/support to their particular need. This is highlighted by the responses on the questionnaires pertaining to my ability to motivate, sell a vision and high energy. This is critical if my style of leadership is, indeed, that of Goleman’s pacesetter, as it only works well with highly motivated staff. I will need to develop a more effective way of prioritising my efforts as to not portray as distracted demeanour if my team have problem or issue. Parallel to this a concerted effort must go into my communicating approach with my team. This will allow me to promote a more democratic/coaching style and an involving communication pathway which will enhance the feeling of empowerment experienced by my tem.
Emotional Intelligence
It was clear from the leadership skills questionnaire (M & N) that I need to develop my ability to read and respond well to other people’s emotional state. This is not only external but I am not particularly adept at expressing my own personal emotions. By enhancing my emotional intelligence I will be able to motivate and create a more harmonious environment strengthening my ability to operate in an affiliative style of leadership.
If I can develop these two facets of my personality skill base, I feel I would be much better suited to prioritise and communicate a clear vision and promote increased levels of autonomy and motivation.Bibliography
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1 Konrad, “Blue Summit Strategy,” Online. Available: http://bluesummitstrategy.com/strategy/mission-vs-vision/2007/. Accessed 12 June 2018.
2 U. o. S. Wales, “ILM Level 3 – Leadership and Management,” Cardiff.
3 D. e. a. Goleman, Primal Leadership, Harvard Business Review Press, 2002.
4 D. McGregor, The Human Side Of Enterprise, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1960.
