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So far, I consider three milestones in my leadership journey and I was able to associate my experiences with some of my learning in school about leadership. My responses and thoughts in those situations were also influenced by my personality and background.
Leadership Experience 1: Captain of the Football Team
As captain of the football team, I had to lead 18 teen players who are all energetic but with different personalities. My coach told me my role was to assist him in practice and make sure that all members were following his instructions. At first, I thought that strictly following the coach would ensure that my team mates would respect and follow me. My concentration was on assisting the coach during practices and I did not notice that the intensity of my play and communication on the pitch had deteriorated until one of close team mates told me. I realized that a highly physical organization like a football team requires a high standard of example during the activity, which is by playing hard and communicating with team mates while playing. When I regained my focus on playing aside from assisting the coach, my team mates responded to me a lot better.
Applicable Theory
The skills approach to leadership calls for the interplay of technical, human and conceptual skills. I was helping my coach apply conceptual skills for the team at the expense of neglecting my technical and human skills which is required as a team captain. Technical skills require me to play hard and to play well for my teammates to respect me. I also had to use my human skills like empathy and motivation so they can trust, believe and follow me.
As Followers in the Path-Goal Theory (Northouse, 2016), my team mates have high expectations of winning the annual schools tournament. We have always been good enough to be in the top fourth of standings but the better teams have superior and different styles of play which made the goal always challenging and complex. I had to be achievement-oriented in being a captain by making sure that we accomplish all our goals during training. As they say in sports, you will play the way you train.
While playing and training, I had to practice adaptive leadership as there are always new situations arising like major changes in game plan, players having personal quarrels, poor overall play, etc. Every time they get distracted, it was my role to remind them what the strategy and tactics are for every game. I had to practice self-awareness, outcome concern and integrity (Bradberry, 2012).
Influence of My Background
I live in Tripoli, Libya where there is sporadic violence that distracts daily life. Bad things happen but life must go on and we need to do our best at anytime. This is the thinking that I bring as a team captain when things do not go our way. We need to be adaptive in every game to win.
Leadership Experience 2: Tax Accountant
With three other students, I had a summer job as a tax accountant which is my first experience to be in a business organization and its practices in leadership. My boss was a young supervisor who was just promoted and he was struggling with his new role. I had a difficult time but I learned more lessons about leadership.
I observed that my new supervisor was an excellent accountant which is the likely reason he was promoted. He often gets praises in our meetings because of his work and our work which he diligently checks. It made be comfortable that shows us our mistakes, teaches us how to correct them and he checks carefully. My accounting knowledge grew with him. He also taught us that no problem is insurmountable as long as you are willing to put in the hours to learn and work hard. Even with no extra pay, we were willing to join him when he works overtime because we learn more on the job. He also has a happy disposition no matter what situation there is and he treats us like regular employees. He often sits with us during lunch and just have small chat.
There is only one shortcoming though that we found unacceptable. If there was a mistake from our group that reached the higher bosses, he would not hesitate to blame any of us even though it was not true. Those mistakes were rare and he can correct them very quickly and the bosses never cited us because we were just temp workers. It had no serious effect on us but it disturbed me a lot that I cannot trust my boss. My morale was low in the latter part of my stint and I realized that trust is crucial to be a leader.
Applicable Theory
My boss in that summer accounting job reminded me of the five leadership traits: intelligence, self-confidence, determination, sociability and integrity. He had all of the first four but he was seriously deficient in the fifth. Four out of five may be a good score but I realized that if you are seriously deficient in any of one, it can have a great effect overall on your subordinates.
It was only a three month job with our boss and it made think of the Leader-Member Exchange Theory. We started off in Phase 1 as Strangers but because of my group’s positive attitude and my boss abilities to teach, we were able to reach Phase 2 as Acquaintances. Trust is an important factor for Phase 3 (Partners) which unfortunately was not present at that moment. If my boss would overcome his faults, I would imagine that eventually I would have joined his In-group (Mind Tools Editorial Team, n.d.) if I continued performing well.
Our boss had most of the makings of a successful manager and leader but from the view of authentic leadership, what he lacked was internalized moral perspective which is the application of the sense of right and wrong to situations. The occasional failure to be truthful will prevent him from being an authentic leader.
Influence of My Background
I was brought up in close-knit family led by my father who imposed a strict code of conduct among us. Every time he would remind us that you cannot be a good person if you lie, cheat or steal and if you do, people will not believe you or follow you. When my boss lied, I immediately compared him to my father who was the beloved leader of my family.
Leadership Experience 3: Manager in a Sweets Shop
My accounting experience was a factor when my uncle took me as a manager in his newly-opened sweet shop. I had two helpers who were both older than me and it was a chance for me to be a leader to both of them. They had long been with my father and had worked in the other sweet shops so I was confident that they were familiar with all the tasks. I assumed that they can work without supervision so I can concentrate on how to get more customers in the neighborhood. I soon found out that they would only do their work well when I am around. I reprimanded them and they were apologetic but they reasoned that that is how they worked before in the other sweet shops and the shops did just fine. I explained to them that the other shops were not really earning that much and my uncle wanted this shop to have new practices that will make it earn more. The other shops will then follow suit and they can a future chance to be supervisors. They understood and they promised to cooperate with me. Months later, all happened according to plan and my uncle was grateful for it.
Applicable Theory
Based on the Leadership Grid (MSG Experts, n.d.), I wrongly started out my leadership style as Country-Club Management where I took task supervision as low priority. I had to shift to Team Management so the business would not suffer and the assistants would be motivated.
I was able to apply the Path-Goal Theory where I defined the goals and offered the means for the assistants to help me run the shop. I had to apply supportive leadership so they can improve their performance. They need to find fresh motivation in tasks that they were long familiar with. In a way, I was also a transformational leader to them in that I provided them inspirational motivation of a higher position in the future.
Influence of My Background
I am an ESTP according to the MBTI personality typing method which makes me a hands-on, organized and open-minded manager. I was able to relate to my assistants and communicate to them my messages effectively. I’m comfortable supervising and checking on tasks and can be creative in solving problems. Incidentally in MBTI typing, I am an Entrepreneur (ESTP Personality, n.d.).
References
Bradberry, T. (2012, November 9). Leadership 2.0: Are You An Adaptive Leader?. Forbes/Leadership. Retrieved July 10, 2016 from http://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2012/11/09/leadership-2-0-are-you-an-adaptive-leader/#9b831dd7d810
ESTP Personality ("The Entrepreneur"). (n.d.). Retrieved July 10, 2016 from https://www.16personalities.com/estp-personality
Mind Tools Editorial Team. (n.d.). The Leader-Member Exchange Theory. Retrieved July 10, 2016 from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/leader-member-exchange.htm
MSG Experts. (n.d.). Blake and Mouton’s Managerial Grid. Retrieved July 10, 2016 from http://www.managementstudyguide.com/blake-mouton-managerial-grid.htm
Northouse, P. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice, 7th Ed. California, USA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
