My Leadership Style - Essay Example

According to the textbook Generalist Practice with Organization and Communities, written by Karen Ashman and Grafton Hull, leading entails “working with other systems, whether individuals, families, groups, organizations, or communities”(K., & H., 2008). In terms of the workplace, leadership is a key component in ensuring an organization’s success. A part of ensuring this success is a leader’s ability to communicate effectively. Within the article, “Ingredients of a Good Leader, communication has several purposes.

If a leader is a good communicator, they will be able to keep a positive environment for their team(Andolsen, 2008). This is due to the fact that effective communication will eliminate confusion. In my own experience, I have dealt with projects where nobody knew what their role was or what they were supposed to be doing. As a leader, I sat everyone down and clearly spelled out what their own individual task was and how it would interconnect to the overall project. The ability to supervise can be a rather tedious and difficult task.

It is not easy to know how hands on to be or how hands off to be. A careful balance must be struck and a good leader will be able to identify that balance. There are a few key areas that a leader must be adept at when supervising others. Andolsen reveals that being able to recognize a person’s abilities, delegating tasks, and the ability to set standards and discipline are important factors in being successful at supervising(Andolsen, 2008). Delegation is where the leader hands out tasks that must be accomplished.

Delegation goes hand in hand with recognizing someone’s abilities. If a person is particularly strong in one area, the leader should try to delegate tasks to this person that will play on those same strengths. In my own experience, I have been in charge of a few projects, both academic and professional, where I needed to hand over the reigns to another person and supervise their progress. It is difficult to do because if they mess up, the fault remains with the supervisor. Finally, a good leader needs to be able to work as a team.

This is similar to the idea of leading by example in that the team needs to be able to see the leader in a more equal position. Team work is another way to do this. The first step in this process is to create a “spirit of team work. Andolsen defines this as “the belief that there is value in the work being done and that it can only be accomplished by a cooperative synergy among team members”(Andolsen, 2008). In a spirit of team work, everyone on the team must feel that they are an important asset and are of value.

Team work and the spirit of team work can also determine how well the leader and their team will work together. In the article entitled, “Generosity and the Moral Imagination in the Practice of Teamwork” the importance of team work is discussed. “We should think carefully about the discourses within which we work and how needs are assessed and represented because these effect… trust, interpersonal relationships, and…ultimately meeting staff needs”(Arber, 2009). When a leader is able to successfully incorporate a spirit of team work, they are likely going to strengthen their team in terms of being able to meet goals and also to instill a collaborative feeling for their team.

In order to motivate other people to complete their goals, it is important to lead by example. Within the article enti