Leadership is an ability to lead effectively in any field, which stands on different key skills and characteristics for example impressive speaking skill, motivation, creativity, positivity, delegating, and accountability. Leadership may be anywhere, in an organization, in battle field, even in house. Leadership is defined as “doing the things in a right way” (Bennis & Nanus, 1985: 21). A great leader sets goal and use innovative ways to achieve it with team.
Here, the report has discussed about the major leadership strength in me which I feel the apt for me relating it to the theories by various leaders and the scholars. Further, its justification and impact of my chosen style will be discussed here in detail.
Self-Assessed Leadership Strengths
Before being a good leader for others, one must be a good leader for oneself. Upon assessing my own leadership style and strength, I have realized that I am more inclined towards the democratic leadership style, which has influenced my behavior and style I follow.
A good communicator. I am a good communicator as I not only share my ideas but inspire others to give theirs and team can give full participation and incorporate their ideas for the efficient results. My leadership style stands for facilitating the conversation, encouraging people to share their ideas and synthesizing all the available information into the best possible decision.
Inspiring. This further gives inspiration to other team members to work more rigorously and honestly towards the goal. Hence, my leadership style also incurs inspiring ability to others for full participation. The process of my leadership moves with the free flow of ideas and focuses on the group equality, where in, I can still lead the group for guidance and control.
Confident and honest. I am pretty confident of what I am doing and giving advice to others to do. My confidence is another strength in my leadership style which incorporates and becomes a part of my democratic leadership style.
Innovative and creative. It has been said that there is the innovation and creativity which distinguishes a leader and a follower. So, I believe I have an innovative approach in every kind which makes me and my team out from the crowd and we can actually think out of the box.
Decision making capability. After taking advice and suggestions from the team, it becomes the duty of a leader to take the right decision with appropriate approach. Hence, I am confident about the decisions I make and make myself accountable for the consequences thereafter.
Matching Strengths with Leadership Roles
To start with, leadership instrument assisted me in ‘democratic leadership style’. This leadership style Ideas move freely among the group and are discussed openly. Further, characteristics of democratic leadership include distribution of responsibilities, empowering group members and aiding group decision making. Only leaders can improve the involvement of employees in projects that will better serve an organization (Janse, 2018). The democratic process tends to focus on group equality and free flow of ideas, the lead of the group is still there to offer guidance and control. Moving further, this leadership style can be one of the most effective styles of leadership. It values collaboration and affirmation of followers. A democratic leadership shares the decision making and problem-solving responsibilities with team, while retaining the ultimate say in the final resolution (Joh Gasti, 2014). Environment with democratic leaders of yield followers with high morale who are more motivated to generate and offer up creative solutions. And, It produces an atmosphere of co-operation and team spirit. The democratic leadership is based on mutual respect. It is often combined with participatory leadership because it requires collaboration between leaders and the people they guide (Kurt Lewin, 2014). Hence, my strengths are collaborating with the chosen style, i.e., democratic leadership.
Impact of Strengths on Democratic Leadership
My self-assessed strengths such as a good communicator, inspiring, confident, Innovative, a good decision maker. These are the strengths which impacts directly to the democratic leadership. In a democratic leadership, there is a free flow of ideas which means a leader have to be good listener which I feel directly impacting my strength and making me more confident moving forward with this leadership style. The definitions of democratic leadership conceptualized by White and Lippitt (1960) emphasize group participation, discussion, and group decisions encouraged by the leader (Woods, 2005). Further, inspiring other to give ideas and amalgamating these ideas with my own ideas bring harmony among team members along with the complete job satisfaction which encourages them to bring innovation in the team with their collective creative ideas, the major activity of the democratic leader is giving information or extending the knowledge of the members of his or her group. Northouse (1997) defined directive, supportive, participative, and achievement-oriented leadership as leadership behaviors derived from the theory (McKeown and Carey, 2015). Being innovative is a good gift and incorporating it with the leadership role strengthens and improvise the outcomes from the decision (Woods, 2005). Also, a good decision maker can take team to one goal and can achieve the goal with efficiency. These positive behavior acts can help in improvising and strengthening the democratic leadership roles (Woods, 2005).
Justification
Democratic leadership has been in trend for the current market with the changing business environment. It has been conceptualized by different scholars and managers in different ways. It dates to the 1930s and 1940s when noted behavioral researcher (Anand, Vidyarthi and Rolnicki, 2018).
According to the trait theory, it has been analyzed that one is either born or made with certain qualities which makes a person a good leader and a democratic leader are the born leaders with above said qualities which I feel I have and developed with the time. Further, there are behavioral theories which means for every leadership role, a leader is supposed to act as per the behavior of others (McKeown and Carey, 2015). In a situation one can act positively with the given idea and on the other hand, the other person can be offensive, hence, effective communication is a key to achievement of democratic leadership goal. Democratic leadership is associated with increased follower productivity, satisfaction, involvement, and commitment (Hackman & Johnson, 1996). The major element in democratic leadership is the participation of every individual of the team and the leader is supposed to be friendly, helpful and encouraging. The advantages of democratic leadership include creating employee job satisfaction and encouraging innovation and creative solutions to organizational issues and problems. In the view of Kuczmarski and Kuczmarski (1995), a democratic leader must acquire some essential skills such as high defined knowledge, stimulating, influential, a winner of cooperation, a provider of logical consequences, encouraging, permitting of self-determination, guiding, a good listener and respecting, and situation-centered, which helps in understanding behaviors and concluding to a decision (Anand, Vidyarthi and Rolnicki, 2018).
Further Anderson (19569) has defined it has a decision making with team members. According to him it is associated with higher morale in almost every situation. Hackman and Johnson (1996) supported Anderson’s explanation of the relationship between democratic leadership and productivity (McKeown and Carey, 2015). Nevertheless, this style of leadership encourages team involvement, engagement and participation. The performance preferences of each member are acknowledged and honored.
Conclusion
Understanding the different leadership styles and identifying my own style by analyzing my strength has proven to be an intellectual idea. Democratic leadership style is the style which I felt most appropriate as per my behavior and traits. Further, theories associated with it such as trait theory and behavior theory has conceptualized the justification of choosing this style. My good communication skills and understanding other person’s point of view is the major strength which makes me fit for this kind of style and making myself a successful leadership.
References
Anand, S., Vidyarthi, P. and Rolnicki, S. (2018). Leader-Member Exchange and Organizational Citizenship Behaviors: Contextual Effects of Leader Power Distance and Group Task Interdependence. The Leadership Quarterly, 29(4), pp.489-500.
Fiaz, M., Su, Q. and Saqib, A., 2017. Leadership Styles and Employees' Motivation: Perspective from an Emerging Economy. The Journal of Developing Areas, 51(4), pp.143-156.
McKeown, M. and Carey, L., 2015. Democratic Leadership: A Charming Solution for Nursing’s Legitimacy Crisis. Journal of clinical nursing, 24(3-4), pp.315-317.
Woods, P., 2005. Democratic Leadership in Education. Sage.