Week 4 Discussion 1Personal Ethics

What style of leadership is the most effective in leading an organization? Is it important to be well-liked, or are results all that matter? Cite examples that support your conclusions. 

SAMPLE RESPONSE FROM A FORMER STUDENTWhat style of leadership is most effective in leading an organization?

One of my favorite style’s and I think one of the most effective when leading organizations is Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Model.  In Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Theory, successful leadership is based on adjusting their leadership style based on the daily tasks and maturity level of the people they are leading (Baack, 2012).  This situational approach is based on four levels of readiness; telling, selling, facilitating, and delegating.  This approach is concerned with either getting task done or team development (Baack, 2012).  This theory would work well in a situation when you’re going on vacation and need someone to cover for you.  If the person has all the necessary skills to take care of everything while you’re gone, you could simply leave a small list of instructions and trust everything would be taken care of.  Having a large degree of adaptability to situations and people can help influence the outcome of any given situation and can lead toward more positive and engaging working relationships.

Is it important to be well-liked, or are the results all that matter?

I don’t think being well-liked is more important than being well-respected.  However, I believe, if a leader displays a number of the potential traits and characteristic of effective leaders mentioned by Baack in Chapter 8.2, the chances are good you will be well-liked.  I would also add, being well-liked as a leader will allow you to have strong relationships with the ability to influence the culture of organization in a positive direction.

References

Baack, D. (2012). Organizational behavior. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.