[Archived] Course 4. Foundational Leadership Principles: (Discussion #1) Understanding your Leadership Style
Please note: In order to successfully complete Course 4, you must respond to this post. Your comment/response should answer the questions/shows that you completed the given activity (if any). Read the post carefully and follow the instructions given. Save your responses to a document that you can later refer to. You will need to copy/paste your response in the course evaluation form at the end of each course to show that you have done the work and to refresh your memory.
-
Hello everyone,
If you are reading this, it means you have come a long way in your leadership training. Kudos to you for all the effort and resilience you have shown! It is amazing how you all are open to learning and adapting to new environments: the environment of leadership!
Before we zoom in and talk more about learning and adapting, lets zoom back out first and talk about how you feel about leadership. Regardless of how you see yourself, there is a leader within you. The one who visualizes how things could have run in a better way if you were in the leading spot. Leading spot here means:
A desire for change;
Believing you got the abilities to make it happen;
Visualizing success while keeping in mind the bigger picture.
To lead others effectively, you need a good blend of 4 broad competencies area
If you have a surplus amount of knowledge on how to lead but not a good emotional quotient (EQ), you will find it hard to tackle leadership challenges. Having a good EQ is as important as having the right skills, and if you have skills but not the right attitude and values, you won't be able to achieve your full potential as a leader. Your attitude and values impact how others view you as a leader. We need an alignment in all 4 areas.
You have your very own leadership style based on your competency level. So, the next step is to label your original leadership style. Because you can switch to any leadership style with deliberate effort, thought, and adaptation.
Daniel Goleman categorizes leadership approaches in 6 broad styles. Authoritative, Coaching, Affiliative, and Democratic help one to promote harmony and positive outcomes while Coercive and Pacesetting styles of leadership need to be used in specific situations as they could cause tension.
Your original style could be one of them. So for the purpose of this course, we are going to use a leadership style test to help you identify your core competencies. In brief, we are using the test here to help you identify your leadership approach. So, when you know how you approach an event, you could think and put efforts to bring a change in it. It will allow you to polish your strengths and focus to improve in other different areas as well.
Lets get started!
- Please take the leadership style test here: https://www.energir.com/blogue/en/at-work/quiz-what-kind-of-leader-are-you/
Next step, below in the comments of this discussion, share
1. What is your leadership style?
2. What is one thing you learned about yourself?
3. What is one thing you would like to improve upon?
4. Please reply to 3 of your peers in this thread!
After fulfilling the requirements of this post, please check out the next post here! You must take part in the brainstorming/activities given in all of these posts to successfully complete the program.
This post is brought to you by the Leadership Development Program Team, find out more information about the program here.
1. What is your leadership style? Communicating Vision 91 2. What is one thing you learned about yourself? I learned I'm a very blunt person which is not too surprising. I say what I need to say when it needs to be said in the least words possible and the way I get it across can come off as blunt. But I am also caring and considerate. If I realize after I have said something that has come off blunt then I will correct myself 3. What is one thing you would like to improve upon? I would like to improve upon speaking up and not feeling like I need to be blunt in order to get what I need said in.
@positiveTurtles I would actually like to be a little blunt, maybe we could combine our strong points and become an awesome team? 
Lol yes! Let’s do it 😊
Let me join that team too!
1. What is your leadership style?
I am a democratic leader.
2. What is one thing you learned about yourself?
My good listening skills draw ideas out of everyone.
3. What is one thing you would like to improve upon?
Be a little more upfront and assertive.
Listening skills are crucial. When people feel heard, they share out more ideas openly. Great!
@FlourishingDimensions
Hello! Thank you so much for sharing! I think being a democratic leader is awesome and it brings important qualities to our community!
1. What is your leadership style?
I am an affiliative leader. My leadership style encourages relationships between people, prompting them to work together. I can help ease a tense situation and can motivate people during difficult times.
2. What is one thing you learned about yourself?
I learned that I have a knack for making people work together and motivating them.
3. What is one thing you would like to improve upon?
Self-regulation and conflict resolution are two areas I need to improve upon.
@ResilientLucky
Hello!
I really liked your post! We are both affiliative leaders! Yay!
@ResilientLucky
That's a great quality overall. Keep going!
@Heather225
1. What is your leadership style?
Affiliative Leader
2. What is one thing you learned about yourself?
I learned that I have a leadership style that encourages relationships between people, prompting them to work together. My approach involves focusing on the importance of working together. I also understand the needs of my team and my partners very well, and you try to satisfy them. My greatest strength lies in my ability to ease tensions or motivate all my team members during difficult periods. I also have a knack for getting people who are accustomed to working alone to work together instead.
3. What is one thing you would like to improve upon?
I would like to improve when it comes to time management and organization. I think those are awesome skills that are never bad to work on.
Affiliative Leader
What is one thing you learned about yourself?
I never knew I was this kind of person or leader.
What is one thing you would like to improve upon?
Strengthening myself to feel it and believe it within me
To learn more about this kind of leadership.
Hello @Cazzy8752. I also received affiliative leader and it surprised me. I think it is great that you want to strengthen your view of yourself and to learn more about it!
@wonderfulRainbow817
good
My leadership style is Affiliative Leader
One thing you learned is I realised I was this kind of person or leader.
to improve upon Strengthening myself to feel it and believe it
@Cazzy8752
Thats great, i got the same. i hope to gain more insights into it too
@Cazzy8752
I also was characterized as an affiliate leader, which truly surprised me! I really love how you want to learn more about this type of leadership style, which will allow you to learn more about yourself as well! Great work!
@Cazzy8752
My leadership style is Affiliative Leader
One thing you learned is I realised I was this kind of person or leader.
to improve upon Strengthening myself to feel it and believe it
@Cazzy8752
What a great goal it is to learn more about your style of leadership! I think that will definitely give you some great perspective!
2. What is one thing you learned about yourself? I encourage teamwork
3. What is one thing you would like to improve upon? I dont know how to correctly motivate people when they aren't working
@explore1000, thank you for being honest about not knowing how to motivate others. It takes a lot of courage to admit when we aren't great at something. Through this course I was able to learn how to be a better leader and through experiencing different leadership roles I have been slowly been able to motivate others. I hope the same occurs for you!
@wonderfulRainbow817
great reply
@explore1000
Motivating our team can be sometimes difficult. But you can surely work on it. In my case I try motivating myself on behalf of the team and when I feel motivated, I shower motivation on the team.
@explore1000
That's really amazing! Really teamwork is the best work!!
@explore1000
I'm so proud that you were able to admit something that you're not good at! That takes true courage! I can see that you learned so much about yourself and your leadership abilities by taking this quiz, and by identifying areas to improve, you'll become a better leader in the process! Nice job!
@Nerdtastic01
i agree
@explore1000
I think by identifying what you don't know how to do (motivate those that aren't working), will help you to better understand how to change that behavior.
-
What is your leadership style?
I am an affiliative leader, which means I encourage relationships between people, prompting them to work together.
-
What is one thing you learned about yourself?
I learned that I am definitely the type of person to ask people for their opinions to see if there is anything I can improve upon to be more efficient. I also want people to feel good and not miserable when they’re doing their jobs.
-
What is one thing you would like to improve upon?
I’d like to improve upon my social skills as I tend to be more shy at times, so once I slowly get over my shyness, I can be a better leader.
@Brinaa101, I am also shy but by going through these courses I have been able to break out of my shell. It is great that you realize there is always room for improvement as we all have room to become a better version of ourselves!
@Brinaa101 thats a wonderful anxswer!
@Brinaa101
Nice qualities to have!
@Brinaa101
I'm glad that you learned so much about yourself and your leadership abilities by taking this quiz! You also identified a great challenge to overcome, which will allow you to work on becoming a better leader! Amazing job!
@Brinaa101
Wonderful answer
@Heather225
1. What is your leadership style? You are an affiliative leader
2. What is one thing you learned about yourself? I learned that I am good at getting others to work together as a team and not alone
3. What is one thing you would like to improve upon? I’d like to work further on motivating myself during difficult periods. I do this well with others but I think it is so I don’t have to focus on my own difficulties. I have to face things more head on than ignoring them.
@wonderfulRainbow817
So true! Facing our own difficulties and motivating ourself during a hard time is really important! Best of luck!
@wonderfulRainbow817 I am an Affiliative leader too! I hear you, focusing on motivating yourself and working on things to improve is very important. You got this!
@wonderfulRainbow817
Great answer rainbow
@Heather225
1. What is your leadership style?
I'm a democratic leader!
2. What is one thing you learned about yourself?
It seems my greatest strength is to motivate people u-u
3. What is one thing you would like to improve upon?
Team building u-u
@milkoreos
I am a democratic leader as well!! Best of luck with team building! <3
@milkoreos , I admire your greatest strength!
@milkoreos yeah team build can be fairly difficult sometimes 😅 good luck with that
@milkoreos
That's wonderful! Motivating people is something really great as i believe it! You'll be an amazing leader!
@milkoreos
Team-building and teamwork are essential for yourself and others
@Heather225
What is your leadership style?
- I am a Democratic Leader
What is one thing you learned about yourself?
- I learned that as a leader I like making decisions together with my team; with everyone's collective intelligence as said in quiz.
What is one thing you would like to improve upon?
- I would personally love to learn to be more patient. I always tend to be really unpatient with my team.
@Hope2103 Learning to be more patient is a great quality!
@Hope2103
Yes hope Patience is the key
@Hope2103
Patience is a really important aspect.. I'm sure you'll master it soon 😉