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[Archived] Course 4. Foundational Leadership Principles: (Discussion #1) Understanding your Leadership Style

Heather225 September 8th, 2020

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.
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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

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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.

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Ninziesss July 31st, 2022

@Heather225

1. What is your leadership style?

Affiliate Leader

2. What is one thing you learned about yourself?

That I have a knack for getting people to work together!

3. What is one thing you would like to improve upon?

I tend to try to satisfy everyone. Sometimes it can be a bit too much and thats what I like to improve: To do it less because sometimes I worry about that more than the project.

1 reply
CalmWaves3939 August 6th, 2022

@Ninziesss

Awesome to hear that you are good at getting people to work together because without teamwork we can not meet our goals to the best of our abilities. It is natural to have worries and it is great that you are looking to improve :)

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CalmWaves3939 August 6th, 2022

1) The test showed that I am an affiliative leader

2) I learned that “Your greatest strength lies in your ability to ease tensions or motivate all your team members during difficult periods

3) I would like to improve my ability to connect because I can be good at encouraging people to work as part of a team but sometimes I struggle to do it myself.

1 reply
zareya December 10th, 2022

@CalmWaves3939

it can be difficult to do what we encourage others to do ourselves! you got this <3

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WarmLightXO August 10th, 2022

1. What is your leadership style?

I'm an affiliative leader
2. What is one thing you learned about yourself?

The questions were more helpful than the actual result, I liked thinking through the options and realizing I'm a very optimistic and thoughtful leader.

3. What is one thing you would like to improve upon?

I could stand to be gentler to myself as leader- the same way I am to others.

1 reply
August 24th, 2022

@WarmLightXO

we both have the same approach ☺️

Here4good74 September 14th, 2022

@WarmLightXO it's the same style as mine. Agreed with your last sentence, to be gentle to yourself as much as you're to others. You deserve as much compassion ♥️

zareya December 10th, 2022

@WarmLightXO

being gentle to yourself as a leader is just as important!! <3

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kenzolena August 10th, 2022

@Heather225

Q: What is your leadership style?

A: My leadership style is: a democratic leader.

I did have some trouble sometimes choosing the answers as multiple could fit.


Q: What is one thing you learned about yourself?

A: I’ve learned that my leadership style is based on collective intelligence. I learned that I like to organize meetings to consult my team members or partners before making my decisions. That my good listening skills draw ideas out of everyone. And that my greatest strength is my ability to motivate the key people that I work with.


Q: What is one thing you would like to improve upon?

A: I would like to improve on my communication skills


- lena

1 reply
August 24th, 2022

@kenzolena

That’s wonderful 👍

blissfulForest7074 August 25th, 2022

@kenzolena

I can relate with the difficulty in choosing the options too 😅. I like your leadership quality where you can bring out the best from your team and create better solutions and tactics to your projects

Josh3889 December 22nd, 2022

@kenzolena

Communication skills are key!

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usefulSummer3139 August 16th, 2022

@Heather225

1. What is your leadership style?

My leadership style is affiliative.

2. What is one thing you learned about yourself?

I learned that my greatest strength is my ability to ease tensions and motivate my team members.

3. What is one thing you would like to improve upon?

I'd like to improve upon not controlling people as much. I have to realise that everyone has a different style of working!

2 replies
August 24th, 2022

@usefulSummer3139

That’s nice 👍

blissfulForest7074 August 25th, 2022

@usefulSummer3139

Wow, easing tension during conflicts is a really nice skill to have !

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August 24th, 2022

@Heather225

1.) What is your leadership style?

I am an affiliative leader

2.) What is one thing you learned about yourself?

I have a leadership style that encourages relationships between people, prompting them to work together.

3.) What is one thing you would like to improve upon? Being able to put a competent team that will take action in the event of a problem

1 reply
blissfulForest7074 August 25th, 2022

@Helpingheart23

An affiliative leadership sounds great. I like how your style encourages your team members to work together

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blissfulForest7074 August 25th, 2022

@Heather225

1. What is your leadership style?

I got 'Visionary leader'.


2. What is one thing you learned about yourself?

I learnt that my leadership style is motivating and encouraging to the team members to be find concrete solutions to the project that we're part of.


3. What is one thing you would like to improve upon?

I'd like to be flexible to use other leadership styles when the need arises.

1 reply
Here4good74 September 14th, 2022

@blissfulForest7074 very good answer, I think you can achieve a lot with your leadership style.

Mari228 September 20th, 2022

@blissfulForest7074

That’s a good point to practice the other kinds of leadership skills to be as well rounded as we can. We work on our strengths and do what we can to also try to implement other practices.

yourbuddy30 October 17th, 2022

@blissfulForest7074 Wow, A visionary leader. That can be a good leadership style to motivate and encourage your fellow members of the team. I agree, being flexible in our leadership styles according to situations is important

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Here4good74 September 14th, 2022

@Heather225

1. What is your leadership style?

Affiliative


2. What is one thing you learned about yourself?

My ability to ease tensions or motivate all my team members during difficult periods.

3. What is one thing you would like to improve upon?

Working together and as a team.

2 replies
blissfulTouch29 September 16th, 2022

@Here4good74

Amazing keep it up you got this

Mari228 September 20th, 2022

@Here4good74

it takes a lot of energy and patience working as a team and a constant learning and improving of ourselves to get by.

SirenOfSerenity September 20th, 2022

@Here4good74 Another fellow Affiliate! 😅 That's a simple but challenging area to focus on improving but I can tell that you're headed in the right direction through your responses 😌

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niceworldmnd September 16th, 2022

@Heather225

1. What is your leadership style? I am a affiliative leader


2. What is one thing you learned about yourself? that my
approach involves focusing on the importance of working together.


3. What is one thing you would like to improve upon? maybe not staying away from dealing with conflicts.
3 replies
Mari228 September 19th, 2022

@niceworldmnd

as people who enjoy harmony and doing things peacefully it’s hard when seeing things in conflict when we feel it might not have to happen when it can in fact grow the relationship of the team.

SirenOfSerenity September 20th, 2022

@niceworldmnd Yay another affiliate leader! :) That's a good area to focus on improving, in time it becomes easier: I believe in you!

KimByeongIn September 22nd, 2022

@niceworldmnd

You're doing amazing work! Keep up!

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Mari228 September 19th, 2022

@Heather225

1. What is your leadership style?


Afíliate Leader:

You have a leadership style that encourages relationships between people prompting them to work together. Your approach involves focusing on the importance of working together. You also understand the needs of your team and your partners very well and you try to satisfy them. Your greatest strength lies in your ability to ease tensions or motivate all your team members during difficulty periods. You also have a knack for getting people who are accustomed to working alone to work together instead.


2. What is one thing you learned about yourself?


One thing I learned about myself is that I may have more effect in people than I thought I would and not taking that for granted.


3. What is one thing you would like to improve upon?


One thing I would like to improve upon is coming up with ideas and having the courage to share them with others.

1 reply
SirenOfSerenity September 20th, 2022

@Mari228 Very good job answering all parts of the discussion, we have the same Leadership style and about the same thing we want to improve :) Good luck on your journey with this new information!

KimByeongIn September 22nd, 2022

@Mari228

It's nice to see a lot of people like me. Great work!

CosmicMiracle December 5th, 2022

@Mari228 we are the same, Mari! :) and I am rooting for you! I encourage you to share your ideas with others <3

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