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Self-Reflective Essay

816012805

The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine

LEAD2000 Fundamentals of Leadership

Dr. Paul Balwant

13th December 2020

39.5/40

Section Max Student

Northhouse (2013, p. 5) defines leadership as “a process whereby an individual

influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal.” Naturally, the question of what

makes a leader effective is one of great debate. Goleman (2000), describes six leadership styles

which, when used appropriately, constitutes effective leadership. Each style is associated with

different levels of emotional intelligence, which in turn impacts the climate of an organization in

different ways (Goleman, 2000). This climate refers to factors influencing the working

environment such as flexibility, responsibility, standards, rewards, clarity and commitment

(Goleman, 2000). With regards to leadership style, the coercive leader “demand[s] immediate

compliance” (p. 80) whereas the authoritative leader “mobilize[s] people toward a vision” (p.

80). Additionally, the affiliative style emphasizes emotional bonds as compared to the

democratic style’s emphasis on consensus among followers (Goleman, 2000). Lastly, unlike

pacesetting leaders who “expect excellence and self direction” (p. 80), coaching leaders aim to

develop their followers for long-term success (Goleman, 2000). As aforementioned, the

effectiveness of a leader is reliant on their ability to employ the most appropriate leadership style

in any given situation. Thus, this essay aims to juxtapose my use of leadership style as opposed

to the ideal choice of style in the micro-simulation scenarios.

Firstly, the scenario concerning the desserts update will be assessed. In this instance I

used the affiliative style by praising Kimberly for her consistently good work on the desserts. As

aforementioned, this style emphasizes emotional bonds more than tasks and goals (Goleman,

2000). This is achieved through the utilization of consideration or relationship-oriented

behaviours such as building trust, encouraging followers to voice their concerns and forming

pleasant relationships (Northouse, 2013). The affiliative leader is therefore associated with a

positive climate, particularly with regards to flexibility and recognition or rewards (Goleman,
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2000). In return, their followers tend to display characteristics such as loyalty and positive

communication (Goleman, 2000). This style of leadership should not be used alone however, as

it may encourage mediocre output on behalf of followers (Goleman, 2000). Instead, a

complementary style such as the authoritative, as will be discussed later in this essay, should be

used in conjunction (Goleman, 2000). For this reason, my choice of the affiliative style alone is

not ideal for this scenario. Given that the kitchen’s performance has been consistent, praising

Kimberly can inhibit further enhancement or encourage mediocrity. As such, suggesting ideas

that align with the company’s vision, or the authoritative style, coupled with moderate praise, or

the affiliative style would have been best suited. Previously in my personal life, I used the

affiliative style alone in order to avoid appearing overly critical. For example, for a group project

my peers and I were responsible for creating a poster to present to class. Some persons

contributed information and others compiled said information onto the poster. While the final

product was satisfactory, the slightest error, such as poorly cut out pictures irked me as a

perfectionist. However, instead of relating this to the team and making suggestions for

enhancement, I simply expressed contentment and praised them for a job well done. In the future

I plan to couple the affiliative style of leadership with another to make my feedback more

effective. I foresee that my desire to not appear critical will make this difficult. Thus, instead of

coupling the affiliative style with the authoritative, I can couple it with democratic leadership,

which will also be discussed in the upcoming paragraphs. This assessment highlighted the

importance of the affiliative style of leadership.

Secondly, the scenario with regards to Robert’s move to an intern position will be

assessed. In this instance I employed the affiliative style of leadership by empathizing and being

honest about why I am moving him. In addition to what was previously explained, this style is
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best used in situations where there is a need to build harmony, repair broken trust and improve

communication (Goleman, 2000). Unlike the former scenario, the affiliative style alone was a

wise choice here to aid in the creation of harmony between Robert and myself and the repairment

of his broken trust. It must be noted however, that the coaching style was also appropriate here.

Coaching leaders identify the strengths and weaknesses of their followers and help them in

devising a plan for goal attainment and long-term development (Goleman, 2000). This style

emphasizes personal development more than work related goals and is therefore associated with

positive performance and climate (Goleman, 2000). Although unconventional, advising Robert

for his meeting with the CEO sets him up for future success that allows him to grow with the

company. I use this style frequently in my everyday life, specifically with my family. At home, I

encourage my family members to eat healthier and exercise. By motivating them and actively

participating in their meal plans and exercise routines, I help them to achieve their fitness goals

and enhance their overall development. In a real-life situation similar to Robert’s scenario, the

coaching style of leadership can be easily overlooked as it may be unnatural for many to help

persons that are seemingly working against them. Nonetheless, in the future I can challenge

myself by changing my approach to do just that. From this assessment, the importance of the

coaching style of leadership was seen.

Thirdly, the scenario regarding the final wedding details will be assessed. Here, I

employed the democratic style in an attempt to gather feedback on the proposed musicians. As

previously mentioned, this style emphasizes consensus by allowing followers to express their

ideas and concerns (Goleman, 2000). Thus, it is ideal for situations where the leader is unsure

about which decision to make (Goleman, 2000). One drawback of this style however, is that it

may result in endless meetings, some of which can be unnecessary and unproductive (Goleman,
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2000). For this same reason, this style of leadership was inappropriate in this scenario. Although

a committee meeting would have provided qualitative feedback on each option to be considered,

a crucial decision was required to be made in a short space of time and arranging another

meeting would have been time consuming. Instead, the coercive style is better suited to the

pressing nature of the matter. This form of leadership, although associated with a negative

impact on climate, is appropriate during genuine emergencies (Goleman, 2000). Initiating

structure or task-oriented behaviours such as defining roles and duties, and ensuring the

adherence of rules (Northouse, 2013) are heavily used by this type of leader. As such, demanding

the timely input of employees is one way that the coercive style could have been employed.

Personally, I have misused the democratic style in the past, particularly during group projects.

An example can be seen in a recent project of mine, for which I was assigned a group where

social loafing was high. Instead of demanding that persons show up at meetings on time and

contribute efficiently to the task at hand, I remained fairly democratic in my approach by waiting

on latecomers and encouraging their contributions, which were always tardy. Despite my

attempts, in the end we produced a mediocre project and received a less-than-satisfactory mark.

This scenario has taught me the importance of being firm in order to get results. As a result, in

the future I will employ the coercive style of leadership more often, especially in dire situations,

such as with the aforestated group project. Unfortunately, however, being demanding with others

does not come naturally for me and may therefore prove to be difficult, but this can be made

easier by coupling the coercive style with the authoritative. For example, in retrospect, an

alternative approach to social loafing in the group would have been to emphasize the importance

of attaining an outstanding mark on the assignment while demanding timely feedback on ideas.

In that way the group members may have felt more inclined to contribute, and our output would
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have been at a higher standard. Thus, from this assessment, the importance of the coercive style

was seen.

Fourthly, the scenario pertaining to Chantal’s concern with cashing will be assessed. I

once again employed the democratic style in an attempt to understand how well Chantal can fit

into another department, as she is clearly not suited for the cashier position. In addition to what

was previously mentioned, this style of leadership encourages follower trust, respect and

commitment as it allows for their ideas to be heard (Goleman, 2000). Moreover, increase in

follower flexibility and responsibility is associated with democratic leadership as they are given

opportunities to influence decisions that affect their goals and the way they operate. Unlike the

previous scenario, this style of leadership was appropriate here as it facilitated Chantal’s

expression of concern with her current job. In this way, the democratic style, similarly to the

affiliative, utilizes consideration or relationship-oriented behaviours. Furthermore, if Chantal’s

social media posts indeed attracted customers to the restaurant, her marketing ideas were worth

listening to. Another example of my use of democratic leadership was evidenced in my final year

research project, for which I was the writer. After submitting a draft of our proposal, we

discovered that our topic of research was impractical. Unable to create an entirely new topic on

my own, I decided to hold a meeting with my group members seeking their suggestions on the

changes that should be made to our variables. The suggestions were valuable and they allowed

me to alter our research topic in such a way that it maintained relevance to the proposal and was

pleasing to our supervisor. Thus, it is clear that the democratic style of leadership was also

correctly utilized in this example. Nonetheless, it is easy to overlook factors such as urgency and

competence that determine the style of leadership needed in a situation. As such, in the future I

aim to be more mindful of such factors. Habitually I may revert to employing leadership styles
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based on instinct, thereby making this a bit challenging. However I plan to counter this by

actively pausing to reflect on what this course and micro-simulation has taught me in order to

become a more effective leader. From this assessment, therefore, the importance of the

democratic style of leadership was evidenced.

Lastly, the scenario concerning Harold’s transportation issue will be assessed. Again, I

employed the democratic style of leadership as it leads to greater understanding and acceptance

of decisions (Goleman, 2000). While this was a wise choice, as Harold is an expert in

transportation, the authoritative style is a viable alternative. This leader uses visionary leadership

by expressing the way in which their followers’ actions contribute to a desired outcome or vision

(Goleman, 2000). The authoritative leader also gives their followers the opportunity to work

towards said vision in any way they see fit (Goleman, 2000). This positively affects climate with

regards to flexibility, for instance and is best used in situations where business is faced with

difficulty (Goleman, 2000). With this in mind, as there were issues with transportation, showing

Harold how his deliveries fit into the bigger picture can be useful in helping him arrive at

potential solutions for the preservation of the ingredients, providing that he has the interest of the

company at heart. Currently, I am assuming the authoritative leader role among my group of

friends. At the beginning of the semester, I presented them with a vision: each of us graduating

with a GPA of 3.6 and above. Upon agreement, we all devised individual study plans and

preparations to achieve this common goal in the future. This style is effective here as it allows

for each of us to tailor our studies to our individual needs, making the goal more attainable. From

this it is clear that I have a gist of the authoritative style and its application. Albeit, this style is

not the first that comes to mind when I am in a position of leadership, unlike the coercive-

democratic dichotomy. Allowing others to devise their own means of attaining a shared vision is
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therefore something that I will have to mindfully practice and incorporate. From this assessment,

the importance of the authoritative style was evidenced.

In conclusion, this essay juxtaposed my use of leadership style as opposed to the ideal

choice of style in the assessed micro-simulation scenarios. As a result, the affiliative, coaching,

coercive, democratic and authoritative styles were discussed, particularly with regards to

applicability. It was also revealed that while some leadership styles are more suitable in a given

situation, multiple styles can be applied to said situation in order to achieve a similar outcome.

The microsimulation made me realize that prior to it, I relied heavily on the democratic style

when in a position of leadership. The pacesetting style in particular, is almost never used in my

personal life, as can be seen in its exclusion from this essay. Consequently, this experience has

enabled me to be more mindful of the way I approach such scenarios in the future, in an attempt

to become a more effective leader. To do this, factors such as urgency, flexibility and trust can be

considered, for instance.

Overreliance on Goleman’s paper here (even when you skillfully incorporate other theories).
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References

Goleman, Daniel. (2000). Leadership That Gets Results. In Harvard Business Review (pp. 78-

90). n.p.

Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. (6th ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.