Learning from industry leaders is an eye-opening experience. For this exercise, I intended to understand various types of leadership styles and philosophies by interviewing three leaders. With their permission, I sought to understand more about each of these leader’s leadership styles in terms of the vision they have for their respective organizations, how they manage conflict, how they build trust, and finally, the methods they use to motivate and empower others around them and at work. The interview lasted about 15 minutes each. In this essay, I present an analysis of the interview, highlighting some of the questions I asked and the rationale behind the questions. I will also give the answers I received. Based on the response, exceptional leadership originates from strong values and beliefs, which are passed to others.
The first person I interviewed was Anna Meade, owner and manager of a beauty spa. I asked Anna about her leadership philosophy and how she motivates her team to ensure she gets the best out of everyone. Anna said, “I am the type of leader who believes in rewarding success. I want each team member to know that I value their contribution, and that is why I offer commissions based on performance. First, I will set targets and communicate them to my team. Everyone knows that they will receive a commission for meeting their targets and more. This way, I am always sure that my team remains highly productive. Also, I want to see healthy competition, and that is why we have a feedback mechanism for our clients. The feedback mechanism ensures that every client rates the kind of service they receive. The employee with the best overall monthly ratings takes a prize home.
Based on her response, I believe Anna is a transactional leader. Thanh and Quang (2022) suggest that transactional leaders depend on incentives to get the best out of their teams. For instance, a transactional leader will establish a predetermined award if the team meets the set objectives. This type of leadership is based on the concept that incentives are a motivation that keeps employees more productive.
The second leader I interviewed was Sheipha Gati. Gati is a restaurant manager who runs her family business. I asked Gati about her vision and goal for the business, and she established and built trust. I also requested to know more about her family background and what motivated them to invest in this type of business. In her response, Gati said, “I came from Morocco to study here and run my father’s business when he decided to retire and go back home. I just sold him my vision for the restaurant and how I intended to run the business. I guess he bought into the idea because here I am. First, I wanted to change how we operated by offering deliveries. I realized that most of my colleagues had no time to walk into a restaurant for a meal, especially during those periods when we had exams coming up. I saw this as an opportunity because I thought to myself, why not offer to bring the food to them? The first thing I did when I was handed the restaurant was to hire bikers who could deliver orders within the town. It was not all merry at first, and I had to sit down and adjust. Right now, we are in the process of creating an app that our clients can use to make orders and payments. On trust, I think exceptional services go a long way into building our reputation and, therefore, trust. I also believe in the importance of communication. I listen to everyone and try as much as possible to promote innovation by allowing our employees to express themselves in ways they think enhance our production and service delivery. I trust them, and they trust me.
Gati seems like a transformational leader. According to Khan et al. (2020), transformational leaders focus on change by establishing new benchmarks. These types of leaders devote their time to establishing pathways to success by developing strategies that improve the overall output. Accordingly, Gati’s focus on empowering her team to be innovative aligns well with a transformational leadership style that is often characterized by evolution and adaptation to the changing business environment.
Lastly, I interviewed Harrison Barkley. Mr. Barkley is an accountant with four junior accountants under him. I chose to interview him because I wanted to gain more insight from someone who wasn’t at the very top of the management ladder, considering the first two people I interviewed were business owners at the very top of the management hierarchy. I asked him about his leadership style and how he manages conflict within the department. His response was as follows; “I may be a leader within the department, but I do not like people viewing me in that light. Let’s say I prefer if they see me as a senior, someone they can look up to for guidance when they are stuck or need some help. These guys are professionals, you see. They know how to handle business in their respective areas. However, I also understand that some situations require more experience, which is what they are building. In this case, I will step in and show them the way. Otherwise, I focus more on the end product. I am not a prefect, so I will let them do what they do as I do what I do. In terms of managing conflict, I prefer setting up open communication. We have to talk to understand the root of the problem, don’t we?
This response points to a laissez-faire leadership style. As Robert and Vandenberghe (2020) point out, laissez-faire leaders often take a hands-off approach, allowing the team to make decisions while offering support and guidance only when necessary.
In conclusion, this assignment was key to learning from diverse leaders. The leaders I interviewed showed different leadership philosophies based on their values and beliefs. I also learned that these leadership styles are influenced by multiple factors, especially a person’s attitude.
References
Khan, H., Rehmat, M., Butt, T. H., Farooqi, S., & Asim, J. (2020). Impact of transformational leadership on work performance, burnout and social loafing: A mediation model. Future Business Journal, 6(1), 1–13. Springeropen. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-020-00043-8
Robert, V., & Vandenberghe, C. (2020). Laissez-Faire Leadership and Affective Commitment: the Roles of Leader-Member Exchange and Subordinate Relational Self-concept. Journal of Business and Psychology, 36(4). Springer. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10869-020-09700-9
Thanh, N. H., & Quang, N. V. (2022). Transformational, Transactional, Laissez-faire Leadership Styles and Employee Engagement: Evidence From Vietnam’s Public Sector. SAGE Open, 12(2), 215824402210946. Sagepub. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221094606
write