My Leadership Style Assessment

This week we were asked to take a leadership style assessment to find out what is our leadership style. The assessment was developed by the University of Kent, from the United Kingdom. The five modern leadership styles are authoritative, procedural, transformational, participative, and laissez-faire. In this paper we will discover what my leadership style is and how I use it in real life situations.

Authoritative has a high amount of control. This style of leader has a lot of power over team members. They tell their team what they want done and how to do it. A second leadership style is procedural. This style of leader also has a high amount of control and is a rules follower. A procedural leader is more focused on getting the job

With twenty-six points, the lowest score, was transformational leadership style. With thirty-two, thirty-four, and thirty-eight points are authoritarian, laissez-faire, and procedural leadership styles, respectively. According to the leadership style assessment I have more leniency towards a participative style of leading, with forty points. I have to say that I was a bit surprised. I tend to think of myself as more authoritative. Especially since I lack a great deal of patience and I like how I do things. I do however understand that my way is not the only way and definitely not always the best

Nelson Mandela is an example of a person who showed a participative leadership style. The Study.com (2015) website states this style tries to change the traditional hierarchical management by incorporating a democratic dimension. As previously stated, a participative leader will consult and seek out the ideas and opinions of the team, but ultimately he/she will make the final decision. A person who employs this leadership style knows that by just being a leader it does not mean that they know everything. That is why they like to have skillful team members to help the team be successful. According to the University of Kent (n.d.) “this style is not a sign of weakness but more of a sign of strength that your team will respect” (Explanation of different leadership styles). Participative leadership style is best used when quality is more important than productivity and the organization allows for flexibility and a sense of individual responsibility. A positive of this leadership style is that team members will feel like they are a part of the team and that they have a hand in the task at hand. This style breeds a sense of team work thus motivating individuals to work hard. Of the five leadership styles, groups led by a participative leader are most consistent in quality and productivity. In contrast, if the leader is weak and not confident, this style of leadership can result in a lack of decision.