LAGUILLES, Elaine May

15 January 2019

Having a position of leadership isn’t always the way people portray it to be. On most days, it would
be demanding and frustrating. Sometimes, it would seem to attract more trouble than rewards. Being a
leader has its challenges. Maybe that is why there are a lot of resources written regarding the subject. Even
if we are already accustomed to the idea of leadership by practicing it and by being under it, we still have
leadership training seminars every now and then.
Leadership is may be defined as the art of motivating people to achieve a goal. Though there may
be certain principles on leadership that may be considered universal, leadership is ever-changing and has
learned to adapt to be effective when applied within the context of an organization. An effective leader
knows that a certain leadership style works in different context. For instance, a bull-type of leadership, the
one that is bossy and laser-focused on a goal, may not be suitable in a beadle for English class. Leading
people involved in different projects require different leadership methods.
That being said, I can say that I practice more of situational leadership. Having experienced
different leadership positions ever since I was in grade school, I realize that there is a right form of
leadership for a person in my team and that also varies in the context that we are in. I recognize that each
person responds differently to certain statements and approaches. I consider the context which includes the
task itself. I look at its urgency, its complexity, its priority in achieving the goal of the project. I also look
into the state of our organization—its culture, its norms, its vision-mission. Additionally, I look into myself
as well. I consider my character and my approach to achieving goals in relation to the person’s workmanship
as well.
Other than that, as a leader, I take note of my team’s capability and motivation to finish the tasks
assigned to them. I think that is highly essential in making a team work more effectively and efficiently
while managing to avoid conflict.
Still, generally speaking, I tend to turn to using a democratic or participative style of leadership. I
tend to set the “checklist” and the needed quality for the project and usually have the final say on decisions,
but I make sure to actively involve my team in all the decision-making process. I acknowledge that each
person has valuable insight regarding the project and may have thoughts on things that I may have
overlooked, too. This way, I don’t really do the thinking all alone. I get input and ideas from my team,
things that I may not have thought of if I was exclusively working on my own.
However, I know that this process may be slow especially when some of my team members are not
as committed to the project as others do. Thus, I am practicing to be more assertive as I try to adopt a more
autocratic approach in circumstances deemed necessary.
LAGUILLES, Elaine May
15 January 2019

References
Brownlee, D. (2017). 3 Leadership Styles - Leadership Skills Training by Corporate Trainer
Dana Brownlee. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFdXLT_D8WI

Can-Indian Channel. (2017). MBA 101: Leadership Styles [Video]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXA34EC8MdU

Cartier, J. (2015). Leadership Styles [Video]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0Q6SfGmZmk

David, T. (2014). Leadership Styles - Which Is YOUR Leadership Style? [Video]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPddKALqBqE

Lyon, A. (2017). Leadership Styles Autocratic Democratic Laissez-Faire [Image]. Retrieved

from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXA34EC8MdU

Neill, C. (2013). The 5 Leadership Styles [Image]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP6nE1pXVQM

Online PM Courses. (2017). Project Management in Under 5: What is Situational Leadership?

[Image]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJO5IADnlxw

Pain, A. (2014). Understanding & Leveraging Leadership Styles [Video]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYyORncJXDA

Project Management Videos. (2016). What is Your Leadership Style? - Leadership &
Management Training [Image]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eddaZORJe0s

Train in a Day. (2015). Leadership Styles: Which Type of Leader Are You? [Video]. Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddt_IGMMOrI