A633.7.3.RB – Leader Follower Relationship

I have learned throughout my adult career that leaders and managers deal with all different types of people and that task in itself can be a challenge.  The results of this assessment were not surprising to me because I have taken several assessments in the past.  After completing the assessment at the beginning of chapter 10, I found that I scored highest in quadrant S3 and S2; S3 receiving a score of 6 and S2 receiving a score of 5. My lowest quadrants were S4 and S1: S4 receiving a score of 1 and S1 receiving a score of 4.

 

There are two statements by Obolensky (2010) that applied to my results. 

Statement one: “if the sum of S1 and S3 is greater than the sum of S2 and S4 then you may be taking too direct of an approach.”  I agree with this assessment; I have never been one to candy coat communication when it comes to accomplishing the mission at hand.  I have always been a very direct person.  I do no not like procrastination and therefore I prefer to either train employees or assign a qualified person to train employees on how to complete a task correctly rather than going through trial and error over and over.  Not to seem like a tyrant, I do believe in delegation; but the time must be correct and the person must have both the skill and the will to complete the task.  If they do not have those two factors, then they will most likely fail.  There are many styles available to choose from and everyone needs to adapt to what works best for their organization.

 

Statement two: “if the sum of S2 and S3 is greater than the sum of S1 and S4 then you may be working too hard.”  I would agree and at the same time disagree with this assessment.  As stated earlier, I believe that the timing must be correct and the person must have both the skill and the will to complete the task.  Until then, someone has to be present to make sure the work is completed correctly and on time.  A good leader will make sure this is not an everyday habit.  If you train your employees and provide those employees with the right motivation, then the task of delegation is much easier.   

 

After reading this chapter, some of the things I have learned in the past were reinforced.  I have always understood the importance of delegating and allowing others to mature and take the lead in certain situations.  I have learned to train your replacement because everyone is replaceable. The last thing you want to hear is that you must stay because I have no one to replace you.  I feel this philosophy is good for me (future promotions), my subordinates, and the organization.  So far in my career, I feel I have mentored and created leaders rather than followers.  This course has given me the opportunity to better understand my actions which in turn allows me to grow not only as a leader but as an individual as well.