M3.10 Introduction To Leadership Reflective Review
Reflective Review – M3.10 Introduction to Leadership
Introduction
I am currently employed by Babcock International Group within the Training & Education division as a Recruitment & Sales Manager overseeing our East of England & London regions.
I have managed a team for the past five years and currently look after six Recruitment Advisors (RA’s). In the past I have managed up to seventeen RA’s at any one time so I’ve to adapt my leadership style to suit the needs of the business and our people.
The RA’s and I are field based and very experienced in their role recruiting learners onto work-based Apprenticeship & NVQ qualifications.
Leadership V Management
Effective leading of people or teams starts with effective personal leadership. …show more content…
Whether you are the Managing Director, Operations Manager or Regional Administrator you need to continually pursue increased awareness of yourself along with your values and aspirations and then set your goals accordingly.
The role of managers is to facilitate the work of an organisation through sound policies procedures and practices.
Managers are the people that make the future happen. They form the expectations of people into agendas and action plans for example.
Leaders are more about vision and trust using knowledge and experience. Leaders are constantly challenging the workplace to be better. Leaders listen well and encourage others to take leadership roles within the organisation.
Managers manage things and leaders lead people. However both managers and leaders fail miserably when they are unwilling or unable to take into account the needs of the people involved in helping them achieve their goals. They both need to take people with them. Management and leadership should work in tandem to accomplish what needs to be done. In the end people do not follow what you say they follow what you do with followers close behind.
Understanding Leadership Styles
Weber & …show more content…
Bass
Weber & Bass have identified three types of leadership models which include:-
• Transformational Leadership – usually passionate leaders of a team who are keen to change many aspects of the team and business with increased support for employees, all with a view to achieve long term company objectives with potential changes to culture, and therefore general business change.
• Transactional Leaders – provide motivation to their teams based on rewards, or the fear of not achieving a target or an employee themselves would seek this motivation from their line manager. Those particularly in a Sales Management position who are motivated by earnings would seek for their line manager to show transactional leadership styles.
• Laics Faire Leaders – often give very little support or direction within a business, and doesn’t tend to communicate key objectives and strategies linked to any particular support to achieve long term goals within the business. As a result, a team would lack in complete direction and contract and would become potentially de-motivated and out of harmony with the rest of the business.
Within Babcock Training, the achievement of KPI’s is a critical part to the success of the business so managers will often use both transformational and transactional leadership styles although one of the two would usually take the lead; in this case the transformational leader for a middle manager.
Babcock Training managers generally always look for improved and cost efficient ways to improve staff turnover and performance through daily communication (phone, email, team meetings) and in turn are very passionate about people, including our staff and customers. Also, there is a limit to the resources and finance available to offer bonuses and financial incentives making transactional leadership very limited to carry out effectively in the
business.
Without doubt the most effective leadership model adopted by Babcock Training middle managers is transformational; leading and supporting from the front and inspiring their teams to achieve their goals, and potentially a financial incentive as a result. Transformational leaders are well equipped to understand how to get the best out of their employees individually, are personable and want to satisfy the emotional needs for an employee; for example simply improving their overall performance or achieve a specific goal, particularly in a target driven environment found within Babcock Training.
Within Babcock Training, if a transformational leader is struggling to motivate their team, they would potentially start to adopt a more transactional leadership style. In the case, if an employee isn’t performing in their particular job role, the leader would need to introduce the fear of not achieving element into their role possibly incorporating a capability or disiplinary policy, and the employee improves performance, then the leader then naturally reverts back to a transformational leadership style.
Leaderships Styles
In general, leaders have four leadership styles according to Hersey and Blanchard:-
• Supportive – often hold one-to-one and team meetings to ensure their employees have all the information and training required to do their jobs effectively. Often this is the case at Babcock Training given the vast amounts of information required to effectively carry out the job role.
• Delegative – often pass along various tasks to their team, particularly when the leader themselves had a busy workload. These leaders more often than not in Babcock have an extremely large geographical area and simply cannot give the support that sometimes is required.
• Authoritive – Provide instructions, gives employees specific goals and frequently checks the progress of staff to ensure they’re always on track to achieve.
• Consultative – Try’s to motivate using bonus rewards, sells staff ability to complete their own job effectively and praise staff for good work achieved with feedback in all cases.
It’s important in the business to adopt a mixture of all these styles. Each one in turn will motivate a team and member of staff, and leaders will sometimes need to adapt to individuals own performance situations.
Hersey and Blanchard
Hersey and Blanchard explain leadership styles in terms of the amount of task behaviour and relationship behaviour that a leader provides to their followers. There are four types:
• S1: Telling - One-way communication in which the leader defines the roles of the individual or group and provides the what, how, why, when, and where to do the task. This would normally by used in my recruitment team when a new member of staff has recently started in their role and myself as the leader would provide specific information. For example provide detailed information on how to follow up a sales lead inline with company standards and asking for feedback. Another example would be organising a large careers event with the teams support, but the have no previous experience managing this process hence providing them with very specific information with my support at all time. The majority of the time with these examples I would get fully involved in the process and oversee any tasks through to conclusion. • S2: Selling – Leaders are still providing direction now using two-way communication and providing support that will allow the individual or group being influenced to buy into the process. I have recently used this asking a member of the team to complete a specific presentation on our BAS (Apprenticeship employer vacancy service) to a potential customer. I gave all the advice and guidance to the Recruitment Advisor to the point where they would complete the task using their own initiative and feedback outcomes. • S3: Participating - This is now shared decision making about aspects of how the task is completed and the leader is providing less task behaviors while maintaining high relationship behavior. This is currently the most common stage within my team. Most of the team is now experienced so I use a relationship behavior technique installing more trust and improving their confidence in their individual job roles. Sometimes the task might be complex (for example designing a new sales forecast spreadsheet) but I’m keen to develop their ideas and make them feel they are having an impact on the business. • S4: Delegating - The leader is still involved in decisions however the process and responsibility has been passed to the individual or group. The leader stays involved to monitor progress. I often use this with my role and delegate many tasks given to me to my team particularly the more experienced members of staff who are clearly competent in their roles. For example this might be passing them a simple sales lead to follow up, or asking them to take a new member of staff on a shadow day in the field.
Of these, no one style is considered optimal for all leaders to use all the time. Effective leaders need to be flexible, and must adapt themselves according to the situation.
The right leadership style will depend on the person or group being led - the follower. Hersey-Blanchard identified four levels of maturity M1 through M4:
M1 - They generally lack the specific skills required for the job in hand and are unable and unwilling to do or to take responsibility for this job or task.
M2 - They are still unable to take on responsibility for the task being done; however, they are willing to work at the task.
M3 - They are experienced and able to do the task but lack the confidence to take on responsibility.
M4 - They are experienced at the task, and comfortable with their own ability to do it well. They are able and willing to not only do the task, but to take responsibility for the task.
Maturity Levels are also task specific. A person might be generally skilled, confident and motivated in their job, but would still have a Maturity level M2 when asked to perform a task requiring skills they don't possess.
John Adair
John Adair’s theory is about developing the individual, developing the team and achieving the task, making the perfect learning and working style in the workplace. The following core functions were set out by John Adair, integral to his theory of working:
• Planning – seeking information, defining tasks and setting aims • Initiating – briefing, task allocation and setting standards • Controlling – maintaining standards, ensuring progress and ongoing decision making • Supporting – Individual’s contributions, encouraging, team spirit, reconciling and morale. • Informing – clarifying tasks and plans, updating, receiving feedback and interpreting. • Evaluating – feasibility of ideas, performance and enabling self assessment.
To ensure my team are working effectively towards their goals in the workplace, I always communicate, via team meetings and performance reviews, objectives (SMART) whilst monitoring current performance and continuing to give feedback on a regular basis. I always look to ensure I am utilising the strengths of the individuals in my team and give training in areas of any team or individual weaknesses in line with any changes to company procedures, policies or changes to job roles.
Review of own Leadership Qualities
My preferred style of leadership is support and consultative. The majority of my current team of seven Recruitment Advisors (RA’s) across London and the East of England also agree that I adopt a supportive and consultative leadership approach following feedback on the questionnaires.
Using the supportive style, it’s absolutely essential that employees are given support by me during regular team meetings and one-to-one as the RA’s are completely field based and need up-to-date information and regular training. Using the consultative style will enable me to motivate the RA’s through simply congratulating employees for their good work either on a one-to-one basis or during a team meeting, and in turn the employee would become motivated. I find by using the authoritive and delegative styles alone wont guarantee the team to be motivated and think for themselves while working towards their KPI’s and other long term objectives. As a result I believe it’s critical to implement a supportive and consultative culture within Babcock Training and my recruitment team.
Within my current team, performance is excellent however I believe there is always room for continuous improvement using the John Adair model to guide me through the different stages of performance and team management, not only for each of the RA’s but also for my own personal performance. I will always use the transformational style by teaching and guiding the team to complete their tasks to company standards. I always use experienced staff members to support those less experienced or new into the RA job so all staff are motivated and focused on achieving the best results for the business.
Introduction
I am currently employed by Babcock International Group within the Training & Education division as a Recruitment & Sales Manager overseeing our East of England & London regions.
I have managed a team for the past five years and currently look after six Recruitment Advisors (RA’s). In the past I have managed up to seventeen RA’s at any one time so I’ve to adapt my leadership style to suit the needs of the business and our people.
The RA’s and I are field based and very experienced in their role recruiting learners onto work-based Apprenticeship & NVQ qualifications.
Leadership V Management
Effective leading of people or teams starts with effective personal leadership. …show more content…
Whether you are the Managing Director, Operations Manager or Regional Administrator you need to continually pursue increased awareness of yourself along with your values and aspirations and then set your goals accordingly.
The role of managers is to facilitate the work of an organisation through sound policies procedures and practices.
Managers are the people that make the future happen. They form the expectations of people into agendas and action plans for example.
Leaders are more about vision and trust using knowledge and experience. Leaders are constantly challenging the workplace to be better. Leaders listen well and encourage others to take leadership roles within the organisation.
Managers manage things and leaders lead people. However both managers and leaders fail miserably when they are unwilling or unable to take into account the needs of the people involved in helping them achieve their goals. They both need to take people with them. Management and leadership should work in tandem to accomplish what needs to be done. In the end people do not follow what you say they follow what you do with followers close behind.
Understanding Leadership Styles
Weber & …show more content…
Bass
Weber & Bass have identified three types of leadership models which include:-
• Transformational Leadership – usually passionate leaders of a team who are keen to change many aspects of the team and business with increased support for employees, all with a view to achieve long term company objectives with potential changes to culture, and therefore general business change.
• Transactional Leaders – provide motivation to their teams based on rewards, or the fear of not achieving a target or an employee themselves would seek this motivation from their line manager. Those particularly in a Sales Management position who are motivated by earnings would seek for their line manager to show transactional leadership styles.
• Laics Faire Leaders – often give very little support or direction within a business, and doesn’t tend to communicate key objectives and strategies linked to any particular support to achieve long term goals within the business. As a result, a team would lack in complete direction and contract and would become potentially de-motivated and out of harmony with the rest of the business.
Within Babcock Training, the achievement of KPI’s is a critical part to the success of the business so managers will often use both transformational and transactional leadership styles although one of the two would usually take the lead; in this case the transformational leader for a middle manager.
Babcock Training managers generally always look for improved and cost efficient ways to improve staff turnover and performance through daily communication (phone, email, team meetings) and in turn are very passionate about people, including our staff and customers. Also, there is a limit to the resources and finance available to offer bonuses and financial incentives making transactional leadership very limited to carry out effectively in the
business.
Without doubt the most effective leadership model adopted by Babcock Training middle managers is transformational; leading and supporting from the front and inspiring their teams to achieve their goals, and potentially a financial incentive as a result. Transformational leaders are well equipped to understand how to get the best out of their employees individually, are personable and want to satisfy the emotional needs for an employee; for example simply improving their overall performance or achieve a specific goal, particularly in a target driven environment found within Babcock Training.
Within Babcock Training, if a transformational leader is struggling to motivate their team, they would potentially start to adopt a more transactional leadership style. In the case, if an employee isn’t performing in their particular job role, the leader would need to introduce the fear of not achieving element into their role possibly incorporating a capability or disiplinary policy, and the employee improves performance, then the leader then naturally reverts back to a transformational leadership style.
Leaderships Styles
In general, leaders have four leadership styles according to Hersey and Blanchard:-
• Supportive – often hold one-to-one and team meetings to ensure their employees have all the information and training required to do their jobs effectively. Often this is the case at Babcock Training given the vast amounts of information required to effectively carry out the job role.
• Delegative – often pass along various tasks to their team, particularly when the leader themselves had a busy workload. These leaders more often than not in Babcock have an extremely large geographical area and simply cannot give the support that sometimes is required.
• Authoritive – Provide instructions, gives employees specific goals and frequently checks the progress of staff to ensure they’re always on track to achieve.
• Consultative – Try’s to motivate using bonus rewards, sells staff ability to complete their own job effectively and praise staff for good work achieved with feedback in all cases.
It’s important in the business to adopt a mixture of all these styles. Each one in turn will motivate a team and member of staff, and leaders will sometimes need to adapt to individuals own performance situations.
Hersey and Blanchard
Hersey and Blanchard explain leadership styles in terms of the amount of task behaviour and relationship behaviour that a leader provides to their followers. There are four types:
• S1: Telling - One-way communication in which the leader defines the roles of the individual or group and provides the what, how, why, when, and where to do the task. This would normally by used in my recruitment team when a new member of staff has recently started in their role and myself as the leader would provide specific information. For example provide detailed information on how to follow up a sales lead inline with company standards and asking for feedback. Another example would be organising a large careers event with the teams support, but the have no previous experience managing this process hence providing them with very specific information with my support at all time. The majority of the time with these examples I would get fully involved in the process and oversee any tasks through to conclusion. • S2: Selling – Leaders are still providing direction now using two-way communication and providing support that will allow the individual or group being influenced to buy into the process. I have recently used this asking a member of the team to complete a specific presentation on our BAS (Apprenticeship employer vacancy service) to a potential customer. I gave all the advice and guidance to the Recruitment Advisor to the point where they would complete the task using their own initiative and feedback outcomes. • S3: Participating - This is now shared decision making about aspects of how the task is completed and the leader is providing less task behaviors while maintaining high relationship behavior. This is currently the most common stage within my team. Most of the team is now experienced so I use a relationship behavior technique installing more trust and improving their confidence in their individual job roles. Sometimes the task might be complex (for example designing a new sales forecast spreadsheet) but I’m keen to develop their ideas and make them feel they are having an impact on the business. • S4: Delegating - The leader is still involved in decisions however the process and responsibility has been passed to the individual or group. The leader stays involved to monitor progress. I often use this with my role and delegate many tasks given to me to my team particularly the more experienced members of staff who are clearly competent in their roles. For example this might be passing them a simple sales lead to follow up, or asking them to take a new member of staff on a shadow day in the field.
Of these, no one style is considered optimal for all leaders to use all the time. Effective leaders need to be flexible, and must adapt themselves according to the situation.
The right leadership style will depend on the person or group being led - the follower. Hersey-Blanchard identified four levels of maturity M1 through M4:
M1 - They generally lack the specific skills required for the job in hand and are unable and unwilling to do or to take responsibility for this job or task.
M2 - They are still unable to take on responsibility for the task being done; however, they are willing to work at the task.
M3 - They are experienced and able to do the task but lack the confidence to take on responsibility.
M4 - They are experienced at the task, and comfortable with their own ability to do it well. They are able and willing to not only do the task, but to take responsibility for the task.
Maturity Levels are also task specific. A person might be generally skilled, confident and motivated in their job, but would still have a Maturity level M2 when asked to perform a task requiring skills they don't possess.
John Adair
John Adair’s theory is about developing the individual, developing the team and achieving the task, making the perfect learning and working style in the workplace. The following core functions were set out by John Adair, integral to his theory of working:
• Planning – seeking information, defining tasks and setting aims • Initiating – briefing, task allocation and setting standards • Controlling – maintaining standards, ensuring progress and ongoing decision making • Supporting – Individual’s contributions, encouraging, team spirit, reconciling and morale. • Informing – clarifying tasks and plans, updating, receiving feedback and interpreting. • Evaluating – feasibility of ideas, performance and enabling self assessment.
To ensure my team are working effectively towards their goals in the workplace, I always communicate, via team meetings and performance reviews, objectives (SMART) whilst monitoring current performance and continuing to give feedback on a regular basis. I always look to ensure I am utilising the strengths of the individuals in my team and give training in areas of any team or individual weaknesses in line with any changes to company procedures, policies or changes to job roles.
Review of own Leadership Qualities
My preferred style of leadership is support and consultative. The majority of my current team of seven Recruitment Advisors (RA’s) across London and the East of England also agree that I adopt a supportive and consultative leadership approach following feedback on the questionnaires.
Using the supportive style, it’s absolutely essential that employees are given support by me during regular team meetings and one-to-one as the RA’s are completely field based and need up-to-date information and regular training. Using the consultative style will enable me to motivate the RA’s through simply congratulating employees for their good work either on a one-to-one basis or during a team meeting, and in turn the employee would become motivated. I find by using the authoritive and delegative styles alone wont guarantee the team to be motivated and think for themselves while working towards their KPI’s and other long term objectives. As a result I believe it’s critical to implement a supportive and consultative culture within Babcock Training and my recruitment team.
Within my current team, performance is excellent however I believe there is always room for continuous improvement using the John Adair model to guide me through the different stages of performance and team management, not only for each of the RA’s but also for my own personal performance. I will always use the transformational style by teaching and guiding the team to complete their tasks to company standards. I always use experienced staff members to support those less experienced or new into the RA job so all staff are motivated and focused on achieving the best results for the business.