Personal experience in leadership - Essay Example

paternalistic leaderships has various merits, combining transformational and transactional leadership styles dependent on the situation, offering better outcomes. I have always believed in achieving results efficiently and also that leadership is earned, it is not granted. In my past experiences, I have come across quite a few situations that tested my leadership skills and I believe that there were a lot of things that I could have done differently to make the situation or the outcomes relatively better.

I have always found the quote of General George Patton quite overwhelming, “Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way”. The quote clearly states a desire to be lead, learn and be capable of influencing people; especially it focuses on getting the task done and overcoming the obstacles offered. There are various theories offered about leadership out of which situational leadership appears to be the most accurate one (Schermerhorn, 2001). Although leadership is an offshoot of the leader’s personality however situational factors cannot be ignored.

Considering the audience, one may have an approach or attitude towards the situation in hand (Hersey, 1984). However, it is important to note that where leadership styles may vary according to circumstances, the main aura of leader’s personality remains relatively constant however for effective results, altering leadership style according to the situation may remain immensely helpful (Northouse, 2010). Through many online tests and self-assessment of my leadership style, I have come across the fact that my natural leadership style is of paternalistic nature (Erben & Güneşer, 2008; Gerhardt, 2012).

I find it more comfortable to develop strong relationships with my team, set clear objectives and provide enough time, effort and guidance to the team members in order to achieve the desired objectives. There are various instances in which I had a chance to