Discussion Board on Leadership

Initial Post

My leadership style is “transformational, transactional, and Laissez faire”. The

transformational leadership style relies on the elements of idealized influence, inspirational
motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individual consideration. The transactional leadership
style includes elements of contingent reward and management by exception. The laissez faire
leadership style has elements of lassiez-faire (practicing little control over team members) and
management by exception. When I read through these leadership styles, there were parts that I
felt were spot on for my personality and parts that I did not accept as being in line with my
values. Specifically, I do agree with the transformational leadership style being most suited to
me as I think it’s important to share decision-making and that problems that affect a large
number of people require a solution. One of the aspects of my leadership style that I disagreed
with was the transactional element of contingent reward. I hope to have an intrinsic appreciation
for all individuals regardless of their performance and accomplishments and I think that I strive
to show that appreciation. I do realize however that based on the way I answered the
questionnaire, I may not be reflecting the values of intrinsic individual value. I also recognize
that a realistic perception of yourself can make you a better leader. For example, a 2022 study
by the Cambridge Journal of Education found that the effectiveness of school leadership relied
on heightened emotional intelligence, specifically self-awareness (Gomez-Leal et al., 2022). As I
consider how others may view me as a leader, I hope that they do see me as a transformational
leader and maybe even a laissez faire leader, but I hope that most do not consider me a
transactional leader. I do think that the opinion would depend on the person you asked, and my
relationship with them.
One example of my leadership style is how I guide birthing people in my role as a birth
assistant. I believe that I use a transformational style in uplifting the birthing person by
incorporating them into decision-making and asking for their input. In terms of leadership, I
believe that a leader is a person who guides and encourages others to reach their full potential.
In contrast, I think that a manager is a person who decides on a goal and delegates tasks and
roles to individuals who are meant to aid in meeting that goal.

Gómez-Leal, R., Holzer, A. A., Bradley, C., Fernández-Berrocal, P., & Patti, J. (2022). The
relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership in school leaders: A systematic
review. Cambridge Journal of Education, 52(1), 1–21.
https://doi-org.ezproxy2.library.arizona.edu/10.1080/0305764X.2021.1927987

Reply Post:

Hey Bobbie,

I really enjoyed watching your discussion post. I also scored as primarily transformational, with
some transactional and lassez-faire qualities. I think that your evaluation of your strengths as a
transformational leader was spot-on. I agree that listening, respecting others as individuals, and
having the confidence to state your opinion are transformational strengths. Transformational
leadership differs from lassez-faire leadership in respect to when and how the leader intervenes.
A transformational leader has the foresight to predict potential problems and to motitvate their
team to prevent them. The transformational leader practices a questioning attitude to make
adequate situations into ideal ones. In contrast, the lassez-faire leader only intervenes when a
problem arises, allowing the status-quo to be maintained, as long as it's working. I personally
think that in our field that is ever-changing for the better of our patients, a transformational
leader is ideal.

One pearl of wisdom I have gained this week is the importance of recognizing your own
leadership style. Similar to understanding what type of learner we are to be successful students,
we need to have the self-awareness to know our strengths and our weaknesses as a leader.
This will help us to be more well-rounded leaders and will prompt us to seek guidance from
others when we know that our leadership style isn't suited to a particular situation.