Respond to… 

Based from the overview, a follower perception is highly affected by a leader’s style. The reason that is, is because some leaders may have different styles for every team member. This happens because some leaders may have a stronger relationship with some team members then with others.  The leader has a leader- member exchange(LMX model) how some leaders develop a relationship over time and the quality of the relationship becomes stronger. One would be able to assess the follower perception of the leadership style by looking at the team performance. Usually, if there is a strong relationship between team leaders and the followers, the team will have a positive team performance. So, if the team was not performing well, it can be due to the leadership style that is being used by that leader. A leader should be able to self analyze the relationship between his or her followers in order to build a better relationship with his or her followers. If the leader cannot step back and self analyze, I would bring in another leader to help me see what I am lacking in the LMX model. This way it is not only my opinion, but a completely different leaders.  I believe this assessment is the best option because one is not only looking from there set of eyes, but they are getting a completely different set of perspectives and at the same time they are able to self analyze. and reflect. A leader should always be trying to develop a great relationship with their followers, because a leader is only as good as his or her team. So, ensuring that the leader has a strong relationship with their team is extremely important to their success. 

Bennis, W. G. (1989). On becoming a leader. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

Charan, R., Drotter, S., & Noel, J. (2001). The leadership pipeline: How to build the leadership-powered company. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Northouse, P. G. (2007). Leadership: Theory and practice (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Warrick, D.D. (2016).  [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

Yammarino , F. J., & Dansereau, F. (2002). Individualized leadership. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 9(1), 90-99. doi:10.1177/107179190200900107

Respond to…

According to this weeks lecture, a followers perception of a leader is based on the individualized leadership between the leader and the follower. Individualized leadership is a style of leadership in which a leader develops a relationship with each member of his team so that the leader would know how to behave with that individual. In return, the follower develops personal opinions and perceptions about the leader (Yammarino & Dansereau, 2002). In other words, a followers perception of his leader would be positive if the leader exhibited traits such as kindness, empathy, fairness, respect, confidence, and honesty. A good example is if a follower is having personal problems that are affecting his work, the way in which the leader reacts could play a major role in that followers perception of the leader. A kind word or a show of genuine concern, and encouragement to help the follower overcome his problem will result in a positive perception from the follower. Those types of relationships are important because they often influence followers to want to please the leader by doing what the leader wants them to do.

I am known to be one of the kindest persons within the salesforce. I have a relationship with everyone I work with, and I do not treat anyone within the company as subordinates. That approach has always worked for me. I always encourage feedback and manage with the highest level of integrity at all costs. If my team were asked to give their perception of me, the first thing they would say is I have integrity. I am transparent with my team and my clients and I negotiate with the interests of my clients in mind. They would also say I am kind, hard-working, someone who jumps in and helps when necessary, fun, fair, someone who manages with respectful authority, and has compassion.

It is important that the leaders perception of herself is the same as the followers perception of the leader. Walking around and thinking youre a great leader while your staff gets together in a room and talks about how poorly you manage is definitely bad for business. When the leader discovers that the perceptions are not symbiotic, she must implement the individualized leadership style. Developing relationships with the followers would foster trust, and a clear understanding of what is expected. Once they have established a relationship, the leader will be able to better relate to the followers, which would result in a more mutual perception.

Developing a relationship by implementing the individualized leadership style would prove beneficial because it would allow the leader to see things from the followers perspectives. Realizing others do not see you as you see yourself might be difficult to accept. A good leader would want to know this information because it will allow the leader to assess her weaknesses (and strengths). Once she realizes this, she will be able to adjust her behavior to meet the followers expectations. She will also become a more effective leader, ultimately getting more out of her followers. A good working relationship between leaders and followers encourage team synergy. Teams with synergy are vital for maintaining a competitive advantage as well as to the success of an organization (Warrick, 2016).

References

Warrick, D. D. (2016). Leadership: A high impact approach. [Electronic version]. Retrieved from

Yammarino, F. J., & Dansereau, F. (2002). Individualized leadership. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 9(1), 90-99. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxylibrary.ashford.edu/