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Respond to…

A leader that I use to work for has displayed most of these 7 steps and was truly a great leader for me. They were able to help me become a better leader myself because they were showing me exactly how I should be a great leader. “the most successful leaders can consciously draw on and seamlessly integrate all leadership styles, dependent on the situation.” *Hourston, 2013). The leader that I learned from was not able to shift to different leadership styles and because of this, some followers did not like the way he lead. Most did enjoy his time but at the same time there were others that did not like how he lead. This leader was able to be bold, be strength savvy, be going somewhere, be follower focused, be balanced, and be true to themselves. He was able to display most of the 7 steps of being a leader and was able to rally most of the team. His leadership style was aggressive and to the point. Some became troubled due to the fact that he was so aggressive and when times got rough, it was difficult for them to handle his aggressive style to hit goal. Adding onto the 7 step model, i would also say that being communicative is important leadership behavior. A leader should be able to communicate effectively not only with his team, but with everybody. Ensuring that the leader is able to communicate and have effective communication with his or her team and peers is important. The reason that is, is due to the fact that leaders have to have tough conversation and personal conversation. They need to be all about the employee and what they bring to the table. Developing a highly praised leadership style can be tough, but if an individual had these 8 steps then they would definitely become a great leader.  If we were to look at leaders throughout history, they all display these 8 steps and are now written in history forever. 

Hourston, R. (2013, April 24). 7 steps to a truly effective leadership style (Links to an external site.). Forbes. Retrieved from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/womensmedia/2013/04/24/7-steps-to-a-truly-effective-leadership-style/ (Links to an external site.)

Warrick, D.D. (2016). Leadership: A high impact approach [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

Respond to…

Read the article, “7 Steps to A Truly Effective Leadership Style (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)” by Rebecca Hourston.
Based on the content presented in the article, describe a current (or previous) manager’s leadership style. Evaluate how well they put these steps into action. Then, add an 8th step to the seven steps presented to supplement the article. What is your additional recommendation for developing a leadership style that is “highly prized”?.
All,
Evaluating how my current leader puts the article’s 7 steps to being an effective leader is a great way to see how these steps play out in the real world. 1) Be bold…my leader does a good job being bold in the presentation of potential issues and questions about business activities being discussed. She has developed a reputation of being trustworthy and helpful in creating solutions when needed. 2) Be Strengths-Savvy…She is aware of her strengths and opportunities as a mature professional. During our 1:1s she will proactively assess where she feels she needs to step up in order to better support me and my team. Another example is when she leverages resources in our group to participate in certain activities that she recognizes we are better equipped to handle. 3) Stretch your Leadership Style…When the group was initially formed, she was a mama bear, always coddling us and checking every step of our work to the point where she would defend us to outside criticism which was appropriate at times. Over some time, she nurturing style evolved into more of a mentoring relationship with several members of the team and we all appreciate it now. It is a great example of taking her natural style and adapting it to fit our needs and personalities. 4) Be “Going Somewhere”…I think this is an opportunity for my leader because building a network and knowing what is happening at the enterprise level would help her be more widely recognized and potentially able to move into different roles. 5) Be Follower-Focused…My leader does a great job in this area and consistently thanks team members for contributions as well as making sure we get the credit on larger efforts that she represents for team in higher level meetings. She also takes into account what activities motivate us through enhanced job satisfaction and tries to get us work that aligns with those preferences. 6) Be balanced…Another area my leader does well in because she consistently examines wider impacts of decisions and behaviors and takes them into account as part of her strategy. She also makes clear that when she works long hours or after hours that is not an expectation that the rest of the team do the same in regards to work/life balance. 7) Be True to you…This is an easy to respond to after 4 years, she is an authentic leader and true to her standards and morals. A person that acts with integrity and can be depended on.
As an eighth step to development as a highly prized leader, I would recommend 8) Be Humble…We should all recognize that there is always someone out there who can teach us something new and that we can learn from everyone if we are open to it. Being humble also makes a person more authentic and approachable when working with others. This perspective ensure that a person is always growing in knowledge and experience because they see things through this lens. As a part time teacher of children, I have learned the most from my students.
Thanks,
Ray Elias
Reference:
Hourston, R. (2013, April 24). 7 steps to a truly effective leadership style (Links to an external site.). Forbes. Retrieved from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/womensmedia/2013/04/24/7-steps-to-a-truly-effective-leadership-style/