Theory X and Theory Y
Theory X leaders assume that people don't like to do work, are lazy and need assistance to do so. Theory Y leaders feel that people will work well if treated in a positive way and can work well individually. I believe I am more of a theory Y leader. This is because I believe that everyone is able to perform a task that is given to them. I also believe that it is important to guide people when they need help. During group projects, my team and I discuss the task and separate the work equally. If assistance is needed, I will help gladly. I feel that I am not a theory X leader because I look for the positives attributes of a person. I don't judge a person by looks or by first impression. This is because although first impressions are important, I understand that some people may be having an off day. A theory X leader believes that team members are not able to perform tasks on their own and need guidance 24/7. They feel that they need to control the group and take charge. Learning more about this theory, I feel that I am a mixture of both theory X and theory Y; somewhere in the middle. I don't take things to the extreme because I understand that people have their own problems so I shouldn't boss people to an extent that would make them break down. However, I do feel that I should take charge and let people know that continuous slacking isn't acceptable because it negatively affects members of a group because they have to constantly pick up the slack. Connecting back to the leadership grid which promotes the idea that no one way of leadership is the right way. The way of leading a group should depend on the situation. When I lead a group, I look for the best interests of my group members by asking them what they would like to be in charge of. It's important to do this because people often choose things that they feel they do best. However, if work isn't done well, I will let members know that they should try harder so that the whole group isn't let down. I also believe I have a democratic type of leadership because I try my best to get everyone involved. I think it is important to generate as many ideas as possible then narrow them down to create a grand idea. By including the whole group in group discussions, wise ideas that I may not have may arise to create an even better idea that I would've had i mind. Of course not every decision can be used because it can create confusion in the final product so it is important to believe in ideas that make sense and work well together.
Leadership Qualities
There are many qualities that a good leader has. These include honesty, creativity, responsible, communication, sense of humour, positive attitude and motivated. I believe I possess a few of these qualities such as honesty, responsible, I have a positive attitude and I have a good sense of humour. I am a very honest person because I believe that it is important to let members of a group know things that are of relevance. It's important to be honest because as lies grow, trust decreases. I am also responsible because I believe that deadlines are very important. I do my best to complete a task on time because this will help my group greatly. If I slacked off all the time and didn't finish my work on time, I would let my group down and because of my mistake, my whole group and I will be behind schedule. Since I expect others to finish work on time, I believe that I should do the same. I also have a positive attitude because I tend to keep my personal issues to myself because it is not of relevance to members of my group. I believe that it would be unfair to base my mood on something that happened at home or in another area and show it to my team members who had nothing to do with my problem. Lastly, I have a good sense of humour because I don't like to be serious all the time. It's important to crack jokes here and there because it creates excitement and joy in a group. If everyone was serous all of the time, people would get bored and lose motivation.
There's Always Room for Improvement!
Although I possess a few good leadership qualities that are very helpful when it comes to being a leader, I also have some qualities that I need to improve on. They are communicating well with others, motivating others and being creative. I need to improve on communicating well with others because sometimes I tend to be a bad listener and explainer. When people ask me questions, I tend to hear half of what they say or I daze off. After asking them several times to repeat themselves, I often give up and give them an answer that I feel is correct. I realize that this isn't good because it can negatively affect the group. I also tend to explain things very loosely where I forget to mention key concepts that could benefit my group. I often don't realize this until the end of the day when the task is already completed and submitted. I also need to improve on motivation others. It's important to motivate members of a group because it improves peoples productivity. There are times when people may come into work and won't be motivated to do anything because of a bad day or they may get bored of doing the same thing over and over again. A good leader should find ways to bring joy and happiness into the group by motivating it's members so that work is done most effectively. Lastly, I need to improve on being creative. There are times when I have good, creative ideas but these events occur rarely. It's important to be creative because it helps to generate amazing ideas within a group on a task.