Introduction
Effective leadership is essential to facilitate relationships in the group and enhance the team’s productivity. Unique types of leadership might be applicable in various situations and settings, and it is vital to examine the theoretical background to understand management frameworks better. This approach implies a detailed analysis of the team, including its resistance to change, learning potential, interrelationships within the group, and other factors. Ultimately, the current essay provides a thorough leadership assessment and an examination of the team’s effectiveness in the previous team assignments.
Change and Learning
The first concept is change within a team or an organization. It generally refers to the group’s ability to adapt to new settings, challenges, tasks, and environments (Yue et al., 2019). In this context, resistance to change is another significant concept that determines how open the group members are to the transformation (Yue et al., 2019). In the previous team assignments, change initiatives have been highly effective as the relationships among the team members were open and trustworthy. In other words, resistance to change has been minimal, and everyone was willing to experiment in the search for the most effective and appropriate solution.
The concept of change directly affects team learning as open teams with a healthy working environment are more willing to learn and experiment. Hence, the team studies effectively if all group members share the common goals, values, and the idea of why the team exists in the first place. If the people can unite under these circumstances, they will be motivated to learn and improve to achieve their personal objectives and to help the team.
Team Effectiveness
The three concepts that might further describe the team’s effectiveness are motivation, structure, and leadership style. The former is a crucial parameter for all groups that determines how willing the members are to achieve the team’s objectives. Consequently, structure and leadership style define the relationships and hierarchy among team members. For instance, our team’s approach resembled transformational leadership, where there is no vertical hierarchy, and everyone can voice their opinion (Yue et al., 2019). This approach builds trust among the team members and facilitates teamwork and cooperation, which were our two prioritized values.
Personal Contributions and Reflection
My specific contribution to the team’s goals was ensuring a healthy working environment and enhancing the relationships among the members. In other words, I tried to adhere to the principles of transformational leadership and become a connecting link between the participants. This approach allowed me to help my peers in maintaining high motivation and building trust in each other. Considering my contributions, I believe that my methodical approach based on leadership theory was my primary strength. Moreover, it allowed everyone in the team to learn more about the most popular leadership styles and how they might function in real-life scenarios. However, reflecting on the assignment, I should have considered the individual characteristics and traits of each team member more. Transformational leadership depends on mutual trust, and I should have tried to learn more about my peers before enforcing my ideas. In my opinion, it was my primary weakness as a leader during the team assignment.
The experience of working in a team and consequent reflection changed my understanding of leadership. Previously, I have perceived leadership as a strict hierarchical process, but in reality, leadership should be flexible as every team member requires a unique approach. The understanding of transformational leadership has changed the way I think about leadership and how I will use this knowledge in my practice in the future.
Emotional Intelligence
Returning to my weaknesses, I believe I need to improve certain aspects of my emotional intelligence (EI) to become a better leader. Namely, EI is a concept that generally defines emotion management and how one can use their emotions to their advantage (Issah, 2018). In this context, I need to improve my self-awareness, empathy, and social skills to become a better leader. If I succeed in this objective, I will be able to understand my peers better, and it will help me develop a more detailed plan that incorporates a unique approach to all team members.
Leadership Improvement
The three specific concepts that might help me further improve my leadership are situational awareness, continuous learning, and communication skills. The former generally implies that an effective leader should always have a bigger picture in mind, understanding various factors that affect the project outcome. Continuous learning is essential since the world is changing rapidly, and one needs to maintain their studies to learn about innovations, new leadership styles, and other emerging concepts. Lastly, communication skills, such as active listening and transparent communication, can help leaders to motivate and inspire their colleagues, enhancing the team’s overall productivity.
Conclusion
In summary, I believe that our team has performed greatly in the previous team assignment. The chosen framework of transformational leadership and contribution from each group member has allowed us to maintain positive relationships and attitudes even during challenging tasks. Moreover, the reflection on the assignment provided me with more information about myself, including my strengths, weaknesses, and potential future in the management career. Ultimately, the team assignment was an educational experience that allowed all members to learn more about leadership, teamwork, cooperation, and the importance of relationships in the group.
References
Issah, M. (2018). Change leadership: The role of emotional intelligence. Sage Open, 8(3).
Yue, C. A., Men, L. R., & Ferguson, M. A. (2019). Bridging transformational leadership, transparent communication, and employee openness to change: The mediating role of trust. Public Relations Review, 45(3), 101779.