Tips for Improving your Leadership Skills

 I wrote this article ten years before my retirement and re-inspired by recent events here at THD. 

This article is an old posting but re-inspired by a recent event and happenings here at THD- my current home.

https://theintellectualmigrants.blogspot.com/2024/10/rapid-turnover-of-thd-employees-recently.html

 THD is an active senior living community, privately owned with about 130 senior residents with a Manager with 47 (plus or minus One ) employees, ranging in various job levels from the Housekeeping Staff,  Kitchen Crew and Servers, Maintenance Workers,  Clerical and Marketing, Activity Personnel, Drivers and Concierges Services. 

"This article was also inspired by my professional experience as a first level supervisor ( Chemistry Team Leader, Food and Drug Administration, Center for New Drugs- a job I had prior to my retirement in 2002.  

As team leader, I was responsible for prioritizing, assigning, and assuring the technical accuracy of all chemistry, manufacturing and control issues for all new drug applications submitted to the Division of Anti-Infective Drug Products, Center of New Drugs. I had managed the work of six scientists with Ph.D degrees with various cultural and ethnic backgrounds. 

https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2011/12/highlights-of-my-career-in-chemistry.html

I felt I did a leadership style that is mostly democratic, but partly Authoritative and Coaching.  So what is the best and most popular leadership style?

The democratic leadership style is one of the most effective because it encourages everyone to participate in all processes, share their opinions, and know that you will hear them. It also encourages employees to be engaged because they know you will hear their feedback.

Democratic leadership is one of the most popular leadership styles because it involves input from the entire team and fosters employees' sense of ownership in their work.

On the other hand, a totally dictatorial/authoritarian style of leadership results in unhappy and unappreciated employees resulting to rapid turnovers. 

The following article discussed the four common styles of leadership. The four most common leadership styles are: Authoritarian, Democratic, Laissez-faire, and Coaching.

Here are some tips for improving leadership skills and becoming a more effective leader.ership style, and how can it be used to manage a team or organisation effectively?

Leadership style is critical for any manager in charge of running an organisation or overseeing a team. It is essential to assess which style will work best for the particular group under their care and how to implement it successfully.

Personalities, workplace culture, and efficiency all play a role in developing an effective leadership style. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of those involved can help to choose the most suitable approach.

Good leaders are open-minded and flexible enough to adapt their style depending on the situation. They constantly look for room for improvement, enjoy mentoring others, and love finding ways to motivate others towards achieving collective goals.

With an ideal combination of mentorships, collaboration, delegation and decision-making, managers can use many tactics to build strong relationships between team members, nurture an environment of trust, and spur everyone’s productivity through inspiring reward systems.

• For example, Authoritarian leaders take control of decision-making processes, placing their judgment at the forefront.
• Meanwhile, Democratic leaders focus on collaboration and consensus-building, setting up an open environment where ideas flow freely.
• Laissez Faire leadership relies heavily on employee motivations and abilities to independently manage tasks with little oversight or guidance.
• Lastly, Coaching leaders help employees develop skills while striving to instil discipline to get work done efficiently and accurately.

How to identify your leadership style and use it to your advantage

Knowing your personal leadership style is the first step to becoming a successful leader. Everyone has a unique style, so it’s critical to identify what works best for you.

• Start by taking an honest self-assessment and evaluating your leadership strengths and weaknesses. 
• Consider how you typically communicate with others, whether directly or indirectly, and how you prefer to give and receive feedback.
• Additionally, look into how comfortable you are making decisions independently or if you prefer collaboration with others. 
• Taking the time to understand your core values helps too.
• Once you have identified your preferred leadership style, think about ways to make it work in different situations. 
• Try to find creative solutions that make the most of what comes naturally and foster collaboration mechanisms when appropriate.

Tips for improving your leadership skills and becoming a more effective leader

One of the essential tips for improving your leadership skills is to be open to feedback from team members. 

• Lastly, I am still amazed after some meal time conversations recently that a few residents are not aware that Kellie Schuyler is no longer employed. Another resident told me the reason why Teresa Nudo was also gone, because she refuse the offer of Activity Director. Really?
• I am hoping we will get another Activity Director, with better planning acumen for future activities, in arts/crafts. music, food and other senior-related activities that will continue to enhance our well being and sense of belonging here at THD.