Insights
According to Gandolfi and Stone (2021), leadership failures are well documented. The article points out the importance of good leadership by stating that in many cases leadership failures are the rule, not the exception. The article points out several examples of leadership failures. One example is the Olympic games in Brazil. Several example of lack of leadership at the Olympics were reselling tickets, high crime rates and lack of proper security at the games. The article goes on to explain how an effective leader needs to be able to inspire and prioritize needs. In doing this, follows can feel safe. I believe this is an important characteristic of a leader: the ability to help followers feel safe. Follows need to believe a leader has their best interest in mind and have a sense of calmness. This leads to a less toxic work environment.
Moreover, according to Sousa and Rocha (2019), leadership characteristics can be learned at a young age. The article examined what leadership skills were learned through game-based learning. For example, a child that learns through a game such as a computer application develops motivation, communication, and facilitation. A good leader needs to be self-driven. A follower should feel like the leader has the skill set and motivation to get everyone’s job completed.
In Practice
The insights I gained from reviewing these articles was a leader needs to instill a sense of calmness within their followers and a leader needs to be self-driven. I have seen leaders use these skills. I work in critical care. My director of nurse teaches us through simulations. We can learn better as she keeps everyone call and provides a safe learning environment. This was not true about our previous leader. She does this through communicating effectively, ensuring we have a proper equipment and knowledge to do our jobs and praising us for a job well done.
My leader at the clinic I would parttime is very self-driven. One example, if she wants to run an additional lab, she does it herself. Instead of calling me back into the room to re-swab the patient she simply will do it herself and run the lab. She also took the time to learn how to run all our lab equipment. Not all the providers do this, so it makes a huge difference in the work environment. I have noticed all the nurses are very willing to go above and beyond for her as well.
Impact
The examples I provided have an impact on the work environment. First, both leaders can have employees who do more consistently quality work. With both leaders I often hear others say things like “what else can I do for you today?” Employees are much more engaged in their duties. The skills are both very effective. Moreover, the skill of keeping a calm follower has led to more communication. Followers feel comfortable approaching the leader with ideas. Leadership calmness translated into better communication, a better work environment and a more ideal environment for learning (Muhammad, 2019).
References
Gandolfi, F., & Stone, S. (2021). The Effect of Servant and Transformational Leadership Styles on Employee Creative Behavior: The Moderating Role of Authentic Leadership. International Journal of Organizational Leadership. https://doi.org/10.33844/ijol.2021.60538
Muhammad, I. A. (2019). The Benefits of Superlative Calmness. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3365133
Sousa, M. J., & Rocha, L. (2019). Leadership styles and skills developed through game-based learning. Journal of Business Research, 94, 360–366. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.01.057
