Reference no: EM133823969

Question 

Consider the different managers and/or supervisors that you have been managed by either currently or in the past. Describe the characteristics of who you feel was your "best" manager and your "worst" manager. Which of the four core theories would best represent the leadership of both your "best" and "worst" managers: Trait, Behavioral, Contingency/Situational or Power/Influence? Also, include your reasoning behind the classification as well as any relevant examples. Does this student's writing below fulfill the assignment? How could it be better?

My worst manager was my original manager at the hotel I worked at. This was a long time ago, and I was so new to employment at a job with heavy customer service, and my first job where my customers weren't children or college students. So, on some level, things may have gone poorly with her because of my lack of experience and maturity. Because this was so long ago, my memory is vague, but I will try my best. I recall her being extremely nitpicky, to the point of correcting me on my check-in process in the middle of me checking someone in, because they were a high-level member who stayed with us frequently so I should have known not to ask for ID. This was inconsistent with our policies, and this was maybe my second time checking him in so I didn't know any better. Once, I told her I accidentally left behind my sketchbook at Disneyland, and that the sketchbook was necessary for my art class, as it had months of effort put into it. I told her it would make me late but asked if it was okay for me to run back to the area I left it to see if it was there, and she told me no, and that I needed to come in. I understand why she said that, but when I came in, there was front desk coverage and no immediate concerns or large parties checking in. I went to school while working there and she would schedule me thirty minutes between class and work. I would frequently go to class in my work uniform (which I wish I planned an undershirt or something at the time, because I was so uncomfortable). I recall not being the only one with problems with her and genuinely feeling like she disliked me. When I expressed those concerns to other co-workers (which again, I regret), one co-worker agreed with me that she disliked me, and a more serious co-worker arranged a meeting between me and that manager, so she could address my feelings. She told me she did not dislike me, but that she wasn't present for my interview process and that her manager hired me without her consultation and that made her flustered. I wish I had better examples, because as a manager, she would lead our team to success but I was unhappy with her as my leader. For better perspective, I had not spoken to her for many years at this point as she left the hotel for a new workplace, and when I left the company 6 years later for Disney she shot me a message on Instagram asking for tickets. She doesn't even follow me on Instagram.

As far as trait theory, I consider her traits to be effective for leadership (Stenglein, 2019). She was ambitious and energetic. However, I would say her achievement motivation was her lacking trait as I did not feel motivated under her nitpicky guidance. Regarding behavior theory, I would say that structure was her strong suit (Stenglein, 2019). Her expectations were mostly clear and she held us to high standards. However, consideration was very weak. The nitpickiness made me feel untrusted, and I think it is disrespectful to ask me after all these years of no communication for Disney tickets, especially after her lack of consideration for me losing my sketchbook. I'm sure her consideration is so low that she has no recollection of that. The hotel put us in chaotic situations all the time, like floodings, and fire alarms at 3am, and she was great for emergencies and our team's presentation in these various scenarios at the front desk. I think that situationally she was great when it comes to contingency theories (Stenglein, 2019). I think in application of the power and influence theories, she greatly lacked referent power, had demonstrated expert power in her understanding of operations, and abused her legitimate and coercive power (Stenglein, 2019). Coming over to correct me aggressively in front of a high-level recurring guest, made me look bad and made her look better. It was wrong to "correct" me the way she did, especially because I wasn't actually doing anything wrong.

My current supervisor is my best leader. They are an incredible listener, and take everything I say seriously. They have high expectations, but allow us to let loose and chat with each other between tasks. I feel a great sense of empowerment and entrustment, as they let us self-delegate to some extent. They also take time to genuinely listen to my questions and thoroughly explain their answers. They say I learn quickly however I think it is mainly due to their expertise in our subject matter and ability to break things down simply. I am applying to a new position because it is an incredible opportunity, and they have been incredibly supportive of me pursuing my goals. If I do get this new job, I will be so sad to leave them as a leader!

Their traits are good for leadership, as they have high levels of initiative and integrity (Stenglein, 2019). However I wouldn't call them particularly energetic or extroverted. They tend to rely on our self-created ambition and motivation, as I think being any other way might come off as insincere since our responsibilities revolve around repetitive, tedious paperwork, which isn't particularly exciting. They are also great regarding behavioral theories, since they create a consistent structure with clear goals set (Stenglein, 2019). Their consideration is demonstrated every day through their respectful engagement with our lives, concerns, and personal goals. They trust me to get my work done, and I trust them to support me. And they are a very friendly person! I think contingency theories are an excellent example for this leader, as their lack of pushiness and hands-off guidance works for us well, given that this is a team of people who are naturally competitive and anxious to prove ourselves (Stenglein, 2019). Their manager hand-selected our team and it shows. Regarding power and influence theories, their positional power is not strongly exerted on us, which might be bad if we were to take advantage of this (Stenglein, 2019). I understand there were bad eggs before I was hired on that experienced this power in a negative way as a consequence of their behavior, though. My leader's strength is in their referent and expert power, as they are very knowledgeable and we all revere them for their kindness and knowledge.