Some may view managers and leaders as the same thing but they are actually different. “One difference between managers and leaders is that managers strive to produce order and stability whereas leaders embrace and manage change. Good leaders motivate workers and create the environment for workers to motivate themselves. Management is carrying out the leadership vision”. (p. 193-194)
I’ve observed several leadership styles at my job; however my most recent manager leadership style is participative (democratic) leadership. She has the knowledge and ability to make managerial decisions on her own but she prefers to involve the entire team. Each budget analyst has their own projects their responsible for therefore if an issue comes up within a particular project she goes to the budget analyst that handles it. This gives her the ability to get more detailed information since the analyst is the one that does the day-to-day work and remain in contact with all individuals relevant to the project. There may be information that the analyst just found out that could prove beneficial in the decision making. In turn, this style of managing gives the analyst a sense of ownership and responsibility, importance, and job satisfaction.
The leadership style I would like to emulate is a combination of participative and free-rein leadership. I think it’s important to have the ability to make decisions on your own but only when it calls for it. I think it’s more beneficial to involve your team so they can feel involved. By knowing that you’re involved and that your opinion counts will give you job satisfaction and a sense of pride in your work. I will like to follow the free-rein style because most people don’t like to be micromanaged. That style shows the confidence in employees that they have the ability to accomplish the company’s objectives without having someone constantly looking over their shoulder.