- Describe your leadership style. What techniques do you use that help you to lead men most effectively? What techniques do you use that you find men are most receptive to? (willing to accept, listen...

Describe your leadership style. What techniques do you use that help you to lead men
most effectively? What techniques do you use that you find men are most receptive to?
(willing to accept, listen to, respect and obey)
I would describe my leadership style as inclusive/Interactive. Interactive means inviting
participation from colleagues and subordinates and including them in the decision-making
process. Sharing of ideas, knowledge and power makes the men feel important and they in turn
become more compliant. The technique that works best is know your stuff. Women in leadership
positions need to be worthy of commanding people. When men see a confident female leader,
who comes with commendable experience and knowledge that she is willing to share, they
become receptive and respectful (Karam, 2015)..
The technique that I use along with Interactive approach is being authoritative. Maintaining an
aura of authority about yourself as a leader is crucial when it comes to men to get them to
cooperate and listen.
General Motors CEO Mary Barra is known to practice the interactive style of leadership which
made men follow her when it came to tackling the defective ignition switch disaster.
Do you “lead” differently when you interact with men in positions above you and below
you? If yes, describe the difference in the relationship? How do you behave/interact with
men who are in positions above you? How do you behave/interact with men who are in
positions below you?
No there is no difference in the leadership style when dealing with men in positions below or
above me. The leadership style that works best when dealing with colleagues both senior and
junior is that of Transformational. The idea is to help set a common goal for your organization
and garner the support of the entire firm to realize it. The vision is derived mutually and hence its
requires the commitment of everyone to be realized (Heilman, 2016).
However, men in the position below might require the leader to set an example that they can
follow and a bit of power sharing and a push may be required. Whereas the men in positions
above are expected to be motivated enough towards realizing the common objective and have the
authority to make it happen. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the Libyan president shared the common
vision of containing the Ebola epidemic and she succeeded in doing so by motivating the entire
country.
What style do you use to get male followers to do what you want? What style do you use
to influence and motivate your followers that you find most effective?
The style of leadership that I find most effective in getting people to do what I want and in
influencing and motivating them is Transformational. As a transformational leader who has set a
common goal it is important to be there and set an example every step of the way. People are
most motivated when they feel empowered and cared for, like they matter. Recognizing positive
behavior and rewarding it helps gain loyalty and followers. It is important to focus on the
attainment of the goal set and the leader needs to work very hard and show her commitment
towards the goal which in turn will inspire her followers to follow in her footsteps. Being a good
orator also helps to communicate the objectives clearly. Former COO of the successful Obama
campaign, Betsy Myers is a good example of a transformational leader who motivated her
followers by valuing and caring for them
What techniques in your experience DO NOT work for female leaders? Are there
particular styles or behaviors or traits that you have seen “backfire”? What are they?
What are prototypical “mistakes” women make in leadership in this context?
The techniques that do not work for female leaders are the fact that they are perceived as being
friendly, not very vocal and emphatic and that they take care of people rather than being task
oriented which is necessary for getting the job done and hence these attributes of friendliness and
empathy can backfire (Burton, 2015). Sometimes women leaders are very democratic and
inclusive where as they need to be more autocratic especially in the time of crisis. The
prototypical mistakes that women often make is that they tend to behave like men and compete
with them rather than playing on their own strengths. Also, women tend to be very emotional and
take things very personally whereas the situation might demand practicality. Women leaders are
also...