Answer

1. • A Collaborator-Leadership Approach

     Leadership adopts different forms, and it is the main determining factor of organizational productivity and efficiency. Heidrick & Struggles introduced a survey to assess three leadership aspects and help individuals understand their leadership styles and how they influence overall performance and productivity in respective organizations. After analysis, Heidrick & Struggles highlighted eight distinct leadership archetypes that help people navigate default styles in management that they consider comfortable and familiar to comply by. Different leaders have different approaches to their roles, and what matters most is how best they utilize the platform to enhance productivity and growth across all dimensions (Al Khajeh, 2018). My selected leadership style is collaboration, which aligns with the principles of the democratic leadership style.

     My go-to and supplemental leadership style is being a collaborative leader who encourages an empathetic, team-building, talent-spotting, and coaching oriented organizational culture. Democratic leadership is a form of leadership style that embraces the art of collaboration by allowing a team to adopt a more participative approach to decision making (Kurth, 2020). It is a form of collaborator leadership as per the eight archetypes of leadership on the Heidrick and Struggles website. Research suggests that as a leadership style, it is the most efficient and pushes managers or leaders into higher productivity levels, improved contributions from members, and increased group morale to function (Al Khajeh, 2018). It creates an inclusive culture that allows teams to gather and brainstorm on issues collaboratively by offering equal opportunities to voice their concerns over critical matters. As a leader, I am intentional about letting my team share ideas and opinions to settle for the most favorable decision for all. I need to sharpen my leadership skills to navigate crises with integrity and high-level understanding.

      Just as any leader, the art of collaboration will enable me to thrive in environments requiring highly experienced or skilled workers. I will capitalize on the talents and strengths of colleagues while benefiting widely from the whole power. The primary enabler is maintaining all lines of communication open. This style’s flexibility is that it enables teams to set practical and workable goals and recognize achievements at every step of the way (Kurth, 2020). It is particularly ideas because, as a leader, I believe in informing employees concerning the organization’s critical matters that might influence their productivity and engage them in problem-solving and decision-making procedures. The goal is to provide continual opportunities for the team by instilling individual growth and job satisfaction through collaborative and overall team building (Al Khajeh, 2018). However, I might struggle in work environments that require independence and clear communication lines as I vouch for employees who operate as a team. 

     The following is a list of SMART goals that focus on self-improvement:

     1. To attend classes on listening skills and public speaking skills twice per week
     2. To manage my emotional intelligence by reading three books per month on the subject
     3. To attend five networking events quarterly to boost my connection with other strategic leaders
     4. To advance my time management skills by working 8 hours each day
     5. To work on my visibility on organizational gaps by doing weekly self-reviews on my performance dynamics 
     6. To minimize distractions and increase productivity by 50% over the next two months
     7. To learn a new concept each week and build on my knowledge and expertise base.