Welcome to Assertiveness in a Gentle Way

Transcription

1 Welcome to Assertiveness in a Gentle Way First off, who is your host? Manpreet Dhillon is a Success Coach, and the co-founder of Be Your Own Best Friend (a South Asian Women's network). Manpreet empowers pan-cultural women to elevate their confidence, communication and career. She helps women create more freedom in their life and the game plan they need so women are happier, healthier and more successful. Manpreet is a Certified Personal and Business Coach, Certified Heal Your Money Story Coach, Certified Human Resources Professional with a Masters in Organizational Management to allow her to support women in moving forward in life. Recently, Manpreet s story Thriving while Grieving was published in the Time to Thrive edition of Chicken Soup for the Soul. The story highlighted her personal story of how she overcame grief and loss, to reclaim her passion and purpose. Manpreet has a strong passion for bringing the best out of people and have them live their dream life. She believes that everyone is meant to be abundant, health, have the life they want both personally and professionally. On the business side, Manpreet works with organizations on strategy, change management, organizational culture and building community. While she is not being a wonder woman, she loves traveling, experiencing cultures, volunteering, researching new cheesy jokes that she will repeat over and over again until she finds a new one. 1

2 What to expect in the session? We will identify Communication styles in leadership and how it applies to personal power Understanding personality dynamics and how it relates to self-expression Understanding your own personal power and assertiveness style. How can you increase your confidence at work? Goals/Intentions for this session Please write down your goals/intentions of what you would like to gain by the end of the day. I promise you that you will gain a lot more than what you expected. Reflection on what does personal power mean to you Determine your communication style through the type of leadership you exhibit What is your personality at work? What works well? What would you like to change? On a scale of 1-10, what is your confidence level at work? How does this impact your relationships with others? How does it impact your work? What needs to be different with your approach with others and your day to day? 2

3 Different Leadership Styles and Their Advantages and Disadvantages Leadership Styles When it comes to the workplace, the manager may not be the only person in a leadership role. A leader can be anyone with significant talent, experience and capability to rise above and lead based on his or her strengths, not a position title. Usually, managers will allow different leaders to come forward and inspire the rest of the employees to advance to the next level. However, different situations call for different leadership styles. This is important to keep in mind as some styles may not be as effective as others depending on the circumstances. While there are several variations of different leadership styles, they stem from three basic approaches: Authoritarian, Laissez-faire and Participative. As mentioned before, each of these leadership styles may be effective depending on the situation. A true leader will be able to recognize when to use each style in order to drive the best results. Authoritarian Leadership The authoritarian leadership style, also referred to as autocratic leadership, is a style in which the leader ultimately holds all the power. Autocratic leaders have individual control over any decisions with little or no input from others. These leaders tell others what to do, how to do it and when it should be done. Though it s not preferred, this leadership style can be beneficial at times. For example, when the team needs a new vision, when deadlines are tight, or when decisions need to be made quickly. Especially if a lot of people are involved in the project and there is little or no time for everyone to discuss the matter and try to come to an agreement. Some projects and situations require strong leadership in order to get things accomplished effectively and on time. While this leadership style can be effective at times, for the most part is it is not favored and can be problematic. Many times this leadership style can make the leader come off as bossy, controlling, dictatorial or even abusive. It can cause people to feel bullied or resentful, which can hinder the way the team operates as a whole. This leadership style also will not work well if the rest of the group is as experienced or more knowledgeable than the leader. 3

4 Laissez-Faire Leadership On the opposite end of the spectrum is the laissez-faire leadership style, which is more of a hands-off approach. A laissez-faire leader provides others with the proper tools and resources needed, and then backs off, giving little guidance and direction, allowing members to have the freedom to make decisions. This leadership approach can be effective when the group members are highly skilled, experienced, motivated and capable of working on their own. Although this style is not ideal in most situations, especially if the group does not have the proper experience or knowledge needed to complete the tasks or make decisions. Not to mention, some people are just not as good at setting their own deadlines or managing their own projects as others. Some people in the group may also lack the motivation needed to get certain tasks done on time and without that extra push from the leader, deadlines may be missed. Participative Leadership The participative leadership style meets somewhere in the middle between the authoritarian and laissez-faire approaches. A participative leader allows others to contribute to the decision-making process, allowing them to give their input and share their ideas. However, the leader ultimately has the final say. This leadership style also boosts employees morale because their creativity is encouraged and rewarded, and they are able to contribute in the decision-making process, which can make them feel more valued and important to the company. This leadership approach can be effective and beneficial as it helps employees feel more involved and committed to their work and projects, which can make them more motivated to go above and beyond. It can also lead to higher productivity among employees as well. While this leadership style usually the most effective, it does have some potential downsides. For example, in some instances, group members may not have the necessary knowledge or expertise to make a quality decision or contribution to the decision-making process. For the most part, however, this is the most favorable type of leadership style. This approach works the absolute best when group members are skilled, have at least some experience and are eager to give their input. See more at: 4

5 Helene Lerner s (founder of womenworking.com) 5 Confidence Destroyers Perfectionism (55 percent). Women often pressure themselves to reach imaginary, impossible standards of perfection, and become discouraged when they inevitably fail to achieve them. Mantra: Our best is good enough Micromanager bosses (54 percent). Being micromanaged can make a person feel like his or her work isn't good enough. Why else would the boss be nitpicking and telling you exactly how to complete a task? But in most cases, you probably aren't doing anything wrong: Lerner noted that fear is usually underneath controlling behavior. "[Your boss's] micromanaging probably has more to do with how that person feels about him or herself, not you." Disengagement at work (49 percent). One of the most common reasons for feeling disconnected from your job and therefore, lacking confidence in it is doing work that doesn't leverage your skills. Everyone has talents and abilities, and if your job is not using them, you may want to start investigating other opportunities. Fear of failure (48 percent). Everyone wants to "get it right" in their careers, but you shouldn't let the fear of getting it wrong stand in your way of trying something new. A project may not turn out as planned and you may make mistakes, but as long as you learn from these experiences, you haven't truly failed. 5

6 "Some of the greatest 'failures' have led to innovation. Our research reflected this women said that they got more confidence from learning from their mistakes and moving on." Uncooperative or critical colleagues (46 percent). Working with rude, arrogant or otherwise unpleasant individuals can really lower your job satisfaction, especially if their negativity is directed at you. As with micromanagers, women should not to take the behavior too personally, but also advised making an effort to work things out with their colleague. "Clean up your side of the street. Is there anything you are doing to contribute to the [negative] situation? If so, take appropriate action." What else can you do? *Take risks that enable you to accomplish your goals, even if you don t feel ready to do so. Example: Stepping in to help without being asked when someone else drops the ball, find a champion in the workplace *Assess what is hurting your confidence and actively work to overcome personal hurdles 6