The concept of leadership is paramount to any supervisor, especially one. That is employed in an organization with a strong hierarchical structure like the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). This importance is confirmed by the abundance of research on various leadership theories. And their underlying mechanisms. However, this paper will concentrate on one principle that forms the crux of my personal leadership philosophy. This core principle is based on the considerate treatment of subordinates. With a focus on the individual differences that affect the supervisor-subordinate relationship.
To me, considerate behaviour is defined as actions that enhance subordinates’ well-being. Which in turn generate trust and respect for the supervisor. The second part of my principle expands on this notion of considerateness by incorporating the accommodation of personal preferences while maintaining organizational effectiveness. My personal leadership strengths and weaknesses. Will also be explored in relation to this core principle to illustrate. How these traits contribute to or detract from being an effective leader.
The importance of considerate treatment was apparent during my summer training in Trenton. This summer through my interactions with members of varying rank. While speaking with a Warrant Officer (WO) about the duties of officers. In my occupation as an Aerospace Engineering Officer (AERE), he recalled the officer he most admired. This officer’s defining trait was his willingness to speak with his troops personally and showed genuine concern for their well-being both in and out of uniform.
The WO stated that he was more inclined to work for this officer because he knew that he would be supported in his tasks and was willing to put in extra effort if needed. This demonstrated that his perceived organizational support (POS) and motivation were both increased due to his superior’s considerateness, which led to increased effort towards the organization’s goals (Johns & Saks, 2014).
I was able to witness this type of behaviour exemplified by a Captain. Who held the position of an Aircraft Repair Officer in charge of two crew rotations of technicians. Although he was not my supervisor. Hewas aware that I was on the first part of my phase training and made an effort to include me in tasks that would be relevant to my development.
Additionally, he had a thorough understanding of his crew’s workload leading up to the Trenton International Airshow. And minimized nonessential jobs accordingly. He also ensured that low priority flights were cancelled to prevent any unforeseen damages that would create extra work for the crews, as he knew that these cancellations would not impact the organization significantly. Although providing a respectful environment for subordinates at the workplace is conducive to good performance, it is equally important to recognize that people have different preferences in terms of leadership styles.
For example, certain people will prefer an authoritarian style of leadership where they unilaterally receive instructions on how to complete a task while others will prefer a democratic leadership style where they are able to participate in the decision- making process (Vecchio & Sussmann, 1989). By satisfying these preferences, a supervisor can effectively show that each subordinate is an important part of the team, which leads to a more motivated workforce.
The benefits of considerate treatment within a leadership context are demonstrated by multiple studies based on the leader-member exchange (LMX) theory. The LMX theory states that supervisors who are able to positively interact with their subordinates to establish a high- quality social relationship will be most effective at maximizing employee outcomes (Kim, Liu, & Diefendorff, 2015). A couple aspects that contribute to a healthy supervisor- subordinate relationship are mutual trust and respect, which can be increased by a supervisor who is supportive of employees. Since this is characteristic of considerate treatment, a high LMX can be considered a good reflection of a supervisor’s considerateness.
In a study conducted by Eisenberger et al. (2014), 209 newly-employed American college graduates filled out two successive surveys where they responded to statements relating to POS and LMX based on a seven-point Likert scale. It was demonstrated that a high-quality LMX positively affected POS over time, meaning that a favourable relationship with a subordinate had a lasting effect in terms of POS. High POS is beneficial to an organization because employees are more motivated and will exhibit more organizational commitment behaviour; thus an effective leader is one that is able to increase POS in his/her subordinates.
A separate study done by Kim et al. (2015) examined the connection between LMX and job performance in 212 supervisor-subordinate dyads in eight Chinese companies. Similar to Eisenberger’s study, respondents were asked to what extent they agreed or disagreed with a series of statements using a five or seven-point Likert scale. Subordinates received a set of statements relating to the quality of their LMX, their psychological empowerment and their levels of initiative within the organization. Supervisors were asked to assess each subordinate in another set of statements.
