Team Leadership free essay sample

One of the key facets of being a good manager is being able to bring people together that have many different personalities, and forge them into a team that works like a well-oiled machine. In the case of my marketing team, including myself I have four personalities, which to work from to put together a marketing team that will work efficiently with one another. The people in my marketing team were analyzed on the Jungian 16-Type Personality test, and the personality types in my group are two ESTJs, one ISTJ, and one ENTJ. These personality types are overall very similar to one another and that fact should make forming an effective marketing group that much easier (University of Phoenix, 2013). The first personality that I will analyze will be I and another person in my group, the ESTJs. ESTJ stands for Extroverted Sensing Thinking Judging, which means that people with my personality type are acute leaders who promote work ethics, responsibility, and standing up for the principles that one holds. ESTJs are particularly well suited for management or political office due to the fact that they make impersonal decisions quickly, and are very good at supervising those under them in order to accomplish goals. One theory that applies particularly well to those who are ESTJs is the collaborative leadership theory, which states that creating and working through strategic alliances and strong partnerships creates leadership roles that allow for great change and work to be accomplished within businesses, corporations, etc. Collaborative leadership is upheld not by formal institutions of leadership or communication, but by a complex web of interpersonal relationships that are essential to the proper functioning of the business. Since ESTJs are very good at making decisions quickly, a trait that is necessary in order to efficiently collaborate, the collaborative leadership theory is a theory that can be easily used to direct ESTJs. The next personality type that is to be evaluated is the ISTJ. Similar to the ESTJ in that the person has a great focus on taking in facts and making logical, clear decisions, the main difference is the way in which the ISTJ communicates to others. Being an Introvert does not necessarily mean that this person is shy; rather, being an Introvert usually just means that interpersonal communication takes more effort and energy to do effectively than Extroverts. ISTJs function on the principle of quantifiable, measurable means of data and actions, and thus are very effective at analyzing situations and processing a decision to be made and held to in a very short amount of time. ISTJs are very determined, and will usually pursue a job or a goal in an effective and efficient manner. When they see other people that do not follow through on their goals or responsibilities as the ISTJ would, this causes the ISTJ to become frustrated, as others inconsistency is something the inhibits their progress. The final personality type in my marketing group is the ENTJ, a personality type that often embodies the traits of leadership that are often looked for in managers. ENTJs are those personalities who become world leaders or powerful people, as they are unequivocal in their resoluteness to accomplish whatever goals are set before them or by them for their own sake. ENTJs are decisive, and have the inborn ability to delegate and assign roles to their peers efficiently, traits that management and leadership laud and constantly search for. In the midst of conflicts, problems, or any other kind of issue that arises before and ENTJ, they remain calm and persistent in their efforts to take care of the problem in a manner that will efficiently close it. The situation in which my marketing team is one where we will need to come together in order to accomplish group goals that will be set by the leader of the group. Since all of the personalities in the group share common characteristics, the TJ part of their personality test, then it would follow that our group will be able to easily and efficiently communicate and work together on these goals. The urgency within the group will be to find and make someone a leader, establish goals, divide and assign labor, and then begin work on those goals. Since all four people in the group could possibly be an effective leader, picking a leader will not be an especially urgent task, as each group member has a personality type that is conductive to being self-motivated and accomplishing tasks that have been set before them. The matter that will be of the most urgency is the division of labor within the group, because one of its biggest strengths, the above-mentioned fact that all members could be possible leaders, is also one of the groups biggest possible weaknesses. Making sure that everyone knows his or her job and that no one bumps over into someone’s work territory will be an important first step for my marketing team to take (University of Phoenix, 2013). Since I have been chosen to take charge of this group, I will use the fact that all of us in the group share the TJ characteristic to being communicating the different duties that will be assigned to each person. By dividing the labor and clearly establishing who needs to do what, and what lines are to be drawn, the members of my group will be able to operate within clear guidelines that all of our personalities tend to crave. Two leadership theories that will be able to be practically applied in this situation will be the theories of relational and collaborative leadership. Relational leadership theory focuses on the importance of the relationships that are established in leadership roles. Making sure that the relationship between me and my co-workers, and my co-workers and themselves is an essential facet of having a successful team. Without the trust and confidence that is given through effective and meaningful relationships, leadership in a group such as this will be difficult to exercise. The collaborative leadership theory applies here because in such a small team, making sure that everyone is collaborating on work is a critical part of making sure that everyone is on the same page. In conclusion, I believe that the teams of people that have been assigned to me as my marketing team are serendipitously set to be a powerful and effective team. As our personality types are congruent and conductive to the kind of work that will be taking place, being a leader among personalities that understand and know leadership qualities will be an interesting and  fulfilling task. The urgency of dividing labor and establishing leadership can be assuaged by applying the leadership theories that have been mentioned, along with the communication and relational focus that is necessary for leadership in this kind of situation. Being a leader in a group of leaders can sometime cause issue, but with time and effort, this group can become a well-oiled work machine that every manager lives to see.