Autocratic leadership style

Autocratic leadership style

Leadership Scenario

Leadership plays a vital role in organizations. Leadership enables a company to meet its objectives and achieve the mission and the vision of the organization. There are several leadership styles that can be used by leaders to meet the goals of a company. Common leadership styles are servant leadership, democratic leadership style, and autocratic leadership. I am going to analyze authoritarian leadership that I experienced working in the front office of a hotel. Many organizations want to achieve desirable goals, but they fail to take responsibility for the leadership style that has been adopted by their managers (Al Khajeh, 2018). Leadership style involves a combination of several characteristics and behaviors that leaders use when they are interacting with other employees. The main objective of the paper is to analyze the impact of authoritarian leadership approach on the performance of a company.

In the hotel industry, leadership has assumed great importance. I have worked in a hotel where the manager at the hotel had the worst leadership skills. The leader I had an experience of working under was bossy. The leader always wanted every employee to work under his terms. He controls every decision in the organization; there was no room for dialogue under his leadership (Kalu & Okpokwasili, 2018). The opinions and ideas of the staff members were minimal since the manager did not consider any advice form employees. There are scenarios where the manger would force employees to work under harsh conditions and was never bothered by it; he was dictatorial.

There were instances where his leadership skills were appreciated. There are scenarios where quick decisions need to be made, and consulting a group would waste time. Leaders who practice the autocratic style of leadership believe that staff members should not be worried about complex decisions, but they should concentrate on performing their duties (Sehar & Alwi, 2019). The leader believed that the hotel industry is an area where the little margin of error is allowed, and therefore, control over staff members as needed. In my opinion, the style of leadership in the hotel was irrelevant since it was not a military camp; employees have a right to voice their opinions without being intimidated.

Analysis

The autocratic leadership approach is the leadership style that represents the leadership of the manager in the hotel. Despite the fact that authoritarian leadership is outdated, there are those individuals who still fancy using the technique. Generally, no matter how the technique is employed, it will create resistance from employees. The manger at the hotel never took the opinions of other workers into consideration (Sehar & Alwi, 2019). The manager would come up with decisions on his own and impose it on the employees; he would threaten those individuals that dared question his decisions. The manager’s primary focus is results; he thrived in being feared by others.

Adopting the autocratic leadership style in management has its pros and cons. Authoritarian leaders are very bullish, and at some point, they are likely to make mistakes that will harm the company (Sehar & Alwi, 2019). The world has evolved, and leaders should start respecting the opinions of other employees in the organization (Chukwusa, 2018). His management approach was not right since the views were viewed as less critical. Workplace interaction was rare since no employee wanted a lashing from the manager. The management approach employed by the manager does not support employee growth since they do not get a chance to voice their opinions.

In the autocratic leadership style, employees are not motivated to work hard. With no motivation, the performance in the organization goes down. Employees lack motivation due to the unpleasant leadership style used by the manager (Alsabbagh & Khalil, 2016). There were occasions when employees rebelled and caused unrest because they felt subordinate. The manager did not try to understand their grievances; he would opt to demote them instead. The only instance that the manager motivated employees was on occasions when he made accurate and decisions that proved to be productive for the organization. Other days the employees in the hotel lived in fear of sanctions. Employees would perform their duties as they have been instructed; they never did more than what was required.

Authoritarian leaders do not share leadership responsibilities. The manager at the hotel would make independent decisions without consulting others. Not listening to the opinions of others limits creativity at the organization. Since there are no new ideas to be shared, the commonly used ideas from the manager are always being recycled. Lack of creativity in the organization leads to missed opportunities for both the employees and the manager. Sharing ideas with others is meant to stimulate growth and innovation, which improves the performances of the organization—employees whose opinions are appreciated by management satisfied and are motivated to put more input.

Autocratic approach results in a lack of sense of responsibility and passive-aggressiveness. The input of employees is not appreciated. The leader will take all the credit when things are going smoothly and criticize staff members when things are not smooth (Kalu & Okpokwasili, 2018). It results in relationships without trust; employees cannot confide in their leader when they are going through difficult times. At some point, employees become uneasy about the leadership and snap out of it and can take unpleasant forms.

Reflection

Working at the front office of the hotel exposed me to a leadership style that I thought was outdated. I could not believe that autocratic leadership still exists in the 21^st century. The manager was the only individual running the show, and we were his puppets. He made decisions that suited him and did not bother how it could affect us. His ruthlessness made me swear that if one day, I become a leader, I would lead differently. I did not enjoy working in the hotel; our decisions were never respected. Individuals who bought into the ideas of the manger were rewarded handsomely; the manager labeled them loyal. The manager had the power to do anything; we learned never to raise questions. I find the authoritarian leadership approach to be unprofessional.

There are other better leadership styles; I recommend a servant leadership approach to the field of nursing. Nurses always meet many and different people daily; therefore, they should treat them with respect and not boss them around. Nurses should also be treated with respect since they handle most operations in the hospital; they should never be messed with psychologically. Nurses always posses a serve first mindset, and that is why servant leadership suits the nursing profession well, nurses are always humble when they are dispensing their duties.

The nursing profession needs leaders and managers. I aspire to be a good leader different from the manager at the hotel where I worked. Areas that I would improve on are delegating duties and responsibilities to other employees in the organization. I will also promote decision making and motivation through the autonomy of job control. Delegating responsibilities to other staff members provides them with the platform for growth. When it comes to decision making in the organization, I will ensure that every member has a voice. When members participate in the decision-making process, they feel to be part of the team hence are motivated to work hard. I will put in place programs and workshops that will help improve the skills of employees, which increases job satisfaction.

An unselfish mindset is one of my strengths. I know I can make an excellent leader to the nursing profession since I do not have hidden motivations. I am always about how I am doing is going to benefit others. I want to build a culture in the organization where individuals are free to express their ideas, and the opinions will be respected. Leaders are always being judged for what they say or do; that is why I aim to be a better leader to the nursing profession.

In conclusion, leaders and their leadership styles play an essential role if the organization is to achieve its goals and objectives. The importance of leadership in any organization has been demonstrated by this reflection.  At the hotel, the manager has failed to motivate employees because of the leadership style he chose to implement. When making decisions in any organization or profession, it is vital to pay attention to the opinions of others. The authoritarian leadership approach has negative impacts on the goals of the organization.

References

Al Khajeh, E. H. (2018). Impact of leadership styles on organizational performance. Journal of Human Resources Management Research, 2018, 1-10. Retrieved from https://ibimapublishing.com/articles/JHRMR/2018/687849/687849-1.pdf

Alsabbagh, M., & Khalil, A. H. (2016). The Impact of Leadership Styles on Organizational Learning (An Empirical Study on the Education Sector in Damascus City). International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 6(5).  Retrieved from doi:10.6007/ijarbss/v6-i5/2126

Chukwusa, J. (2018). Autocratic Leadership Style: Obstacle to Success in Academic Libraries. Library Philosophy and Practice, 1. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5380&context=libphilprac

Kalu Dolly, C., & Okpokwasili Nonyelum, P.  (2018). Impact of Autocratic Leadership Style on Job Performance of Subordinates in Academic Libraries in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. Retrieved from http://oaji.net/articles/2017/1330-1542432169.pdf

Sehar, S., & Alwi, S. K. K. (2019). Impact of Head Teacher’s Leadership Style on Teacher’s Job Satisfaction and Work Motivation. Journal of Business Strategies, 13(1), 1. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/openview/fa58d946e923c5ab2b1d1dd8a0de5b12/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=616535