CSM201: Self-Assessment of Leadership Style and Capabilities Report

This report presents a self-assessment of an authoritarian leadership style, exploring its characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses within the context of community services. The author reflects on their own leadership style, supported by feedback and relevant literature, and evaluates their capabilities using a capability framework. The report identifies areas for development, such as improving communication and adapting to pressure-filled situations, while acknowledging the benefits of authoritarian leadership like consistent results and time-saving. It also discusses the potential negative impacts, such as reduced employee input and the risk of employee rebellion. Finally, the report concludes that the author's leadership style aligns well with their future career aspirations in the private sector as a CEO, emphasizing the importance of continuous development to maximize the positive aspects and minimize the negative consequences of their leadership approach.

RUNNING HEAD: AUTHORITATIVE LEDERSHIP
LEADERSHIP

AUTHORITARIAN LEDERSHIP 1
A leader is a person that leads or command over a group or an organization. Every
individual is a leader in some form and follows a specific leadership style (Hassan, Asad, &
Hoshino, 2016). The Leadership Styles are the behavioural patterns that a leader adopt to
influence the behaviour of his followers, i.e. the way he gives directions to his subordinates
and motivates them to accomplish the given objectives. Some of the recognized leadership
styles are Democratic, Authoritative, Strategic Transactional and Laissez-Faire Leadership
(Thrash, 2012). As per my perception and feedback from my co-workers, I possess the
authoritarian leadership style. In the discussion mentioned below, I have described my
leadership style. It includes various skills, knowledge and capabilities that I need to develop.
It includes the various strengths and weaknesses of my leadership style. It also emphasized
on the impact of my leadership style over my future career.
A capability framework level involves various job titles and responsibilities. These
are mainly used under the community sector. These are divided under four levels named as
Practitioner, Advanced Practitioner, Manager and lead practitioner and CEO and Executive.
(CHP, 2019). Focusing on my own capabilities, I rate myself on the level third of Personal
Attribute Matrix from the capability framework. This is because my future career option
(Chief Executive Officer) and given description matches to my leadership style. The level
third states that individuals operating at this level will guide the organization and takes the
responsibility wide range of programs and services (CHP, 2019). As per the given Personal
Attribute Matrix, I consider myself excellent in being ethical, positive and resilient. I am
good in areas such as creative and innovative, honest, determined, self-disciplined and
flexibility. I am under skilled in areas such as collaborative, supportive, culturally aware,
member focused and inclusive. The areas that need to be improved and development
strategies are mentioned in the section of strengths.
It involves taking all the decision by themselves and delegating the tasks. Under this
style, the leader relies on the use of punishment and threat to lead successfully his
subordinates or followers. The leader exerts excessive control and often lays negative
influence over the employees. He (leader) do not involves his subordinates in participation.
Rather focusing on employees, he lays higher emphasis on the results and task. He gave rise
to employees that have little ambition and usually avoid responsibility. He attains poor
interpersonal relations with his subordinates. Similarly, I reflect the characteristics of
authoritarian leadership style. Therefore, my subordinates perceived me as unpleasant,
dominant and insensitive to their needs and wants.

AUTHORITARIAN LEDERSHIP 2
An authoritarian leader attains number of skills, high knowledge and adequate
capabilities (Salahuddin, 2010). In order to become an effective Authoritarian leader, I must
develop specific skills. An authoritarian leader is a risk taker as he takes decision without any
form of participation or consulting others (Salahuddin, 2010). Additionally, he attains high
communication skills as he dictates all the work methods and processes to his followers
(Schuh, Zhang, & Tian, 2013). Similarly, I must learn as how to become a risk taker in
presence of enough certainty. I attain communication skills but I lack in effective verbal
communication. To emerge as an effective authoritative leader, I must upgrade my verbal
communication. Therefore, I will make communication a priority for myself. Additionally, I
will opt for an online communication course, as it will guide me. It will help me in gaining
confidence and improving my verbal communication and raising my employee engagement.
He attains effective knowledge to take right and complex decision on behalf of his
followers (Khan, et al., 2015). Likewise, I must gain essential knowledge and required
information to opt for the right decision. Therefore, I will consider all possible options and
take adequate time in making decisions. I will stick to my mission, set time limit, and take
decision based on my personal intuition. This will assists me in taking appropriate decision
for my employees and personal self.
An authoritarian leader attains number of capabilities. These capabilities assist him to
take decision in stress-filled situations as well as benefits in to leading successfully his
followers (Salahuddin, 2010). He has the competency to boost productivity of the employees.
Additionally, he attains adequate capability to control his followers without relying on
external help. He has the potential to bear high pressure. He has the power to remain strong
even in times of difficult situations. He has the ability to exert absolute control over his
followers (Eken, Özturgut, & Craven, 2014). Likewise, I have the capability to control my
employees and boost their work performance and output. However, I have assessed that I lack
in bearing high pressure. In order to work smoothly in stressed filled situations, I must adopt
a positive work attitude and an optimistic personality.
Every leadership style has its own strengths (Khan, et al., 2015). Similarly, my
authoritative leadership styles also have multiple strengths. I have perceived that it gave rise
to consistent results as use of threats and punishment develops fear among the employees.
Thus, to avoid bearing punishment, they lay prior attention in their work and performance.
Thus, it directly leads to occurrence of consistent outcome from the employees. From my

AUTHORITARIAN LEDERSHIP 3
point of view, it results in time saving as all the decision making power is in the hands of a
leader. It reduces the possibility of confusion and chaos in the decision making process. Thus,
time saving is considered as its major strength. I consider that it do not build pressure on
subordinates. From my own experience, I have seen that an authoritarian leader possess high
responsibilities and do not delegate them. Thus, it benefits its employee’s, as they are not
tasked with complex responsibilities that gave rise to high mental pressure.
Additionally, I have acknowledged that authoritarian leader boosts productivity. As a
leader exerts high control over the subordinates, it leads to the creation of disciplined work
environment (Cenkci & Özçelik, 2015). This helps the employees in delivering full focus
over their work. Thus, it helps in raising employee work performance that ultimately results
in better productivity in an organization (Iqbal, Anwar, & Haider, 2015). Focusing on the
authoritarian leadership strengths, it leads to reduction in the occurrence of mistakes. Lastly,
‘Clear chain of command’ is also counted as its strength. This is because employees do not
face confusion based on ‘who leads to whom’ (Eken, Özturgut, & Craven, 2014). Thus,
clearly defined authority allows for effective and quick work performance from employees.
Hence, authoritative leader strengths include consistent result, time saving, lack of employee
pressure, boosts productivity, reduction in the occurrence of mistakes and create clarity
(Cenkci & Özçelik, 2015).
Focusing on the weakness of authoritarian leadership weakness, it reduces the amount
of input received from the group (Schuh, Zhang, & Tian, 2013). This is because, an
authoritarian leader do not involves his subordinates in the decision making process. Thus,
employees are only involved in delivering required output to the leader but lack in providing
input. It enhances the chances of rebel by the employees. As authoritarian leader act as bossy
and dictatorial, it may cause some employees to rebel in the workplace (Salahuddin, 2010).
One of key weakness of authoritarian leadership style is that it lacks in feedback. As
mentioned above, authoritarian leader act bossy. Therefore, it develops poor interpersonal
relation with the employees (Cenkci & Özçelik, 2015). Thus, employees often lack and fail to
ask for feedback from their authoritarian leader. Additionally, it gave to system of
dependence. According to this style, a leader takes all the essential decisions on behalf of its
employees. Therefore, it develops the habit of employees to depend heavily upon
authoritarian leader for work process.

AUTHORITARIAN LEDERSHIP 4
Besides this, it creates lack of trust between the leader and the working staff. As
mentioned above, leader takes all the possible decision because he doubts the capability of
his subordinates (Iqbal, Anwar, & Haider, 2015). Thus, lack of interaction and poor working
relation gave rise to lack of trust between the leader and his subordinates. Focusing on the
employee perspective, this leadership style does not offer a professional ownership. This is
because an authoritarian leader takes all the credit of success and ignores the handwork
performed by his subordinates. Employees do not get the ownership for the work they have
performed (Eken, Özturgut, & Craven, 2014). Therefore, it clearly states that being an
authoritarian leader has both positive and negative aspect. As I am a follower of authoritarian
leadership style, I must lay prior attention in minimizing its negative aspects.
A community service sector involves services from both public and private sector
(Gummesson, et al., 2010). However, I aim to pursue my future career in the private sector
for the post of Chief Executive Officer of a reputable business organization. Thus, my
authoritarian leadership will be best suitable for my future career path. Similar to the
characteristics of my leadership style, the job position of a CEO requires attaining full control
over the business. Additionally, this job position does not involve delegating authority
(Ramjee, 2019). Therefore, my leadership style will have a positive impact on my career.
Hence, my authoritarian leadership style will highly benefit me in pursuing my future career
choice in the community service sector.
Thus, I conclude that to become an effective authoritative leader, I need to develop
some of the essential skills, capabilities and must gain more knowledge. Additionally, I have
realized that my leadership style will provide me great assistance in my future career in the
community service sector.

AUTHORITARIAN LEDERSHIP 5
Bibliography
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Journal of Business Ethics, 116(3), 629-640.

AUTHORITARIAN LEDERSHIP 6
Thrash, A. (2012). Leadership in higher education. International Journal of Humanities and
Social Science, 2(13), 1-12.