Volunteer Experience: Reflection on Leadership in Swim Program

This reflection report details a student's experience volunteering in a swim program for young individuals with disabilities, focusing on the observed leadership styles and their effectiveness. The author reflects on instances of ineffective leadership, particularly the rigid structure and lack of breaks, which created challenges in managing the children and filming the program. The report also explores the author's own leadership style, identifying weaknesses such as an autocratic approach. The author learns the importance of transformational leadership, which values input from both leaders and followers. In the future, the author intends to adopt a transformational leadership approach, emphasizing communication, collaboration, and ensuring adequate breaks for the children. The report concludes by highlighting the benefits of transformational leadership in fostering a supportive and effective team environment. Desklib provides access to similar assignments and study resources for students.

Running head: REFLECTION REPORT
Reflection Report
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

1REFLECTION REPORT
Table of Contents
Overview of Community Project...............................................................................................2
Examples of Leadership along with effective or ineffectiveness of program............................2
Learning about own followership and leadership style..............................................................2
Adoption of leadership style in future........................................................................................3
References..................................................................................................................................4

2REFLECTION REPORT
Overview of Community Project
The community project was related to the swim program wherein the program has
enabled the young individuals with disability to develop the skills along with confidence to
learn the swimming technique. There were different kind of volunteers who assisted the swim
coach in the pool with the children as well. It was seen that the swimming costumes and there
were four swimming classes as well.
Examples of Leadership along with effective or ineffectiveness of program
There were different kind of leadership activities along with examples that has been
noticed in the community program. During the community program, I tried to understand the
different kind of leadership programs that were utilized in the community program and it was
seen that it was ineffective in nature as well. However, there were different instances wherein
it was seen that the leadership procedure was tough and it was difficult in nature to conduct
the filming as there were no such breaks.
The leadership and followership effect were ineffective in nature as it was a rigid kind
of structure of the leadership that was followed in the community program as there were no
break time between any of the classes. This created issues for our filming that had to be done
as there were issues in managing the disabled children along with the filming. The number of
coaches were less and the leadership approach was not up to the mark as well.
Learning about own followership and leadership style
I was not being able to perform the role of a leader in an effectual manner wherein
this had different kind of issues in the activities performed. The leadership style was an
autocratic wherein this was seen that it created huge trouble and differences in the leadership
style and it was dominating kind of leadership style as well.

3REFLECTION REPORT
However, from this particular experience I have learnt there the leadership is required
to be effective in nature as this will include the viewpoints of both the leaders along with the
followers. This kind of transformational leadership will be helpful in managing the entire
team in more effectual manner (Bergh et al., 2016). Furthermore, there were different kind of
weaknesses in the leadership style wherein it was seen that the entire control is on the leaders
and the individuals in the group do not have any such role to play in managing the different
activities of the team in an effectual manner as well (Bolden 2016).
As it was a community program, proper permission was required to be generated from
the seniors or the coaches of the program as this would help us in getting time to manage the
kids and do the filming as well. Proper communication is essential in nature in the
community programme to get hold of the different kind of facilities and complete the filming
as well.
Adoption of leadership style in future
In the future, I would be applying the transformational leadership approach that is the
effective kind of leadership style and approach that will help me in managing the team in
more effective manner. Furthermore, it will help me and my team in managing the team with
such strengths as well (Donate & de Pablo, 2015). However, there are different strengths and
weaknesses in the leadership approaches that were followed by me.
Lastly, the transformational leadership will help me in the future in managing the
team in more efficient manner as there is corporate kind of learning and everyone is given
proper opportunities as well (Northouse, 2018). I would be checking that there are sufficient
breaks provided to the children as they are essential in nature and this will help me in guiding
the team effectually.

4REFLECTION REPORT
References
Bergh, D. D., Aguinis, H., Heavey, C., Ketchen, D. J., Boyd, B. K., Su, P., ... & Joo, H.
(2016). Using meta‐analytic structural equation modeling to advance strategic
management research: Guidelines and an empirical illustration via the strategic
leadership‐performance relationship. Strategic Management Journal, 37(3), 477-497.
Bolden, R. (2016). Leadership, management and organisational development. In Gower
handbook of leadership and management development (pp. 143-158). Routledge.
Donate, M. J., & de Pablo, J. D. S. (2015). The role of knowledge-oriented leadership in
knowledge management practices and innovation. Journal of Business
Research, 68(2), 360-370.
Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications.