Leadership Reflections: Affiliative Style and Its Role in Safety and EHS Management

Short 1 page summary about the quiz results and chapter 5 and 9

For this forum, I want you to reflect on readings and resources posted for the week regarding Leadership.  What type of leader did the quiz determine you were? Is this what you expected? Do you agree with this conclusion? How does this leadership style resonate with the content from the resources? Based on the resources, how do you see this leadership style fitting in safety and EHS? Is it something you will have to work on over the next few years, or will your leadership style propel you easily to a safety management position? What else did you find interesting/surprising this week?

Quiz results:


Affiliative
If you tend toward an affiliative leadership style, this means that you often put people first in order to nurture a positive and safe environment for your team.
This leadership style is very effective in cultivating a sense of loyalty, high morale, and trust in the workplace. However, it's important that you don't implement this style exclusively, as without the ability to tap into a more authoritative style, you may risk creating a culture where poor performance and stagnation are tolerated.
Try exploring different options for toning down an overly-affiliative style, as it's important to have the ability to be more authoritative and decisive when necessary.
Here are some suggestions:
	•			If you don't have a review system at your organization, speak with HR about the possibility of implementing a quarterly or annual review process. As a more autocratic leader, you can likely benefit from a 360 review process as it codifies a policy of inviting constructive criticism and feedback for employees at all levels of an organization's hierarchy.
	•			Ask yourself how you want your colleagues and direct reports to view your leadership style and spend some time focusing on finding your voice as a leader.
	•			Make a practice of rolling up your sleeves and jumping in alongside your direct reports. When your team sees that you are willing to get your hands dirty and take the heat when things don't go according to plan, they're more likely to be open to occasional, critical feedback.
	•			Spend time reflecting on how you like to receive feedback. Understanding how you react to these sorts of conversations can help you become more confident in delivering critical feedback or tough news.
The most important thing to remember is that as a leader, it's your responsibility to find ways to continually evolve and grow in order to nurture your team on their path to personal and professional development.