I think it varies for me too. I'm doing a group task at the moment designing and presenting a proposal for a hypothetical research project. Because I feel like it's important, I've started leading it just to make sure it gets done. It's not that I don't trust the other people in the group - they're all very intelligent, motivated, reliable and capable - but I want to make sure my voice is heard and everyone's wheels get put into motion ahead of time, and the easiest way to do that is to lead a task from the start.
When you're not the team leader, it depends what sort of leader you're working with. A leader who allows the rest of the team to have autonomy, exercise their creativity and choose the roles that are best suited to their own skill sets, but at the same time motivating them to use their responsibility wisely and not slack off, is the best sort of leader to work with. A leader who is afraid to delegate control, pressures the team not to speak up if there's something they disagree with and uses their position as leader to make their own life easier at the expense of the rest of the team (with regards to things like meeting times, allocating the roles of least effort to themselves regardless of their ability etc.) is the worst sort of leader to work with.
Working on your own has its benefits too. You can decide the direction that you think is best without compromising your preferences, and I think there's a lot to be said for that. It can be very enjoyable and liberating, especially if you've just come from working in an unmotivated, badly-led team. It does depend on the nature of the task, but I do think the best results almost universally come from a well-led and internally-motivated team rather than a lone individual.
Do you consider yourself a good Leader or Follower?
← View full post
I think it varies for me too. I'm doing a group task at the moment designing and presenting a proposal for a hypothetical research project. Because I feel like it's important, I've started leading it just to make sure it gets done. It's not that I don't trust the other people in the group - they're all very intelligent, motivated, reliable and capable - but I want to make sure my voice is heard and everyone's wheels get put into motion ahead of time, and the easiest way to do that is to lead a task from the start.
When you're not the team leader, it depends what sort of leader you're working with. A leader who allows the rest of the team to have autonomy, exercise their creativity and choose the roles that are best suited to their own skill sets, but at the same time motivating them to use their responsibility wisely and not slack off, is the best sort of leader to work with. A leader who is afraid to delegate control, pressures the team not to speak up if there's something they disagree with and uses their position as leader to make their own life easier at the expense of the rest of the team (with regards to things like meeting times, allocating the roles of least effort to themselves regardless of their ability etc.) is the worst sort of leader to work with.
Working on your own has its benefits too. You can decide the direction that you think is best without compromising your preferences, and I think there's a lot to be said for that. It can be very enjoyable and liberating, especially if you've just come from working in an unmotivated, badly-led team. It does depend on the nature of the task, but I do think the best results almost universally come from a well-led and internally-motivated team rather than a lone individual.