Please review this video, Positional Power vs. Personal Power, and let's get prepared to answer some questions.
- Answer the below questions based using Critical Analysis. For my views on Critical Thoughts and Analysis, please review: CTA.
- Then respond to at least two (2) of your peer's answers by selecting the "Reply" link. How could they have handled the situation better? Do not simply say what you did and recommend they do the same. Be tactful (remember, they are your peers).
Week 1 Scenario:
You are a new supervisor (you have been there 2 months) at a large organization that develops technology for the military. You have previous military service experience and just finished your Bachelor's Degree in Management from APUS.
You are doing well so far; your immediate boss is happy with the quotas being met and can see the changes in the behavior of some of the employees around you. However, there are three employees who work for you that are causing some issues. You must constantly remind them of due dates and their work is marginal.
You decided to counsel each of them in private of course. During the counseling sessions, you found that all three employees say that you think you're still in the military and expect too much too soon.
One said that you use positional power all the time, another said that they felt you are not receptive to their ideas on how to make the work environment more fun. The last one told you that should have stayed in the military since you like to order everyone around!
A. How will you handle this situation?
B. What is the difference between positional power and personal power? (in your own words)
C. Give an example, from your personal life, of situations where you have used (or had used on you) both positional and personal power.
Full Answer Section
- Develop a plan with each employee to address their concerns. This may involve setting more realistic deadlines, providing more support and guidance, or simply being more open to their ideas.
- Be more mindful of my body language and tone of voice. I want to make sure that I'm communicating in a way that is respectful and collaborative.
- Ask for feedback from my employees on a regular basis. I want to know how I'm doing and what I can do better.
I also need to remember that I'm a new supervisor. It takes time to build trust and respect with my team. I need to be patient and understanding as I work to build relationships with my employees.
Here are some specific actions I can take to address the concerns raised by my employees:
- Set more realistic deadlines. I need to talk to my employees about the deadlines for their projects and make sure that they are realistic. I also need to be willing to adjust deadlines if necessary.
- Provide more support and guidance. I need to be available to my employees to answer questions and provide support. I should also be willing to provide guidance when needed.
- Be more open to their ideas. I need to be more open to feedback and suggestions from my employees. I should also be willing to try new things and experiment with new ideas.
- Be more mindful of my body language and tone of voice. I need to make sure that I'm communicating in a way that is respectful and collaborative. I should avoid using military jargon or talking down to my employees.
- Ask for feedback from my employees on a regular basis. I should ask my employees for feedback on my performance on a regular basis. This will help me to identify areas where I can improve.
I also need to be patient and understanding as I work to build relationships with my employees. It takes time to build trust and respect. I need to be willing to listen to my employees and to learn from them.
I believe that by taking these steps, I can address the concerns raised by my employees and improve my leadership style. I am committed to being a fair and effective supervisor.
Sample Answer
It's important to remember that I'm not a military person anymore, I'm a civilian supervisor. I need to adjust my leadership style to fit the civilian workplace. I need to learn how to be more collaborative and receptive to feedback from my team. I also need to be more mindful of how I use my positional power.
To address the specific concerns raised by my employees, I will do the following:
- Meet with each employee individually to discuss their concerns in more detail. I want to understand their perspective and what they need from me to be successful.