Leadership experience is a general term used to describe a person’s exposure to leading other people in various settings ( Daft, 2014 ). From previous studies and life experiences, I have learned that a good team leader strives to empower others by motivating them, cultivating the right objectives in the team, taking collective ownership, and ensuring each member of the team has the right tools to accomplish the assigned task. A leader should motivate others and make use of their abilities in articulating the vision and mission of the organization. Seth Godin, a philosopher, defines leadership as “the art of giving people a platform for spreading ideas that work” ( Daft, 2014). Therefore, I was motivated to seek an opportunity that will challenge and enhance the leadership skills I had learned in class. Even though I had previously volunteered to lead various charity programs that I was involved in while growing up, the leadership role I played while volunteering for an entire weekend at a Remote Area Medical (RAM) event in a rural area impacted my leadership skills in several ways.
Volunteering at the RAM event in the dental area was a great experience that guided me in developing my leadership. I signed up for the volunteer event independently. I coordinated with faculty members in the dental team and other medical practitioners outside my program. I took a leading role in organizing the duties assigned to me by the team leader so that they fit into the overall schedule. Following the massive turnout of people, I invited a friend to participate I this event and help me out to ensure all the patients were served to their satisfaction. After the experience, I felt that the program enabled me in exercising my leadership skills in many ways ( Daft, 2014 ). First, I sought out the opportunity and applied for it independently. Having seen the situation on the first day, I took the initiative of inviting a friend to help out without consulting which turned out to be of significant impact on the flow of work during the program.
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Throughout the experience, the most evident leadership style that I exhibited was transformational leadership. A transformational leader uses learning experiences of people by working closely with subordinates to identify the changes required, create a vision that will guide and inspire the change, and then execute the change ( Daft, 2014) . During my volunteering experience, I analyzed the situation at the site and noticed that people were waking up early and queuing to be served first and avoid the long wait. Since every volunteer in my program was working efficiently, I noticed that the staffing was not enough to meet the demands of the patients. Therefore, I invited a friend whose input was quite helpful to our team in timely serving the patients and ensuring they are adequately served. Also, through collaboration with staff from other programs, I was able to provide my learning experiences in creating a better educational program for the patients after they had received medical treatment. At the end of the event, I noticed that I was also able to incorporate democratic leadership style by sharing the responsibilities of the team with other team members ( Daft, 2014) . I also delegated some duties to my friend.
Application of transformational leadership style in the Remote Area Medical event was appropriate for the experience. I was able to efficiently interact with my colleagues at the charity medical program and make independent decisions based on the situation at the ground which went a long way in contributing to the success of the whole exercise and activities that took place that weekend. The action plan I employed was achievable and realistic. I believe the entire experience at the volunteer program has enhanced the leadership skills I learned in class. And since the process of learning does not end, I will strive to become a better scholar, practitioner, and leader to my benefit and that of the society ( Daft, 2014) . I have learned that the best leadership involves adding value to the members of the team by making tough decisions geared towards benefiting others.
Reference
Daft, R. L. (2014). The leadership experiences . Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
