Management Essays – Behavior Styles

Behavior Styles

Life Styles Inventory (LSI): Self Description
“The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.”
– Dwight D. Eisenhower

Introduction: Thinking and Behavior

The Life Styles Inventory (LSI) identifies the essential thoughts and stimulus that guide individual’s behavior. Often referred to as
personal styles,
management styles
and
leadership styles, these signify the essence of an individual’s effectiveness. The quality of my thinking and behavior contributes greatly to my work performance. Fortunately, I have the power to change ineffective thinking and behavior, the kind that can paralyze an individual’s effectiveness. But first I need to know if what I’m doing now is supporting from quality performance. The scoring reveals where I have talent, where I can grow, and where I may be able to develop even stronger skills by simply shifting behaviors that could be holding me back (limiting style).

Personal Thinking Styles:

Based on the Life Styles Inventory results, my primary personal thinking style is self-actualization. Self-actualization in life is very important to make sure you are pleased with your inner self and behaviors. This goes back to morals and how you were raised. Self-actualization allows me to always be pleased and happy with the decisions I make in life. As a professional, making decisions that I will be happy with is essential. You may not always be pleased with decisions that others make, but I believe it’s important to please self when it involves making personal decisions. My back-up style is achievement. Achievement is setting goals at work and in my personal life. You must be determined, focused, goal-oriented and dedicated to talks given. For example, pursuing a Master’s degree is a personal goal I’m striving to accomplish for self-satisfaction, not for others satisfaction. The style that I think might be working against me to reduce your effectiveness is the perfectionist style. IT can be limiting because nothing is perfect and you have to have a backup plan in case obstacles occur. Being a perfectionist can waste time and money when it comes to the workplace. In some cases perfection is needed. When pharmacists prescribe medication to patients they need to strive to provide the perfect medication for the problem because if they don’t things could go wrong with the patient. There are times where perfection is needed and others when you’re just wasting precious money and time.

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Impact On Management Style:

With the high achieving style being the second high rated style on my inventory list, it has a major impact on my management style. A high achievement style indicates I set goals and is enthusiastic about working towards difficult but realistic goals. In pursuit of goals and achieving high quality results, I’m likely to follow a well-developed plan that has been considered in depth. I carefully examine my options before deciding on a plan of action. To adequately isolate these behaviors or ways of thinking and emphasize strengths, it is essential to understand their impact on quality of performance. As a manager I will have a positive effect on my employees. Being that the poser style is on the bottom of my totem pole, I believe that the humanistic and encouraging style will set well with the employees and contribute to a person’s level of satisfaction & proficiency at accomplishing tasks. Having the ability to work effectively with people & develop healthy relationships is a important in management.

Genesis of Personal Styles

Since I’m able to remember, I was taught to be your own person. I was taught to always be the leader and not the follower when it comes to personal decisions. It’s very important to not always want to be a leader and never want to follow in the workplace. My mother and father instilled in me to set goals and achieve those goals no matter how long it took to accomplish what you have set for yourself. As a child in the schooldays, I remember bringing home all the books that I had (Math, Science, Language, etc.). If I didn’t have homework in a subject, I had to read the next chapter for the next day. I thank my parents for instilling in me how important knowledge is. I continue to keep that with me after graduating from high school, second year college, four year college and now striving for my Master’s. I can truly say that continuing my education is a major part of my life. Because of my parents teaching, I’m good. Being in the church was another great thing that happened to me. A person’s environment can have a major impact on their life.

Conclusion and Reflection

The underlying thoughts and motivations that guide an individual’s behavior, that is personal styles, management styles and leadership styles, represent the essence of an individual’s effectiveness.

Research has shown that the styles measured by the LSI are related to a number of indicators of effectiveness and success, including leadership effectiveness, management effectiveness, problem solving effectiveness, quality of interpersonal relations, organizational level, individual health and well being, and organizational culture.

I can use what I learn to initiate positive changes in how I think and act according to the changes that increase my personal and professional effectiveness.
The LSI can be used to create change through:
(1) identifying the unique thinking patterns that characterize your current behavior (2) understanding which of your thinking patterns are effective, which aren’t and why (3) deciding which thinking and behavior patterns you want to change (4) defining optimal ways of thinking and approaching your work, such as, setting targeted improvement goals and creating a precise approach to convey on change.