Laid-Back Leadership

In the interactions I’ve had with my boss, coworkers, and other supervisors, I have been able to see different styles of leadership firsthand. My boss has a sort of laissez-faire style of leadership. She only seems to reach out when she has a new assignment for us to do and needs to teach us how to do it so we don’t mess up. Otherwise, we don’t seem to interact much within the day. There are times where we don’t interact at all throughout the day outside of me saying good morning or goodbye when she arrives and when I leave work. However, whenever I do interact with her, she is very helpful. She always is able to assist me with whatever questions I have and, even if she doesn’t have time in that very moment, she makes sure to get back with me when she can.

This style of leadership doesn’t bother me. I’m a very laid-back person and as long as I know what I need to do, I have no problems putting my head down and getting the work done. However, my coworker is extremely irritated by her leadership style. She prefers a more hands-on style of leadership to ensure that everything is completed efficiently and to the highest standard. It seems she would prefer a transformational leader who is there to not only help her finish her tasks, but help her develop into a more prepared and well-rounded young adult. I also want to become more well-rounded, but I don’t view a high leader involvement as necessary to my development. It should be very interesting to see how our relationships develop over the next couple of weeks at the FDA.