Internship- Theories in Action #1

Theories in Action Reflection 6/10

Throughout the first week of my internship, I have particularly been interested in looking at Trait Theory. Right off the bat I have noticed many examples of how relevant trait theory really is in leadership positions. When employees start working for Dover, one of the first things that they learn about is the main owner of the group. One man owns the groups and the only thing people talk about is how intimidating or scary he looks. When I had the chance of meeting him, I have to say I was intimidated at first. He is what we normally think of when we picture the stereotypical leader is: a white, middle-aged male with grayish hair and a very stern, serious face. Many of the employees purposely move away from him and try not to make eye contact with him. This also has to do with the fact that he is a multi-millionaire and many of his employees are younger college or post-graduate students who may not be used to this kind of power. However, once you talk to him he is very genuine and strives to learn more about his employees. He was asking me about my college experiences and I noticed his eyes light up as he explained his own experiences and his face became friendlier-looking. It is interesting how intimidated people are of him mainly because of his height, serious-looking face as well as his power in the company.
I noticed trait theory also in one of the general managers of the business that I am mainly working with. He is on the shorter side, shorter than a lot of his employees, which obviously goes against the idea in trait theory that leaders are normally on the taller side. However, I noticed that when talking with those taller than him he straightens his posture and stands further away, making him not as noticeably short. He also has a hard time admitting when he is wrong, which could just be part of his personality but I think that his height has a lot to do with it and making sure he’s being taken seriously. He comes off as very unemotional and I wonder how his height affects his confidence as a leader. I think that this idea of being less sympathetic towards his employees makes him come off as more intimidating as leader since he does not have the traditional physically dominant traits that we normally associate with leaders. I think that this theory helps followers to get a better understanding of why he make act the way that he does and how to better understand why he may not be as understanding as we would want him to be. I think this leader-follower dynamic also teaches employees how to go to him with their concerns and how to handle him. For example, many of the employees will talk back to him if they think that they are right. However, if you try to better understand where he is coming from and stay calmer so that you do not seem like you are trying to question his authority he will admit when he is wrong. He will especially be more understanding if you are both sitting down and discussing rather than standing, I believe this to again be because of his height. I have learned a lot of people skills from him and his employee relations so far.