Week 2: Theories in Action

This week our intern class was able to meet with one of the Directors of the Marketing department. We spoke with her about her role at New York Life Investments (NYLIM) and about her leadership style as well. She spoke about how once her team had finally adjusted to working from home and tackling tricky projects, there were a lot of disruptions within the team. Someone resigned, someone had a family crisis, and someone was diagnosed with a health issue. She shared with us her philosophy on leadership and how best to manage a team, especially during turbulent times.

This particular leader said that in her experience relationship oriented leadership has been her go to style during the pandemic. She says that since everyone is going through their own unique challenges, it is better to be open and understanding. “Leaders cannot be perfect”. The leader we spoke to stated that if a leader projects perfection, then their team will not see them as authentic or relatable.What works best in her experience is to help problem solve and coach her team. She thinks rather than directing or delegating she prefers to work alongside and coach her team through whatever the task. This would be counter to Fiedler’s theory. Fiedler’s theory states that when situations are unfavorable or unstable a leader should stick with a task-oriented leadership style rather than a relational one.

Another piece of advice she shared was that it is best to flexible. The idea of flexibility perfectly aligns with Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership theory. They state that leaders need to adapt their leadership style to the individual and the situation. The leader stated how during COVID this was more important than ever. The pandemic created an environment that needed to be met with a socio-emotional emphasis rather than a task emphasis. Even though New York Life Investments is a financial institution, and the economy was very rocky, the way this leader tried to create stability for her team was through listening and understanding rather than by pressing aggressive deadlines.

She stressed the importance of being a support system for her team, but also taking time to work on her self. When transitioning roles within the company, she requested to meet with a coach to help ensure a smooth transition. With that being said, she stressed the importance of mentorship and the coaching style of leadership. There is always room to grow and become a better leader and team member.