Post a 260- to 350-word response:
- What are the best and worst traits of leaders you have worked with? How did these traits affect your productivity and engagement?
- What is more important for leading people: hard knowledge of the area you are running or soft people skills?
Cite at least 1 peer-reviewed, scholarly, or similar references.
Format your citations according to APA guidelines.
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
In the medical field, professors play a crucial role in shaping the career paths of their students. As a medical professor, I have designed and conducted lectures, evaluated student performance, provided feedback through examinations and assignments, and observed the traits of leaders. In this response, I will discuss the best and worst traits of leaders, how these traits affected productivity and engagement, and the importance of hard knowledge and soft people skills for leading people.
Answer to Question 1:
The best trait of a leader is effective communication. Leaders who can communicate their vision, expectations, and goals clearly can inspire their team to work towards a common objective. On the other hand, the worst trait of a leader is a lack of empathy. Leaders who lack empathy tend to overlook the needs and concerns of their team, resulting in decreased morale and productivity.
In my experience working with leaders, those with effective communication skills have helped in improving my productivity and engagement. Good communicators can provide feedback on my performance and help me understand how I can improve. On the other hand, leaders with a lack of empathy have created a negative work environment, and my productivity and engagement have suffered.
Answer to Question 2:
Both hard knowledge and soft people skills are crucial for leading people. Hard knowledge ensures that leaders have a thorough understanding of the area they are running, while soft skills ensure effective communication, empathy, and team management.
However, I believe that soft people skills are most important for leading people. A leader who has strong people skills can create a positive work environment, improve team morale, and inspire their team to work towards a common goal. On the other hand, a leader who lacks people skills may have advanced knowledge of their area but may struggle to effectively communicate and manage their team.
Reference:
Clark, M. A. (2016). The importance of soft skills for nurses. Nursing made incredibly easy!, 14(1), 53-55.
