Groups and Leadership (Eric Dodge)

My leadership style varies greatly depending on the groups I am with, and the situations that I face. I am the oldest of four children, so I usually have to play the big brother role when I am with my family. This is not too bad, though because my family is really laid back and we usually just joke around with each other. I do have to take more of a leadership role than my younger siblings, but I never think of it as a burden. We still joke around and have fun with each other, so it's not like I have to always try and be in charge. I usually take on a leadership role with my family, so I don't feel like my leadership style changes that much within this group.

When I hang out with my friends I employ a lot of different leadership styles. I am totally fine with being a follower and letting others take on leadership roles, as long as they aren't pushing something that I don't want to do. I am pretty relaxed and open to ideas, so this is usually not an issue. But when the leader is pushing something that I don't want to do, I take on more of a leadership role. There are also times when it seems like the group needs some leadership, and at these times I will usually step in and give some direction. When I hang out with my friends my leadership style varies greatly based on the situation.

Overall I am comfortable in a leadership role, but I usually do not make myself the leader unless it looks like the group is struggling, or I have some type of expertise in the specific situation. I have not been at my current job for very long, so I do not have much expertise, and people do not usually look to me as a leader. This means that at work I usually end up being a follower, which is fine most of the time. But lately I have been given more opportunities to lead, which has actually been a lot of fun. I have been developing my skills and getting a chance to take leadership roles more often. So at work I am now getting a better balance between being a leader and a follower.

I really like having this balance between being a leader and a follower. It seems like I look for this type of balance in all of the groups that I am a part of. I don't really like it if I have to be a leader all of the time, and I definitely don't like it if I have to be a follower all the time. With my family and friends I feel like I already have a good balance between the time I spend leading versus following. I like being able to sit back and let others lead sometimes, but I also like to have a little more say and be the leader at times. Now at work I am beginning to get a little better balance between the two, which has made me feel much more useful and happier at work.