Participants described their ideal leader to be a person who recognises their individuality, and lead in democratic ways that allow participants to execute tasks independently. The ideal relationship dynamic is one in which leaders support, develop and mentor participants in a partnership based on mutual respect.
Um. So for me I think it’s someone who attempts to understand the unique
contribution that I am giving to the workplace and utilise me in such a way that I am able to contribute in a meaningful way um to the overall objectives of the
organisation and work with me as someone who can contribute and add value and be supportive and seek to understand and help me to achieve um the best that I can possibly reach in the organisation. Develop, ja to be supportive from a development perspective but also encourage and work in a collaborative manner. (Gail)
Gail continued:
So, for me it’s more a partnership. It’s more, we working together towards a common goal. Instead of being told, this is what you need to do. Um, without being given context, without checking if I’m ok with it, understand what is required or understand what success is supposed to look like … um … and, ja, really just work with me, a partnership as opposed to dictating what I am supposed to do, and making me feel I’m a child in this relationship. It’s more an adult relationship as opposed to adult- child relationship. (Gail)
To me the ideal manager would be someone that can manage me. Someone that always … um … that can always support me or can help me through difficult times or in need. Um, but not only during those times. Also, when I experience a problem or when I have made a mistake. Someone that can help me to learn from it. That can take my hand and tell me … um … about the consequences. And how to handle it. Um, to show me how it should have been handled instead. Um, and to me it is about a
manager that has my best interest at heart and does not have a superior attitude. Good, you as subordinate will always be aware of who your manager is. Um, and you would show due respect towards your manager. As soon as a manager forces down that respect, then you would lose respect. So, for me pers_ [cuts off word], in my case … um … I am fortunate that the manager I have at present – I would go to all lengths to make sure that she is satisfied with what is to be done. When she would ask me to do something I would leave everything else to make sure she is happy, because that is the kind of person I would want to be for her, because she totally earns that loyalty. (Fritz)
… but that would leave the implementation to my own ideas. Ahm has an open-door policy or just knowing that if I do get stuck, I can go and ask a question. But definitely not somebody that is constantly, you know, micromanaging and, and looking at the small things. (June)
Participants preferred to engage with managers in an open and face-to-face manner in a partnership, if not of equal rank, of respect.
So, in that sense I would ideally like … mm … to have an open communication with my manager, and to, and it does not necessarily have to speak to my manager every day, but I feel that I have to need to have that communication channel. Honest and kind of constructive and not have a negative light. So, in terms of that –. And ideally, I would like to learn from a manager as well I would like to have that sort of
mentorship … hm … and relationship with him as well. So, to learn from them as much as I can on a daily basis until I get to that kinda plateau, I can’t learn from them anymore. Aaand [sighs] Ja I think that kinda comes to mind as to how I would like to have that relationship with my manager. (Nina)
Definitely … um … mutual respect once you speak to each other. I think that’s important, mutual respect. Um. Just speaking about things in a job setting, so that there are no other people. So, if he or she wants to tell you something or give feedback, it should be in a setting that you two alone [inaudible]. (Nadia)
Well, literally body language. The way he or she approaches you. Um. Giving feedback, ja, the way they approach you when they want to discuss something. Ja [very softly]. (Nadia)
I prefer to work with a participative leader. And obviously it must be someone that knows what it is that he asks of me, and when I reply he must believe and trust me. He must not doubt me. I will not lie. (Susan)
I think that I, to me because I like to talk, then a conversation around the matter would be ideal [Bea: mm], instead of, like you find some managers that _, they, they enjoy managing through emails. So, but, emails for example, you can miss the boat completely. It becomes totally misinterpreted, because you’re not _, what you receive, you interpret and maybe that was not the intention. So, I think when you are able to actually have a conversation, where we understand that both of us, we are adults and, not just adults, but we are professionals as well. Because if we are professionals, we would automatically know how to treat each other as professionals in the first place. So, if you are professional and you are able to have a conversation around a matter that you need to address, then I would prefer that kind of setup [Bea: mm] where you can, you know [Bea: mm] not embarrass me in front of other people [Bea: mm], or whatever … (Anna)
Fritz referred to the need for kindness in the interaction between a leader and follower.
The human nature of it. The fact that nobody wants to be ordered about. Nobody wants this mico-management forced upon you. You want to feel, um, you do not want to be treated like a five-year old that gets told to clean his room immediately. You want to feel that you also count in a conversation, as if you count in the business. And where that human kindness comes in is where you need to be told that you have made a mistake, or you need to be told what to do. How to get to a certain point, instead of becoming demotivated all the time. (Fritz)
Participants’ implicit beliefs about leadership in general described a need to be able to trust that their leader has the knowledge; competencies and disposition to provide clarity and purpose in work goals. Participants conveyed their beliefs that
ideally for them the manner and style in which the ideal leader direct work activities are characterised by a leader-follower relationship that denotes respect and follower affirmation.