Problem
Just 2 months out of training you were assigned to the Electronic Materials Technical Department. After in-processing with the unit, you sit down with your immediate Supervisor, Mr Anderson Chia, and relay your lack of experience and uncertainty about the job. "Sir, I was open to anything the department handed me," you said to the supervisor, "but Electronic Materials wasn't even close to being on my dream sheet. How am I going to lead if I don't even have the skills to tell people how and what to do?" The supervisor replied, "As an officer you should be ready to lead anywhere and anytime you are put into a position, no matter what training you've had. Don't worry about it though--you're going to be the assistant supervisor to this Department.
After 7 months on the job, Mr Anderson Chia tells you he is leaving in 2 weeks for another branch in Cambodia and will be handing the Electronics Materials Technical over to you permanently. You shudder at the thought but quickly remember what your supervisor had said about officers leading anytime and anywhere.You take the job head-on, using the same techniques that he has applied to lead the department.
For some reason, the 15 personnel under your supervision randomly disregard your orders and quickly fall behind on the vehicle maintenance schedule. The commander calls you into his office one day to discuss the decline in processing and unit effectiveness.
You begin to think about the situation and the variables at hand and say, "I'm a new supervisor to this department with some job knowledge, I've already sat down with the members of Electronics Materials Technical Department and told them what I expect from them--just to let them know who's boss. I take care of tasks they should be doing to show I care about them, I give each member as much 'down time' as needed; I don't nag them about accomplishing their jobs because that would be considered micromanagement, and I even give them leeway with mistakes by not reprimanding or correcting them. I thought they would like me for being down to earth and joking around with them. What the heck am I doing wrong?"
Given this scenario:
a) What type of leadership style that "you" in the passage practice?
b) What have "you" been doing wrong as a leader?
c) If you were the supervisor of this organization, what would you do with the team in your department?