Are You Getting Your Money's Worth?

As many of you have seen the, "Employee of the Month" movie, we can understand that while transactional approaches can be mystifying and provide immediate gratification (fancy moves or financial reaping) often times we aren't getting the whole picture. For those of you who haven’t seen this movie or don't remember the ending, antagonist Vince is found to have cheated and consequently done wrong by Super Club. It goes to a transactional leadership approach; if the primary focus is on task, production, and structure there will always be room for want. This is evident in Dane Cook's approach in the movie, or Zack. When he attempts the transactional approach he looses the support and value of the friendship he had made, all in the name of winning a car... he then realizes the error of his ways, focuses on the interactions with his peers and a dyadic approach and wins the car and the girl! So while the initial show might be fancy or straightforward, in the end focusing just on the task (transactional approach) might not always be the best.

For me, a good example of this was working at the Omni Hotel Downtown. The Leader- Member Exchange (LMX) was not in balance, and I found myself in the out-group. This was due to a number of variables, but the most important understand that I now have is that I cannot take the blame for the transactional relationship that occurred. While I tired to form and have a relationship with peers and supervisors, I had two things working against me. My work ethic produced more financial results than those of my peers, which became a jealousy thing, which then put me in the out-group. And secondly, my supervisor bonded more easily with my peers who didn't keep the lines of professionalism as straight as I did. Do I blame them, no. I wish I could have felt included and apart of the group, however I didn't. Looking back at the situation now, I am grateful for the transactional leadership that took place because it allowed me to move on and look for the transformational leaders I wanted to work with. It also goes to show that while I do personally value the relationship aspects that working environments can bring, i also place a high value on professionalism and task orientation. So for me, finding a mixture of both transactional and transformational leadership is important. This knowledge has also helped me in my day-to-day relationships. Just like the concept of love languages, the approach to leadership has to be fitting of the situation and of the individuals involved.