Chilean Mine Rescue
Some of the key leadership lessons learnt from the Chilean rescue mine are flexibility and adaptability.The Chilean Mine Rescue depicts how leaders demonstrated adaptability by being able to command actions to achieve effective utilization of the arising opportunities. Likewise, they were able to learn swiftly and were able to keep up with events as they unfolded. Besides, the leaders demonstrated flexibility by being able to shift from giving directions to enabling innovative ways that would make the rescuers reach their target. For instance, despite having control over the rescue mission, the leaders empowered the team to quickly explore new ideas in places that seemed improbable to identify the best means of rescuing. Lunenburg, (2011) outline that leaders should be flexible enough especially in situations where time is a critical factor.
Chilean rescue depicts how leaders employed the path-goal theory in spearheading their mission. The path-goal theory is a model that outlines how a leadership style can be fitted with the existing environment with the aim of achieving certain goals. The model outlines that the goal of that this model aims at achieving is achieving effective motivation of the employees; empowering them as well as enhancing satisfaction to achieve productivity of the intended target (Changingmind.org, 2017). The model outlines that leaders ought to embrace supportive leadership style to develop a working environment that is supportive and increase the esteem of the employees. Leaders in the Chilean Rescue continually offered support to the rescue team and motivated them to work swiftly due to the urgency of the mission they were undertaking. For instance, whenever the members of the rescue team faced barriers, the leaders swiftly moved in to offer help and motivate them to adopt a different approach.
On the other hand, the path-goal theory outlines that leadership ought to be participative in nature by fostering consultation with the key stakeholders and evaluating the ideas of the member to identify if they are viable and whether they offer a better alternative (Changingmind.org, 2017). The leaders in the Chilean rescue demonstrated participative leadership by being directly engaged in the rescue mission. For example, the leaders were involved in the direct execution of the rescue procedures especially in the situation where the team seemed stranded (Rashid, Edmondson & Leonard, 2013).
During the rescue mission the leaders as well as the stakeholders embraced effective communication. According toHackman, & Johnson, (2013), effective communication between the leaders and the members of a team is a vital entity to achieve success by achieving the organizational goals. During the Chilean rescue mission, the leaders ensured that they communicated with the stakeholders to achieve effective coordination of activities in the rescue. For instance, the leaders ensure that communication experts formed part of the rescue troops to enhance communication between the rescue team and the outside world. Likewise, the leaders ensured that effective control of communication with the families as well as the press was ensured (Rashid, Edmondson & Leonard, 2013). Moreover, the leadership team upheld effective communication channels to ensure the sound transition between the teams working during the day and night to enhance its operations. Despite the effective communication approaches undertaken by the leaders, communication would have been improved through continues communication update between the rescue team and the families of the victims to rekindle hope.
Throughout the rescue mission, the leaders demonstrated situational approach to leadership.According to McCleskey, (2014), situational leadership depicts a theory that outlines how the leaders in any given organization are supposed to model their leadership style to suit the satiation at hand. The leaders in the rescue team embraced the effective situational leadership that made it possible for the team to move through confusion and develops situational awareness among the team members. For example, Sougarret employed situational leadership by moving through confusion caused by flooding at the rescue site mainly cause by the combination of the rescue team, family members, paramedics and the press (Rashid, Edmondson, & Leonard, 2013). Likewise, the team leader admonished team members to uphold situational awareness to be able to handle the changing environment.
It is possible to apply both the goal theory as well as the situational approach in real-life situations. I can employ situation approachby ensuring that I model my leadership style in-line with the situation at hand. For instance, in the emergency situation, I would employ dictatorship to ensure that the expected goals are achieved promptly. Likewise, I would apply the goal path theory in a manner that motivates, empower as well as achieve the satisfaction of my subjects.
References
Changingmind.org. (2017). Path-Goal Theory of Leadership. Retrieved from http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/styles/path_goal_leadership.htm
Hackman, M. Z., & Johnson, C. E. (2013). Leadership: A communication perspective. Waveland Press.
McCleskey, J. A. (2014). Situational, transformational, and transactional leadership and leadership development. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, 5(4), 117.
Rashid, F., Edmondson, A. C., & Leonard, H. B. (2013, July). Leadership Lessons from the Chilean Mine Rescue. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2013/07/leadership-lessons-from-the-chilean-mine-rescue
