My leadership style is that of a consensus leader. I have been fortunate over my career to work with people with whom I have shared a desire to reach common goals. In order to be an effective consensus leader it is imperative that there is a strong foundation of communication among the group. My background and varied experiences in public relations prior to my switch to pharmacy have given me several tools which I use regularly to help encourage group discussion and communication before problems arise. I feel that it is important for co-workers to understand one another and the different backgrounds they bring to the group. One-on-one team building exercises is a tool which I have used successfully in the past not only with subordinates but also with myself and those I managed. In many of these exercises you have the opportunity to learn things about co-workers which may have never come up in general office conversation and may shed light onto certain behaviors people exhibit in the work place. A second strength of my consensus leadership style is that I never ask those whom I manage to do anything I would not do myself. For the last three years I have worked in a large academic teaching hospital inpatient pharmacy. Recently I interviewed for a management position and was asked what the first major thing I would do would be. To me that answer was simple. I would work a week of night shift, a week of evening shift and a week of day shift. If am to effectively manage people and be able to understand what their concerns are when they are brought to me then I must first understand and appreciate the environment in which they exist for eight hours a day. One weakness of a consensus style of leadership is the amount of time which is dedicated to dealing with problems which other leaders would have taken care of in half the time. This style of leadership does require a