My idealism is also manifest in my style as a socially aware leader in that I believe the welfare of others, even when that may conflict with my own personal and economic self-interest, is more important. Of course, the greatest test of an idealistic, socially aware leader is when the leader's business or organizational goal conflicts with that of society. How to cope, for example, with working for an organization that causes environmental harm when one is an environmentalist? Fortunately, I have never had to work with a company that placed me in such an uncomfortable ethical bind. I have tried to select organizations with whom I agree with, in terms of their overall philosophy. Because the values of the organization, and how it treats people and the world, are so important to me, selecting ethical organizations for which to work is a critical part of how I plan my career path. A socially aware leader cannot go to work and say one thing, while feeling a sense of cognitive dissonance because the values he or she is imparting seem wrong on a personal level.

Leadership attributes

Intuitive, feeling leaders like myself are often praised for having a vivid imagination, are unique problem solvers, and convey a strong sense of integrity According to the Keirsey Temperament test they can seem even 'seductive' or mysterious because they are not traditionally extroverted like 'in your face' leadership types. This can make individuals want to please intuitive types of leaders, particularly as these types of leaders are willing to give praise to others, as well as seek personal recognition. However, a quality...

Ideally, conflicts should be productive.
Given that my leadership style is classified as being an "integrating leader" I show a high level of concern about cementing relationships and meeting organizational goals. When I set goals, they are not simply for myself, but are intended to make the organization and those involved in working relationships grow and change for the better. I am a good and fair negotiator by nature, but not a hard-nosed one: I seek to create ties, rather than foster dissention, and believe that the aim of negotiation is problem-solving.

Methods of coping with the demands of leadership

I am fortunate in that some of the aspects of demonstrating leadership, such as speaking in public, come naturally to me. I work well in a group, and am comfortable both giving and taking advice. I think that the areas I need to work on are one-on-one communication strategies: apologizing to someone, making eye contact, and giving direct orders can be difficult, I think because of my discomfort with personal conflict.

The way I cope with such situations is to play to my strengths as a leader: when giving criticism, I always focus on the task at hand, not upon the person, and sometimes using a prop, such as a chart, a memo, or a computer screen on which both the subordinate and myself can focus can lessen the difficulty of making eye contact in a one-on-one fashion.