Leadership After Completing the Self-Analysis in Hackman

Leadership

After completing the self-analysis in Hackman & Johnson's (2008) book Leadership: A communication perspective, I have evaluated myself as follows: For competence I rated myself as being skilled, informed and trained. In regards to trustworthiness I evaluated that I am honest, kind and friendly. For dynamism, I regard myself as assertive and active. This paper will summarize the results that I found and discuss what those results illustrate or reveal about my leadership communication behaviors.

I rated myself as skilled, informed and trained when it comes to competence. When it comes to leadership, the higher the individual is in a leadership role, the more important communication competence becomes. I rated myself as skilled because I have been in leadership roles where I have had to communicate information effectively. Being in these positions helped me hone my leadership communication skills. I feel that being in smaller leadership roles were good training for me. I feel that I am informed when it comes to competent communication. Hackman and Johnson (2008) note that, "Leadership effectiveness depends on our willingness to interact with others and on developing effective communication skills" (p. 21). We cannot be effective leaders if we do not have the desire to interact with people and to try and hone our communication skills. Effective communication and competent communication is perhaps the most important aspect to leadership.

Hackman and Johnson (2008) posit that charismatic leaders all "project an image of confidence, competence, and trustworthiness" (p. 126). Trustworthiness is something that is perhaps overlooked when we think about qualities that we want in leaders but it is in actuality arguably the most important quality in a leader. I rated myself as honest, kind and friendly in this category. I have always felt that honesty is always the best policy and this is something -- a trait -- that was instilled in me by my parents. Kindness and friendliness are also immensely important in leadership because when people are kind, friendly and honest it promotes trust in others -- and a leader will not get very far if they do not have the trust and respect of the people whom they are leading.

For dynamism I have evaluated myself as being both assertive and active. Hackman and Johnson (2008) discuss how sometimes being unassertive can come across as being unfriendly. They note, "If friends have told you that you seem unfriendly because you are quiet…trying being more assertive. If you make a conscious effort to greet others, introduce yourself, and learn more about the others at the gathering, you may shake your cool, unfriendly image" (p. 30). This is a way of managing the impression that is made on others. Being assertive does not have to mean being irritating or pushy; in fact, it doesn't mean that at all. Being assertive is about putting one's self out there and getting to know others in a natural and genuine way. Being "active" in reference to dynamism has to do with being engaged and this also goes along with assertiveness. Leaders must be active if they want to instill encouragement and inspiration to their followers. Being an active leader doesn't just mean actively talking, however. Active refers to the way one listens as well. I feel that I am a good listener as well as a good talker. Communication is about both talking and listening.

In completing this exercise I have learned a lot about myself because I have really taken the time to reflect on how I am with others and especially when I am put in a leadership position. I understand that while I definitely have some positive traits that can easily be translated into effective leadership, I also have areas that I need to work on. Competence is an area where I do believe that I am skilled and informed, but I believe that I could work on this quality. I don't think we should ever get to a point in our minds where we believe that we have learned enough. There is always room for improvement.

As a follower I have learned that the most important trait that I prize in a leader is trustworthiness. Why trustworthiness is often overlooked or pushed into the background is a bit of a mystery because it really is the most important characteristic of any leader. If we cannot trust a leader then what is the purpose of believing them to be the best communicator out there? Knowing this is how I feel about people who have led me, I feel it is safe to say that others may feel the same and thus it is important that people who follow me also feel that they can trust me above and beyond all else.