An effective leader is one who is able to harness and negotiate this change so that the company is able to deal with it and survive. Some limitations to overcome

A leader has to possess the following characteristics: Empowerment; Risk-taking; Participation; and Development (Eicher; online). In a practical sense, this translates into the following schema: I need to empower employees listening to their ideas regarding how the organization can work. I would need to also inspire the employees to work independently and to gain their own knowledge.

Thirdly, I would need to inspire an atmosphere of innovation so that employees and myself together can decide how to work through difficult situations, and this must be accomplished in a face-saving manner in a supportive rather than in an accusatory atmosphere. Finally, I must endeavor to foster an environment of continuous learning and growth.

Some of this is easier for me to accomplish than others. Even though I rate myself as a tolerant, non-judgmental person, I still possess implicit bias towards certain individuals, and circumstances. I would need to be aware of these biases and seek to act in a rational manner at all times. Listening is sometimes difficult for me. I need to accord the other complete attentions. Finally, but not exclusively, all organizations go through change. I would not only need to, somehow or other, maintain my cool through these challenging times but enable my employees to keep their cool likewise. The best way that I can get myself to deal with change more effectively is via experimenting and taking risks despite possible disappointments. I will learn to deal with frustration and pressure by taking one step at a time. I can search for different challenges each and every day in my job

Leadership opportunities in the community, government, or building my own practice

My intention is to return to school and start my own business. I am uncertain yet about which area to go into, but one way of finding out (and acquiring leadership capacities at the same time) is via investigating other businesses for ideas: those that seem to be successful ferreting out what makes them so, and those that seem to fail, investigating the actions that lead to their failure. Two authors that can help me on this topic are: Behar (2007) and Facella (2009). As senior executive at Starbucks, Behar helped establish the Starbucks culture, whilst Facella (regional vice-president) shaped the environment at McDonald's.

At the same time, I can turn mistakes of others or myself into learning experiences, and attempting to craft these learning experiences...

I could, furthermore, admit my mistake and tell others what I learned form the failure.
(i) Areas to grow with in private practice as leader and (ii) Other aspirations as a developing leader: nonprofit sector or executive leadership.

I do not know where my experience will lead me, but I do know that I intend my life to be one never-ending pursuit of growth and of openness on my part on how to become a better leader in all sectors of life, in particular, but not exclusively in connection to any startup business opportunities that I am considering.

To that end, I see a critically reflexive practice position as being my key aspiration that contains and holds all else within it: Being 'in' ourselves', it is utterly impossible for ourselves to see ourselves and our existence (or ontology) in a transcendental manner. The closest we can come to this is via four types of lenses: the lens of our own autobiographies as critical thinkers (Critically examining our autobiography may help us uncover certain roots to our habits); the lens of learners' eyes (welcoming criticism and attempting to see the piece of learning through the eyes of the other); the lens of colleagues' perceptions (discussing and sharing our thoughts and perceptions with colleagues); and the lens of theoretical, philosophical, and research literature (Theory provides multiple perspectives on our one habitual perspective of 'reality' ) (Brookfield, 1998). Keeping these four lenses in mind as lifelong endeavor, can help me become more reflective and calm as well thereby enabling me to make more rational decisions and become a better leader.

Sources

Ayers, M.(2002). Leadership.Shared meaning, and semantics.etc. Cetera, 59, 287

Chaudron, D. Assessing and Improving your Organization, Organized Change Consultancy, Retrieved on 11/24/2011from: http://www.organizedchange.com/assess.htm

Kotter JP. 1996. Leading Change. Boston, MA: Harv. Bus. School

Mintzberg, H., Ahlstrand, B., & Lampel, J. (1998). Strategy Safari Simon & Schuster, NY

Quinn RE. 1996. Deep Change: Discovering the Leader Within. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Sales, A. (2006). Substance Abuse and Counseling: A Perspective The International Child and Youth Care Network,. Cyc-Online. http://www.cyc-net.org/cyc-online/cycol-0106-sales.html

Sun Tzu, (2001). The Art of War Wylie, TX: Pickard & Son, Publishers.

Wheatley, M. (2002). Silence is the Problem. Shambhala Sun. Retrieved on 5/18/2010 from http://margaretwheatley.com/articles/silenceistheproblem.html.