Result Oriented Leadership Skills

Leadership Gets Results

Answer to Question 1

The quote mentions a characteristic that great leaders know about their strengths, which is the one common thing in all of them. In my opinion, based on the Strengths Finder 2.0 presented in Rath & Conchie (2017), my top five strengths are:

· Responsibility (Executing domain)

· Focus (Executing domain)

· Communication (Influencing domain)

· Positivity (Relationship building domain)

· Context (Strategic thinking domain)

I agree with this assessment since I realized that I had achieved several goals I set for myself in certain tasks with these competencies. For example, I cannot understand the guidelines for the direction I have to adopt while achieving the milestones without focusing. I find it vital to stay on the right track if work needs to be done successfully and efficiently.

The one that I felt did not describe me best was context. I have inferred that people with high ‘context’ competency could understand present situations well when researching the past. I am of the view that being future-oriented, a leader should be able to prioritize better goals and would be able to focus on his directions accordingly. Research has corroborated this notion that the latest generation’s leaders opt for innovation, open-mindedness, empowerment, and self-achievement as some of the prominent personal values that help leaders become future-oriented (Cresnar & Nedelko, 2020).

I am currently pursuing a job that utilizes most of these strengths, not necessarily all at one time but one after the other. Sometimes, it is possible that I continuously use one competency immediately after the other on fluidity, which helps me stay on track and on time with my project. First and foremost is my responsibility toward my assigned tasks. I need to focus on understanding the guidelines clearly; otherwise, I cannot pay attention to details. I understand well that my responsibility instills honesty in my work and value it. I know I have to take accountability for my hard work, even if it rarely contains errors. I feel this competency aligns with my focus attribute as I arrange a systematic way of working and act accordingly. Also, I communicate with my peers, sometimes to take their help and sometimes to support them. I feel coordination and collaboration are mandatory to achieve targets, especially in teamwork and professional development through better networking (Reeves et al., 2017). I am always positive in speaking my words as I weigh them before I utter them. I am always cautious about my choice of words and not to hurt anyone with them. I suppose context is the competency that does not describe me well. However, I research facts when I am confused in my work, but I do not always do that in real life, in actual relationships, or every deed of my life, as a rule of thumb.

Answer to Question 2

The four basic needs of followers- trust, compassion, stability, and hope- could be considered responsibilities of the leader that he needs to fulfill for his followers. For example, trust is the honesty and transparency that he must portray through his actions, words, and behavior, which is highly conducive to employee motivation and engagement, as verified by Gallup research (Rath & Conchie, 2017, p. 83).

I asked one of my colleagues at work to evaluate me on the four basic features of followers’ needs. He told me I rank high on trust and compassion, relatively lower on stability, and least on hope. He gave the reasons that I am reliable, that is why I am trustworthy; he added that he or any other co-workers could come up to him to discuss their problems, either at work or personal, and they know that I would listen to them and try my best to help them. This supports my attribute of compassion, which means I am sympathetic and a good listener. My colleagues explained that my presence provides tranquility, and they feel relaxed with me. My caring, friendly and positive personality enlightens them. The third feature of stability was a little lower than the first two as he felt I am not stable in my decisions sometimes. This has happened particularly when dealing with people. For example, I make quick changes in my plans when I see one person troubled with my approach to a problem while the other person feels negative about it. I try to accommodate everyone and please them too soon, for which I lose my stability. Infusing hope in others by leading them with a firm and futuristic approach is what I lack. I am more of a team player than a leader. My colleague said I do not influence people since I like to work with them and not direct them with my commands. I might not be able to instill optimism for their future; thus, a weak motivator for them.

I need to improve stability and work on the basic need called ‘hope.’ Hope is a vital element of the development of any employees they want to see coming from their leaders as they would provide opportunities for growth and continuous capacity of endeavoring for the best in life. Leaders must be cogent to instill positive thinking in their followers and be hopeful for their future (Rath & Conchie, 2017, p. 89). For this, I reckon I should be personally competent, affirm followers by micro-managing their issues such as giving support in handling small tasks of the big project, even if it is in teamwork, gain their trust by offering them consultation from time to time, and encourage them to reach their mileposts on time (Richardson et al., 2011). The performance of followers could be acknowledged when they complete a task on time, such as researching a company and collecting its details within two hours. Higher performance standards would benefit not only the company or the leader and assist them in getting out of their comfort zone for enhanced recognition and work achievements.

Answer to Question 3

Trust can be built by being candid and truthful about anything communicated with the followers. This would make valuable use of my strengths, “communication” and “positivity,” for building strong relations with them. Integrity would inject respect within them without effort as they would know I am authentic about my words and could be trusted blindly (Rath & Conchie, 2017, p. 84). This strategy resonates with me since I know building relations with this perspective would enable me to exhibit myself through my actions. They would know what I am in reality and not try to portray me as a good person on the outside, which would seem fake and unreliable.

Strategy for compassion seems acceptable to me as Rath & Conchie (2017, p. 86) cited an example of Standard Chartered’s Mervyn Davies, whose wife had cancer. The leader instantly became aware of his employees’ physical and mental well-being, which aroused compassion. I believe caring and empathizing form a close bond with the followers, which might not be possible to build with every employee in a big organization (Rahman & Castelli, 2013). Still, an attempt could be made if employees’ morale needs a boost from a concerned leader.

I highly agree with the strategy of transparency of the company’s financial performance to guarantee the follower’s another basic need- stability. They must know where the company is headed in the coming years and how its financial health would certify their salaries (Rath & Conchie, 2017, p. 88). Stability patterns need to be conveyed to followers, which I think I need to work on with ‘responsibility’ competency.

I further agree with the creation of hope through the strategy of creating new possibilities that would still meet the company’s goals and fulfill its vision (Rath & Conchie, 2017, p. 91). Followers need something to look forward to rather than monotonous work in their daily routine. I perceive this might work for me if I use ‘context’ competency while learning from the past and incorporating it into future opportunities for generating attention for the followers that they would find insightful and intriguing to work on.