Self-evaluation of personal leadership strengths and weaknesses

¶ … Leadership

It is to common knowledge that good leaders are made but not born (Fletcher, 2009), but if the desire is driven by a sheer force of will and coupled with the inculcation of the necessary ambition, one can mould his personality into becoming an effective leader. It was history that taught us that the world famous leaders, despite the values they preached or the morals they stood out for, cultivated through an ongoing channel of education, experience, training and self-study. From Napoleon to Luther, it is clearly evident that it is the continuous hardship rather than resting laurels that makes one competent enough to reach for the heavens above.

Before my self-evaluation in context to leadership and its consequential predicaments, I would like to start off by the simple definition of leadership. Leadership is the mechanism that enables a person to inspire and motivate others in order to perform a designated task thereby guiding the organization in a way for it to be more tenacious and articulate (Waite, 2008). While the prerequisite skills required to becoming an effective leader can be learned, but the knowledge and experience possessed by a dignitary are usually motivated by their specific features and characteristics including assents, principles, moral philosophy and individuality. Both the necessary skill and the imperative knowledge runs side by side, parallel to stream line the individual into becoming a leader with uniquely inculpated characteristics. It is this fact that separates one leader from another.

Strengths of a Leader

When I see myself to stand out as a leader, gather and motivating others onto a single platform, constituting of ideas and morals to follow and accomplish the heart's desires, I find that I lack in several places. What I have always believed in is that it is about controlling the person inside of me that shall enable me to mould the person I portray to be. The first person that one leads is always himself and then it is through the action of the individual that others are influenced to join. To inspire others, I first have to battle my own self, my needs and desires, to inculcate the values of a leader in order to tackle the challenges effectively. I have to accurately know about my character first and foremost. I have been brought up believing that if talent is a god given gift than character building is definitely a choice. Character building not just simply inspires others but also bring an everlasting eminence with the people that are ready to follow you. The sturdy character of a leader is the main back bone of any organizational framework.

Second is charisma. As leadership and recruitment is evaluated all on the basis of the first impressions, it is of dire need to exhibit one's own self to be thinking about others rather than thinking about yourself at first. If one expects to be a good leader, then it is cardinal that the loyalty of the followers is ensured through this procedure as well (Lawler & Bilson, 2009).

Thirdly, it would be the unflinching commitment to the task. I adhere to the fact that it is such commitment that separates the doers from the dreamers and that one extra effort in the end is all that makes up for a stupendous difference.

Fourth and one of the most essential strengths, that classifies a leader, is communication. Developing superior communication skills is vital for a productive commanding persona as the leader must be able to deliver ideas and share knowledge to disseminate an impression of imperativeness and exhilaration to others (Northouse, 2009). Fifth strength that I have to build is courage. In order to be an effective leader, it is of the utmost importance to be the beacon of hope for one's followers as one leader's courage can become the anthem of the majority. It allows the organization to be focused more upon priorities and helps to build concentration. A leader, who is well aware of his antecedents but lacks the consolidation for effort, shall always be unable to accomplish the tasks set out before him. But once a leader is able to harness both of these simultaneously, he has the abeyance to accomplish eminent feats.

Weaknesses to Overcome

I believe that I have several weaknesses that can accumulate as hurdles if left unnoticed. Over the passage of time, I have noticed several things in my behavior and actions that have always have been problematic for me. First of all I am unable to take an initiative and when once I am struck by failure, I do not stand up again to continue to battle against the surmounting odds. I do not tolerate mistakes and rarely give second chances. I have high expectations and act almost ruthlessly to those that are unable to perform up to the mark. Therefore it is essential that I am able to learn from my mistakes and learn to push myself in order to encourage my team to act in accord, along the same lines of action. More over I am very impatient and not a very good listener. This consequentially hinders my capabilities concerning problem solving and hinders me from building long lasting relationships and ensuring the everlasting loyalty and faith of my colleagues. If things do not work out according to the desired plan of action, then I get very depressed and equally aggressive therefore I must build patience and quench my thirst for violence in order to think and act clearly and concisely.

Relationship Building

Relationship building approaches should always be initiated with the consequential commitment to aid the partnered individual to prevail, evolve and prosper. Such commitment sketches the necessary framework for the relationship to be built upon.

I generally pursue a relationship building approach by reflectively listening to the wants and needs of my group members. To get to know much more about them and to understand their dreams and desires they wish to accomplish in life. I also try to consciously reply to their open ended statements to let them understand and let them know that I am listening to them and taking interest. Therefore by simply focusing, whether for a limited period of time, on the needs of others rather than on your own needs aids in the development of trust.

As the bond of trust flourishes, I try to acknowledge their needs and wants without withholding any expectation for some sort of reward or apprehension. Such altruistic action testifies to my commitment to support and allow the client a chance to experience the unique nature of my involvement.

After constructing the basic ground work. I focus on bigger steps to effectively engage myself and the other members of the team to work together towards conjointly auspicious resolutions. For example I would try to console a troubled member once his or her performance is seen to be gradually declining. Try to take interest in the activities in their daily lives and show the members that there is a presence of a human relationship between us before any kind of business transaction.

Conflict Resolution

There are numerous approaches to deal with the incompatibilities that exist, regardless of the level of conflict, when addressing such issues. Conflicts do pose a serious threat to the well maintained stability and the altogether future of the group on the whole. If managed effectively, it enables us to find out new a solution which consequentially enables both parties to be mutually satisfied with the outcome. There are three main approaches that I adhere to when resolving conflicts within my team. They depend upon the situation and the credibility of the faction itself.

I normally adhere towards using the win-lose approach that, though being common, has not lost its efficiency over the passage of time (Zastrow, 2009). It directly accesses the psychological nature of the individual, being synchronous with the innate nature of a human being. It comprises of one faction to win and the other to lose through socially acceptable mechanisms, such as the decision of the majority to rule out a member, the direct initiative taken by myself due to my responsibilities as a leader or through several secretive innuendos. In some conflicts I might take the side of the majority or under specified analysis, support a person due to his past credentials.

Second approach is the lose-lose approach that demonstrates by burnishing over clashes or by concluding the most understandable of compromises. It does spur an echo of disagreement among the members but sometimes it is the deemed necessity under certain situations, where both parties are subjected to penalties such as both are relieved of their duties in the group or dismissed from the band. Or either suspended for a short interval to think and recollect.

Finally, is the win -- win approach where an acquainted and analytical attempt is made to aggrandize the goals of both the parties through cooperative dispute resolving. This allows the members to know that the conflict is not a war to be won but is a problem that is in the dire need to be resolved, thereby allowing both the parties to work together towards the attainment of common goals.

Leadership in My Organization

The leader needs diversified talents and skills in an organization but having a vision is a cause of inspiration for themselves and others regardless of how disheartening the circumstances are and should have strong diligence and infectious enthusiasm towards future. They need to be creative, be able to pull all their skills and resources, and find new approaches for the solution of a problem. In the times of stress, keeping a cool head maintains clarity. An example of superior leadership is that of Southwest airlines. On September 11, 2001, where the airline industry cut their workforce by up to 20%, Southwest not only handled the crisis well but also retained all their employees and made a $179.8 million profit sharing payment to employees. One of the many examples of poor leadership is that of Lehman Brothers which was pounded to the ground by the needless risk taking strategies and weak governance of Richard Fuld.

Competency for Leadership Roles/Leadership Role Skills/Leadership Role Expertise

Leadership is about influencing and transforming customs, beliefs and values of people. In the life of a person there are demanding issues, unstable situations, unexpected dilemmas and dead ends. So the most important aspect is persevering during difficult moments. Over the course of my life I have witnessed various revivals from financial crises, public relation disasters etc. And I have been able to solve them through perseverance, faith in myself and self-confidence. I have always been able to find a way through the brambles by conserving my emotional strength intact. During my career I headed few new projects, and every time it brought with it lot of adversaries and opposition. The general idea was that it will not work and is a waste of time and money. I had a strong conviction in my projects and myself. With persistent hard work of few years they were ready to take off. It was a tough call and I had no specific directions. The only factor behind my inspiration was the profound belief that I had in the vision behind the project. Although I have certain setbacks but I believe that I am a good leader as I stood fast in the face of challenges and used variety of approaches to achieve success.

Leadership Role Development

Life is a constant engineering process of a person's behavioral growth and skill competence. With succession in life it further develops as one faces a variety of experiences. I was very privileged to have a stable home environment with a large number of siblings in my adolescent years which helped me increase my persistence, enthusiasm for learning and kept sound social relationships. The series of challenging situations that I faced in my young life inculcated endurance, hard work, and resilience. My balanced emotional state and optimistic approach towards life helped me to evolve into a confident and strong person. The final step which prepared me for leadership was my early work environment which supported and appreciated my efforts and performance. I had an environment which encouraged growth, provided job challenge and participation in decision making, and above all expected achievements. Experience taught me time management and instigated goal setting behavior. I worked in countless fields under multifarious people, thereby learning the core values of adaptability and resilience. I learned from my practical life, the core values that one needs to learn or be buried under the brutal torture of the corporate jungle.

Leadership Style Simulation:

The leadership theories and styles presented so far fit within formal theoretical frameworks. Within all of these theories, frameworks, and approaches to leadership, the elemental factor is that leaders need to have diverse expositions supporting them. A bunch of characteristics and attitudes does not make a leader productive but a comprehensive range of skills and techniques need to be learned. There are many formal and informal terms used for leadership styles which are autocratic, bureaucratic, democratic, laissez faire, charismatic, people oriented, task oriented, transactional, transformational etc.

The theory that is most aligned with my current leadership style is transformational. These leaders are normally dynamic and enthusiastic and coerce constructive changes in minds. These leaders are not only involved and committed but they steer each member of the group towards the goal. They draw energy from their vision and charisma and hence are able to instill innovation into the team members. The highlights of transformational leadership are intellectual revival, personal development, inspirational drive and enriched guidance.

A leader using this style lays definite goals with devotion and communicates his conception. He expects the best from the team by setting a good example. He encourages and supports by acknowledging good work. He helps people see beyond their self-interest and focus more on team benefits and needs. He executes challenging work and inspires and drives them towards shared objectives.