Effective leadership is one of the most important attributes within any organization. It is one of the primary pillars which supports the business as well as all its stakeholders. There has been an on-going debate about the nature of leadership. Some people believe that leaders are born while some scholars are of the opinion that leadership abilities and attributes can be learned. Every leader in the business is responsible for their team. Their primary responsibilities include motivating team members, addressing their issues, ensuring coordination within the team, leading by example and guiding their team towards the successful accomplishment of team goals.
I have been presented with several opportunities that have given me experience of a leadership role. This particular report reflects upon the entire journey of my leadership experience. The contribution of a leadership role in any individual’s life is very critical. In fact, these roles play a significant part in shaping one’s personality. This report is a summary of my experience as a leader as well as a reflection upon my leadership style.
By profession, I am a pharmacist working in a renowned pharmacy store. At present, I am leading a team of five medical representatives. My leadership journey with this team started two years ago. Since then, it has been an immense learning experience. As a leader, I try my best to keep my team motivated. We work as a team and all the decisions that are made within the team involve the participation of all team members. I am a democratic leader. This suggests that my leadership style is participative in nature.
My current leadership role has taught me to take responsibility and work together with a team in a coordinated manner. It is very important that people working in pharmacy stores are highly attentive and active at all times. As a leader, I have tried my best to instil a culture of open communication and utmost transparency. Communication within a team is critical to the success of the team (Hackman & Johnson, 2013). Being a leader of the team, I practice a 360 degree feedback strategy. This strategy suggests that every employee of the organization is given a feedback from their seniors, juniors as well as peers (Bracken & Church, 2013). Therefore, as a leader too, I receive consistent feedback from my team members.
My first leadership experience was when I was heading my team project in school. It was a small journey, yet it helped me familiarize with the responsibilities of a leader. Post which, I became the head of the communications club in my college. This club was founded to organize competitions like debate and declamations. As a group, we also organized workshops for improving communication skills among people. After the first year, I was appointed as the head of the club wherein I led a team of 28 people. The leadership journey with the club helped me understand the value of punctuality, honesty and responsibility. I became a more organized person and planned my time in an effective manner. Besides this, I also experienced what it feels like to be associated with a group.
A leader must be able to work with different people and ensure effective coordination among them (Germain, 2012). I was able to learn the same from my leadership experience. Once I started working at the pharmacy store, I enhanced my learning. Owing to my performance, I was offered a leadership role. This role further enhanced upon my experience. I faced several challenges owing to the critical nature of the job. A leader must be capable to face challenging situations and achieve goals. As a leader in this role, I have always tried to lead by example. A leader must lead in a manner that sets an example for the rest of the team (Edgar, Geare & O’Kane, 2015). This would assist in gaining trust and respect from team members. My overall journey has been that of immense growth and personal development.
Gallup’s strength finder is an online tool that allows people to identify their top five strengths. The first strength of mine as analyzed by the test is that I am a relator. This suggests that I tend to accept my weaknesses and flaws and I relate with people who are ambitious. Since I accept my weaknesses, I am also honest in all my communications. The second strength of mine was being an includer. This means that I have an accepting nature towards other people. I completely relate with this analysis because having worked with different kinds of people, I have come to understand and accept people. It also suggests that I am a cheerful and optimistic person. I often use this attitude to keep my team members motivated. An effective leadership must work towards creating a positive working environment (Men, 2014).
The third strength of mine was being a developer. This suggests that I try to recognize and cultivate potentials of others. As a leader, this is a really effective skill. I try to ensure that all my team members are doing the jobs that they are good at. A leader should be someone that team members can come to for advice (Thorton, 2014). I try my best to be that leader and offer advice to my team mates as and when necessary. The fourth strength of mine as identified by the Gallup’s test was being restorative. This suggests that in times of a crisis, I try to deal with the problem in the most effective manner. A leader must be able to effectively deal with challenging situations (Butcher, 2018). This is important because at the time of a crisis, every person in the team looks up to the leader. I agree with this analysis because I have personally noticed this attitude several times. Last but not the least, the fifth strength identified by the test was consistency. As the name suggests, this reflect upon my ability to treat all people in the same manner as well as upon my stability within an organization. I avoid being partial towards any particular team member. This helps in keeping the working environment fair and impartial. A leader must always be fair in order to maintain the decorum of the team (Hutchinson & Hurley, 2013).
Through the course of this self-reflection, I also got feedback from my partner Samantha. She suggested that interaction with people or communication is an essential part of my life and I could use this ability in my leadership journey. She also suggested that try to collaborate ideas and opinions of different people and then bring them together with efficacy. In her feedback she also mentioned that I tend to be diplomatic in cases of conflicts. Even though sometimes it is essential, but not always recommended. She suggested that I try to be more honest in my approach and address conflicts in a transparent manner.
One of the most important feedback that I received from her was that I should not try to please everyone around me. I tend to do that a lot which also sometimes lands me in trouble. I desire for good and long term relationships. She mentioned that even though it is a good thing, I must not let myself be taken for granted. Her feedback has largely helped me in understanding various facets of my personality that I did not know before. She also appreciated me for the fact that I am very organized. However, she also guided me that I should not allow my desire to be organized to blind me from new opportunities.
Conclusion
Leadership roles that I have encountered in my life have been a major source of learning for me. Through this course, I have been able to reflect upon my leadership skills and styles. I have been able to identify my strengths and weaknesses. The Gallup’s test as well as the feedback from my partner have been largely helpful.
As a leader, I am participative and optimistic. I try to take responsibility for my team members and consistently work towards motivating them. I also try to understand my team members better so that they can identify their potential. I possess excellent communication skills. I would surely work towards improving my ability to deal with conflict. I would also try to ensure that I refrain myself from trying to please everyone around me. The entire self-reflection process has been that of immense learning. I am sure that my revelations from this course would help me improve upon my leadership skills and would guide me in the future course of my journey.
References
Bracken, D. W., & Church, A. H. (2013). The” new” performance management paradigm: capitalizing on the unrealized potential of 360 degree feedback. People and Strategy, 36(2), 34.
Butcher, B. W. (2018). Leadership and Crisis Management. Rapid Response System: A Practical Guide, 19.
Edgar, F., Geare, A., & O’Kane, P. (2015). The changing dynamic of leading knowledge workers: The importance of skilled front-line managers. Employee Relations, 37(4), 487-503.
Germain, M. L. (2012). Traits and skills theories as the nexus between leadership and expertise: Reality or fallacy?. Performance Improvement, 51(5), 32-39.
Hackman, M. Z., & Johnson, C. E. (2013). Leadership: A communication perspective. Waveland Press. United Kingdom.
Hutchinson, M., & Hurley, J. (2013). Exploring leadership capability and emotional intelligence as moderators of workplace bullying. Journal of Nursing Management, 21(3), 553-562.
Men, L. R. (2014). Why leadership matters to internal communication: Linking transformational leadership, symmetrical communication, and employee outcomes. Journal of Public Relations Research, 26(3), 256-279.
Thornton, K. (2014). Mentors as educational leaders and change agents. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 3(1), 18-31.
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