Reflective Essay On Leadership: Analysis And Development Plan

Description of Challenge Situation

The essay aims at providing a self-reflective analysis of leading a change within a real life situation. Before providing a description of the situation, it is very important to understand the concept of leadership. It refers to the ability of the company’s management in taking decisive and swift action along with setting and achieving challenging goals. It also implies outperforming competition and inspiring others in performing well (Anitha 2014)

The organization that I work for did not have any not offer any training based programme that acted as a challenge for employees. This has been a challenge for the employees from the very beginning. Two years after I joined in, I have tried to implement a skill based training programme for overall development of the employees. These included development of the presentation skills, communication skills, problem-solving skills, conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, ethics and time management. I played the role of a leader in initiating the programme. The people who aided in this regard included the senior management, HR professionals and the employees. The change was considered important because it would help the employees in delivering effective performance.

According to Othman and Rahman (2014), leadership in the aspirational corporations is something more than the common image of being charismatic, innovative and passionate. Therefore, it not only necessitates the need to lead but at the same time direct, inspire and teach others in the organization. In fact, these abilities should permeate within the organization. However, some of the leadership qualities that I demonstrated in this situation included delegation, trustworthiness, creativity, positivity, responsibility and feedback.

Besides, I have tried to lead by setting an example. I believe that the best way of achieving this is by motivating the colleagues in the ways I expect the project to approach. I have always tried to be enthusiastic and never complained about the work pressure even though I have been inwardly grumbling. As the leader, I have tried to listen more and talk less. This I felt necessary in getting people to talk and help in demonstrating my respect towards the employees. I never played favourites and encouraged each member in becoming a part of the skill based training program. I have also done my fair share being the leader. This is necessary for the others to take a notice that I never push any unexpected or last minute problems to the others. When others see me working harder, it will indirectly create an influence on them. I have also tried to remain genuine and personable without adopting a false persona that helped in creating the right impression amongst the colleagues. I have always taken ownership of any responsibility undertaken. I have tried to avoid pointing fingers when something goes went wrong instead I have tried to address issues and identify the ways for preventing it from happening in future.  Further, I would also like to mention that I am not a born leader but have honed my skills over the years through various job trainings.

Critical Analysis of Leadership Capabilities Demonstrated

According to Choudhary, Akhtar and Zaheer (2013), it is to note that effective leaders are vital for any organization. They not only help in building stronger teams with business thereby ensuring that initiatives, projects and work functions performed effectively. As the skills of leaders involves multiple communication and interpersonal skills it is possible for any individual for honing and exercising leadership abilities. Good leaders not only enhance employee involvement but also support a positive environment that helps in removing obstacles of the team (Sharif and Scandura 2014). In other words, good leadership is not only contagious but also inspires colleagues in applying positive traits to leadership within their work.

However, I feel that there are certain leadership capabilities that could have improved for dealing with the situation that includes, practicing patience, recruiting smart talent, trying something different, by going against the conventions and own intuitions, scheduling time for the rest, relaxation and sleep and coaching others.

Northouse (2017) stated that practicing patience is necessary when the things at the work go awry. Stepping away from the situation not only allows me few minutes in processing what exactly is happening but provides room for breathing and headspace for making calculated and informed decisions. Practice of patience allows in taking a prudent approach in decision making thereby making the employees, vendors and partners appreciative.

Vance et al. (2014) also mentioned that recruitment of smart talent implies that I should surround myself with individuals who will help in developing and fostering better habits of leadership. Although the business does not necessarily require support but it is necessary to recruit employees, agencies and contractors who excel in what they do. This helps in improving the work environment.

I have also found that trying something different puts forward provisions in learning new things where I am able to develop various perspectives not only about myself but also about the world. Exposure to fresh experience helps in discovering newer strategies for coping with problem solving and stress at the work (Beck and Cowan 2014). Besides, it is also necessary for me in attempting two separate but conflicting approaches in solving problems. In certain cases, the gut feeling seemed completely wrong and the risk taken was worth its reward.

I should also have taken out more time for recharging myself by taking out time for relaxing and resting. Besides, as a leader I should also encourage practice mindfulness and meditate for persevering through the troubling situations. Further, at the same time I should play the role of teacher as well as instructor for reinforcing the previous lessons and further enhancing the skills.

Through, the reflection experience I have realized that my strength lies in following both self-leadership and servant leadership. There are also areas of improvement that will help in portraying effective leadership over time. Self-leadership refers to the development of a sense regarding myself, what I can do and where I can move when coupled with ability for influencing the emotion, behaviour and communication (Furtner, Baldegger and Rauthmann, 2013). On the other hand, servant leadership refers to the philosophy and the set of practices that will help in enriching lives of the individuals, build better organization and create more than just a caring world (Liden et al. 2014).  

	I want to practice patience and become better listener. I want to build relationships through active listening and connect to what the people say.
	This will help in undertaking better decisions and collaborate well on the newer initiatives.
	I try to make assumptions about what the person says while I also try to listen I try to use  non verbal  communication through blank stare and eye rolling  thereby showing my disappointment I have a tendency to defend whenever I hear information that I usually disagree with.
	Get distracted as I believe that I have a better answer and are sometimes impatient with certain people
1.By suspending my opinions and reactions and take notes and revert with questions once the speaker finishes	April, 2019
2. Understanding how to practice patience and also understand the facts that stops me from listening	May, 2019
	Not ready to undertake change.	Reminding myself of how I feel when someone really listens.
	Checking with others as we meet and inquire if their message is heard.
	Tools related to leadership program Watching videos and website
	Patience along with good listening abilities acts as foundation for all relationships. It is possible through conducting monthly meetings with the faculty groups and the staffs.

Conclusion:  

On a concluding note, it can be said that leadership provides a direction to the company and shows the workers how they will be able to effectively perform the responsibilities while supervising the completion of the task on a regular basis. In fact, leadership also involves showing the workers in effectively performing responsibilities and supervising the completion of the task on a regular basis. In other words, leadership is about setting a positive example for the staffs to follow.

References:

Anitha, J., 2014. Determinants of employee engagement and their impact on employee performance. International journal of productivity and performance management, 63(3), p.308.

Beck, D.E. and Cowan, C.C., 2014. Spiral dynamics: Mastering values, leadership and change. John Wiley & Sons.

Choudhary, A.I., Akhtar, S.A. and Zaheer, A., 2013. Impact of transformational and servant leadership on organizational performance: A comparative analysis. Journal of business ethics, 116(2), pp.433-440.

Furtner, M.R., Baldegger, U. and Rauthmann, J.F., 2013. Leading yourself and leading others: Linking self-leadership to transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 22(4), pp.436-449.

Liden, R.C., Wayne, S.J., Liao, C. and Meuser, J.D., 2014. Servant leadership and serving culture: Influence on individual and unit performance. Academy of Management Journal, 57(5), pp.1434-1452.

Northouse, P.G., 2017. Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice. Sage Publications.

Othman, Z. and Rahman, R.A., 2014. Attributes of ethical leadership in leading good governance. International Journal of Business and Society, 15(2), p.359.

Sharif, M.M. and Scandura, T.A., 2014. Do perceptions of ethical conduct matter during organizational change? Ethical leadership and employee involvement. Journal of Business Ethics, 124(2), pp.185-196.

Vance, C.M., Vaiman, V., Cosic, A., Abedi, M. and Sena, R., 2014. Smart global talent management: A promising hybrid. In Global Talent Management (pp. 29-41). Springer, Cham.