In this essay, I will briefly discuss my personal experiences which I had while attending MBA residential at Fallbarrow hall in Lake District. The weekend provided me with an enlightening knowledge of my interpersonal skills and some of my behaviours which I could use to advantage. This essay will discuss my feelings and what I learnt about myself.
Leadership skills provide proper aid in solving complex tasks by generating adequate action plans by having a clear view of their mission. However, I lacked in certain aspects in accordance with leadership skills which I understood on my three days trip to Fall barrow hall at Mindspehere. I participated in a number of activities which improved my leadership skills. A number of games were arranged which made me happy. I was also a bit anxious as I am an introvert. However, the games changed a lot of my perspectives and enhanced my confidence.
One of the most memorable parts of this trip was meeting new people where I learned to interact with my fellow mates and was no longer shy as I used to be. The first game we played was Crusher whose name gave me Goosebumps but I was ready to take on whatever challenge was presented. The rules demand four players for effectiveness. The guide enhanced our understanding of the game. At first I never understood but with time I was okay. This game taught me a lot about teamwork as it included the equal participation of each member.
The second game was Roller Ball which was a bit complicated. The problem arose due to inner conflict among the team members. I was in a dilemma because I knew the one who started the conflict had a valid point. We never practiced much because of the conflict. Therefore, as a leader I had to take a step. I had to oppose that one person and agree with the rest of my teammates who wanted to take a risk for this game. Despite the risk, I and my team managed to win in the end. This made me extremely happy and satisfied. However, it also made a bit anxious because the third game was coming up and it was bound to be challenging.
In the second day of our trip, two tasks were clashing so in order to complete a task in the Business game, I had to stay behind because I am good at math and finance. The problem was indeed a bit difficult though I managed to solve in the end, I was successfully able to complete the hardest part of the game. Although I could go out with the rest of my teammates, this experience proved to be the best. My confidence upon my skills in maths and financial problems became stronger. Therefore, I can say that this was trip was indeed a successful one as I was able to reflect on me and the skills possessed by me. This trip also shaped me into a good leader and I learned how I can motivate the rest of team members.
The experience taught me a lot about how to properly communicate along with work as an ideal team player. Being a naturally shy person, I usually do not engage in communications but here as a leader, I had to effectively play the most important role among my teammates. A proper teamwork is incomplete with adequate communication (Salmon, Stanton. and Jenkins, 2017). Therefore, I had to learn how to effectively lead a team and with the aid of my teammates I was able to do it. I and my team won three games in a consecutive manner which proves I was successfully able to utilise strong leadership skills. There are various aspects of leadership and teamwork that I was not aware of until I went on this trip. Leadership is one of the most effective qualities required for the execution of a work in a proper manner (Fairhurst and Connaughton, 2014).
According to me the third task was the most challenging but it required individual effort. Therefore, I can say that it was the second task which required the most effort. Although the first game required teamwork, it was comparatively easy to the second one where inner clash between the teammates caused a problem. As a leader, I had to think very critically before coming up with a decision. It is also the duty of a leader to take risks, therefore, in the second game; I challenged myself and took upon the game with stride. This trip proved me wrong as I was able to identify my strengths and weaknesses. The games which were organized during this trip played a major role in making me understand which aspects made me a weak team player which in turn affected my overall leadership qualities. Organizational skills such as project scheduling, adequate communication skills aid in the proper completion of a work (Fernandez et al., 2016)
In the process of the games, I understood that better utilization of organizational skills led to completing the game called Crusher in a rather quick manner. Through the aid of this game, I understood the importance of teamwork. The second game taught me the importance of proper verbal communication the aspect I didn’t have. Therefore, I came to the conclusion that I am not a good shaper which requires necessary focus so that a team can move towards its goals. On the other hand, I learnt that I am a very good resource investigator as I was able to complete the business task in an adequate manner. This earned me a lot of compliments which made me feel very confident.
The experience leaves an impression on the other person, therefore, in order to have a certain impact strong motivation is required. Not only did this experience made me realise my weaknesses but I also was able to identify my strengths. The main focus of this trip was the games we played which reflected on our personal strengths and weaknesses. According to Belbin’s Team Roles, I was able to identify which aspects were up to my advantages and the ones which were not. Belbin’s Team Roles helped in identifying the main aspects of the behaviour of its nine clusters (toeflgoanywhere.org, 2017). There were a total of three games played on the trip where the first two focused on teamwork and communication the most. I was able to identify one of my major positive points in my last game which required solving a critical business problem with a span of a few hours. Therefore, I needed to pay my upmost importance so that we were able to win this task at all cost.
My favourite subject being maths, it was decided that I would be the one responsible completely for handling this financial business problem. Although I was nervous at first but I did not want to back out from this challenge as this was my favourite subject. Adequate courage is always required in order to try something new (Tourish, 2014). Therefore, I took this task with stride through which my team was able to win this last game. Although I was a bit sad as I was not able to experience the last outdoor adventure but instead I was able to make my team win. Therefore, I can state that I managed to improve not only on financial and sales aspect but also about leadership qualities and teamwork which would prove to be beneficial for my future. So, I definitely considered that as one of the most satisfactory experience with which this trip ended.
There are several positive and negative aspects of my characteristics which I discovered during my trip to Fallbarrow hall. As the aspect of teamwork has been given the most importance, thorough assessment of Belbin’s Team roles helps in understanding the required qualities for the successful completion of a work. Belbin’s Team roles aid in understanding strengths and weaknesses through which successful teamwork would be evaluated (Shamir and Eilam-Shamir 2018). In the trip, I discovered my lack of organisational skills along with my weak teamwork. Lack of efficient verbal communication resulted to conflict with one of my team members. Although, in the end, I and my team members won the game the argument took a fair amount of time. According to Belbin’s Team roles, I was able to identify my allowable weakness as a team worker. This made me to the realisation that I was not a good monitor evaluator as well.
During the second game, I was so keen about following the direction that I made impartial judgements. I could have dealt with my teammate in a calmer manner; however, I failed to follow this strategy which made a weak monitor evaluator. In order to avoid negative consequences, certain countermeasures are needed to be taken as an immediate step (Goetsch and Davis, 2014). Therefore, I understood that I thoroughly needed to improve my verbal communication skills so that I did not repeat this same aspect. As per the analysis of my activity in this aspect, I can assert that I was not a completer either. The responsibilities of a completer are usually painstaking and conscientious so that no error remains at the end (crfonline.org, 2018). This trip made me conscious of all these aspects and through the aid of the games; I was significantly able to improve on all these three aspects. Not only did I understand in which aspects I needed to work harder but also the techniques and processes through which I would be able to improve the most.
During the second game, I discovered one of my major weaknesses. However, I was also able to identify one of my strengths as well. I understood that I had the ability to perform effectively even under strong pressure. Although in the beginning, I had some problems as the game proceeded I understood how to stay focused towards the set goal. A shaper provides the necessary motivation so that a team can move forward without losing its momentum (Daft, 2014). In the second game, there was a significant amount of risk of losing as we did not have much time for practice. However, I was able to keep my team motivated towards the right direction which led to the ultimate victory of my team. Thus, I could definitely say that these games made me into a successful shaper. According to Belbin’s Team roles, a shaper plays one of the most important roles (DuBrin, 2015).
During the first game, I was able to identify my lack of organisational skills. Thus, I was able to rectify this aspect in the second game which made us winners despite the immense pressure and lack of practice. However, it was in the third and final task where I was able to utilise most of my skills. The last task consisted of solving a business problem and as I loved math, I took upon this challenge with a stride. Completing the last task required a fair amount of time due to which had to cancel an outdoor adventure with my rest of the teammates. This made me realise that although I was good at solving math and financial problems, I needed more practice. However, completing this task gave me confidence in myself and also boosted my whole team’s confidence.
According to Bolden (2016), one of the main aspects of a resource investigator was to be able to explore opportunities. Therefore, not only was I able to find new ideas for the team but I also solved the last task in a success. This affected my overall performance, however, after playing the games on this trip I became more aware of the facts and the areas which I needed to improve. Before this trip, I was not a good shaper or a great team worker, monitor evaluator and a completer according to Belbin’s Team roles which is necessary for a smooth and effective functioning of a team. However, this trip made me understood a lot of aspects through which I have improved quite a lot in all of these fields.
Conclusion
Through the aid of three games, I was able to understand which areas of my characteristics could be improved. Not only I participated in team building activates but I also learned a valuable lesson from it. From the three games we played during the trip, I was able to gain thorough knowledge about how to maintain a team in order to reach the desired goal. Along with this, I learned about the importance of verbal communication. I also learned about various positive aspects of my own characterises that I was good at solving tough problems and I could handle pressure quite well. Therefore, if I practised these aspects more, I would become even more qualified in these respective fields. Thus, it can be asserted that this trip played a great role in assessment of my personal qualities. I learned to be a good shaper, and monitor evaluator among other qualities. Now, I would be able to improve them so that I can put to better utilisation for desired outcomes.
Through the aid of this action plan, I would be able to eliminate all of my weaknesses and use them as a positive advantage. However, in order to do that regular practice s required. In order to do that, I have to follow a list of steps in accordance with to the Belbin’s Team roles. The first step is to practice organization skills in day-to-day activities. I can do this by doing daily chores in an orderly fashion and school work within given deadline. This will undoubtedly make be better at organising various events and I will be even more of an effective shaper. I also need to practice verbal communication so that I can present my views without any hassle. For this, I need to practise dialogues in front of the mirror and parents along with participating in debates and presentations. My teamworker aspect will also enhance if I participate in teamwork activities. Not only would I be able to quickly solve tasks but help my teammates as well. I can do so by actively playing a role in teamwork and by doing them seriously. In this trip, I have identified one of my greatest strength in solving math and financial matters. Therefore, more practice, four days a week would make me even better and I would be able to solve a problem at a quicker span of time. Therefore, if I follow all the necessary steps as stated in the action plan, then I would be able to work as a good leader as well as a team player.
References
Bolden, R., 2016. Leadership, management and organisational development. In Gower handbook of leadership and management development, 2(1), pp.143-158.
crfonline.org (2018), Improving Your Leadership Skills, Available at: https://www.crfonline.org/orc/ca/ca-2.html [Accessed on: 10-11-2018]
Daft, R.L., 2014. The leadership experience. 2nd ed. Boston: Cengage Learning.
DuBrin, A.J., 2015. Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills. 3rd ed. Scarborough: Nelson Education.
Fairhurst, G.T. and Connaughton, S.L., 2014. Leadership: A communicative perspective. Leadership, 10(1), pp.7-35.
Fernandez, C.S., Noble, C.C., Jensen, E.T. and Chapin, J., 2016. Improving Leadership Skills in Physicians: A 6?Month Retrospective Study. Journal of Leadership Studies, 9(4), pp.6-19.
Goetsch, D.L. and Davis, S.B., 2014. Quality management for organizational excellence. Upper Saddle River, 2nd ed. NJ: pearson.
Kiersch, C. and Peters, J., 2017. Leadership from the Inside Out: Student Leadership Development within Authentic Leadership and Servant Leadership Frameworks. Journal of Leadership Education, 16(1) pp.12-35.
Salmon, P.M., Stanton, N.A. and Jenkins, D.P., 2017. Distributed situation awareness: Theory, measurement and application to teamwork. Florida: CRC Press.
Shamir, B. and Eilam-Shamir, G., 2018. “What’s your story?” A life-stories approach to authentic leadership development. In Leadership Now: Reflections on the Legacy of Boas Shamir, 5(2), pp.51-76.
toeflgoanywhere.org (2017), 4 Ways to Develop Leadership Skills at University, Available at: https://www.toeflgoanywhere.org/blog/4-ways-develop-leadership-skills-university [Accessed on: 10-11-2018]
Tourish, D., 2014. Leadership, more or less? A processual, communication perspective on the role of agency in leadership theory. Leadership, 10(1), pp.79-98
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