Modern entrepreneurship has been moving focus from management and placing it more on leadership. Among the principal differences between management and leadership lies in the fact that leadership is premised more on individuals than systems and apparatus. This principal, therefore, brings the element of personality and individual prerequisites into the ambit of leadership (Dinh et al, 2014). The result of the same is that leadership is not only the preserve of business based studies, but also psychological and social ones too. In this manner, entrepreneurship has developed a closer relationship with other aspects of leadership such as political and even religious leadership. There are two primary elements in leadership to wit the abilities of the leader to lead and the abilities of the leader to develop a proper followership (Dinh et al, 2014). This is because unless the leader inspires the followers to follow, then the skill employed will only amount to management and not leadership.
The above brings in non-management related antecedents such as character, temperament, and charisma. These two antecedents emanate both from nature and nurture. The nature aspects relate to the primal prerequisites of an individual and from the perspective of the instant term paper can be considered as a spiritual gift. They come naturally to individual and can only be honed not made. The nurture antecedents on the other part are developed and honed based on the environmental and incidental circumstances surrounding the life of a leader, prior to and during leadership (Dinh et al, 2014). It is the combination of this nature and nurture elements that inform what kind of a leader an individual will become as will be reflected in this term paper, which seeks to establish how the two elements have influenced my leadership capabilities.
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Life Analysis
Life analysis, as aforesaid can be generally divided into two factors that bear on leadership capacity and abilities. These are the environmental issues and the incidental issues. The environmental issues are general in nature and entail the kind of life an individual has lived including cultural issues. This has a gradual impact on character and temperaments, which are important aspects of leadership. Incidental issues on the other part entail contingencies that happen along life. This is singular or several instances that have a profound effect on character and temperament of a future leader. I was born and raised up by working parents in a suburban area, with both of my parents having full-time jobs. During my early childhood, my parents were at the height of building their careers, something that occupied a lot of their time, energy and concentration. Albeit they were extremely loving and supportive, it was a practical impossibility for them to be around all the time, or in the very least most of the time. From as long as I can remember, therefore, I learned to rely on myself relating to the minute set of decisions that make day to day life. As expected, with the progression of age, came increased and more complex decisions to make most of which rested on me . Further, I also developed the ability to understand what I need, when I needed it and also request it from individuals whom I was not very conversant with, be it the housekeeper or attendants in daycare centers. This was the environment that I grew up in from a very young age through to my teenage years.
Several personal prerequisites developed within me during this period that has informed my capacity as a leader. The first is the ability to rely on me and not look around for help when a serious decision needs to be made, more so when a contingency appeared. I developed the understanding that almost all was up to me, based on the life I had led. This is a critical leadership characteristic since when a contingency occurs within a project, the initial moments are crucial. The need for a level-minded decision-maker in a crisis can form the difference between catastrophe and success. Secondly, I learned to have confidence in myself from a very young age. The circumstances surrounding my early life could have been a recipe for disaster since there was no close supervision. With time, however, I realized that if I factor all issues I would almost always come up with the right decision. Confidence is also an important leadership characteristic (Dinh et al, 2014). In a crisis, the primal instinct is panic but the team will look upon their leader and take cues from there. If the leader panics or seems hesitant and devoid of confidence, things could rapidly get worse.
Personality, Skills, and Spiritual Gifts
Personality relates to the combination of traits and behavioral aspects that together inform an individual’s character. It combines nature derived characters as augmented, honed and/or diminished by life experiences as well as characters that emanate from nurture aspects such as culture, belief, and experiences. Skills also referred as expertise are the acquired ability to undertake a certain duty (Nohria & Khurana, 2013). Spiritual gifts can be considered as God-given abilities towards a certain perspective. They can also be considered as natural talents for those who may not have a firm faith in God.
Personality
One of the best ways to comprehensively articulate my personality is through the Big Five approach. The first is an openness to learning and having had to figuratively support myself at a very young age, I have developed a high capacity for the same. The second is conscientiousness that relates to having a firm moral compass (Nohria & Khurana, 2013). My unmonitored childhood has resulted in moderately free-spirit element and I would consider this aspect to be work in progress. The other personality trait is extraversion or introversion in which I would consider myself more of an extrovert since the kind of cocoon that develops around a child who’s close to a parent did not happen for me. With regard to agreeableness which is the ability to be sympathetic, cooperative and warm. I would define myself as moderately disagreeable as I developed trust issues from having to deal with too many strangers in early life. The fifth and final characteristic is neuroticism also referred to as emotional stability (Nohria & Khurana, 2013). This is a factor this I excel in based both on my nature and nature. My ability to retain calmness under a crisis is quite advanced. Therefore, my personality has many positive characters that I can hone and apply in leadership.
Skills
As indicated hereinabove, one of my primary skills from the perspective of leadership is the ability towards effective decision-making. From a very early age, I was able to evaluate the outcomes of a series of decisions based on a singular set of circumstances to create the ability to make the right decision. Another kindred skill is the ability to remain calm and focused under pressure. Finally, I have over time developed the ability to concentrate for a long duration of time, a skill that can enable me to achieve a lot in a very short time. These are two important skills that I believe will have a positive impact in my future leadership, more so during contingencies (Nohria & Khurana, 2013).
Spiritual Gifts
An important spiritual gift that will become a major asset in future leadership is charisma. I have been informed by my elders that as a young child, I had the ability to always seem to be the leader as I played with other children. Indeed, my entry into the playfield would seemingly disrupt what had been going on with the children looking to me to lead the way. From my own memory, this was the case in my early childhood and is also the case today. When I venture an opinion, it will mostly get a positive response, even when it might not be adhered to. When I talk, people tend to listen and also take what I have to say seriously. Further, in the many formal and informal instances where I have taken a leadership position, I have been informed that following me came almost naturally to those I led. The natural ability to lead and be followed will, in my informed opinion come in handy in my future as a leader.
Philosophy of Leadership
A comprehensive way to develop a personal leadership philosophy is through the use of the three P’s method of Passion, Purpose, and People (Nohria & Khurana, 2013). Concisely put, passion determines purpose and purpose enable the inspiration of people. Passion is emotional in nature and can be defined as an extremely strong feeling about something. This, therefore, operates both positively and negatively with passion either being based on an extreme desire for something or an absolute loathing for the same. The two perspectives, however, can operate contemporaneously in some instances (Nohria & Khurana, 2013). For example, a deep desire for excellence can be based on an intensive loathing for failure. It is this passion that informs the purpose of a leader. The purpose is the intention and/or objective of undertaking something. The reason behind an undertaking is a major bearing factor on how the undertaking will be carried out. Leadership is more of a personal thing that a position and therefore relies a lot on the individual as opposed to the institution . Without the right purpose, even a skilled leader is susceptible to failure. This is based on the third P of the leadership philosophy assessment to wit people. The ability to lead is based on the capacity to inspire, ignite and excite people. It has been said that a good manager makes people do something but a good leader makes people want to do something (Nohria & Khurana, 2013). People will carefully read the leader and will be willing to follow a leader who has the right passion and purpose.
Leadership Role Assessment
To assess my role as a leader, I found it necessary to break down the same into the several important areas of leadership. These are the giving of instructions, personal characteristics, and transformational leadership (Nohria & Khurana, 2013).
Giving of Instructions
In this perspective, I would give myself an average score. In my head, I understand very well and with ease what each and every person is supposed to do but in some instances, this gets lost during the process of communicating it. Further, in many instances, I find myself thinking that the people am addressing are not getting the virtual picture of the intended obligations as quickly and as accurately as I would want them to. However, with a little patience and giving practical examples, I am still able to not only communicate but also inspire the team both to want to do and also do what needs to be done. A manifest weakness, however, comes into play when the instructions are not properly followed. I usually find it easier to do the repeat work myself instead of reissuing the instruction, a manifestation of poor leadership skills and needs to be rectified. From a followership perspective, however, I find the team both willing to listen and eager to follow the instructions.
Personal Characteristics
Self-confidence is among the primary personal characteristics of focus in this assessment. My conscientious personal assessment on this part is a positive one. This is based on the fact that I have been able to maintain a balance. At no time within the leadership sessions have I ever allowed an overwhelming feeling of overconfidence, to the extent of belittling the obligations involved. However, I also have not at any time felt as if I was out of my depth, based on the magnitude of obligations bequeathed to me. Self-confidence has also enabled me to maintain a positive outlook regarding my obligations. The second personality measure is emotional intelligence also known as soft leadership skills. This includes aspects such as communication skills, empathy and the capacity to develop strong relationships. In this regard, I would assess myself as average as there is a lot of room for improvement. Communication skills are on the higher side but empathy is on the extreme lower side. This has created a handicap in the overall aspect of forming strong relationships.
Transformational Leadership
Leadership is much more about tomorrow that it is today, a fact that requires a good leader to also be a visionary. Transformational leadership relates to the practical aspects of the visionary leadership which entail inspiring the followers to achieve the leader’s vision for the future. Having a compelling vision is an important aspect in this perspective within which I can give myself an above average score. This is based on the fact that the visions are indeed compelling but the communication thereof leaves room for improvement. The second aspect is motivating the followers to run with the vision and give it to others. This, based on the above falls under the average score as it relates more to the communication aspect than the nature of the vision. Another aspect of this perspective is being a good role model in which I would give myself a high score, based on self-evaluation and the positive evaluation of others. Finally, with regard to performance management, my rewarding system is above average when people do well but poor when they fail and needs improvement.
Leadership Plan and Strategy
A good leadership plan is based on the understanding of where the company is now and a vision of where it ought to be in the future. Further, a good leadership strategy is more or less a practical procedure for the implementation of the aforesaid plan. It also envisages contingencies and prepares plans for dealing with them as and when they come along. One of the most important aspects of a leadership plan is research and evaluation regimens. Research entails where the organization is today, what is working right, what needs improvement, and what needs an absolute overhaul (Nohria & Khurana, 2013). Another important aspect of research is seeking to establish how other organizations facing the same scenario are handling it. The idea is not to copy what they are doing but rather to learn from it. The focal point of a good leadership plan is innovation. No matter how well an activity seems to be undertaken, it can be done better, faster and more efficiently through innovation.
From a strategic perspective, leadership is most necessary during a crisis, more so an unexpected contingency (Dinh et al, 2014). This is when the right decision needs to be made and executed expeditiously. It is difficult to develop a decision-making formula and implement it contemporaneously. Therefore, the right path is to develop a decision-making mechanism that involves a series of courses, based on the nature of the decision. A good example would be to have a series of four decision-making processes, each based on how important the decision is. When a contingency appears or an important decision is to be made, it will be marked one to four then acted upon accordingly. The ethical implication must be a part of each of the four series. Among the major contingencies within leadership involve the character of people, more so when they become difficult. The strategic approach to this issue begins with empathy (Dinh et al, 2014). It is the leader’s responsibility to assemble a team and a weakness to the team either points to a mistake by the leader or an inordinate eventuality. It is, therefore, important to rule out the latter before seeking to fix the former. A difficult member of staff could be having a personal problem, a good example being work-family conflict. If this is the case, handling the employee’s problem becomes the right cause of action. If, however, the employee is inordinately and repeatedly difficult, sacrificing one member of the team for the good of the team is a plausible solution.
Leadership Legacy
As far as leadership is concerned, the very best that can be done, has been done. With the globalization of corporations and proliferation of business entities that are exponentially more powerful than governments, it would be almost impossible to create a leadership legacy that surprises the world (Dinh et al, 2014). However, the one thing that the contemporary regimen of leadership has proven is that optimum capacity is an oxymoron. No matter how good a system is and no matter who refined and advanced a process is, there always room for improvement. This scenario has been established through embracing innovation in leadership. Based on the foregoing, I intend to have a leadership legacy indicative of the fact that my leadership engendered constantly bettering the best. Therefore, I will ensure that both my leadership style and the activities of my followers reflect the aforementioned concept. There will be no time to sit and celebrate reaching the epitome of any process of the system . Any and all improvement for any procedure and system will be accompanied by an active desire to improve it. The starting point for this legacy will begin with my character as a leader. I shall always avoid the temptation of believing that I have now attained optimum leading capacity. Let it be said that in all my years of leadership, I always endeavored to actively better my best. The same will also be said about the teams that I will have led. It should be said that they were the best that they could be, but had I led them a bit longer, they would somehow have gotten better, albeit it is hard to tell how, seeing that they are already seemingly perfect.
Conclusion
The instant term paper has reflected on the leadership capacity that can be developed through the combination of the natural and theoretical antecedents of leadership. The natural antecedents emanated from my real life nature and experiences, which have informed who I am as an individual. The theoretical antecedents revolve around sound and well-established leadership theories and concepts as engendered in today’s entrepreneurship. As indicated hereinabove, psychology is becoming an important element of leadership since it entails more focus on the individual leader than in the process of leadership itself. How a leader was raised , the culture a leader holds, beliefs about social and practical issues are all part of psychological phenomena. Yet these aspects are crucial to leadership as they are bearing factors on the kind of leadership an individual can offer as well as the nature of followership the leader will get. Based on the totality of the foregoing, I stand a great chance of being a great leader but there is a massive room for improvement.
References
Dinh, J. E., Lord, R. G., Gardner, W. L., Meuser, J. D., Liden, R. C., & Hu, J. (2014). Leadership theory and research in the new millennium: Current theoretical trends and changing perspectives. The Leadership Quarterly , 25 (1), 36-62
Nohria, N., & Khurana, R. (Eds.). (2013). Handbook of leadership theory and practice: An HBS centennial colloquium on advancing leadership . Boston MA: Harvard Business Press
