Leadership is about influencing and mapping out the right direction to follow to achieve a set goal. It is a dynamic role that cuts across different paths, which includes personal growth and development. For one to be a successful leader, one should have the needed skills and knowledge to lead. A leader should be in a position to inspire, influence, create, deliver values, mission, goals, and objectives of the people as well as the organization. Some researchers have suggested that leadership can be inherited since it involves the interaction of different behaviors. However, I still believe there is more to it than just passing it genetically. Successful leaders are those who can build the power of pride that will encourage one to go beyond their self-interest. In such a case, one’s belief plays a significant role in how one should lead others. Besides, norms are essential in determining how one acts towards the employees or the rest of the team members. Beliefs are perceptions and ideas that one holds towards something; plays a significant role in how one views their subordinates. As a leader, providing an environment where everyone feels appreciated and recognized can improve performance.
Personal attitudes are one of the aspects that determine one’s leadership skills, which eventually influence others either positively or negatively. One’s attitude sets the tone for the rest of the members to what is acceptable or not. Factors such as low self-esteem, personal issues, and stress contribute to one’s attitude. With such a negative attitude, a leader becomes easily frustrated with petty issues, which may lead to bad decision making. In such a case, the leader may create an environment where it becomes hard for the team members to approach their leader. Leadership style, in this case, is affected because one’s attitude creates a perception that was not intended. Leadership is a learned skill, and the more experience gained, the more knowledgeable one becomes. Successful leaders are those who can convince, attract, and direct individuals towards realist visions and goals. Through experience, one can interact with a different caliber of people, which enables one to understand different personalities presented in organizations. Again, it’s through experience that one gains more insight about different leadership styles and which organization settings best suits each of the forms.
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The self-reflection technique is a crucial element that gives insight into one’s value, behavioral goals, strengths, and weaknesses. Besides, it helps in creating self-awareness, which allows one to focus on exploiting leadership capabilities that will have an impact on influencing others. According to Mushtaq (2019), self-reflection is an ongoing process that should be carried out regularly to ensure that one remains relevant to their set goals. It involves gathering of one’s feelings, events, actions, facts, and decisions made as a leader. Its primary aim is to help in clarifying points that are not clear to sharpen one’s skills as a leader. One of the self-reflection techniques that I will use is self-test. It involves writing down my goals and outcomes in every situation anytime time I make significant decisions. I will also put down areas where I will encounter challenges in delegating roles and duties to my team members. With this, it will help in identifying my strength and weakness in the way I play my parts. Again, I will able to compare my results with what I had anticipated, which will pave the way for improvement in my performance, personal, and interpersonal relationships. Another technique that I will apply is a standardized assessment test, such as a multifactor leadership questionnaire.
The multifactor leadership questionnaire focuses on the behavioral aspects of a leader and how they influence their outcomes. The method is known for its success because most leaders have rated it for its accuracy and efficiency. As a leader, I will also apply this assessment approach because it focuses more on personal development, performance, and interpersonal relationship. The assessment indulges in measuring different types of leadership styles that are transformational, transactional, and passive avoidant leadership styles that focus on building trust and developing others. With this, I will use this assessment after every month to ensure that I maintain transparency in my leadership. Responding to the 45 items in the multifactor leadership questionnaire, both on behavioral aspects and perceptions, helps in reliability and validity. Doing this will assist me in identifying which leadership style best reflects on my personality and capabilities as a leader. Again, understanding the type of audience that I interact with will facilitate building a better interpersonal relationship. The assessment techniques will help in setting priorities, which will prevent leading under pressure. The application of self-test and multifactor leadership questionnaire best reflects on my personal growth, and that is why I decided to use them. Again, the primary focuses on my actions as a leader that may have a negative or positive impact on others. Understanding these underlying aspects of leadership assists in building trust, better interrelations, and keeping on track for both self and the team.
Feedback is a crucial aspect of leadership because it helps in unleashing potential areas of my weaknesses and strengths. However, attaining accurate feedback can be a challenge because some individuals may not be honest, and this is why it is essential to establish a practical approach to this. One of the strategies I will use is to acknowledge their reluctance in giving feedback, and here I will ask them to refrain from fear and openly give their opinion. Since I know that this may not provide accurate feedback, I will indulge in gathering anonymous feedback, which I will share publically. In doing this, it will encourage more individual to participate in providing feedback that will help in growth for the organization. Recognizing and acting upon the issues raised will help the subordinates in understanding its impact. Another strategy that I will use is to gather a few individuals, mainly the supervisors who I trust. I will then ask them to conduct an assessment on issues that need improvement. Ideally, involving a supervisor in this activity will help in the interpretation of the feedback to avoid misunderstandings.
References
Mushtaq, A. (2019). Revisiting Multi Factor Leadership Questionnaire and Subsequent Development of a New Leadership Scale. Management Today , 9 (2), 91-99.
