In the dawn of globalization, managerial effectiveness serves a fundamental role in harnessing employees' abilities and know-how in gaining a competitive advantage within the climate of multinational corporations. In this arena, the key strategy is effective leadership (Sheehan, 2012). Notably, leadership in itself is a challenge. A great demand is laid upon persons in real leadership. Even though an organization's vision, missions, and core values is a shared responsibility, leaders bear the highest burden of upholding them. The ability of a leader to calmly resolve the crisis with negligible fuss by taking advantage of the opportunities makes it easy for smooth workflow without noticing most of the external problems. This paper aims to focus on a reflective essay regarding personal leadership experience at the workplace. To achieve the objective above the paper is structured with headings which offer adequate information required to meet the expectations.
Leadership Approach
It is worth noting that in my present job as the unit head both teamwork and individual effort was demanded to maximize production as much as possible and to retain clients upon winning their satisfaction. In most circumstances, I jumped onto the wheel whenever it was necessary to ensure the smooth operation of my department. I was technically mandated with the obligation of attracting and maintaining a broader clientele base in addition to coordinating the activities of all workers in the unit. I was also charged with the responsibility of effectively delegating crucial tasks to other workers as deemed fit.
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A leadership approach that was applicable in the line of duty entailed being proactive in goal setting. Goals are often formulated using the “SMART method” (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound); specific task and deadlines are essential in making sure every member of the organization are on track (Northouse, 2014). Moreover, the outlined objectives must not be exaggerated beyond the framework of the organization to achieve them in the stated time (Northouse, 2014). Delegation makes a leader more productive and empowers fellow staff. Prerequisite to effective delegation demands to understand a leader's work preference and workload to delegate overload appropriately. In essence, what is needed is a better understanding of staff member to whom the work is to be delegated to give tasks to the right person with necessary prowess to handle the job (Pardey, 2016). After identification of the right staff, what follows include stating the purpose of the task, fair appraisal and rewarding if necessary for the excellent job done (Pardey, 2016). Coaching, as a professional development method (Ratiu, David and Baban, 2017), has contributed significantly to the managerial behaviors that facilitated development at a subordinate level, as some transformational and transactional scales capture them.
By applying the stated approaches starting with setting goals, leadership challenges that led to frustration and burden of workload were effective handled through navigation around these obstacles. Maximization of employees’ corporation and productivity was achieved in my departmental unit. More job satisfaction was attained with more success as was evident in employee job appraisal conducted in the last fiscal year. The knowledge from the coaching method aided in managing and appreciating employee behavior vis-à-vis their attitudes in the institution.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Over the years, the experience I gained shaped my leadership style. My present leadership role is traced back to its evolution at the time when I served as the deputy coordinator in the unit. One of the most fundamental strength was preparedness to learn and adopt effective managerial skills. The managerial skills encompass leading from the from, delegation, communication, coordination, organization, assigning roles based on one's preference and abilities and meeting targets or beating deadlines (Northouse, 2014; Pardey, 2016). In essence, all my insight into leadership stems from that experience. Every success in my leadership experience was attributed to the ability to allow every member of the team to shine in his or her area of expertise – the real essence of true leadership (Northouse, 2014)
The real struggle has been the full acquisition of effective managerial skills to survive competition in the global economy – a fundamental weakness in my practice. Developing effective managerial skills is a challenge that emerges at any point in leadership but more prevalent among novel leaders (Pardey, 2016). These challenges entail acquiring relevant skills to exercise more efficacy at work. Included among them are time management, strategic analysis and thinking, prompt and precise decision making, and prioritization of agendas in addition to creating a team-player attitude and environment geared towards the achievement of a collective organization's goal.
Leadership Plan
Given the difficulties in acquiring effective managerial skills, crucial to the improvement of leadership capabilities is talent management. According to Sheehan (2012), talent management is “the systematic identification of key positions which differentially contribute to the organization’s sustained competitive advantage within the global arena.” Talent management begins with prioritization to maximize unique values. Next in line is role clarity which defines the core as well as secondary responsibilities in addition to individual duty specification (Ratiu, David and Baban, 2017).
Summary
Dealing with a constant series of problems in a productive way to a more significant degree is the accurate measure of a leader. Proactive goal setting is fundamental to leadership approach. A leader must overcome certain limitations and acquire effective talent management skills to achieve organizations goals. A mediocre leader can be transformed into a great leader through the acquisition of effective managerial skills.
References
Northouse, P. G. (2014). Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice . Sage.
Pardey, D. (2016). Introducing leadership . Routledge.
Ratiu, L., David, O. A., & Baban, A. (2017). Developing managerial skills through coaching: Efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral coaching program. Journal of rational-emotive & cognitive-behavior therapy , 35 (1), 88-110.
Sheehan, M. (2012). Developing managerial talent: Exploring the link between management talent and perceived performance in multinational corporations (MNCs). European Journal of Training and Development , 36 (1), 66-85.
