I have over the recent past realized that one of my strengths is on leadership. Having read and reflected on the “What is your leadership Signature?” by Heidrick and the assessment on the Harvard Business website revealed that I have three most outstanding leadership styles. I am a collaborator, pilot, and forecaster. All these leadership styles are important as they complement each other and none of them is superior to another. This is true because they are applied at different contexts to bring out the best outcomes in particular circumstances.
As a collaborator, I have found myself to show empathy to the people I lead each time (West, 2015) . I am deeply concerned about their needs, and always wants to find out what is going on in their lives because am very close to them. Furthermore, team-building has been part of what has made my leadership successful. I conduct team-building activities to cement the relationships within my teams because cohesion and togetherness in a team is essential in sparking energy and togetherness for the achievement of goals. At the same time, I am keen at spotting talents within my team. Skills are essential in any organization. Therefore, as a leader I find it important to spot talents and hire such in order to make my leadership more successful. At the same time, my leadership is more coaching oriented since I believe that together we can impart skills and knowledge on one another.
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Besides being a collaborator, I possess a pilot leadership style (West, 2015) . One of the best things that I have espoused is being strategic. As a leader, I have found it my best practice to strategize. My best decisions and outcomes as a leader have come out of good strategies and planning for the future. As a result, I have achieved much success during my leadership. Moreover, I am one person who envisions the future and plans ahead because I believe in order to succeed; a leader should envision future challenges and how to overcome them. As a result, I have been able to plan ahead thus showing that I am a leader with a vision for success. Furthermore, managing complex situations has been at the heart of my leadership abilities which define my style of leadership. As a result, I find joy managing complex situations in the workplace which marks my excellent leadership skill. I am a leader who is so much open to inputs from other members of my team. I believe that leadership is effective when ideas from different people are incorporated. I have therefore, made it my habit to welcome people’s opinions and inputs through consultation and seeking advice. Moreover, one of the qualities that my leadership has shown is being goal oriented. This has enabled me to focus on the desired outcome and put more energy on that to ensure that the vision and goals are achieved.
The last leadership style I possess is being a forecaster. As a forecaster, I tend to be learning oriented craving for gaining knowledge and skills. As a result, I welcome new knowledge and skills as a leader to make myself complete. Furthermore, I tend to be deeply knowledgeable in my leadership. In my own experience, being knowledgeable has enabled me to provide leadership by example by possessing excellent skills and knowledge in a wide array of areas than my subjects thus giving me an upper hand. Besides being deeply knowledgeable, decision making is an important skill required of any leader. I have therefore found out in my experience that I am more cautious in decision making which makes me consult more before making any decisions. As a result, I have made some critical decisions because of my critical and careful nature.
In as much as these leadership styles that I possess are vital, there are several blind spots and environments that may enhance my thriving but also aid my struggles. First, analyzing and knowing my leadership style enables me to better articulate the focus of my leadership ( West, Stixrud & Reger, 2015) . This enables me to work in ensuring that I do more in order to excel in my area of expertise as well as specialize in one thing as a leader. Thus, I will be able to play to my strengths when working in complex environments. Furthermore, it will help me to understand other leadership styles that I need to possess in order to show diversity and avoid being predictable ( West, Stixrud & Reger, 2015) . As a result, I will be able to broaden my scope of operation. It can help me as a leader to determine the potential pitfalls and areas for improvement. For instance, as a collaborator who is empathetic and consensus driven, I may find it difficult to deal with subordinates who are looking for direction and clarity. Furthermore, using my abilities as a learning-oriented forecaster to collect information and think conceptually in order to generate great ideas may not be able to come up with a good strategy more acceptable to the hearts and minds of people. My list of smart goals for development includes developing my: confidence, communication skills, responsibility, and keeping high standards.
In summary, effective leadership determines the success of an organization. As a leader, my experience has made me discover that I am a collaborator, pilot, and forecaster. However, several pitfalls may create a conducive environment for improvement thus making leadership to turn out better. Leadership styles are vital in that whichever style it is, they are all effective.
References
West, K. (2015). Research into leadership behavior identifies 8 archetypes that can help senior executives better understand their strengths, weaknesses, and blind spots. Retrieved from https://www.heidrick.com/Knowledge-Center/Article/What-is-your-leadership-signature
West, K., Stixrud, E., & Reger, B. (2015, June 25). Assessment: What’s Your Leadership Style? Harvard Business Review . Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2015/06/assessment-whats-your-leadership-style
