Leadership Self Analysis - Essay Sample

Introduction

Ideally, a leader is anyone in charge of a group. Leaders usually use interpersonal skills to sway their followers into jointly working towards achieving specific goals of an organization. Effective leaders assess their strengths and weaknesses, as well as analyzing potential opportunities and threats, and handling each of the elements efficiently. Therefore, leaders should carry out self-evaluation in an exercise called reflective leadership. Under thoughtful leadership, a leader should be careful, respectful, and self-aware (Lee & Nichelle, 2018). Additionally, they should practice appropriate and flexible responses to situations and people. Also, such leaders ought to continuously observe their programs. The paper provides a comprehensive self-analysis on leadership traits.

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From my self-reflection, I learnt that I am a kind of a leader who sometimes takes into consideration the input of followers into the decisions that influence the overall operation of my department. Primarily, as a leader, I usually take part in making decisions and setting directions for the organization. However, some decisions require that opinions of colleagues at the workplace make part of directives that guide their operations (Lee & Nichelle, 2018). Making specific decisions after finding out what others think helps harmonize resistance among followers. Moreover, consultation helps in understanding views and perceptions of the followers.

Results of my analysis also indicate that I would prefer making decisions about people in an organization by available data, and systematically analyzing current situations. This basis of decision making is in contrast to depending on empathy, feelings, and paying attention to their needs and values. Usually, organizations keep records of its employees and other stakeholders in forms that are available for review should there need be. Decisions based on data typically tend to be more accurate and appropriate, considering that they are evidence-based. Critically analyzing a situation also ensures that decisions a leader makes are those that best suit a particular state of affair (Lee & Nichelle, 2018). Decisions that are dependent on feelings and empathy are more likely to mislead in the long run since moods do change, and a decision made during a particular mood might not necessarily be in the interest of an organization, or other colleagues in the workplace.

I have also learnt that my leadership would be one that involves active moments with my followers rather than spending my moments quiet and thoughtful. Spending active and energetic moments with people makes a leader learn and understand their followers better. Close association with followers also minimizes or eliminates fear and gap between a leader and colleagues (Lee & Nichelle, 2018). The resultant relationship makes it easy for the leaders to explain their objectives and the set goals for the organization.

Basically, from the whole assessment, I comprehended that I am more of a thoughtful leader. I handle issues rationally rather than emotionally. Reasoning has indeed guided most of my activities that have been successful. I have also revealed that I am an extrovert, thereby making me relate well with fellows at my workplace. I always try to engage my colleagues as much as possible so that I understand them better. To my surprise, the analysis showed that I am judgmental. This is a quality I have never known about myself since I have always tried to share my perceptions instead of criticizing others. Elsewhere, I also discovered that I am equally as intuitive as I am sensitive.

From my leadership style, I have a range of strengths that can give me an advantage over my fellow leaders. First, getting my followers to understand the goals of the organization, and work towards achieving would be easy due to the relationship that we have. Working closely together also makes it easy for my followers to express their views and challenges while executing their duties at work. In effect, making decisions that take care of their positions become easy and swift. On the downside, relating openly with followers has always given me challenges getting them to understand the seriousness I attach on some information that I pass to them. Whereas some work with commitment, others assume deadlines, and seriousness they should express in their work.

In my subsequent leadership style, I aspire to balance between availability to the followers and seriousness when it comes to issues relating to work. First, I intend to determine my goals and have them well elaborated to my followers so that all of them get acquainted with what is expected of them. Secondly, I am looking forward to creating action steps with a definite timeline. The actions will be measurable so that gauging their success becomes easy. I will then assign the actions to respective individuals to execute them. Then, I will regularly review the outcomes of my set goals with the aim of verifying their progress. Finally, I aim to use the findings of the review to adjust my plan to achieve better results or more goals.

Conclusion

Fundamentally, effective leadership requires that other than leaders analyzing the success of their plans, they should also assess themselves in relations to their goals. On the one hand, self-assessment helps a leader keep up with prevailing trends in management. On the other hand, the assessment also enables leaders to understand the factors that contribute to their success or failure in their set goals. Therefore, evaluation is key in any leadership that seeks to achieve the goals of an organization.

Work Cited

Lee, Angela, and Nichelle C. Carpenter. "Seeing Eye to Eye: A Meta-Analysis of Self-Other Agreement of Leadership." The Leadership Quarterly 29.2 (2018): 253-275.