Leadership Perspectives and Concepts
Leadership takes a fluid principle whereby leaders adapt to different leadership styles based on their situations. It involves attaining challenging goals and inspiring a team to stay focused and ahead of the competition. The longer leaders stay in their leadership positions, the more they adapt to different leadership styles as they interact more with their employees. This paper will give a perspective on various leadership subjects and how they apply to my leadership philosophy personally and professionally.
Power of Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence includes emotional and social skills that affect how people express and perceive themselves, manage challenges, maintain social relationships, and use emotional information effectively. It involves people knowing themselves, including their strengths and weaknesses, and using that information in making decisions (Robinson et al., 2023). People with the power of emotional intelligence can control their behavior and manage problems to come out with the best outcome for themselves despite the emotions at play.
My leadership philosophy applies the power of emotional intelligence, especially when faced with difficult situations. I try to ignore the emotions at play when making the right decisions as much as possible. Sometimes, emotions can override decisions and cause poor leadership (Robinson et al., 2023). For instance, when overseeing employees that you have created a personal connection with them, it becomes difficult to fire them even when they are no longer productive.
However, in such situations, I apply the power of emotional intelligence, which helps me see the bigger picture. Professionally, leaders should have the five Daniel Goleman principles of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills (Robinson et al., 2023). A leader should be able to manipulate employees’ emotions to a common focus using their social skills.
Understanding Your Enneagram Type
The Enneagram is a personality test type that explains patterns in how individuals manage their emotions and interpret the world. It comprises various character types mapped using how one views the world. According to this test, a person’s core beliefs trigger motivation and panic, shaping their personality and how they view those around them (Alexander & Schnipke, 2020).
Type one person is “self-controlled, moral, idealist, or determined,” while type two is “people-leasing, generous, possessive, and demonstrative”(Alexander & Schnipke, 2020, p. 3). Type three is driven, “adaptable, image-conscious, and excelling” (Alexander & Schnipke, 2020, p. 3). Type four is “self-absorbed, dramatic, emotional, and eloquent,” and type five is “quiet, innovative, stance, and isolated” (Alexander & Schnipke, 2020, p. 3). Type six is “fearful, engaging, skeptical, and accountable,” in contrast to type seven, which is “disseminated, flexible, unconstraint, and possessive” (Alexander & Schnipke, 2020, p. 3). The eighth one is “voluntary, firm, self-confident, and confrontational,” and finally, the last type is “self-satisfied, open-minded, bowed out, and heartening” (Alexander & Schnipke, 2020, p. 3). People have different traits, but some are crowded, while some only have a few people, such as the seventh one.
Understanding one’s enneagram type is essential because it enables a person to shape their leadership style. Leaders use the characteristics of their enneagram type to influence others. However, the most leadership-oriented type is type nine because it is characterized by leaders who can maintain calm even when facing difficult situations. This enables them to lead in a peaceful and grounded way. I also believe in type 2 leadership because it enables them to get the maximum effort from their team due to their admiration and respect for them.
Understanding Global Impact
Leaders need to be aware of their global impact when making decisions. The world has become a global village; leaders need to understand that it is essential to consider the impact their actions will have on the globe. Significant global issues in health, climate change, employee rights, and privileges (Kjellström et al., 2020). According to Kjellström et al. (2020), effective leadership considers the broader consequences of any decision.
In addition, leaders should be able to think and act globally. As a leader, my leadership philosophy considers the impact of my decisions on the world. Therefore, I must evaluate whether it aligns with international rules before deciding on various items. For instance, I ensure that my leadership supports a green economy because climate change has had a negative global impact. In the professional philosophy, leaders should use their influence to stop the climate crisis and ensure that their decisions align with the global community standards.
Strategic Thinking
Strategic thinking is the long-term thought process that helps to achieve a company or team. It includes the ability for a leader to anticipate and have the discipline to prepare now and position themselves to win in the future (Tipurić, 2022). This includes knowing the resources to utilize and where to focus their energies to get a desirable outcome. Strategic thinking is essential for leaders because it helps them plan, look at a business from a different perspective, gather intelligence on arising issues, analyze opposing forces, and manage them to a successful outcome.
According to my leadership philosophy, critical thinking is essential in planning for the future. As a leader, I like to think out of a situation by analyzing all the possible outcomes before making the final decision. This allows me to choose the most favorable course of action. In addition, I ensure that I actively gather intelligence, which is supposed to help me understand the rising issues and the opposing forces. Professionally, I ensure that I critically evaluate processes as a leader to choose the right action (Tipurić, 2022). This can be done using data and analytics because it enables a leader to discover hidden insights.
Crucibles of Leadership
The crucibles of leadership imply having the ability to extract wisdom from a problematic situation. Unlike some leaders who are broken by challenges, others use them as stepping stones and learn from these events (Chang et al., 2021). Examples of difficult situations include life or career-threatening events. These challenges are considered test and trial times, enabling deep self-reflection and making them question what matters. According to scientific understanding, a crucible is a place with high temperatures that is used to trigger chemical reactions (Chang et al., 2021).
Therefore, this theory assumes the transformative experience used to extract gold. It must pass under the hot heating to shine and be impressive. My leadership philosophy is that sometimes leaders must undergo difficult situations, which is when they understand who they are (Chang et al., 2021). It enables them to reflect on themselves and learn from those circumstances. Professionally, I use various methods, such as being creative, focusing on objectivity, and other solutions to help me gain a new understanding and learn from difficult situations.
Self-Awareness and Self-Management
Self-awareness and self-management are what separate good leaders from excellent leaders. While a leader may inhibit all the positive traits, such as being hardworking, focused on their goals, and driven to success, they are likely to fail without self-awareness (Carden et al., 2021). Being self-aware means understanding and recognizing emotions, skills, and personalities. Although sometimes people find accepting who they are uncomfortable, it is very beneficial in making decisions (Carden et al., 2021).
A self-aware leader has humility, forgiveness, a growth mindset, and accountability. This enables them to understand others in the teams, allows others to express their emotions without judging them, be honest with themselves and others, and follow the core values at work (Carden et al., 2021). My leadership philosophy advocates for accountability and forgiveness, which are elements of self-awareness. Professionally, I possess humility, a growth mindset, and a high level of honesty, which shows that I am a self-aware leader.
Creative Intelligence
During this time of uncertainty, creative intelligence has been an essential factor for leaders. This is because the world has changed, and with the advancement in technology and the emergence of globally infectious diseases, leaders need to respond fast to new changes (Huang et al., 2022). Creative intelligence is the ability of leaders to develop solutions to new problems. Developing these solutions may sometimes involve unique thinking or collaboration (Huang et al., 2022).
Creative intelligence is vital because it leads to learning new skills through imagination. Innovative solutions to problems give leaders a competitive edge and increase their confidence (Huang et al., 2022). According to my leadership philosophy, creative intelligence should be intertwined with other leadership subjects to make an excellent leader. Professionally, creative intelligence is crucial because it helps a leader to give their organization a competitive edge and become innovative.
Organizational Diagnostic for Change
Organizational diagnostic change is usually done when the leadership in a team or organization has identified issues that they believe need fixing. It generally includes analyzing the team’s morale, identifying possible roadblocks, analyzing decision-making, and recognizing the organizational strengths and weaknesses (Chang et al., 2021). The first step in this diagnosis is to find a gap between the current situation of a company or team and the set goals. The leader then evaluates the functioning of an organization by evaluating its business processes, organizational structure, behaviors, competencies, and management style (Chang et al., 2021).
This information helps a leader to identify the difference between the current state and the desired results and develop a concrete plan (Chang et al., 2021). My view on organizational diagnostics is that leaders need to have random-continuous assessments to know if the current state of their team or company is aligned with the planned goals. My professional leadership philosophy supports the organizational diagnosis for leaders because it is the only way leaders can discover the problems in their organizations and areas that need improvement.
Conflict Management
Conflict management is the ability of a leader to manage conflict efficiently and fairly. Conflicts are inevitable in any organization; therefore, leaders should be ready to act as intermediaries in solving the conflict. The way a leader solves conflict determines how the employee will perceive them. Conflicts may arise from power dynamics, differences in perceptions, personal goals, communication style, and conflicting goals (Tipurić, 2022).
Leaders can solve conflict using different methods, which include accommodation, avoiding, competing, collaborating, or compromising. My leadership philosophy is aligned with conflict management because, as a strong advocate for diversity, I expect people to conflict in the organization. Professionally, I use the stated conflict resolution methods to solve conflicts in an organization. However, it is essential to note that conflict signifies a healthy work environment where everyone can express their opinions and beliefs.
References
Alexander, M., & Schnipke, B. (2020). The Enneagram: A primer for psychiatry residents. American Journal of Psychiatry Residents’ Journal, 15(3), 2–5. Web.
Carden, J., Jones, R. J., & Passmore, J. (2021). Defining self-awareness in the context of adult development: A systematic literature review. Journal of Management Education, 46(1). Web.
Chang, S. M., Budhwar, P., & Crawshaw, J. (2021). The emergence of value-based leadership behavior at the frontline of management: A role theory perspective and future research agenda. Frontiers in Psychology, 12(4). Web.
Huang, Z., Sindakis, S., Aggarwal, S., & Thomas, L. (2022). The role of leadership in collective creativity and innovation: Examining academic research and development environments. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(5). Web.
Kjellström, S., Stålne, K., & Törnblom, O. (2020). Six ways of understanding leadership development: An exploration of increasing complexity. Leadership, 16(4). Web.
Robinson, M. D., Irvin, R. L., & Krishnakumar, S. (2023). Affectively effective: Work-related emotional intelligence as a predictor of organizational citizenship. Frontiers in Psychology, 14(4). Web.
Tipurić, D. (2022). The rise of strategic leadership. The Enactment of Strategic Leadership, 13(2), 55–92. Web.