Introduction
In every group, there is a person who can, like no one other, take responsibility, captivate their collaborators, and organize them for an important cause and to direct them. That is what a leader should be, and many want to become one. The whole life of people takes place in a social context. They live and act as part of various groups and, consequently, experience the impact of all sorts of formal and informal leaders throughout their life. It so happened that there are leading and following, and the former cannot exist without the latter.
Each candidate to take the place of a leader in a team should have some leadership attributes. These characteristics determine the role of the leader, explain why some manage to become leaders, and the others are not believed in possessing this capacity. Leadership qualities are a combination of psychological traits, skills, and abilities to interact with a group that can ensure the successful fulfillment of leadership tasks and functions (Northouse, 2017). It is impossible to single out one or two properties that characterize a leader. It is possible, however, to build a leadership profile, identify strengths and weaknesses, and work on improving desired areas.
The Key Elements of My Leadership Profile
I favor the democratic leadership style because it leaves space for creativity while imposing some level of authority. The most notable feature of this style is that communication is developed both from top to bottom and vice versa (Northouse, 2017). Democratic leadership is statistically the most popular style and is traditionally associated with such qualities as integrity, competence, creativity, determination, and intelligence (Northouse, 2017). Thus, these are the critical elements of my leadership profile.
When we talk about integrity in the context of a person, we mean, first of all, the inner wholeness of his personality, the absence of dishonesty and fragmentation of character, and consistency of actions. Such individuals always inspire other people because they are trustworthy and transparent in their doings. I consider myself a person of integrity because I am honest with other people and always try to take a responsible approach in dealing with challenges, without putting these difficulties on others.
Keeping a word is as much crucial as not deceiving. The primary source of integrity is honesty with oneself. It is the ability to admit one’s own mistakes, the capacity not to cheat, and the habit of assessing one’s actions by the same standard as the actions of other people. I am never afraid to confess that I made a mistake because I believe errors are just opportunities to grow and improve.
Of course, if individuals are incompetent in their work, then it is impossible to achieve high goals. Lack of knowledge will affect the whole process of work and its eventual outcome. Professional competence is achieved through personal study, cognition, and human development. People will never become experts in their profession without exerting strong will and passion. Although sometimes I become a victim of procrastination and laziness, I always dedicate a sufficient amount of time for personal development and acquiring new skills. In modern times, gaining knowledge is easy for resources are abundant online. New courses are being posted every day, and not using these opportunities is a sign of ignorance and neglect.
Creativity is the ability of a person to think outside the box, make different decisions, and generate lots of ideas. As leaders often find themselves in situations where no obvious solution is present, creativity is a necessary trait to possess. Creativity directly depends on a person’s ability to apply information in different ways, for instance, to solve a problem and at a reasonably fast pace (Northouse, 2017). I cannot necessarily claim that I am a creative individual, but when it comes to brainstorming over possible solutions to challenges, I do reasonably well.
Intelligence is one of those elements that are often misperceived by a contemporary person. An intelligent person is distinguished not only by a cultivated mind but also by a special relationship to the world, life, and people. Intelligence may be the most challenging element to assess because it is hard to tell by self-reflection whether one is intelligent. Intelligent Quotient tests are used to measure a person’s cognitive abilities, but in general, a well-informed person may be considered an intelligent individual (Northouse, 2017). Love of learning contributes to intelligence significantly by definition, thus putting me among intelligent people.
Determination is a beneficial personality trait, which helps even an insecure person overcome difficulties and achieve outstanding success in life. Determination is the ability to make difficult, responsible, and most importantly, timely decisions that are necessary for those situations when you need to take action urgently. It is essential to be cautious, prudent, and purposeful because it is not an act of reckless courage, but a conscious manifestation of will and intelligence. By improving my competency, creativity, and integrity, I am indirectly contributing to my determination, because the more information you possess at your disposal, the easier it is to make decisions.
My Strengths and Weaknesses as a Leader
The fast-changing world is not only giving new challenges but a spacious room for emerging leaders to develop their skills and cultivate their strengths. The readiness for rapid changes is one of my most significant advantages as a leader. I am also a communicative person and committed to quality. The fact that I am not yet highly experienced is my weakness. Other deficiencies include the frequent lack of focus and social comparison.
Adaptability expresses the mental qualities of a person, by which an individual can change the direction of their thoughts under a new environment. In this fast-pacing world, a leader must be flexible and adapt to emerging circumstances. High adaptability is a beneficial quality because a person will not be afraid of falling into unfamiliar situations or places. He or she will quickly begin to navigate and accept the existing conditions. This trait came to me with time, as I exposed myself to new people, changed schools, changed cities, and yet, managed to do well everywhere.
What I mean by communicativeness is not that I am not shy of talking to other people or making new connections. I express my thoughts clearly so that my interlocutors understand what I mean. Eloquence and fluent speaking are crucial elements when it comes to working in a team. According to many feedbacks I receive from my friends and collaborators, I do well when explaining my thoughts to people. My presentations are often longer than they should be, but generally, listeners provide me with positive reactions.
Quality is crucial for achieving success because it is the most necessary component in surviving the competition. Commitment to quality may become a bad thing if it turns into sheer perfectionism. Despite occasional struggles, I manage to determine how much good is good enough. It is essential when it comes to delivering a project on time and ensuring it meets all the functional and quality requirements.
Experience comes not only with acquired knowledge but also with age. I am a young and aspiring leader, but the lack of experience may lead to wrong decisions. Things like intuition, which sometimes play a huge role, only develop after many years of constant work and education. As many people say, however, mistakes are part of learning and growing, and it is not possible to achieve good results without failing many times.
Lack of focus is usually manifested through procrastination, laziness, and absence of motivation. I have, however, met vigorous and determined people who regularly lost focus as well by thinking they could manage to accomplish all the tasks at once. I do not favor multitasking but often become a victim of it. It is something I have to work on continuously to be able to make a difference.
To me social comparison is when people are compared to one another when assessing their effectiveness and overall success. This approach, however, is not accurate because all individuals tend to be unique. As a good leader, my responsibilities include appreciating my team’s work and providing an objective assessment of my team’s accomplishments. I must also give unbiased feedback to facilitate growth and personal development. I, however, sometimes fail in these points and must learn to avoid such pitfalls.
How My Leadership Characteristics Compare to the Characteristics of Other People
Summarizing the key elements of my leadership profile and my strengths, I may conclude that I am a courageous, engaging, creative, honest, and well-informed individual. Most leaders have similar characteristics, but the famous ones have much more points at their disposal. For instance, former president John F. Kennedy had charisma, which helped him to have a significant impact on his listeners (Northouse, 2017). Charisma is not a typical personality trait and is usually considered to be natural (Northouse, 2017). I am, however, trying to improve in other areas to facilitate filling the gap. Kennedy was also inspiring, and I cannot tell the same of myself because it is difficult to assess.
Virtuousness, wisdom, and an ability to make sound judgments, which can be attributed to George Washington, the first president of the United States, are not yet manifested in me (Northouse, 2017). Virtuousness, which may be considered as a form of charisma, is a natural trait with which I believe I am not gifted. Wisdom and an ability to make vigorous judgments, however, come with age and experience and are not commonly attributed to young individuals like me.
Actions for Improving My Strengths and Remedying My Weaknesses
Admitting your deficiencies is far from the most pleasant thing at first glance. It is, however, a starting point in the direction of improvement. Exposing myself to different activities, to different people, and various tasks will help me gain more experience and make better decisions. I must not be afraid to seek help from people that are more knowledgeable than me as they may guide me to appropriate direction.
Prioritizing tasks, getting enough rest, planning out activities, and learning about my limits will all help me better stay focused. Many technical tools exist to ease most of the tasks and impose control of my actions until it becomes a habit. Understanding that multitasking harms effectiveness is one of the critical points in improving my focus. Thus, doing one thing at a time, according to how they were prioritized, will increase my speed, and also help avoid physical and mental collapse.
An ability to objectively assess people and information both in the context of their surroundings and in isolation can be facilitated by enhancing critical thinking and argumentation skills. Taking a course or reading a book may not be enough without consistently applying the techniques of critical thinking when making everyday judgments. Acquisition of these skills will not only contribute to decision-making but will produce differences in terms of wisdom and experience.
One must continuously learn and apply that knowledge in practice to stay competent. This fact is valid for all skills and strengths, including adaptability, communicativeness, and commitment to quality. I must regularly go out of my comfort zone, talk to and share my knowledge and experience with other people, and reassess my understanding of quality. Such a habit will not only keep my skills intact but also help discover new traits and work to improve them.
Conclusion
Our mind associates many ideas with leadership, including images of a manager, a politician, and a successful person. Leaders help make the right choices and inspire people to work on themselves to achieve their goals. Although I lack certain qualities of famous leaders, I still have a chance to become one by learning, listening, and doing. Weaknesses can be turned to strengths, and knowledge gaps can be filled if the determination is present.
Reference
Northouse, P. G. (2017). Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.