Introduction
Self-analysis is an approach through which leaders can track their progress and achieve self-awareness by exploring personal strengths and weaknesses. Democratic leadership refers to a method that allows many individuals to take part in the decision-making process. If this leadership style is implemented, all team members are given a chance to share their views and ideas. However, the leader makes the final decision after evaluating and analyzing the group members’ suggestions. Democratic leadership is considered in this paper for self-analysis focusing on results from Mind Tools. An improvement plan is also developed to address the identified weaknesses. The self-analysis tool is used to determine my degree of cooperativeness while leading a team. Other aspects that this tool shows include my trust level for the team, actions while under pressure, and approaches to address conflict, among others. I show strong democratic leadership as a health provider and student based on the self-analysis results.
Discussion
A Mind Tools was effective in exploring my weaknesses and strengths as a leader. Several leadership styles were assessed in the test, such as delegating, participative, laissez-faire, democratic, and authoritarian. The score acquired after accomplishing the assessment test indicated that my leadership style was democratic. The analysis tool provided accurate results because my governance style leans towards democratic leadership. Remarkably, democratic leadership enhances trust between leaders and their team because group members feel valued and engaged (Odumegwu, 2019). The self-assessment showed that I allow my team members to share their opinions. Mind Tools provided an adequate assessment of my leadership style based on the self-analysis results.
Democratic leadership is associated with various strengths and weaknesses. A challenge that I face as a democratic leader is that this style may slow down decision-making, especially when members are allowed to share their views and opinions. Besides, democratic leadership may not work well when the team is under pressure. I face challenges to handle conflicts or disagreements associated with this leadership style. For instance, I struggle so much when responding to members’ consultations.
The analysis tool helped me identify and understand my strengths and weaknesses as a democratic leader. One of my strengths includes being able to manage motivated and high skilled workers. Democratic leadership makes use of employees’ talents by establishing creative sessions with them to promote business inventions (Alam et al., 2021). Another strength entails the ability to encourage my followers to take part in various tasks democratically. A democratic leader is required to consider the group members’ ideas and opinions when making the final decision.
Democratic leadership is able to address poor performance and facilitate potential improvement. My ability to handle each member’s performance by engaging them for continued learning is a strength of this style. Employees may not show improved performance scores if they are subjected to punishment because the approach results in decreased motivation (Jan DeBell, 2019). Self-improvement can be achieved if individuals are engaged in determining the cause of their poor performance. Democratic leaders have an advanced understanding of leadership and possess the relevant traits. For instance, they are humble and know that a team should work collaboratively for the realization of the desired results.
The willingness to support and guide a team is a strength associated with democratic leadership. As a democratic leader, I accomplish my roles wholeheartedly to achieve the set goal. Democratic leadership involves being humble and going to low levels to enhance the team’s functioning (Jony et al., 2019). Motivation in a team can be increased if the members are engaged in various tasks and discussions. A demotivated individual should be supported and encouraged to avoid spreading the demotivation energy to other members. Democratic leaders support shared decision-making, recognizing each member’s contribution and making them feel valuable (Al Khajeh, 2018). Collaborative meetings can be effective in introducing new starters because goals and expectations are communicated to all team members.
The weaknesses identified through the self-analysis can be addressed using an appropriate improvement plan. Some of my weaknesses include over-trusting my team, inability to handle conflicts effectively, and inability to accomplish tasks under high pressure. An open communication environment can be created to enhance my ability to handle conflicts. A leader who collaborates with team members is likely to give positive feedback and establish effective solutions when faced with conflicts (Zhu et al., 2018). I will also learn how to solve conflicts between members if I interact with various leaders. Moreover, engaging in career advancement opportunities can enhance my potential and skills. The weakness involving over-trusting my team members can be addressed by ensuring high monitoring of their activities. Team members are likely to be reluctant if a leader shows a high level of trust in them (Morrison-Smith & Ruiz, 2020). I would implement several monitoring strategies to ensure that my team’s performance does not suffer because of this weakness. In this case, team members can be asked to prove their performance without pressuring them. Moreover, weakness associated with the inability to work under high pressure can be addressed by making professional consultations with different individuals. Guidance and views from team members and other leaders can enhance my ability to work in different situations.
Conclusion
My self-analysis score indicates that I possess strong democratic leadership qualities. Although I support sharing ideas and opinions in my team, I make the final decisions and set parameters for the members. Remarkably, the Mind Tools effectively evaluated my leadership style and defined the traits necessary for a democratic leader. Based on the test results, working in a participatory environment is associated with the improved collaboration of team members. As a leader in the healthcare sector, I should relate well with other professionals to achieve the desired goals and success. The self-assessment test identified my strengths and weaknesses as a democratic leader. I can address poor performance among team members because democratic leadership involves engaging each individual in problem-solving. My ability to exploit the members’ talents and skills to achieve innovation is a potential strength.
An effective democratic leader is required to support and encourage demotivated employees and show a willingness to serve each team member. Notably, democratic leadership involves a leader having appropriate ways of introducing new starters to avoid potential conflicts. For instance, misunderstandings may arise if a new starter is not informed about the organization’s goals and the desired outcomes. My weaknesses as a democratic leader can be handled by implementing an improvement plan to achieve organizational and team success. Open communication can enhance my ability to handle various conflicts. I may also be able to work under pressure if I make professional consultations and interact with different leaders. Monitoring approaches can be implemented to address the weakness involving over-trusting the team members.
References
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