Introduction
Throughout their existence, organizations and businesses are considerably pressured to raise their levels of performance and productivity. This is especially so in the modern day business environment which is characterized by aggression and excessive competition.
Businesses are therefore constantly forced to exhibit innovation, enhanced performance, and unquestionable managerial skills to remain relevant and profitable in the ever increasingly competitive arena.
To a butcher, the organizational goals of increased productivity, the input of both the individual and groups in the organization remains invaluable.
However, for these inputs to make an optimal impact, there must be strong leadership to steer the individual and group effort in the right direction.
This being the case, the development of leadership traits and skills is indeed necessary for the survival and continued success of an organization. In this paper, I shall analyze my leadership style to highlight its inherent strengths and weaknesses.
Using relevant literature, I shall highlight the concepts that make for a great leader. To this end, an analysis of my leadership style shall be provided. The qualities that afford me the chance to become a better leader shall at the end be discussed.
Leadership: a brief overview
Leadership most often refers to a process through which one person uses the help and support of others towards achieving a particular goal or task (Northouse, 2007). There are several core attributes that make for a good leader.
They include being a knowledgeable professional in the field of expertise, having a proven track record of achieving set goals and objectives and the ability to motivate and delegate effectively.
Leaders also ought to be able to cultivate and identify talent and exhibit sound judgment even under pressure.
Elements of Leadership
As has been suggested, leadership is an ongoing process that requires an individual to exhibit specific traits.
However, exemplary leadership is based on trust. If a leader proves to be trustworthy, the people around him/her are bound to respect him/her, as well as the decisions that he/she makes (Clark, 2010). There are some attributes that constitute leadership. They include but are not limited to:
Be, Know, Do
This element focuses on the leader’s traits as exhibited in his/her leadership style. A leader should act professionally and have good character. Also, leaders should know themselves, their jobs, their organization, human nature, and most important of all; factors of leadership.
On the same note, leaders are expected to provide directions (communicate the organization’s goals objectives and visions), implement various strategies and motivate their employees.
Environment
Environment refers to the physical surrounding from which the organization carries out its day-to-day activities. Understanding the work environment is very important because it significantly dictates how a leader reacts to challenges and opportunities (Clark, 2010).
Leaders affect the work environment through the goals they set in regards to performance, the values they instill such as the concern for employees, clients, investors, and other business associates wellbeing.
The concepts refer to the business/people interactions, regarding the products and production methodologies and processes used in conducting business.
Roles and relationships
This is arguably the most important element of leadership. The success or subsequent failure of an organization is determined by how well a leader communicates the roles of the employees and governs the internal and external relationships the business has with various stakeholders.
Roles refer to the tasks and responsibilities that each employee has to fulfill to achieve the set goals and objectives (Clark, 2010). Relationships, therefore, depend on the roles assigned to the employees. Some roles can be handled individually while others may require teamwork.
Culture
Culture refers to the instituted routines, rituals and modes of operation that have been developed as a result of leadership transitions, crises, challenges, and opportunities. In summary, culture refers to how an organization carries out its activities.
Climate
Climate refers to the mood of the organization. It mostly reflects on the shared perceptions and attitudes that the employees have towards the organization. The climate of the organization is deeply rooted in an employee’s belief regarding the management of the organization.
NB: culture and climate greatly influence the motivation and job satisfaction exhibited by employees. This is because they evaluate and reflect on the effectiveness of the leader as well as the efficiency of the implemented strategies.
Self-assessment survey: Personal reflection
A survey is an important tool in identifying an individual’s potential in becoming a leader. Taking the survey was an insightful experience for me. I managed to learn the different factors that are often considered in selecting leaders in an organizational/work setting.
The questions posed in the survey were very applicable to my own experiences. Not only do they focus on the major traits required by leaders, but it also covers the common mistakes that leaders often make. As such, the questions revealed that leadership is never easy.
Also, the questions indicate that leadership can only be successful if the leader solicits the help of others to get things done. Regarding organizations, the survey portrays an organization as an entity that relies on the harmonious relationship between management and employees for its survival.
Personal Strengths
After taking the survey, I realized that I have a great desire for becoming a leader.
This is mainly because; I am most equipped and proficient in delegating work to others, communicating visions, goals, and objectives, I am diplomatic and understand my roles and duties regarding conflict resolution and interpretation of organizational rules and regulations.
Personal opportunities for growth
My main weakness was that I am not a team player. As such, I could not ask for advice or communicate with others on a personal level. However, this main weakness could be my greatest strength. As Northouse (2007) reiterates, leaders are not born but made.
As such, I can learn the skills required to make me a great team player. In so doing, I will have increased my chances of becoming an exemplary leader, thereby realizing a significant development and growth in my leadership style and traits.
Potential synergy in my leadership style and traits
As I have realized from the survey I took, I have some strengths as well as weaknesses that affect my leadership quality. I acknowledge the fact that my pitfalls may in the future act as hindrances to my leadership ambitions.
As such, I plan to use my strengths to solicit help from others regarding confronting my weaknesses. It is only through interactions that I may learn to overcome these weaknesses and become a great and admirable leader.
At the same time, the same process will be used to share my strengths thereby ensuring that the people I interact and work with do their jobs efficiently and effectively.
Conclusion
This report set out to perform a details analysis of my leadership style. To this end, the strengths and weaknesses that are inherent in my style have been documented. The synergies that can come about from my strengths and weaknesses have also been highlighted.
This paper has demonstrated that by knowing my leadership style and that of my team members, the productivity of our organization can be increased since we can maximize on the benefits and minimize the pitfalls that are there.
References
Clark, D. (2010). Concepts of Leadership. Web.
Northouse, G. (2007). Leadership theory and practice. (3rd ed). London: Sage Publications, Inc.