My own Leadership Journey Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the My own Leadership Journey. Answer: My own leadership Journey Leadership is perhaps the key factor for the growth and development of a successful individual. I always had a kind of team spirit within me. I was very much inclined towards any kind of group work. To begin with I would like to talk about my grandfather. He made sure that each and every member of our family is happy and comfortable. He made sure to talk with each and every one of us individually and regularly. He tried his level best to solve the problems of each of the family members and he made sure to encourage everyone of us at every aspect of life. After growing up, finishing up with my education and then joining my job as a senior manager in one of the top MNCs, I have been able to understand and implement all the leadership styles in a better and prominent way (Day et al., 2014). Deriving lessons from my childhood, I have seen that being a leader, I must make sure to initiate proper communication within my team. According to my perception, having a proper communication with e ach other, helps in removing half of the obstacles from the progress path of a team. As a leader, my first responsibility is to see that none of my team members are demotivated at any point of time. Leadership Theories There are many theories of leadership as well that have been influential in my life Great man theory The main belief of this theory is that the individuals born with some great inherent qualities can become successful leaders in their lives. This is because according to this theory, leaders are not made but are born. Though I had the team spirit and the desire of leading several teams in my School and college levels but I do not quite believe this theory. This is because of the fact that there are still many aspects of leadership that I have learnt over time and not right from my birth. Trait theory This theory again is of the belief that there are some inborn traits or specific characteristic features that are present in many individuals by birth. However I havent found this theory to be applicable in my case because this theory has always failed to answer the question that then how is we to categorize those people who contain these qualities but are not leaders. Hence, I cannot highlight any such traits within me right from my birth that has made be an ideal leader (Day et al., 2014). Contingency theory This theory is very much similar to the situational theory which says that any good leader will know which quality to apply and what situation. I find this theory to be somewhat influential in my case because I always try to act as per the requirements of the situation. Situation theory According to my perception, this theory is also very much influential for any and every leaders. I find this theory to be quite applicable in my present job role. I have to take decisions and act as per the demands of the situation. In other words, I have to carry on the method of situational behavior and alter my decisions or my behaviors accordingly. Behavioral theory I often like to go by this theory as it believes that great leaders are not born but are made. This theory believes that people can be good leaders despite of having some physical or mental disabilities. This theory focuses on the actions of the leaders and not on their physical and mental conditions. Management theories This theory is very much business oriented in nature and depends mainly on the principles of rewards and punishments based in the performance of the followers. I find this theory to be kind of well suited to the business purposes but I believe in order to be a good leader one must also know how to be very close to his or her followers not only in the professional field but also in terms of emotion. Transformational or relationship theory This theory has been the most influencing in my case because as the every name suggests, transformational leaders are them who always try to create change within the organization and within the followers as well. In other orders I always focus my leadership qualities to inspire and motivate my flowers. I always keep in mind that my actions must be such so that it can work for the general well being and progress of the team. However I know that this change must be brought not only in the team but also within my individual teammates. Hence, I try to ,motivate and inspire each and every team member separately so that they can recognize their open individual strengths and make use of their highest potential (Neal, Boutselis Bennett 2016). My personality type as per the MyersBriggs Type Indicator (MBTI) :ISF As per my own perceptions, I am an ISFJ personality type. Being a good leader always brings a lot of responsibilities and challenges. I believe that the first important thing that I must do as a leader is to have a sound sense of duty. If I am not dutiful enough towards my work and my followers, then I can never expect the same from them. I always keep in mind that these are not only my followers whom I should guide in the work field in order to increase the productivity of the organization (Adams, Campbell Deming., 2017). As a leader I must maintain some other duties as well like supporting them emotionally. Once it so happened, that I was extremely sick and was asked to take complete bed rest. At the same time I had a board meeting with foreign delegates. This was a meeting for which my team mates had been working hard and putting in all their effort for a long time. I have seen them working with all their dedication by even skiing their meals, their break times and their holidays (OKeeffe, Ozuem Lancaster., 2016). They have done this not only for their own personal benefit but for me as well. So I realized that no matter how much sick I am, I cannot let the hard work of my followers go in vain. So, I plucked up my strength and took my medicines and went to the meeting. This was because I knew that this meeting would not have been possible without me. My team mates would have felt very much neglected. I could not let this happen at any cost ( Clauss?Ehlers Parham 2014).Being a leader I kept in mind that I need duty comes first than everything else. It was my duty to be with followers through thick and thin and to guide them always. Leaders who are influential in my life Here, I would like about two most important people and great icons that have helped me in shaping my leadership skills. The first is the famous US President Franklin D Roosevelt, who has guided the entire nation towards peace and progress. However, the fact about him that has always inspired me a great deal is his will power and his sense of duty towards his followers and his nation. He was rendered paralyzed down his waist and had to use a wheelchair known as the FDR throughout. Another such example is that of Nick Vujicic. He was born with a very rare kind of disease (McCleskey, 2014). He was born without legs and arms. However inspite of having such major difficulties he is today a very renowned painter, an artist and a motivational speaker. He motivates the common public so that they can thrive all the major difficulties in life. Thus I have learned from the case of Nick Vujicic, that there is nothing called as inborn or inherent leadership traits. Leaders like nick Vujicic has m ade me realize that the theories like trait theory and great man theory are really quite pointless in the real world. Feedback given by my partner The feedback given by my partner regarding my leadership journey and my current challenges has also been very helpful. According to him I have been able to develop the 4 types of organizational culture very well within me. Name of cultures Roles associated Power culture I have been able to maintain the dignity and personality associated with my position of a leader. Role culture I have been able to efficiently carry on with my role of guiding and supporting all my followers Task culture I have been able to initiate the smoothness, and speed, accuracy and also the efficiency within all the projects undertaken my group (followers) in the organization. Person culture However, I need to develop or change the take of my followers in this particular field. Improvement area: Inculcating Cultural Leadership As per the feedback given by my partner I need to improve in the person culture part, which basically talks about the values and the principles that are inculcated by me within my followers. The challenge that I have been facing is a kind of disparity, misunderstanding or discrimination going on between many of the team mates or the followers based on different cultural differences. These differences are arising because of the many varied reasons. As all of my team mates are from different national or cultural backgrounds they are often having problems in adjusting with each other. As their leader I had to help them deal with this problem. Principles of cultural intelligence I decided to follow the principles of cultural intelligence Cognitive level I explained and trained all my followers that they are a team and the mantra of team progress is respect for each other. I made them communicate with each other as much as possible by engaging them as small groups in many projects. This would enable them to interact with each other, understand each bothers customs and practices (OKeeffe, Ozuem Lancaster., 2016). Physical level I made sure to inculcate the very basic and common values of peer learning and peer respect within my followers. The first and foremost thing I did was to select a common dress code for the entire team; this at once would bring the feeling of unity within them. I made it mandatory that whenever they come across each other within the organization they must greet each other with a little smile, a greet or a slight pat on the back. Emotional level I also made sure that none of my followers are misbehaving among themselves or hurting the emotions and sentiments of each other. I trained them to be good listeners first and then a speaker. They must know how to respect each other and work together as a team (Neal, Boutselis Bennett 2016). National and organizational culture As I have to maintain a team that comprises of so many people coming from so many different backgrounds I also have to imbibe some aspects of the national and organizational culture. I have tried and imbibed within them some of the universal positivity and negativities. As a modern leader, I must know how to adjust with all my followers who are coming from so many different backgrounds. In order to do this I have to make sure that all the other members working within the organization are also able to adjust easily with their colleagues irrespective of the cultural or global differences. I have inculcated within myself the following principles in order to cope up with the other employees of many band varied cultures (McCleskey, 2014). Universal positivity I have tried my level best to gain the trust of my followers I always try to stay honest in any and every endeavors Motivational I consider it as one of my prime duty to motivate my followers throughout. Universal negativities There are some of the traits that I try to avoid. They are Ruthless Dictatorial Egocentric Irritable As a leader I must always try to appear friendly and frank with my followers rather than being bossy or doctorial. Apart from this, I always try to be one among them I believe unless I see things through their eyes I will never be able to help them or sort out their problems. I must give my egos in order to understand them. If I always try to prove myself superior then I will turn out to be extremely irritable to my fellow followers. They will no longer respect me or obey them. I believe in the values of respect and politeness rather than dictating and dominating (OKeeffe, Ozuem Lancaster., 2016). Culturally contingent leadership qualities In order to act as leader in a global cross cultural environment I have to make sure that I follow some of the culturally contingent leadership qualities like that of Sincerity Logical Sensitive Class conscious Ambitious In order to initiate a proper communication between me and all my followers I have started many new programs and campaigns. These programs would talk about the advantages of speaking freely with one another. I also believe that interacting with employees belonging from so many different cultural backgrounds will also enable in making many new and innovative products and production techniques within the organization. References Adams, L. T., Campbell, J., Deming, K. (2017). 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