Everyone needs leadership in their lives since it boosts their self-esteem, provides them with a greater sense of identity, and allows them to manage others better. This article aims to analyse my type of leadership and its effectiveness in critical categories. This self-analysis paper will help me plan things more effectively and discover my weaknesses and turn them into strengths so that I can use my leadership in the most effective way possible. Various instances from my own life will be used to support the themes in the paper.
Part A: Self-analysis
My Leadership Strengths
I would define myself as a servant-oriented, authentic, and inclusive leader. The Servant Leadership Theory informs this leadership style, and it allows me to draw on the skills and expertise of others around me. When it comes to making choices and resolving issues, I lean toward this kind of leadership more than others. Since everyone in the group has something practical to give, and some may have knowledge that will aid my decision-making, I do this. To make a choice, I utilise all of the knowledge I have gathered, knowing that I am the group’s leader. As a result, I define the objectives, lead the debates, and make the ultimate choice. However, I also recognise that my employees may provide vital insight into an issue or procedure, so I often contact them. As a consequence, I’m certain that working with others will provide me with creative feedback and new ideas that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. I want to cultivate a climate where individuals may openly disagree with one other. My leadership style has several advantages. By recognising and acknowledging prejudice and discrimination, I am able to counteract them (Heyler and Martin, 2018). We all have our own internal biases, and as a leader, I make sure I’m aware of any of these biases my employees may have. While admitting these flaws might be difficult, leaders can then take action to improve their own performance.
In order to be an effective manager, I must continually assess how my team members’ personal biases affect their work-related choices and behaviours. In my daily life, I make an effort to treat others fairly and with respect by following these procedures. However, if the team collaborates more, the voices of those who aren’t heard will be heard more clearly. When there are more individuals in the room, there are more possibilities to overcome prejudice. When I have a diverse staff, this is particularly true. Leaders must ensure that they pay attention to these voices, regardless of their position in the organisation, take into account their life experiences and appreciate their viewpoints as much as any other (Flynn, Smither and Walker, 2015). I pay closer attention to their viewpoints when discussing diversity initiatives with my coworkers. As an inclusive and servant leader, I want my multicultural team to know that I will be there for them whenever they need it. There are many individuals who claim to be allies but refuse to do the job when it’s tough to do so. I exploit their position in the firm as well as their privilege to help facilitate good change. This covers both verbal and nonverbal expressions. Because of this, my leadership style guarantees that the team’s morale is at an all-time high. An effective servant-leader cares about their employees. People flourish and are strongly driven to put their best efforts forward in these types of environments.
As a result, team members are more likely to remain committed to the business. Collaborative decision-making also boosts staff engagement with the approach. As under democratic leadership, valuing the perspectives of all team members is essential to a successful team. Taking decisions in a group setting is made easier under the guidance of servant leaders. Everyone brings their own unique experiences and thoughts to the table. The front-line workers often have a better grasp of the situation than those in higher positions of authority. Moreover, my leadership philosophy also has a significant impact on the growth of organisations. I don’t follow the typical leadership model of micromanaging and telling people what to do; instead, I believe in giving people responsibility and encouraging them to do their best work. As a servant leader, you set the example for your subordinates and encourage them to do the same. Inspiring people to work together leads to greater achievements than the sum of their individual efforts. My servant leadership philosophy also emphasises the value of cooperation and relationship-building. Everyone on the team has a variety of responsibilities that are assigned based on their individual skills and abilities rather than on their official position or title. Especially in times of change, organisations benefit from an infectious enthusiasm that comes from allowing each member to play a substantial part.
Furthermore, my leadership style contributes to the overall growth of my employees. I don’t try to impose my personal objectives on those who work for me. As a manager, I like to spend the time and effort to assist my subordinates in recognising their strengths and flaws while also helping them realise their potential and larger purpose. Then, I assist my coworkers in achieving a healthy balance between their physical and mental well-being. Forgiveness is a virtue that I strive to cultivate in myself and others. I am patient and empathic because I try to see things from the other person’s point of view. As most people look for these attributes in a leader, my leadership fosters great loyalty and inspiration, which aids firms in growing and retaining their human capital. My leadership style is grounded on social and ethical issues while also promoting the growth of value-based governance as a Servant, Authentic, and Inclusive leader. As a result, servant leadership is a style of democratic leadership that involves involving and empowering staff to take action.
Weaknesses
Even if the philosophy of inclusive and servant leadership seems to be the most ideal, it is evident that finding actual servant leaders would be tough. Many individuals would be unable to achieve if they had to give up their own self-glory in order to do so since many leaders crave acclaim and rewards for their accomplishments. Being successful and being rewarded for good work is in everyone’s nature, whether done by oneself or by one’s subordinates. Hence, one of the disadvantages of servant leadership is that honest servants are hard to come by (Verdorfer, 2016). Additionally, my leadership style is time-consuming to implement. The approach is based on fostering a feeling of camaraderie among coworkers and a sense of shared purpose in the workplace. To do this in a short period is impossible. There must be time for servant and inclusive leaders to connect with their employees and learn what inspires them. They must also understand the company’s requirements and the employees’ needs in order to build a productive workplace. Trying to implement servant leadership with the hopes of increasing employee turnover is sure to fail, and the company will have to start from scratch.
Notably, not every firm can benefit from servant leadership. Servant leadership would be a disaster in any military context where hierarchy, rank, and order are paramount (Verdorfer, 2016). Consider a military film you’ve seen to have a better understanding of this concept. Do you believe that military commanders take into account the opinions and sentiments of their subordinates? The broad consensus is that the answer to this question is no. The junior enlisted are new and maybe unskilled in the duty to which they will be assigned. The hierarchy of ranks has been established, and it is on this foundation that the next generation of leaders will be constructed. The better educated a person is, the more valuable they become to higher-ranking authorities. The military’s efficiency and effectiveness would deteriorate if this organisational framework were to be eliminated (Laustsen and Petersen, 2017). A lack of organisation and discipline would rapidly lead to the military’s failure to function at its most significant level. Another shortcoming of my servant, honest, and inclusive leadership style is its gentle approach that is inappropriate to a competitive climate. In a competitive atmosphere, my leadership style may fall behind that of other leaders. Because focusing just on “serving” will lead to a scenario in which one’s sense of accountability or obligation is eroded. As a servant leader, many of my essential attributes remain inappropriate at times. If, for example, I must often abandon my core characteristic of persuasion in order to recommend adjustments or appropriate discipline, I must often forego my core characteristic of openness in order to maintain confidentiality in order to preserve the integrity of our community’s core values and beliefs, or I must suspend the listening and consultation processes in order to issue specific or targeted discipline.
Also, leadership’s primary role is to match individual aspirations with those of the business, resulting in an employee-organisation fit. My leadership style may prioritise the ambitions and wants of individuals above the demands of the company, and I believe in inspiring my team members to fulfil organisational goals (Verdorfer, 2016). Individual-organisation fit concerns cannot be adequately addressed using this strategy. An evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of my leadership style theory reveals that this leadership approach can lead to unresolved cases of individual ideals and values contradicting with the organisational objectives, and leads to strategic mission remaining unfulfilled because employees do not give the attention, priority or urgency that such goals deserve. Some members of the team may not appreciate my efforts to foster a sense of community within the group since they have their own lives and want to keep their work and personal lives separate (Zhao, Thatcher and Jehn, 2019). When everyone in a company is on board with the idea and has a set of fundamental abilities and behaviours that support it, the servant and inclusive leadership style may be most effective. There is no fast cure for servant leadership, and the actual advantages of servant leadership are only evident over time.
Part B. The Action Plan
My Leadership Vision
Professionals benefit significantly from the notion of leadership. Many people are unable to achieve their objectives due to a lack of leadership qualities. I’m equipped with important leadership principles to help me achieve my long-term objectives. Aside from these shortcomings, I am well-equipped to pursue my long-term ambitions. Learning from the course materials has given me the ability to succeed. I want to put these ideas to work in order to improve my leadership skills. This strategy is in line with the principles of leadership I espouse. I want to apply the following action plan to attain my full potential.
Personal Leadership Goals
My personal leadership objectives include improving my communication technique, resolving conflict, and increasing collaboration and teamwork. Various aspects of my character will be the subject of my training. Targeted goals may be affected by my lack of leadership. Communication is the first and most important factor. As a result, I often find myself unable to connect with my peers and friends. My ability to communicate effectively will be strengthened if I have a solid plan in place. With practice, I will be able to communicate effectively with others. Individuals’ success will be negatively impacted if they don’t have the most refined communication skills (Zhao, Thatcher and Jehn, 2019). The capacity to reconcile disagreements is an additional sign of leadership. To be a successful leader, one must be able to cope with disagreement (Laustsen and Petersen, 2017). It is simpler for people and leaders to get the most outstanding results if they use a suitable conflict resolution technique. It will be simpler for me to deal with the problems my followers face if we can establish better methods of resolving disagreements. As a group, we can do a lot more than we could alone. I want to concentrate on the best practices that will help me become a better team member. Work and interpersonal skills are essential for a leader. To be a leader, you must be able to teach and guide your team members.
My objective is to learn new ideas that will help me lead, mentor, delegate, and even empower others. I will constantly rely on these skills to help me achieve my long-term objectives. “Involvement with others” is the second leadership quality that is essential to a leader (Zhao, Thatcher and Jehn, 2019). In order to help their followers and workers reach their full potential, influential leaders include them in the process. This gift will serve as a mentor to everyone I meet. Many people will be able to achieve their professional objectives as a result of this approach. There are a number of measures that may be taken to attain these leadership qualities. A toastmaster’s club will be the first step in helping me achieve my communication and leadership objectives. In order to build the most extraordinary listening and communication abilities, Toastmasters bring more people together. To participate in such groups, I will be encouraged to interact with people from different backgrounds, and I will always be ready to articulate myself positively.
It is essential for leaders to be able to “speak in front of huge audiences” (Zhao, Thatcher and Jehn, 2019). In the second step, you need to find an experienced leader to serve as a mentor. The people chosen for this position will be the most capable in terms of leadership. The mentor will teach me things like how to build teams, which will be extremely helpful in the future. The person I meet there will motivate and inspire me to take the reins of leadership and empower others. In order to achieve the best results, the mentor will outline the most appropriate practices. Using these two methods will help me improve my communication skills in the quickest amount of time. In the third strategic plan, conflict resolution is handled in a variety of ways. There are several organisations that provide instruction to a large number of people. After taking the targeted courses, I will learn to be more realistic, engaged, and open while dealing with diverse issues. I will become a better negotiator after taking this course. The exercise will teach me new ideas that will help me become a better leader in the future. Working with others is another effective method. In order to accomplish my goal, I shall enlist the help of people in all of my endeavours. These people will help me make decisions and solve problems. I believe that these new skills will help me fulfil my aspirations as a future leader.
Another option is to join a group of people with similar professional goals. People like these will broaden my horizons and inspire me to greater heights in my work. As a result, I’ll be able to connect with more people in my field. This exercise will help me become more open-minded. For both individual and organisational issues, I’ll be ready to go. Success in leadership comes from delegating tasks to those who can do them well. It’s time to start distributing responsibilities among the team members (Redmond and Dolan, 2014). Leaders can benefit from the experiences of others through this method. They’ll also pay attention to the issues that are affecting their supporters. To achieve their goals, they will eventually employ powerful strategies. My long-term ambition is to rise to the position of successful leader within an organisation. The current leadership gap necessitates a comprehensive action plan for the best results. Many people’s needs can be met by the strategies outlined above. For example, joining a Toastmasters club will fulfil most of my requirements. Because they help people develop their leadership, presentation, and communication skills, Toastmasters International is a valuable resource for the community (Redmond and Dolan, 2014). Diverse initiatives aimed at enhancing my organisational abilities will be advantageous to me (Redmond and Dolan, 2014). Organisational problems are better understood and solved through the process of delegation by leaders. Many of my responsibilities will be delegated to my fellow students, friends and teammates. This action plan is essential to improve my abilities to engage employees. I’ll also work on my interpersonal skills as a part of this. Long-term goals will be helped by practice.
My mentor in leadership should have “best skills in communication, problem-solving, delegation, and decision-making” to offer me guidance (Laustsen and Petersen, 2017). The mentor will help me develop new skills that will eventually help me achieve my leadership goals. It is hoped that this new mentor-follower relationship will aid my development. For example, when confronted with a variety of issues, I will be more open, mature, and realistic in my approach. I will be able to deal with a variety of conflicts if I follow this strategy. Additionally, the courses that are specifically tailored to my needs will have a significant impact. I will learn new skills that can be used in a variety of workplaces. For example, I’ll learn how to delegate tasks, meet the needs of my subordinates, and work as part of a team. It is my firm belief that taking courses like these will enable me to better deal with all kinds of leadership issues in the future. There are various ways in which people can pursue their leadership aspirations. The above actions will aid all of the objectives mentioned above. My interpersonal skills will be honed by my interactions with my teachers and teammates. I plan to work with various people who have demonstrated leadership abilities. The needs of different people will also be taken into consideration by me. The best ethical ideas will be at the heart of my leadership philosophy. Leaders have a moral obligation to treat everyone equally. I will use this as my guiding principle from here on out. The steps outlined above will eventually fill in the holes in my leadership philosophy.
Accountability and Acknowledgment
A well-executed action plan should be able to achieve its stated goals. My ultimate goal is to learn new concepts that can help me achieve my leadership aspirations in the future. To ensure that the above steps lead to the best possible outcomes, I’ll take into account a variety of factors. I’ll be conducting regular evaluations to assess my abilities and competencies for the time being. To test my abilities, I will interact with people from different backgrounds. Some of my friends and my sister, who is completing her doctorate in leadership, will help me with this. I’m also going to include my company’s director of personnel development in this discussion. They’ll keep an eye on my progress. Using this method, I will be able to identify new procedures and strategies that can help me fulfil my leadership responsibilities more quickly. I’ll be ready to tackle any problem that arises for my friends. This strategy will also give me a chance to learn something new. As a result, I intend to ask my mentor to keep an eye on my progress. Having a mentor will help you get the best feedback possible, which will lead to better results.
Conclusion
After my leadership self-analysis, I am a servant, authentic, and inclusive leader. Although my leadership style is effective in most organisations, it does not lack its limitations. Hence, the action plan will come in handy in ensuring the weaknesses are realigned. Also, a few of the aforementioned methods may not produce the desired results in terms of enhancing my leadership abilities. Thus, every ineffective action will be immediately replaced. It’s a good idea to get input from my coworkers and my mentor. As a result of such feedback, I will be able to identify new plans that produce positive outcomes much more quickly. Finally, I intend to devote all of my time and effort to improving my leadership skills. For the sake of expanding my action plan, I intend to read extensively. These techniques will help me become a capable leader who is sensitive to the needs of a diverse group of subordinates and employees.
Reference list
Flynn, C.B., Smither, J.W. and Walker, A.G. (2015). Exploring the Relationship Between Leaders’ Core Self-Evaluations and Subordinates’ Perceptions of Servant Leadership. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 23(3), pp.260–271.
Heyler, S.G. and Martin, J.A. (2018). Servant Leadership Theory: Opportunities for Additional Theoretical Integration. Journal of Managerial Issues, [online] 30(2), pp.230–243. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/45176580.
Laustsen, L. and Petersen, M.B. (2017). Perceived Conflict and Leader Dominance: Individual and Contextual Factors Behind Preferences for Dominant Leaders. Political Psychology, 38(6), pp.1083–1101.
Redmond, S. and Dolan, P. (2014). Towards a conceptual model of youth leadership development. Child & Family Social Work, 21(3), pp.261–271.
Verdorfer, A.P. (2016). Examining Mindfulness and Its Relations to Humility, Motivation to Lead, and Actual Servant Leadership Behaviors. Mindfulness, 7(4), pp.950–961.
Zhao, E.Y., Thatcher, S.M.B. and Jehn, K.A. (2019). Instigating, Engaging in, and Managing Group Conflict: A Review of the Literature Addressing the Critical Role of the Leader in Group Conflict. Academy of Management Annals, 13(1), pp.112–147.
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