Self-Reflection Reflection on Experience

Running head: SELF-REFLECTION
SELF-REFLECTION
Name of Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
Introduction..........................................................................................................................2
Reflection on Leadership.....................................................................................................2
Conclusion.........................................................................................................................10
References..........................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
Self-reflection refers to the ability of an individual to make application of their past
learning into real practice. Therefore self-reflection includes the process of practical application
of experience in order to gain understanding. Self-reflection helps in converting experiences into
learning. Self-reflection helps in improving the problems solving skills and also the thinking
skills of an individual (Knapp, Gottlieb & Handelsman, 2017). Self-reflection helps an individual
to challenges their basic assumptions and therefore helps an individual to look at problems from
a different perspective by developing a number of alternatives and also by developing new ideas.
Moreover self-reflection can help in self-improvement of an individual by identification of
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. And it helps in linking the theory and practice.
Self-reflection helps an individual in thinking about their past experiences, analyse their feelings
and thoughts at that time, carry out an overall analysis and evaluation if the past events in order
to develop a better understanding about the same. The main aim of the paper is to carry out self-
reflection about the concept of leadership before undertaking the course and to notice if any
changes have been noticed in the same after completion of the course. The paper will therefore
include a reflection about the way the different class activities helped me in changing my
perception about the concept of leadership. Moreover a discussion will be provided on all those
experiences that changes my thoughts, ideas and views of leading and leadership.
Reflection on Leadership
Leadership according to me at the beginning of the course included a person who knows
how to get his work done and therefore he is the one who dictates all policies and procedures. I
thought that leaders are the ones who control the activities of his followers to ensure that they are

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working towards the achievement of the objectives (Chukwusa, 2018). This theory according to
me before undergoing the course was a good theory because such a leader is able to achieve the
organizational objectives and goals on time as compared to other leaders who spend time in
maintaining good relationship with his followers (Harms et al., 2018). Moreover I did not
understand why a leader should spend time in building good relationship with his employees
when he can simply use his power and position for influencing the activities of his followers.
Such a leaders can simply get his work done within the set deadline through the use of his power.
I also used to think that leaders are the ones who do not listen to others and they take their
decision based on their own judgements and ideas. Moreover I was also of the opinion that the
objectives of the employees or the followers was set by the leaders and they try to achieve the
same. However I did not believe in the existence of any other type of leadership especially in a
corporate world. This is so because in the corporate world there are people from different
backgrounds and not everyone is dedicated to their work in such situation leaders have to use
their power and position to get their work done from the employees.
The concept of leadership is one of the most discussed topics of all times and this is so
because there are different theories defining the role and traits of leadership (Northouse, 2019).
Some of these includes- the behavioural leadership theories, the contingency theories and also
the concept of transactional and transformational leaders. These theories and concepts aim at
defining who a leader is and how should the leader act in order to get the best out of the
employees while also being able to maintain good relationships with them such that the
employees feel motivated to work and feel that they are an important part of the organization.
Moreover according to other theories a leader needs to behave differently in different situations
and therefore they cannot have some fixed set of qualities (Van Vugt et al., 2004). However