Dynamic Leadership2 Executive Summary This report entails my leadership development process at my work place. It assesses the steps necessary for integration of moral values and norms of a leader in the quest for competency and dynamism. A reflection on leadership theories provides an evaluation platform for my leadership traits as it aggregates approved scholarly suggestions to good leadership. I was able to establish the relevance of organizational culture in determination of my leadership standards. My organization majorly advocates for leadership dynamism in that it requires leaders who possess the ability to make correct decisions given its high rate of technological change in its day to day operations. There has been introduction of new methods of problem solving within my organization which has led to several training workshops for all employees. Introduction of new goals and objectives, consistent with the organizational production line, has been made with the aim of maintaining global market competitiveness. My leadership qualities have been questioned before but with exposure to different problem solving initiatives, I have rapidly developed competency necessary for leadership. The ability to understand my strengths and weaknesses has helped my decision making process against being clouded by sentiments. It follows that a critical analysis of a given problem is essential towards efficient conclusions as one basis his arguments on facts related to the task in context.
Dynamic Leadership3 Introduction Leadership is a skill which entails a continuous process. The traits, behaviour skills and decision-making power of an ordinary person can mold him/her into becoming an extraordinary leader(Bolman and Deal 2017). A leader is able to inspire and motivate fellow employees into identifying their personal goals. Dynamic leaders are ones who uphold moral character. They are faithful to their promises, they are honest and exhibit a courage to stand up for what they believe in even if it seems hard to do so. They are respectful to others as well as themselves. They adhere to responsibilities allocated to them and are fair as they act by the stipulated rules. Moreover, they care about the welfare of others as they exercise forgiveness and are considerate. A dynamic leader is driven towards building a better community rather than personal elevation. However, the process of acquiring dynamism in leadership is faced with many challenges(Swanson and Frederick 2016, p.226). In my leadership development, I have been able to outline various precepts that need to be followed for one to become a competent leader who's end results are productive to the organization he/she is situated at. Aim This report purposes to assess my leadership journey in my workplace. I have gradually developed into a democratic and transformational leader from being a short sited and autocratic leader. I am continually striving to achieve the greatness that is normally associated with a transformational and inspirational leader in my journey of being a competent leader. Factor Discussion Core Values of Dynamic Leadership Open-Mindedness
Dynamic Leadership4 This is usually reflected by the ability to have an opinion, which is not biased as well as the willingness to listen to other alternatives and ideas. Many leaders tend to advocate for their personal ideas and preferences even when there exists a continuous loss of the organization's operations. The rigidity of these leaders turns out to be quite detrimental to organizations which they are situated as they fail to recognize ideas of a possible solution coming from a team member(Cameron, Quinn, DeGraff and Thakor 2014). They are usually driven by pride and thus ignoring ideas from their subordinates. However, my ability to match good results for the task in context and the team collectively reflects my competency. For instance, there are times when a team member exhibits a negative attitude towards a designated task hence affecting the general performance of his/her team. As a leader, I have to inquire from other members on how to handle the affected member correctly. Connective Communication Effective leaders are good at connecting with their fellow teammates through communication. Good communication is essential towards the performance of a team (Sotarauta 2016, p.75). I prefer passing information on corrections and updates arising from the organization to all team members timely. This ensures that arising problems are attended to accordingly, and the productivity of the organization remains consistent. A good leader needs to be fully involved in monitoring the progress of his/her employees. Close monitoring builds a sense of confidence within my employees when attending to their tasks and prevents possible anxiety thereof. Holding a celebration once a major task has been completed usually turn out to be motivational to my employees. This can be in the form of visiting a beach or dining together. Refreshing activities can be quite relieving, and can also connect the team members to each other altogether.
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Dynamic Leadership5 Sound Judgement A good leader should have the ability to make sound judgment characterized by reason, ethics, and unbiasedness(Wolfgramm, Flynn-Coleman and Conroy 2015, p.651). The decision made by any leader is determinant to the welfare of his/her group as well as the end results portrayed at the end of their task or project. I usually avoid making sentimental judgments at all cost as I am aware of the implications that could follow thereof. Besides, a good judgment is predetermined by the experience of the leader as well as exposure to the problem. I normally consider the effectiveness of my judgment and weigh its implications on the problem. Goal Setting A good leader should have the ability to assess where he is currently, and what he requires in order to succeed in his area of focus when setting his goal. Personally, I always make sure that my goal meets a "SMART" criteria such that they are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Bound (Klenke 2016). My goals will only be specific if I know what I really want to achieve. I normally ask myself questions like what exactly do I want to achieve? Where do I intend to achieve it? How am I going to achieve it? When do I implement my ideas? With whom do I actualize my ideas? What conditions do I need to infer and what limitations do I have? Why do I want to reach this goal? Are there alternatives to achieving these goals? Measurable goals establish a need to identify the outcome of reaching a certain goal. I usually need some concrete evidence as I break down my goals into measurable elements. Definition of the physical manifestation of one's goals makes them clearer and easier to reach (Miller and Bauman 2014, p.509).
Dynamic Leadership6 Attainable goals criteria investigate the degree of acceptability of the goal to a related person. A good leader weighs the effort, costs and time to be taken by the goal against profits and life priorities and other obligations. A good leader should weigh the relevance of achieving a certain goal. Personally, I have to decide on whether I have the personality to go for it as well as carry an assessment of my team's attitude towards the same(Rothaermel 2015). If some of my team members lack certain skills necessary for reaching the goal, I am obliged to plan training sessions on the same. In the event that some resources are missing, it is usually my duty to look for means to acquire them. So as to achieve a certain goal, there exists a dire need to install deadlines as they happen to drive people towards switching to action. A time schedule is very relevant in all operations of the organization(Yuen, Park and Lee 2015). However, these timelines should be flexible and realistic so as to ensure a high morale among the employees. Stringency on timely aspect results to poor attendance on tasks as employees hurry to meet the deadline rather than results. Personal Development Plan Over my three-year period at my current workplace, I devised a personal development plan with my main objective being acquisition of dynamism in my leadership such that I would meet the qualifications advocated for by my organization. I would contact people in career fields and jobs related to my task in order to gather career information. MIT’s Toastmasters Clubs provided me with a conducive environment for developing my communication and leadership skills. I was vigilant towards increasing my knowledge on how to communicate with others by handling meetings and exploring Organization and Employee Development. Bringing together MIT experts with similar interests turned out to be beneficial in establishing areas that needed technological advancement. I was on the
Dynamic Leadership7 forefront in leading my team’s discussions on a work project at hand thus developing a close connection amongst us. Presentation of the project’s findings at conferences molded my self- confidence in leadership. Moreover, I took a personal initiative to train my colleagues on topics and skills that I had learnt from my numerous workshops abroad. Theories and Analysis There exist a number of leadership theories and model that would be related to the analysis of my personal leadership pattern. Trait theory postulates that there are qualities that define a leader differently from his/her subordinates(Landis, Hill and Harvey 2014, p.97). Trait theory advocates for integrity and honesty as one of the major characteristics of a successful, as well as an effective leader. Often do people find it hard, to be honest thus this aspect distinguishes leaders from their follower. I exhibit this virtue within myself and it has enabled me to acquire confidence from my followers. The quality of my intelligence and maturity are traits to be considered beneficial in leading people. According to Behavioural theory, leaders' patterns of actions are supposed to differentiate them from their followers. The theory suggests that unless a leader's behaviour makes him different from his subordinates, his inner traits will be of no benefit for him in becoming an effective leader(Offermann and Coats 2017). Ohio State Studies argues that a leader's character can be dignified into two: consideration and initiating structure. Initiating structure implies that the leader is usually focussed on supervising his employees' activities. On the other hand, consideration postulates that a leader is more supportive of his employees, cares for their welfare and is respectful to them. I prefer supporting my followers as I understand how important it is to care for their welfare. This is usually reflected in their commitment to the tasks that I assign them to work. Michigan studies suggest that leaders' behaviour can be identified as task centred versus employee centred. A task-oriented leader will tend to emphasize greatly on rigid work
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Dynamic Leadership8 standard whereby he considers his employees to be tools for accomplishing desired goals. On the other hand, an employee-oriented leader will base his emphasis on an interpersonal relation. He also accepts the existence of individual difference among members without question(Schyns and Riggio 2016, p.5). The aforementioned leadership theories suggest different styles of leadership where one should adopt a style of his preference. I cherish transformational leadership since I usually initiate change within my subordinates. Leaders who adopt transformational leadership system are self-motivated. This same quality within me helps motivate others. Moreover, a transformational leader usually inspires his followers, and so do I. They are not confined to the provision of formal acknowledgment. Instead, they usually treat each and every employee with equal valuation and pay attention to what motivates them. This aspect should be established within me as it would enable me to initiate motivation among my employees. Influence of Culture I concur with the aspect that organizational and natural culture hold a great influence on a leader's style of leadership. These cultures have developed my pattern in leadership all along. Culture advocates for norms, values, and practices(Aktas, Gelfand and Hanges 2016, p.297). Therefore, distinguishing right from wrong enables organizational and national culture influence one's pattern of leadership. In my opinion, a competent leader is one who exercises democracy. Informing people about decisions as well as including them creates a sense of security and faith within their subordinates. National democracy exposes people to the relevance of upholding democracy in their individual dealings(Shapiro and Stefkovich 2016). On the other hand, an autocratic form of decision-making would hinder future leaders from exhibiting a democratic attitude. On the contrary to autocracy, a transformational leader entertains ideas from his subordinates. This enhances innovation among employees. An autocratic nation neither supports nor
Dynamic Leadership9 encourage innovation. It follows that an organization should exercise democracy in its decision making thus supporting a style of transformational leadership. Feedback One of my partners has pointed to me that I tend to be too sensitive in my decision making as a leader. This is acting as a barrier to my capability to take risk thus reflecting a failure to meet some leadership attributes: a good leader should take risks. My partner argues that by being too responsible and logical as well as the disability to take risks contradicts my leadership standards. Concerning my partner's style of leadership, I have come to realize that he is a situational leader thus his ability to adapt his approach to meet situational requirements. I have suggested to him that he needs to adopt one system of leadership so as to avoid to maintain a good organizational culture. He needs to identify his organizational requirement and leadership requirement for him to achieve risk avoidance(Romager et al. 2017). He needs to be more considerate before making any move whatsoever. His entire team and followers are always looking upon him as their leader thus the need to be cautious in his decision making. The firm's goals and objects are entrusted to him for fulfilment as well. Conclusion Basing on my discussion above, it is easily noticeable that my leadership journey has entailed moving from autocracy to democratic leadership. However, I am yet to fully achieve all qualities advocated by a transformational leader. My journey on leadership has educated me on the outcomes of effective leadership, where achievement of success is a possibility. I have come to realize that I do possess qualities of a good leader. All that remains for me to do is develop a good behavioural pattern that will enable me to issue inspiration and motivation to my fellow team members.
Dynamic Leadership10 Recommendations As a competent leader, I would recommend my followers to adhere to effective procedures hinged on good leadership. Playing by the rules is the best thing to do for it will help me identify areas of concern and offer corresponding assistance where necessary. Other employees under different leadership bodies should also maintain a healthy environment with their superiors as this provides a platform for aeration of their grievances. In the event that they want to take over the responsibility of leadership at various disciplines, upholding the core values of a dynamic leader will be beneficial to their development as it has been to me. To leaders, it would be best if they take their followers more seriously by allowing them to offer their ideas(Certo 2018). Some ideas may seem useless but that doesn't mean that there couldn't be relevant ones on the list.
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Dynamic Leadership11 References Aktas, M., Gelfand, M.J. and Hanges, P.J., 2016. Cultural tightness–looseness and perceptions of effective leadership.Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology,47(2), pp.294-309. Bolman, L.G. and Deal, T.E., 2017.Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. John Wiley & Sons. Cameron, K.S., Quinn, R.E., DeGraff, J. and Thakor, A.V., 2014.Competing values leadership. Edward Elgar Publishing. Certo, S.C., 2018.Supervision: Concepts and skill-building. McGraw-Hill Education. Klenke, K., 2016.Qualitative research in the study of leadership. Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Landis, E.A., Hill, D. and Harvey, M.R., 2014. A synthesis of leadership theories and styles.Journal of Management Policy and Practice,15(2), p.97. Miller, C.K. and Bauman, J., 2014. Goal setting: an integral component of effective diabetes care.Current diabetes reports,14(8), p.509. Offermann, L.R. and Coats, M.R., 2017. Implicit theories of leadership: Stability and change over two decades.The Leadership Quarterly. Romager, J., Hughes, K., Trimble, J., Verburg, M., Camp, J. and Jones, M., 2017. Influences of Authentic Leadership Styles and Challenges to Enduring Pervasive Leadership Models. Rothaermel, F.T., 2015.Strategic management. McGraw-Hill Education. Schyns, B. and Riggio, R.E., 2016. Implicit Leadership Theories.Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance, pp.1-7. Shapiro, J.P. and Stefkovich, J.A., 2016.Ethical leadership and decision making in education: Applying theoretical perspectives to complex dilemmas. Routledge. Sotarauta, M., 2016. Shared leadership and dynamic capabilities in regional development. InRegionalism Contested(pp. 63-82). Routledge.
Dynamic Leadership12 Swanson, D.L. and Frederick, W.C., 2016. Denial and leadership in business ethics education.Business ethics: New challenges for business schools and corporate leaders, pp.222-240. Wolfgramm, R., Flynn-Coleman, S. and Conroy, D., 2015. Dynamic interactions of agency in leadership (Dial): An integrative framework for analysing agency in sustainability leadership.Journal of business ethics,126(4), pp.649-662. Yuen, S.G.J., Park, J. and Lee, H.C., Fitbit Inc, 2015.Methods and systems for interactive goal setting and recommender using events having combined activity and location information. U.S. Patent 9,081,534.