Dynamic Leadership: A Reflexive Report

This reflexive report discusses the journey of a leader, their current role, critical aspects of their leadership journey, feedback from their partner, and relevant theories. It also includes the results of Gallup Strengths finder with leadership style inventories completed.

Running Head: REFLEXIVE REPORT 1
DYNAMIC LEADERSHIP
Student’s Name
Course
University
Date

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Executive summary
Leadership refers to the ability to initiate action among your subjects. Being a leader was my
passion since my childhood years. Most of the times I used to assume various leadership roles
such as being a class prefect where I used to coordinate multiple activities such as ensuring that
the class environment was conducive for study. I achieved this by ensuring that I warned the
naughty noisemakers and if they persisted with the act, I wrote their names which I submitted to
the class teacher for further action. That made the class to be orderly, and I was able to be
successful as a leader. In my seventh grade, I was chosen as the school captain because the
teachers saw the leadership capability in me through various roles that I had played in other
positions of leadership, the big role by then that made me to rule over five hundred students, and
I was successful. I learned various leadership skills such as speech preparation and delivering,
and I was respected in the entire school by both the teachers and the students because of the type
of the leader I was. Since then, I have served in various capacities of leadership and later in
high school I was a leader in various clubs and societies, and now I am a Human Resource
Manager in a tea factory. Indeed leadership is a continuous never-ending process for an
individual who has a passion for leadership.

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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................4
My journey as a leader..........................................................................................................................4
MY CURRENT ROLE.............................................................................................................................6
The critical aspects of my leadership journey so far...............................................................................7
People who influenced me.....................................................................................................................7
How I formed my self-image as a leader..................................................................................................7
Critical event that has been influential....................................................................................................8
Summary of the results of Gallup Strengths finder with leadership style inventories I have
completed...................................................................................................................................................9
FEEDBACK FROM MY PARTNER....................................................................................................11
On my current style of leadership......................................................................................................11
On my Capabilities............................................................................................................................11
On my Effectiveness.........................................................................................................................11
Interpersonal and social skills associated with emotional intelligence................................................12
IMPLICATIONS OF THE FEEDBACK AND SIGNIFICANCE.......................................................13
RELEVANT THEORIES.......................................................................................................................13
CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................................14
References................................................................................................................................................15

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INTRODUCTION
My journey as a leader
My journey as a leader started in my family. Being the first born, I had the responsibility to look
after my siblings especially when the parents were not around. My parents trusted me, and they
knew that everything would be fine when they were not around. They used to assign tasks such
as feeding my young brother and ensuring that he does not cry.
At church, I was appointed as the Sunday school leader, and I used to carry out my duties
effectively. I used to ensure that all the children were adequately organized before our Sunday
school teacher arrived. I also used to take the roll call for those who were present and submitted
to the Sunday school teacher which enhanced making follow up for the kids who were not
attending the services.
At school, the teacher appointed me as the sanitary prefect in my fifth grade where I
ensured that all the classes were clean and there was no littering the compound by ensuring that
the dustbins were strategically positioned for all the students. I used to assemble all the students
after which I thoroughly examined their school uniforms for cleanliness, I examined their hair to
ensure that it was well trimmed, I observed their socks to ensure that they were sparkling clean, I
observed their nails to ensure that they were short, and this made the students clean and
presentable in school which was a good behavior. Teachers were pleased with my leadership,
and I was awarded as the prefect of the year at the end of the year due to the act of corporate
social responsibility where I led the students in the cleaning of a nearby market.

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Later at the university I was the students' leader, and during my tenure, the students were
comfortable in all the aspects. They had decent hostels, good food at the school canteen, good
library fully equipped, etc. After my studies, I worked in a tea factory as an intern in the field of
human resource management. My main task was to oversee all the employees' activities and
address their various grievances on issues such as overtime and pay delays which rampant in the
company. I left the company for further studies, but the legacy I left behind made the
management to reserve the position of an assistant human resource manager for me which I
automatically assumed after my Postgraduate studies in Business administration.

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MY CURRENT ROLE
I work as a Human Resource Manager in a tea processing factory. According to Bolden (2016)
my main responsibilities are:
Facilitating the recruitment and selection process of new employees to the organization
Ensuring that performance appraisal is conducted by the supervisors for various
production units to ascertain the skill gaps.
Preparation of employees' payrolls to facilitate compensation.
Facilitating employee training programs.
Leadership challenges in the company
Employees' resistance to change which inhibits creativity and innovation
Understanding employees' behavior that affects their performance due to the limited
interaction between the employees and the management.
Frequent conflicts which slow the production process.
Limited career development opportunities among the employees.
A large number of old employees who are very complicated especially when training them to
cope with the new technology.

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The critical aspects of my leadership journey so far.
People who influenced me
Since I was young, my parents have been shaping me through various roles in the family such as
supervising the employees at the farm and many other tasks. My teachers also influenced me by
appointing me roles which build my confidence.
How I formed my self-image as a leader
As a leader in various capacities I formed my self-image in the following ways:
By being a role model through been morally upright and avoided all the hostile acts such
as corruption, fraudulent acts, etc.
I ensured that I met my objectives which contributed to the general success of the
organization.
I related well with my subjects, and the excellent relationship enhanced their better
performance.
As a leader, I was very confident when I was faced with challenges which I solved them
effectively.
Many people approached me with various challenges, and I was able to help them effectively
which made them talk positively about me.

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Critical event that has been influential
As a leader I always upheld justice, and I never wanted to see an individual been discriminated
when the person is very innocent. In my culture Adultery was a taboo and if anyone was found
guilty, the person was stoned to death as a sentence. There was this case where two men brought
charges against a woman who they claimed to have found her committing adultery only because
she refused to sleep with them. They claimed that they had seen her under a tree, but the man
escaped so they could not identify him. I knew the woman very well, she was so faithful, and I
felt that everything was a made up story. The judge was convinced that the woman was guilty of
the charges and was to be executed. I thought and requested to say something before the
execution of the woman. Since the men claimed to have found her under the tree, I requested if
they would be separated, and each man was asked which tree it was. They gave different
answers. One man said that he had seen the woman under a sycamore tree and the other said
under a mango tree, and as a result, the woman was spared, and the men were found guilty of
false accusation, and they faced the penalty that would have been suffered by the woman. The
people were pleased with my critical thinking skills as a leader, and indeed many were
influenced on how important it is not to be quick in making decisions without critically
examining the situation (Wagner, 2016).

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Summary of the results of Gallup Strengths finder with leadership style inventories I have
completed
According to Harms (2017) it is usually advisable for a leader to accept his strengths and make
plans to build on his strengths through a career development program. Gallup strengths finder
enables individuals to know their strengths by advising them to work and small wins and avoid
been over-ambitious by expecting an overnight result in good performance (Sotarauta, 2016).
From Gallop strengths finder, I have discovered that I have the following strengths:
I am an achiever
As a leader, I have always ensured that the organization achieves the set goals and objectives. If
it is a project, I provided that it was completed at the right time.
Adaptable to situations
As a leader, I am always flexible to the changes that might occur. In most of the cases there were
technological changes which created an urgent need for training the employees, and as a leader I
never had a big problem with that because I made the employees see the significance of the
training.
Good communicator
As a leader, I usually measure the words I speak to someone especially when I am angry. I have
also inspired many young upcoming leaders by talking to them. In the organization, I usually
ensure that the employees get the necessary information at the right time.

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Equality
I usually treat all my subjects on equal ground without discriminating against any person.
Empathic
As I leader, I am usually not comfortable when I see individual suffering, and as a result, I
typically offer to help where I can.
Leadership styles
I always apply the participatory approach to leadership where I usually involve the employees in
the decision-making process (Shamir& Eilam-Shamir, 2018). I also use the situational approach
in various circumstances in the organization (Storey, 2016). This has contributed to my success
as a leader within the organization.

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FEEDBACK FROM MY PARTNER
On my current style of leadership
According to McCleskey (2014), participatory style of leadership is the best style since the
employees like to be involved in the decision-making process within the organization with
enhances their performance as they feel a sense of belonging and furthermore reduces their
turnover rate. Managers are advised to apply the participatory style of leadership when dealing
with different situations among the employees in the organization.
On my Capabilities
Various skills such as accountability, responsibility, ability to motivate the employees, effective
decision making and conflict management skills have been central to my success as a leader
hence leaders are advised to adopt such skills for success in the organization.
On my Effectiveness
An effective leader should be in a position to gain the support of his subjects to facilitate the
achievement of specific goals and objectives at any given time.

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Interpersonal and social skills associated with emotional intelligence.
Interpersonal skills Social skills
How we manage ourselves How we deal with other people’s relationships
Self-awareness- we should be in a
position to understand ourselves so as to
know how best to control our emotions
especially when we are annoyed.
Been empathetic- a leader should be in a
position to understand the problem of others and
seek ways to help them overcome their problems.
Self-regulation- a leader should always
have self-control and should not have the
tendency of losing his temper easily.
Conflict management- a leader should not relax
when there is a problem to be solved between
individuals in the organization, he should always
purpose to enhance peace and unity among his
subjects.
Motivation- A leader should learn to
reward the good work which enhances the
commitment of the employees in the
organization.
Interaction – a leader should learn to interact
with others so as to understand them better with
their deepest needs and help them appropriately.

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IMPLICATIONS OF THE FEEDBACK AND SIGNIFICANCE
I have appreciated the significance of engaging the employees in the process of making decisions
in the organization. The aspect of emotional intelligence has shaped my perception of the
approach to be used when dealing with various individual challenges.
RELEVANT THEORIES
According to Landis, Hill & Harvey (2014) some of the theories that have been relevant in my
journey as a leader are:
Situational approach
This theory suggests the application of various styles of leadership in different situations.
Trait theory
Various qualities make up a good leader. A leader should exercise multiple skills to achieve
success
Reciprocity theory
As a leader in multiple capacities, I usually did my best because of the rewards, and I also
rewarded others who performed well in their various activities.

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CONCLUSION
As a leader, I have learned that leadership is more than just giving instructions as it also involves
listening to your subjects. A leader should use various approaches to various problems in the
organization among the employees. Leadership is a never-ending process that occurs throughout
the life of a person.

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References
Bolden, R. (2016). Leadership, management, and organizational development. In Gower
handbook of leadership and management development (pp. 143-158). Routledge.
Harms, P. D. (2017). Gallup Strengths Finder. Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual
Differences, 1-3.
Landis, E. A., Hill, D., & Harvey, M. R. (2014). A synthesis of leadership theories and styles.
Journal of Management Policy and Practice, 15(2), 97.
McCleskey, J. A. (2014). Situational, transformational, and transactional leadership and
leadership development. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, 5(4), 117.
Shamir, B., & Eilam-Shamir, G. (2018). "What's your story?" A life-stories approach to
authentic leadership development. In Leadership Now: Reflections on the Legacy of Boas
Shamir (pp. 51-76). Emerald Publishing Limited.
Storey, J. (2016). Changing theories of leadership and leadership development. In Leadership in
Organizations (pp. 33-58). Routledge.
Sotarauta, M. (2016). Shared leadership and dynamic capabilities in regional development. In
Regionalism Contested (pp. 63-82). Routledge.
Wagner, W. E. (2016). Leadership for a better world: Understanding the social change model of
leadership development. John Wiley & Sons.