Leadership in Business: Self-Insight Quizzes and Developmental Objectives

This report discusses the PLDP assessment and self-insight quizzes to improve leadership skills. It includes strengths, weaknesses, and developmental objectives with action plans and resources needed.

Running head: LEADERSHIP IN BUSINESS
Leadership in Business
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note

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Executive Summary
Leadership abilities should be honed in individuals which would help one to become a proficient
leader in the future. An adept leader needs to be proficient in multiple ways that would ensure
the success of the team and the entire organization. As it is aptly said, leaders are not born rather
it is made. Therefore, it is imperative to create leaders with the right training and honing the
essential skills that is within one. It can also be said that the leaders needs to develop some other
skills that would be beneficial for the organization and will able to lead the team and members
effectively. The unique qualities of a leader is essential for driving the members to work towards
a common goal. Along with that, it also increases the efficiency of the organization and have the
vision that would help it in attaining the objective easily. The guidance provided by the leader
should also be inspiring and motivating, thereby providing a definite path for the others to
follow. A high emotional intelligence is also needed which would provide the necessary empathy
on the part of the leader to have a deep insight into the working of the organization. The
characteristics of a leader needs to be enhanced by gradual practice and dedication. In this report,
the PLDP assessment is made, which gives a fair insight into the style of my leadership. It also
aims to improve my skills in various aspects so that I can be a better leader.

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1. The outcomes from my leadership self-insight quizzes
According to the self-insight quiz, I have analyzed that I am fairly capable of being a leader. The
type of leadership that I fit in is that of the pragmatist type, which I will be discussing in this
section. However, based on the leadership quiz, it is worth analyzing the skills that I have as
suggested by the test. I have a strong leadership orientation due to the facts that include reaching
out to people at every chance, maintaining a people-friendly attitude, initiating a conversation
with others and appreciating other people. All these qualities are described as positive as it
makes me an approachable and an amiable person (Frich et al., 2015). It would definitely help
me to be an able leader as I will be able to make my work done with these social skills of mine.
A leader with high social skills is needed to handle different complex environments, especially
for dealing with people of all kinds (Clinton, 2018). Moreover, the communication skill is
imperative for a leader to possess since s/he needs to interact with various kind of people,
communicate, persuade, motivate them and get their work done. Therefore, interaction skill
would help me in making effective communication with people.
Secondly, by measuring whether I am capable of being a change leader or not, I came to know
that I have a fairly high inclination towards bringing changes in the workplace. I have a strong
take-charge attitude towards everything, and I tend to improvise and bring in changes in the
current situation. An efficient leader needs to have a keen eye on changes in order to be more
effective (Sosik & Jung, 2018). I have so far taken the maximum initiatives in the workplace to
better things and enhance everybody’s productivity. In respect to this quality of mine, it is worth
mentioning that change leadership is pivotal for every organizations who can effectively seek out
where the management is lagging and bringing out several key modifications. Moreover, in
relation to change, the change leader is also expected to have a fair application of knowledge in

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critical situations to promote change. For instance, the successful application of knowledge in
corporate strategies, procedures, structures, technologies, etc. are needed in situations that might
crop up either internally or externally (Duncan, 2018). A vision is needed on the part of the
leaders who can effectively locate the threat that has been coming and successfully bring in the
necessary changes. Therefore, in essence of this aspect of leadership, it can be said that I have to
embrace the qualities I have within myself and try to improvise more by keeping myself open to
all sort of knowledge. However, there will be bouts of challenges coming on my way while
trying to bring changes within an organization. According to (Komives, 2016), the common
challenges faced by a change leader are often due to barriers like employee resistance, lesser
time devoted to training, breakdown in communication, over cost, etc. In order to overcome all
the obstacles, the leader needs to play quite a responsible role in dealing with the situations
adeptly. Comparing my results with that of the other student, I found my score to be higher,
which indicates that I might have the traits of being a change leader.
On assessing the handling team conflict quiz, I have assessed that I am slightly inclined towards
resolving the issue cooperatively and collaboratively. This specific aspect of mine is useful for
being a leader, as it would help in the speedy resolution of a conflict (Woodcock, 2017). The five
strategies of avoiding conflicts that includes dominating, avoiding, compromising,
accommodating, and collaborating nature are important since it states the various reactions of a
person to a potential conflicts at the workplace. A leader has got the responsibilities to handle
difficult situations maturely and able handedly in order to settle down any disputes. The
interpersonal relation also should be strong on the part of the leaders which would help in
settling down the issue effectively. The personal leadership development program helps the
students to identify the best interaction skills, according to which I have the potentiality to

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resolve conflicts. I have so far handled situations which ensure a middle ground for both the
parties. Differences in opinions may arise due to various reasons; however, I make sure to listen
to both sides and take effective measures to resolve the situation. Another important part of
resolving conflicts like a true leader is to compromise and collaborate rather than sticking to the
ground of one’s opinion. In assessing my personal life, I have experienced situations when I have
acted like the mediator that helped me to avoid conflicts successfully.
2. Summary of key strength and weakness
Based on the quiz, I have analyzed my strengths that identifies me as a leader. I am fairly
capable of interacting with people as well as the authority that would keep me in a better position
to reach people. Apart from that, I have a high emotional intelligence which is required for being
a capable leader who can have a better understanding of situations. It includes social skills, self-
awareness, empathy, motivation and self-regulation. These aspects are important in ascertaining
and analyzing certain situations that we face in workplace. Additionally, my independent
thinking abilities and active engagement in various aspects are fairly high. According to the
results, I fall in the pragmatist leader type that states my high drive and motivation towards work.
It would certainly help me in the fair work performance that is necessary for being a leader.
Also, my task and relationship orientation score indicate that I have the required skills for being
a leader. The ethical maturity is also relatively higher that indicates an inclination towards better
moral development and sense. The other strengths of mine includes being a change leader who
has the tendency to embrace new challenges and promote modifications within the workplace as
necessary.
However, there are certain aspects of mine that can be considered as weakness that needs
mentioning. Despite having a strong interaction skill, I usually have a poor networking skills. In

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order to be a successful leader, it is important to have a wide range of connections with different
people. In this respect, I lag behind making effective connections with potential people who can
assist me in various ways. Therefore, I need to take some appropriate steps that would enhance
my networking skills.
3. More information on my behavior
The quiz certainly has provided with some insight about the type of personality I am, however
there are certain details that cannot be known until I mention. I have had a conversation with
many people who know me closely and they have suggested some of the key strengths and
weaknesses they have noticed from their viewpoints (Avolio, Avey & Quisenberry, 2016). The
strengths they have perceived is my amiable behavior and the positive vibe they get when they
are around me. They also feel that I have the ability to perceive things way before anybody else
can sense due to my high emotional intelligence. I can also empathize with strangers and can
analyze situations from their point of view. The other strengths that they have noticed in me as of
now is the helpful nature and problem solving approach. All these character aspects are essential
to be a good leader. However, the flaws that they have noticed in me are my overindulgence in
work, too stubborn and unemotional at times. These aspects are certainly not desirable at times
which I need to amend.
4. Vision for developing as a leader
Leadership is something which most people thrive for, yet, only a few are able to achieve. I
believe I have many abilities that are indeed necessary for a leader to function efficiently.
5. Developmental objectives

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Some of the developmental objectives that I need to work upon are that of the weaknesses I have.
For instance I have to enhance my networking skills which can help me in my career growth.
Moreover, I also need to improve my work balance due to the overindulgence in work at times.
Also, I find the need to organize myself much often which I feel I lack. It will also help me in
improving the work productivity and sort out things in a better manner (Shahi, 2017). Apart from
that, I need to stop pushing myself to the extent where I expect too much from myself that led me
to depression. Therefore, these are the primary tasks that I need to rectify, and I am sure would
help me in attaining my goals.
6. Actions to achieve each developmental objectives
In order to achieve the developmental objectives that I have mentioned in the above section, I
certainly need to take appropriate actions. Down below is the list of all the developmental
objectives that I have planned to take.
 Networking skills – In order to improve my networking skill, I have to be active in
maintaining relationships with people (Komives, 2016). For instance, I have to update my
social media accounts like LinkedIn and Facebook. Most importantly, I have to make
connection with acquaintances and friends from my previous work along with my current
organization.
 Work life balance – An effective work life balance is essential because it can have a
negative impact on my overall lifestyle. Despite the fact that leaders have to work very
hard to meet each ends, it is necessary for every individual to balance both the segments
of life properly. In order to rectify my excessive indulgence in work, I have to plan a
schedule that would not hamper my life (Cropanzano, Dasborough & Weiss, 2017). For
this, I have to effectively manage time that would help me in balancing. I also have to

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organize my tasks, and set goals that would help me in prioritizing the most important
works and attending the later ones. Additionally, to achieve this goal, I would also make
time for my family, which is also one of my integral part of my life (Babalola, 2016).
 Motivating myself – Sometimes, failure to achieve something can demotivate myself to
a large extent. Therefore, I need to start accepting and motivate myself which would help
me further in achieving goals. For this purpose, I have decided to read few of the
selective motivational books which would inspire me in my achievement of goal. Other
than that, I have planned to include regular exercise in my daily routine that would keep
me physically fit. It is also a secret for keeping one motivated and inspired.
7. Resources needed to implement the plan
It is imperative to include some resources that would help me in achieving my goals. For this
reason, I have planned to enroll myself for a PLDP or personal leadership developmental plan
that will be conducted in a seminar (Storey, 2016). It would help me detect my weaknesses and
enhance my leadership abilities. A special training that is specially designed to prepare one for
being effective leader is on my wish list which will provide me with the necessary requirements
for being a leader. It is a paid course which will help me in improving the following areas.
 Assisting in having a proper vision
 Help in building self-confidence and the necessary wisdom required to be in a leader.
 Teaching valuable skills that includes influencing other people, having an authority,
personality enhancement, polishing of soft skills, time management, etc. (Nguyen et al.,
2017).
 Learn other skills by working with other leaders.
 Impart knowledge on how to build and manage a team.

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Along with that, the on job training in leadership in various organizations provide real life
experience where I would be able to assess my leadership qualities in a better light (Moss et al.,
2019). Moreover, it would also provide me with the required exposure in the industry where the
focus on enhancing my skills will be done (Clinton, 2018). In addition to that, I have included a
few books that would give me insight into the leadership aspects in a real life time experience.
They are “On becoming a leader” by Warren G. Bennis, “Turn the ship around” by L. David
Marquet, and “The five dysfunctions of a team: A leadership Fable” by Patrick M. Lencioni.
8. Mechanism to get feedback on leadership behaviors and track progress
Feedback is an integral aspect of performance management and improvement of skills.
Therefore, proper mechanism should be incorporated that would help me in getting feedbacks
and suggestions on improving my performance. This would include an open box for suggestions
where team members can write anonymously. Moreover, I would ask the team members if they
can provide me with any advice or suggestions. In relation to this, I have to be open about any
type of criticism that would be given to me. This is because I have to deal with various opinions
about myself thereby, I need to acknowledge everything with a non-judgmental attitude
(Podsakoff & Podsakoff, 2019).
Tracking progress should also be integrated in the performance measure planning that would
help me in the proper analysis of my behavior. On the basis of the feedback I get, I need to plan
the rectification measures. I need to keep a journal where I will write down my plans. Also, the
alteration in my working pattern will also be included on the basis of the feedback I get. This
will hopefully assist me in achieving my goals.
9. Strategy to review and revise the plans in future

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There might arise various situations in the future where I would need to revise my plans and the
way I view leadership. Therefore, I should write down the parts where I have succeeded and the
ones where I have failed (Fischer, Dietz & Antonakis, 2017). The performance change should
also be looked into that would provide me the detailed ups and downs that I would be facing.
Moreover, I should evaluate my performance from the boss, relationship ratings, formal
performance evaluation, etc. that would help me in keeping a regular check on my strategies that
I would be going to take (Reichard et al., 2017). In addition to that, I should focus on revising the
strategies I would be taking, on a regular basis. This would help me in improving the planning
and enhance my skills in relation to my performance. Last but not the least, I would be willing to
learn and get out of my comfort zone to achieve new challenges. Keeping open the door of
curiosity is always something that I should look into despite the struggles I might be facing in
achieving it. These steps will surely accompany me in providing the required leadership goals
that I have been struggling to accomplish (Baron & Parent, 2015).
10. Supervisor’s recommendation
On discussing the entire analysis of the assessment that I have done on my leadership qualities
with my supervisor, she suggested me some ways that would be beneficial for my career growth.
Some of the recommendations that were mentioned to me are discussed in the list down below.
 Target orientation – Action oriented work is not the only thing I should strive for.
Rather I should focus on the results critically, that would help me in meeting my goals
(Shanafelt et al., 2015). Most importantly, I need to evaluate the actions as well as the
results that would help me to meet my desired target.
 Handling conflicts – The conflicts at workplace should be handled in a more efficient
manner. According to the analysis, I have an inclination towards resolving conflict

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through avoiding, and collaborating. However, the supervisor suggested me to handle the
conflict as and what the situation demands rather than adhering to the conventional
method I follow (Seidle, Fernandez & Perry, 2016). She explained the reason for acting
differently due to the nature of the conflicts which might differ from another.
 Professionally competent – The supervisor suggested me to set professionally goals
regularly and keeping track on the progress. Moreover, she also suggested me to develop
and improvise on the plans.
 Practicing to be more inquisitive – It is necessary for the leaders to be inquisitive that
would open new doors of possibilities. This is the reason the supervisor suggested me to
ask questions and asking the team members to do the same (Fiset & Boies, 2018).
Moreover, it is important to engage in discussions that would promote a positive
environment where good questions will be framed.
 Decision making – Last but not the least, the supervisor asked me to take proper time to
make high quality decision which will affect the overall organization’s growth. It needs a
great deal of practice and learning capabilities to achieve so.
In reference to the above analysis, it can be concluded that though I am fairly capable of being a
leader, I need to improve on certain aspects which would help me in becoming a good leader
who will be respected and loved. On working upon the strengths and weaknesses along with the
supervisor’s recommendation, I would be able to correct my flaws and take myself one step
ahead of being an adept leader.

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