Leadership Analysis and Self-Reflection

This assignment requires students to critically examine different leadership theories and models. It explores the complexities of change management within organizational settings, drawing upon relevant academic research. A key component involves self-reflection, where students analyze their own leadership traits and identify areas for development, particularly in relation to navigating change initiatives.

My personality traits that promote and inhibit my potential as a change leader 1
My personality traits that promote and inhibit my potential as a change leader
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My personality traits that promote and inhibit my potential as a change leader 2
My personality traits that promote and inhibit my potential as a change leader
Introduction
Leaders are tasked with the role of giving inspiration to their team members to facilitate
the attainment of the team’s established targets (Yukl, 2010). To achieve this, leaders utilize
different leadership styles and behaviour such as transactional, democracy, and transformational
styles of leadership. The process of leadership is associated with instances of change, particularly
in the current work environment that is impacted by globalization, technology, and changes in
the taste and preferences of consumers. Managing change has become an integral part of
leadership, and hence, leaders are required to possess appropriate qualities to be agents of
change. As an aspiring organizational leader and manager, I am privy to the fact that I will play a
significant role in managing change. To successfully execute the process of change, a leader
should be aware of his strengths and weaknesses as an agent of change (Zaccaro, 2007). In line
with these aspects, this paper is going to discuss three aspects of my personality and behavior
that exhibit change leadership characteristics and three characteristics of my leadership that
inhibits my potential as a change leader.
Personality that exhibits change leadership characteristics
Communication
The possession of effective communication skills is one of my personality traits that
exhibit effective change leadership characteristic. As a change agent, the possession of effective
communication skills enables me to institute a mutual understanding regarding the purpose of
change and its effects on the team that I lead (Riaz & Haider, 2010). As a leader, I can develop a
message and convey it effectively to the target audience in a persuasive manner to drive the

My personality traits that promote and inhibit my potential as a change leader 3
process of change. Resistance to change is a common scenario in organizations, and therefore, it
is important that the leader should convince and persuade the followers to accept change. To
ensure that the subordinates understand the need for change, it is important that the leader should
create a clear picture of the change process and its objectives. I have the ability to develop a clear
vision and articulate it in a clear and a detailed manner to my subordinates. The ability to
communicate my vision clearly as a leader enables me to win the trust and loyalty of my
subordinates, and this is instrumental in getting the desired support from my followers while
effecting change within my team. This is consistent with the transformation al leadership theory
where a leader works together with the subordinates to identify the need for change, and then the
leader develops a clear vision that will lead towards the achievement of the identified needs.
Flexibility and adaptability
As a leader, I very flexible and can adapt easily to new changes in my surrounding. These
characteristics will enhance my effectiveness as a change agent in my leadership position. In the
modern leadership environment, the occurrence of unexpected events requires that leaders should
take appropriate measures to ensure smooth operations. This is in line with the contingency
theory of leadership which argues that during the occurrence of unexpected events, leaders are
required to adopt contingency measures to curb the negative impacts of the unexpected scenario
(Roger, 2003). The success of a leader is dependent on the leader's ability match the existing
characteristics regardless of whether the leader is relations-oriented or task-oriented (Winkler,
2010). A relations-oriented leader is one who utilizes the supportive leadership style while a
task-oriented leader is one who uses directive leadership style. As a flexible and adaptable
leader, I am able to make appropriate deviations to my styles of leadership to one that is suited to
the situation at hand, and hence, I am an effective change agent (Peretomode, 2012).

My personality traits that promote and inhibit my potential as a change leader 4
Equally, the attitudes influence the commitment of the subordinates towards new changes
within the organization. When a leader has poor relationships with the subordinates, they are
likely to resist changes. On the other hand, when the subordinates have a positive attitude
towards the leader, they will readily accept the process of change. This can be explained using
the personality trait theory which states that an individual personality influences the way he or
responds to new things within his or her environment (Buchanan, 2008). This can also be
understood through the leader-member exchange theory which examines the relationship
between a leader and a follower within an organizational setting (Truss, Shantz, Soane, Alfes, &
Delbridge, 2013). The quality of the relationship that the one in the leadership position builds
with individual team members has a significant effect on their behavior and attitudes towards
organizational activities.
Teamwork and collaboration
The ability to elicit and promote participation of my followers in the decision-making
process and collaboration during the completion of tasks is another leadership behavior that
helps me to effect change. According to Fernandez and Hal (2006), an effective change leader
should promote subordinate participation and engagement in organizational activities. As a
leader who embraces collaboration and teamwork, the implementation of this practice will
enable to overcome any potential resistance to change which has been a major barrier towards
change in the recent decades. The practice of giving the subordinates the opportunity to have an
influence on the direction and form that the organization takes creates a change that is
participant-oriented and this allows my subordinates to own the process of change (Bazerman &
Chugh, 2006). Owning the process of change ensures trust among the participants, and this

My personality traits that promote and inhibit my potential as a change leader 5
makes it easy to solve the problems that are affecting the team, and hence, enhancing the chances
of achieving the goals and objectives of the change process.
Personality traits that inhibits change leadership characteristics
Lack of patience
One of the behaviors that inhibit my potential of becoming an effective change leader is
the lack of patience. An effective leader should possess the virtue of patience particularly during
the change process (Udo-Imeh, Awara, & Essien, 2015). As a leader, my lack of patience
exhibits itself in the manner through which I want tasks to be completed fast and in the shortest
time possible. While time is of the essence in the completion of projects due to its association
with reduced financial costs, this element is not vital in the process of effecting change within an
organizational setting. Change does not take place overnight, and therefore, an individual in the
leadership position should approach change as a process and not as an event that should take
place instantly. This is a major inhibitor towards my potential as a change leader because I have
failed to guide my subordinates effectively through every step of change.
Low level of confidence
One of the most important traits of effective leadership is confidence; however, as a
leader, I often experience a lack of confidence while faced with new tasks. For a leader to win
the trust and loyalty of his followers, he or she must demonstrate self-confidence in the things
that he says and what he does (Turner & Müller, 2010). The ability to demonstrate self-
confidence is a major motivational factor to the followers. During a change process, a leader
should be able to motivate his followers by giving them confidence in the possibility of a
positive outcome. This is consistent with the expectancy theory which states that people are

My personality traits that promote and inhibit my potential as a change leader 6
motivated to work when they expect something positive at the end. Besides, it is also in line with
the three-dimensional theory of attribution which states that the outcomes of an event motivate or
demotivates people. As a leader, I lack confidence especially when taking new steps because of
the fear of uncertainty, and this has inhibited my potential as a change agent.
Lack of emotional Stability
Another behavior that inhibits my potential of becoming a change leader is the occasional
emotional instability that I experience during my leadership process. A leader as an agent of
change should have emotional stability to bring about change (Fossum, 1989,). This is because,
during the change process, there emerge conflicts due to the emergence of diverse opinions
regarding the process of change. As a leader, the lack of emotional stability prevents me from
realizing that change is a process that entails the disengagement of people from a status quo, and
hence, require a transition through a period that is normally considered to be very unstable.
Conclusion
In summary, besides inspiring the subordinates to achieve the set goals and objective,
organizational and team leaders play a vital role in the successful execution of the process of
change. As a leader, it is expected of me to lead the process of change within my team. A self-
evaluation reveals that I possess characteristics and behavior that boost my potential of becoming
an effective change leader. One of these effective traits is the possession of effective
communication skills. As a leader, I able to develop and communicate clearly with my followers
during the change process. Another trait that helps me to effect change is my adaptability and
flexibility. These traits my potential of serving as a change leaders due to my ability to adapt to
the emerging situations using the appropriate leadership style. Besides, my teamwork and

My personality traits that promote and inhibit my potential as a change leader 7
collaborative behavior allow my followers to participate in the change process, and this enables
me to overcome resistance to change. Despite this, I possess traits that inhibit my ability as a
potential change leader. For example, as a leader, I suffer from the lack the required emotional
stability, patience, and low level of confidence that emergence when I am faced with a new task.

My personality traits that promote and inhibit my potential as a change leader 8
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