Reflective Journal on Leadership and Teamwork Skills

The assignment content is about reflecting on personal skills and competencies in leadership, teamwork, feedback, and critical thinking. The writer uses various frameworks such as Johari, Kolb, and Gibbs to analyze their strengths and weaknesses in these areas. They identify areas for improvement, such as developing a strategy to keep team members motivated and improving their leadership skills. The writer also discusses how these skills will help them in the future and plans to focus on these areas in the coming year.

Name
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Table of contents
Introduction…..………………………………………………………………………………1
Core Skill one………………………………………………………………………….…….1
Core Skill two……...…………………………………………………………………………3
Core Skill Three……..……………………………………………………………….…..….5
Core Skill Four…...…………………………………………………………….…………….7
Summary and Action Plan...………………………………………………………………..9
Appendix…………………….………………………………………………………………10
References…………………………………………………………………………….……15
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1. INTRODUCTION:
It is a personal reflective journal that I am presenting here, this journal is an outcome of an
exercise where I retrospect my personal growth under the framework of Johari window, Kolb
cycle, and Gibbs cycle. Most of the reflections presented in this journal are based on active
experimentation, where I tried to develop my own coaching cycles to attend certain issues.
Core Skill One
The first core skill to be discussed is Time Management. Personal time management is a skill
that allows us to plan the events in the optimum fashion so that we can attend all the
important works and give them their quality time. For me, the main purpose of time
management skill is to introduce effectiveness. The definition is given by management
experts also teaches us the same thing (Croft, 1996)
Why is this core skill important
In my views, time Management is a vital key to success as this provides a strong foundation
to succeed in all of the life's aspects. During the phase of my introduction to the skill of time
management, I realized that time management is much more than following a schedule. Time
management is equally about spending quality time with the task that you have in your hands
(Grissom, 2015).
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Figure 1: The diagram of Pareto Principle, it describes the essence of time management, how selection of effort levels
can change the efficiency levels
Pareto Principle a universal principle where one can learn to increase his or her efficiency by first
breaking down the tasks on the merit of utility and then fix the amount of time that he or she wants
to allocate for that. It clearly states that spend quality time with vital tasks and try to accommodate
trivial tasks with the flow of the events. On a personal level, I am adopting this practice in order to
improve my time management skills.
How competent are you currently?
In a recent Peer-to-Peer survey done in my additional classes for the management suggested
that I am a punctual person and I can be trusted for deadlines. When I measure up the
projection of this skill in Johari window then I find that I am in an open arena because
everybody is aware of my trait of punctuality.
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Figure 2 My standings in the Johari window for the skill of time management
From my first experience, I feel my time management competency has improved drastically.
Even though I may have learned this way through my life it was only when I was introduced
to Kolb's learning cycling (Kolb's, 1984) I was made aware of my learning style. My peers
have also noticed how I well I manage my time and always approach me for support as they
know that the chances I am up to date with my work very likely.
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Figure 3 My standing in the Kolb learning and reflection cycle
Gibbs reflective cycle also treats me at the level of feelings in the terms of standing, the reason is
very simple, I have made some action plans for effective time management. Now I am in a course of
implementation, where good and bad experiences are coming my way.
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Figure 4 my standing in the Gibbs Reflective Cycle for Time management
Contradictions or allowable weaknesses in my analysis
My learning cycle taught me that the concept of quality time as the most important feature for
any type of time management. Quality time demands complete focus on the task and
sometimes it can become a tough job to stay focused on the task that you are dealing with.
This is my weakness, probably with a passage of time, I will train myself in this art of staying
focused and setting up deadlines for the simplest of the tasks.
How will this skill help me in the future?
The art of time management will help me a great deal setting up an example for others; in
future, I can also expect that it will become a leadership trait for me. The art of proper time
management can help me in becoming a well-organised professional.
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Core Skill Two
The essence of second core skill is related to “handling the feedbacks.” Feedbacks are an
essential part of the official life of an individual. Providing a sensible feedback and handling
criticism and appreciation coming in the form of feedback is an essential quality and it helped
me a great deal in growing up as a human being and as a through professional.
The importance of this core skill
A feedback is a communication with a purpose, every check and balance exercise is a form
of feedback. Last year during the month of June I attended a Webinar on the topic of “how to
receive and prepare” feedbacks, this Webinar provided me with a better understanding of my
personality. The tests conducted during the webinar suggested that primarily I am an
extrovert who can put his thoughts with great ease. Being an extrovert can be considered as
the first step towards being a person who can deliver feedbacks (POPESCU, 2016).
My standings in the Johari window for the core skill of “feedback” keep me in open arena.
Where my peers can see a great possibility for me in the terms of giving away feedbacks and
receiving them.
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Figure 5 My standing for the core skill of feedback in the Johari window.
When I talk in the terms of improvement of this skill then ideally I can say that I am on the stage of
action plan where I am learning about new words and methods to communicate my feelings to
others. My seniors and peers are helping me a great deal in improving this skill and their feedbacks
are giving me some new additions in my action plan.
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It is a phase of active experimentation for me in the Kolb framework. I am making some notes that
can be termed as Reflective observations. These observations are bringing in the real fruits of my
active experiments by contributing to my learning curve largely.
Figure 6 My standing for "handling the feedbacks in Kolb cycle
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My current competence levels with the skill of receiving and giving feedbacks
I must say that I need to rework on my dictionary of the words. It is very important because
sometimes-crude words can spoil many things for you. Now I also make it sure that rather
than talking in the tone of a critic I should talk like a person who is more interested in
reforms. I am also learning this art of alienating my emotional baggage while giving
feedbacks. I am a human being in the end and may have likes and dislikes for people,
however, it is my attempt to remove the shadows of these likes and dislikes from the
feedbacks that I am producing.
Contradictions or allowable weaknesses in my analysis
It is very difficult to draw a line between honesty and cruel honesty, sometimes feedbacks
can become a tool of reform for an adamant. It means they can be very cruel and unpleasant.
Sometimes situations demand a bitter pill like treatment, this is one area where assessments
of the events fail.
3.4 How will this skill help me in the future
Coming up with nice feedback is a leadership trait that has the power to change the
dynamisms of a (Adair, 2013). I am polishing this skill because it will help me in acquiring
the position of a leader in the team. After a point of time, it becomes a managerial trait. I am
also studying the list of Johari adjectives because they form the standards of the feedback in
various institutions.
Core skill Three
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The third core skill for which I went for a retrospect is leadership skills. Leadership skill is a
set of traits that allows an individual to lead a team and help them in realizing their
objectives.
Importance of leadership skill
Leadership skill is very necessary to have a steady career graph, leadership has the power to
increase your efficiency and give a justification to your experience that you are gaining in the
field of job. Leadership skill is all about taking and sharing the responsibilities.
My Current Competence level with the skill of leadership
During the course of my personal reflective analysis, I went for many online tests where they
try to search out the presence of leadership traits in you. My score in most of the tests was
average, it is a matter of worry, because getting an entry in any trade is an easy task,
sustaining yourself in the same trade under the pressures of job can be difficult if you do not
have a set of leadership qualities in you.
I must say that I have a long road ahead of me when it comes to leadership skill because it
requires an experience of life clubbed together with a positive and progressive outlook
towards the future.
In the Johari window analysis I find myself in the blind arena of the windowpane, I failed to
perform better in the leadership skill tests it clearly indicates that in the Johari window I fall
in an unknown area or the second pane because I am not aware of my own limitations and
talents.
Figure 7 My status in the Johari window for the skill of leadership
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Kolb framework also finds me on the beginning stage of abstract conceptualization. I can put
myself on this stage because currently, I am clueless about certain leadership traits. Reading them in
a book of management and acting upon them in the real world or in tests conducted by websites is a
different ball game.
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Figure 8 My standings in the Kolb learning and reflective cycle for leadership skills
Contradictions or allowable weaknesses in my analysis
Study of human character and coming up with strategies to keep them on a positive note is a
very important trait of a leader, I am certainly lacking far behind in this trait. For this, I am
also planning to consult some books on psychology and motivational self-help books as well.
How will this skill help me in the future?
Johari Framework strongly talks about a therapy where a person can enter in the right
windowpane by dong some exercises. As a leader, it is very important for me to see myself in
this framework, go for a therapy and then move on to other subjects for the same. The skill of
leadership can increase my growth opportunities a great deal and provide sustainability to my
career graph quite effectively.
Core Skill Four
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In order to write this reflective journal, I studied my personal behavior under the framework
of "teamwork" as well. Teamwork is a combined action of a group of people heading for a
unified set of goals and objectives (Parker, 2011).
Importance of Teamwork as a core skill
The formation of a correct team can multiply the output of the endeavor. While going out for
a personal analysis for the purpose of a reflective journal I benchmarked myself under the
guidelines of the Belbin’s theories, as the first step I tried to figure out my personality traits
and once I figured out that then I tried to know about the perception of the others about me. It
is very important to understand the fact that what others are thinking about you, otherwise the
things can go in a wrong direction for any individual.
My competency level with the skill of teamwork
Recently I participated in a poster making competition, it was more of a management game,
where I was required to ideate a poster with my team members, one of them was good at
copywriting skill, and one member was good at the skill of drawing. Just like some other
members of the team, I was not having any core competence to participate actively in the
process. However, I figured out a role for myself when I became the bouncing board of the
team and started reacting from the point of view of a team. I got this reflection that even in
the absence of a proper set of skills I am willing to act like a true team player at times.
Figure 9: My standings for the skill of teamwork in the Johari Window
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Contradictions or allowable weaknesses in my analysis
It is true that I am a team player and I try to figure out a role in the team, however, this is a
lenient approach and it brings me into a zone where I can become a burden on any given team
where the numbers of the players are restricted. My thought process of thinking, doing and
linking suggests that I need to polish this skill of being a team player more effectively.
How will this skill help me in the future?
Working with teams is an essential trait because in the end of the day it is a team that wins or
loses a game. I am a team player, this I can say based on my performance in the management
game where we were supposed to make posters, in the absence of a definitive role for me I
tried and figured out a role for myself. This shows my keenness and I find myself standing at
the stage of evaluation in the Gibbs Reflective cycle, I evaluated myself very rapidly and
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fixed a role for myself, it was a good experience for me, in the similar fashion, I would like to
go for some more good experiences.
Figure 10 My Standings in the Gibbs reflective cycle for the skill of teamwork
Summary and Action Plan:
The selection of Teamwork, feedback, and leadership as the primary skills was deliberate. On
a reflective note, I would like to share my bigger purpose behind the exercise. I want to
emerge as a successful leader in the industry circles. My knowledge or my core competence
will definitely play the key role or the major role in the process, but the importance of above-
mentioned skills cannot be declined in the process. Leadership skills sometimes guarantee a
long lasting career and when I look at myself in this area then I find that I have to develop a
set of skills that can help me as a potential leader of the future.
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I have some elaborated plans for the second year of my studies. My retrospection exercise for
this particular assignment suggests that apart from the above-mentioned traits I should also
focus on the core skills of critical thinking and communications. They also have a role to play
in my development as a leader. In the coming year, I want to see my growing in the positive
direction on the scales of Johari, Kolb, and Gibbs.
I can also share it in the form of an objective, during the next year I wish to see myself
growing with these skills on three levels. First, I want to attain the efficiency of an executive,
and second I wish to attain the status of a professional, these skills become a behavioural trait
once you join the league of a leader and this is the place where I want to see myself in the
coming future.
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REFERENCES
Adair, J. (2013). Develop Your Leadership Skills.
Croft, C. (1996). Time Management .
Grissom, J. A. (2015). Principal time management skills: Explaining patterns in principals’ time use,
job stress, and perceived effectiveness. Journal of Educational Administration , 773-793.
Parker, G. M. (2011). Team Players and Teamwork: New Strategies for Developing Successful
Collabration .
POPESCU, A. M. (2016). FEEDBACK AND EDUCATIONAL COMMUNICATION. Univers Strategic .
Russell, T. (1998). Effective Feedback Skills.
tracy, b. (2014). time management. new york: gildan media.
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