Reflective Essay on Leadership and Teamwork

This reflective essay discusses the personal experiences and lessons learned in a leadership and teamwork setting. It explores the importance of effective social interaction, communication skills, and personal attributes in achieving team goals. The essay also highlights the challenges faced and the strategies employed to overcome them.

Reflective Essay
Student’s Name:
Student’s ID:

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I was very excited when I found out that we were going on a trip to gain some personal experience in
leadership, team working, effective social interaction, communication skills, and personal attributes.Our trip
was started with a big group of 22 MBA students. The teams were randomly divided, and the groups were
made into small groups. We were 6 students in our group and the trip was for 3 days. There were overall 10
tasks involved in the whole trip. On Day 1, we had 5 tasks, Task 1 had no name, and other tasks were maze
task, sheep and shepherd task, solving the puzzle task and the obstacles task. Day 2 had two tasks, the task of
buying and selling of materials and a business activity. A business activity was also considered and it four
many tasks; rope task, tunnel task, canoe task and pamper bamboo task. This trip was a great experience for
me as well as for my other group members.
On Day 1, the activity 1 was started with 6 students those who have We completed the task about 70 to 80%
with the lot of team work. I played best role as good teamwork
Instructor: All of you have to travel from one side to another side with the help of boxes without touching
the ground.
Me: Can we start from any side?
Instructor: Yes,
Another Group Member: Ok. I have 1 question. If we touch the ground?
Instructor: Touching the ground is nor allowed. You will disqualified from the task.
For Task 1, I felt that we took more time to understand the task and so we had very less time to complete the
task. I had gained knowledge that teamwork is the joint effort of a team for completing the task most
efficiently. I worked together on this task with the other group members and enhanced the interests of the
team for more ideas and provided information to the team members (Vohra, Rathi and Bhatnagar, 2015).
My team members also agreed with me on the common motive to provide transparency within the group
team to make it a successful task. As a team worker, I had attained 5 in relationship management (Gai et al.,
2018).

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The activity 2 was a maze task. I gave the guidance to the team to complete the task successfully. We
performed this task well.
Me: There will be number of boxes and which we have to step in the right box. When we made the wrong
step we have to come back to the starting point.
Other Group Members: Ok.
Me: Another important to remember. If wrong step is made when coming back he or she will be eliminated
for 5 minutes from the group.
Other Group Members: Ok.
Me: We all need to concentrate on the task. Remembering of right box is extremely important for task.
Other Group Members: Ok.
Me: The instruction are cleared to all of you?
Other Group Members: Yes
Me: Then we must start the task now.
Other Group Members. Yes
I felt Task 2 was carried on well as we all were concentrated to complete the task. I had achieved 6 in
leadership which helped me in concluding that I have moderate leadership skills. I had learned that only a
successful leader can direct his group members in the correct track. I noticed that my group was following
my direction for the task so I realized that my leadership skills during teamwork was extremely significant
for my group. I not only participated in the task with my team but made sure that also encouraged and helped
my team my team to get success and complete the task (Fan et al., 2015). I was there as a resource to help
my team members to complete this task. ENTJs are confident and powerful leaders with a natural insight
which helps them for their business.
The activity 3 was a sheep and shepherd task, I was the only person who was not able to reach the right place
on the given time (Heimer, 2016). The instructor was one of our group member with the whistle. Remaining
members in the group were considered as sheep. For Task 3, I felt that I took too much time to listen and

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understand the instructions of the instructor. For Task 3, I feel I have to improve my listening skills (Ahuja
et al., 2018).
Instructor: All your eyes will be closed during the task. I will help all the team members to move to the right
place.
Other Group Members. Ok
Me to Instructor: Can you please repeat the instructions? I cannot hear you due to some noises.
Instructor: Yes surely. All your eyes will be closed during the task. I will help all the team members to move
to the right place.
Me: Ok. Now I am clear about the task.
Before starting the task:-
Me: I have some idea regarding the task. I want to share it with all of you.
Other Group Members: No. We had too much time to listen to your ideas. We are already late.
Me: But, it will take few minutes.
Other members: We are already late. Let us start the task.
Me: Ok.
The execution of task 4 provided me immense learning regarding the solving of various issues.
Instructor: The task is to solve the puzzle where all of you have to solve the puzzle with the wooden planks
and construct the bridge.
Group Members: Ok.
Instructor: 6 people will be divided into two groups with 3 members in each group.
Group Members: Ok.
In Task 4, as soon as the construction of bridge started, in the middle of it, the lot of confusion aroused and
all the team members. Then, I used my leadership skills to resolve the issues and confusion with the help of
transformational leadership theory. I have 9% preference of intuition over sensing and 34% preference for
judging over perceiving (Graber et al., 2017). For Task 4, I felt that the group members were involved in

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unnecessary confusions. I motivated my team member’s focus so that they could finish the task.
Me: Listen, all of you listen to me.
Other Group Members: (angrily) What?
Me: All of us need to make a plan so that we can all come to a common point and avoid confusion.
Other Group Members: Ok.
Me: Let us make a plan.
Other Group Members: Ok.
Me: 3 members will bring the wooden planks and other 3 will construct the bridge.
Other Group Members: Ok. We will do according to the plan.
Me: Ok, Then let us start the task again.
Other Group Members: Yes, let us start the task according to the plan.
Me: Yes.
For Task 4, I was feeling that although the task was completed successfully on time, I could have started
motivating much earlier. I had attained 11 in natural reactions which had shown that I am not easily upset
with the stressful situations.
I came to know effective social interaction is a communication between two or more persons within the
society. By communicating with each other in the society, individuals make rules, systems, and institutions
in the society which seek to live. It is the way an individual talk and behaves with one another and different
structure in the society (Britton et al., 2017). It might consist of interactions with a group which has been
created out of a need to build order in the interactions itself. I have a high extraversion that is 81% which
shows that I am an outgoing, friendly, assertive person and like to work with other people. I had a 50%
preference of extraversion over introversion.
Task 5 was obstacles where we had traveled from one side to another side without touching the ground
(Albrecht et al., 2015). For this Task, I felt that proper teamwork has not taken place and a proper
understanding of this task was not done. For Task 5, I felt that there was a lack of leadership and teamwork.
In Task 5, we could not finish the task successfully due to lack of collaboration among the team members. I

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had attained 15 in open to experience which had shown that I had lacked the experience to lead a team.
I had gained the information that personal attributes are related to communication with people around us. A
team leader wants his team members to get along well with each other. People with personal skills have the
possibility to work well in groups. Demonstrating such skills impress the leaders and also lead to future
opportunities for more teamwork (Krumm et al., 2016). My personality test results had shown that I has
achieved 65% in conscientiousness.
On Day 2, the first task provided me knowledge regarding the concepts of buying and selling. Task 1 was to
buy and sell the materials which were used for constructing the way and make the ball to travel from one end
to another. On Day 2, in Task 1 I was the salesperson and had to sell the products from our company. We
planned for the meeting and discussed the positives and negatives of the Day 2. It was a matter of fact that
the issues that occurred on the previous day needs to be resolved in order to continue the tasks effectively.
On Day 2, for Task 1, I felt that I lacked negotiation skills, time management, and resource management. My
personality test results had shown that I had got 5 in creativity, 3 in efficiency, 2 in friendship and 5 in
relationship management.
On Day 2, in Task 1, in my opinion we could not get any profits because the opposite team was very strict
on their purchase, they got the information before purchase from the previous batches, so they had planned
according to that information. Both the teams could not be able to do the task due to lack of equipment
(Donia, O'Neill and Brutus, 2018). On Day 2, for Task 1, I feel that I have to improve my time management
and resource management
The primary motive of the Task 2 on Day 2 was to execute a business activity in which we were to sell
widgets to the customers to receive profits. There were two tasks involved in this activity, rope task and
tunnel task (Bayer et al., 2016). In rope task, all the people had to walk on the rope from one side to another
side without touching the ground. In tunnel task, our team member had to pass from start to end of the
tunnel. In this task, I had planned for the rope task. In this task, my group members followed my plan for the
rope task. For Task 2, I feel that my plan for the rope task has successfully worked. For Task 2, I felt that
teamwork, motivation and leadership qualities were helpful for the rope task. . I had attained 5 in
relationship management.
In second task, I had completed the tunnel task successfully (Grissom, Loeb and Mitani, 2015). In second

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task, the tunnel task was completed successfully by another member of my team beside me. For Task 2, I felt
that self-motivation worked for both of us for tunnel task. For Task 2, I feel that the other team members
lacked the self-motivation for the tunnel task. I have achieved 51% in logical thinking
On 3, we performed two more tasks, canoe task and pamper pole task (Arnold et al., 2015). Canoe task was
to find out the place in the river, and we had to dive the canoe and return back to the place from where we
started. These tasks helped me in gathering knowledge that in the pamper pole task, there was a big pole that
the team members had to climb on the top of the pole and jump to the ball. On Day 3, in Task 2, I led the
team for the canoe task. I have attained 65% in assertiveness.
On Day 3, In Task 2, other group members have listened and followed my instruction for the canoe task. It
needs to be understood that cooperating and listening to the group leader is important in order to increase the
reliability and effectives of the concerned activities (Carter et al., 2016). I have achieved 6 in self-awareness
and self-management in my personality test. I felt that teamwork and team-leading had worked well in the
canoe task. For Task 2, I feel that teamwork and team-leading had worked well in the canoe task.
In Task 2, I have done the pamper pole task. My 43% agreeableness and 11% to natural reactions have
helped in understanding that I am a hard-headed, competitive person and does not easily get upset in
stressful situations. For Task 2, I felt that self-motivation, motivating and supporting each other had played
the key roles for the pamper pole task and therefore motivated each of the members in order to enhance the
overall execution of the tasks (Mondada, 2016). I feel that self-motivation, motivating and supporting each
other worked well for the pamper pole task.
In my conclusions, I have discovered that as a leader, my vision for any tasks in future has to be clear and
confident while motivating the team to finish the work on time. I have to plan systematically before the task
begins and consider the various aspects of the task. As a leader, I have to extract the work from each of the
team members after the task is allocated as per the capability of each of the team member. I have to
continuously practice to improve my negotiation skills and completely consider the opinions and limitations
for executing the concerned tasks. I have to be mentally prepared and show empathy that everybody is a
winner. I have to improve my time management skills by planning before the starting of the task.

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I will set my targets and try to implement a positive approach instead of framing my objectives in a negative
manner. This will help me develop and move forward with a clear vision which I will create. It needs to be
understood that the targets which moves away from their desired purpose often generates negative feelings
(Oettingen et al., 2015).
Achieving my targets will need determination and persistence, and there might be times when I may feel that
it is challenging and consider to give up. I have to try and set up some system to measure the progress of my
actions or even to modify my targets in the context of new concepts and experiences. Measuring my
progress can itself become a goal such as ‘I can look at my action plan once in a month.' My personality test
had shown that I had got 4 in continuous learning, 4 in personal growth and 2 in recognition.
For improving my social interaction skills, I have to build rapport with my team leader and other team
members. Good rapport builds an emotional connection and makes people feel a stronger bond with each
other ((Mumford et al., 2017). My social interaction has to be enhanced with a positive attitude, as a
positive and upbeat attitude can make my interaction more enjoyable to other people.
Communication skills are required to interact appropriately with various people while keeping a good eye
contact. Moreover it was crucial to show different vocabulary and adapt my language according to the
audience, listen attentively, present my ideas accurately, and work well in a team (Watkins et al., 2015).
I have to be attentive to listen to the team leader to be aware of the task and its significance. My planning
has to be organized in such a way that the task is clear to me and is completed on time. It might help me to
reduce my time management issues.

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