Reflective Essay on Leadership: Qualities and Traits of a Successful Leader

Running head: REFLECTIVE ESSAY ON LEADERSHIP
Reflective essay on leadership
Name of the student
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Author Note

1REFLECTIVE ESSAY ON LEADERSHIP
Introduction
According to Antonakis et al., (2017), leadership is a multidimensional concept. The
transformational leader is one who poses qualities like vision, motivation, management and
emotional intelligence. When I reflect upon the topic that I learned in the course, I realised that
values like diversity, inclusion and impartial attitude make an individual a successful leader.
However, there are some other learning that I developed through my experience. I also realised
that the qualities required to become a leader are something that is developed over time and not
something people born with. In this essay, I reflect upon the leadership qualities and traits that
make me a successful leader in my eyes.
Discussion
Throughout my childhood, my source of inspiration of a leader was my father who held
certain unique leadership qualities. I always wondered how my father could take such apt
decisions and keep his calm at every situation. However, I realised this better when I was chosen
as the food minister in our school project. This responsibility taught me that diversity,
collaborative learning, impartial attitude are few traits required to be a leader. Certain other
qualities are an integral part of a transformational leader. The very first thing I learned was
emotional intelligence and empathy. While working in a team, it was vital for me to be in control
of my emotions to make a wise decision.
Moreover, developing an attitude of empathy was the key to enjoy the trust of the
teammates. Empathy and compassion are the two most important characteristics of a true leader.
According to Randolph-Seng et al., (2016) inclusiveness is the key to effective leadership. I also
learned accountability and responsibility are the other two pillars of the right leader as