Leadership Learning Journal 04: A Critical Perspective

This learning journal assignment provides a critical self-assessment of a student's leadership qualities. The student identifies their strengths in processing and weaknesses in influence and communication, particularly due to shyness. The assignment involves self-reflection and insights from a sister's perspective, highlighting the impact of emotional tendencies and the need to improve communication skills. The student outlines a plan to overcome shyness, build confidence, and enhance communication to better influence others and maintain professional relationships. The assignment also acknowledges potential barriers to this leadership development plan, such as learning from past mistakes and embracing functional credibility. Overall, the journal emphasizes the importance of self-awareness, communication, and relationship building in effective leadership.

Running head: LEADERSHIP- A CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE
Learning Journal 04
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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LEADERSHIP- A CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE
The four important areas in leadership that I have chosen at the very beginning were
influence, process, relationship and service (Northouse, 2015). However, when I tried to
analyze myself from these four perspectives it was very clear to me that processing is the best
quality in me among the other three areas of leadership. As we, all know that for a leader it is
an essential quality that they must have that power to convince others so that the work can be
done in order to enhance the productivity of the company and helps in leading the team and
associates towards organizational aims. My biggest limitations that I came to know are in the
areas of influence and relationship. A leader needs to have a good communication skill as
well. However, in my case I am only a good listener that is because of my shy nature
(Hackman & Johnson, 2013). Not having a good communication skill and being a shy person
itself is a drawback as a leader. I am an emotional person and so another drawback of mine is
that I am influenced easily. However, to be a good leader or the characteristics the leaders has
are that they should have the power to influence other rather than getting motivated or carried
away by other. Therefore, I have to stop being subdued by the flattening power of others.
Thus, the important point that I learned is that the leadership qualities are not only helping an
individual to grow in himself but also it deals with how effectively one can serve their
customers. However, leadership qualities help for proper growth and judgment that guides to
manage the areas in marketing as per the development.
For this particular assignment I have taken the help from my sister to help me
evaluate myself as according to me she is the one who knows myself very well and can have
a honest analysis about my character. My evaluation about myself and that of my sister’s who
according to me knows me much more than I do is not of much difference but still I would
like to discuss the analysis of both. Firstly, what I think is that I am a person who is
influenced very easily. My sister also pointed out that I am influenced by my friends’ wrong
deeds. However, I also feel that I cannot deny anything when I should do that to avoid getting

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myself into trouble. As my sister said for the points influence and relationship, where they
easily dominate me and I cannot manage the decisions taken by them is, what I feel helps me
getting my work done more easily and makes the relationship strong. Another point of
difference is there between my sister and my own analysis and that is, she thinks I am an
emotional person and so am always scared that something wrong will happen, but I really do
not think that way. I might be an emotional person but that is my characteristics I feel and it
has nothing to do with the surrounded feeling that things might get wrong. For me I think my
greatest quality that I have is processing. My sister also agrees with this particular point and I
have seen in my professional world that I can very swiftly proceed with the various standards
of the customers in a very easy manner. However to improve the customer satisfaction in my
job it is very important that how I deliver the best quality service to the customers. Therefore,
to deliver the best quality service I have to deal with different people in a comfortable
manner.
The work relationship that I have is delivering satisfactory services to the customer.
As my style best suits in the area of processing thus, it is very easy for me to process with
various standards in my workspace in a very comfortable manner. I am handling the various
processes in my company and its becoming possible only because I have support supportive
people at my work. However, in the area of influence my style can largely be a drawback
because it becomes hard at times to take the decisions myself without being manipulated by
others. In the corporate world, anyone can take advantage of this and compress me. I do have
a convincing power that can actually work in my benefit and in a way enhance my
relationship with my colleagues and subordinates to actually influence them to on certain
profitable decisions. However, because of my shy nature my friends and my colleague’s
thinks that I like to stay a good listener. This however, affects that relationship in a
professional world because here only being a good listener will not work, as people will also

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like to know what their leader has to say. Communication skill is very important in this
corporate business and here to maintain a proper relationship what I must do is to improve the
standards and working which is only possible by proper communication (Cornelissen &
Cornelissen, 2017). As I have deficit in my communication skill thus, the power of mine to
convince people gets low, as I do not share that minimum relation where I stand a chance to
get up and convince them. However, another drawback I think I have is that at times, I try to
help people without any gain or favor for myself and this is not at all suitable for my career.
People can any day take advantage of this and can lead to a problematic situation.
To take advantage of my strengths first I need to work on my weaknesses. In
addition, I have chalked out my biggest weakness is my shy nature which affects my
communication skills. Thus, to make my communication skill better I must overcome the
huddles like shyness itself and build confidence. However, to achieve this I must first make a
list of things I want to achieve, make a rehearsal that I need to tell my colleagues and
managers or to convince them on what particular points. I must work on the solitary activities
just like reading or writing in a journal; I must focus more on written communications more
other than by talking and so should be communicating more via emails or memos and lastly, I
must gain success through every stressful situation I overcome and this will definitely help
me gaining confidence (Daft, 2014). Thus, if I start following these then definitely I will
some way become capable of minimizing my biggest weakness. After achieving success in
this area, I will definitely be able to maintain a proper relation with my managers where I can
be able to convince them with my power of process. However, the barriers or threats that can
affect this type of leadership plan that I am preparing is that I should not learning from the
past mistakes that I did, rejecting help from my team mates, absence of functional credibility.
Then the absence of my leadership processing credibility, not having adequate courage to let
go of yesterday’s tool and definitely my inability to face the strength of power dynamics as a

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leader. The pressure that the leaders face of the responsibility they hold often make them hold
back from totally embracing their role on others (Johnson, 2017).

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References
Cornelissen, J., & Cornelissen, J. P. (2017). Corporate communication: A guide to theory and
practice. Sage.
Daft, R. L. (2014). The leadership experience. Cengage Learning.
Hackman, M. Z., & Johnson, C. E. (2013). Leadership: A communication perspective.
Waveland Press.
Johnson, C. E. (2017). Meeting the ethical challenges of leadership: Casting light or shadow.
Sage Publications.
Northouse, P. G. (2015). Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications.