Reflection on Leadership Skills: Analyzing Personal Leadership Traits

This essay is a reflection on personal leadership skills, focusing on the author's strengths and weaknesses in relation to leadership principles. The author uses Richard Branson as a role model, examining Branson's transformational and charismatic leadership traits. The essay explores the author's introverted nature and challenges in giving feedback and building social connections, contrasting these with Branson's approach. The author identifies skills to develop, such as improving communication, praising effectively, and adopting a hands-on approach to foster teamwork. The assignment emphasizes the importance of delegation, recognizing employee strengths, and creating a supportive environment to achieve organizational goals. The essay concludes with a summary of the author's self-assessment and plans for leadership development.

Running head: REFELCTION ON LEADERSHP SKILLS
REFELCTION ON LEADERSHP SKILLS
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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REFELCTION ON LEADERSHP SKILLS
Leadership can be defined as the art of motivating a group of people for achieving a set
of common goals fixed by the organization (DuBrin, 2016). The traits mainly focus on capturing
the essentials of being able to be based upon ideas, communicating the ideas among the
subordinates. It also includes engaging the subordinates into their objectives and encouraging
them to perform beyond their capabilities (Tjosvold & Tjosvold, 2015). Individuals with proper
leadership skills can set and achieve challenging goals and at the same time take swift and
decisive actions out-forming any competition that comes on the way (DuBrin, 2016). Leadership
mainly inculcates showing subordinates the different ways by which they can effectively perform
their responsibilities and supervise completion of the tasks (Flynn, Smither & Walker, 2016).
This assignment will mainly include the traits of the leader whom I consider as my role model.
Following the traits, I would also reflect the skills that I possess or lack and the leadership traits
that I want to develop for my future.
Richard Branson, the owner of Virgin Industries is my role model. He is one of the most
successful as well as the most influential entrepreneur in the world of business. He is a renowned
named in the arenas of leadership because of the extraordinary transformational and charismatic
leadership skills. He had fought with dyslexia at a very young age and had a tough life at school.
However, all such barriers did not affect his zeal to lead people (Branson, 2015). Therefore, he
became successful in exhibiting his leadership prowess at the early age of 16. Today, he has been
able to build an empire of 400 companies under Virgin group that includes bank, mobile phones,
music, hotel chain, airlines, bridal wears and many others (Hyde, 2018). He was listed in one of
the Forbes eligible billionaires 2012. Just like the traits of transformational and charismatic
leaders, he is funny, humorous, anti-establishments, war, friendly, risk taker, opportunist, fast,
competitive, workaholic and hard negotiator (Williams, 2017).

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REFELCTION ON LEADERSHP SKILLS
Over several phases of reflection, I have realized that I am quite introvert and cannot
open up myself in front of my team members. Because of this, I cannot engage myself in
effective sessions of feedback giving and sharing which is very urgent for implementing
innovations and creativity at work. Moreover, it also helps the subordinates feel respected and
accepted in the organization that tends to develop their dedication and enthusiasm. I do not have
proper social skills for which I am not able to establish effective relationship and bonds with my
subordinates for which the work output of the team is never achieved as expected. I need to
follow the skills of Richard Branson as he had been able to maintain a healthy leader-member
relationship with all his employees. He treats them like family and his social skills are quite high
(Burns, 2016). He goes out of his way and invites juniors to his parties in his own home. In
addition to this, he welcomes feedback and suggestions from his employees giving them a
freedom to be creative (Niphadkar, 2017). As I cannot take the risk of giving freedom to my
subordinates and follow a traditional style of safe working, profits are limited and employees are
seen to burn out. He believe that motivation and praising capabilities are enough to bring out the
best from the employees which encourage them to work beyond their capabilities. Since my
communication, skills are not effective and since I am introvert, such praising capabilities are not
present in me. I should try to adopt this leadership trait as Branson has experienced himself that
by praising generously, people are seen to flourish. Researchers have stated that if leaders
promote people more than what they expect, they are seen to show excellent performance. This
is because the leader’s trust males them more confident in their respective tasks helping them to
achieve goals easily (Noke & Mosey, 2017).
However, one of the skills that I have learnt and is gradually working on is my delegating
skills. Just by following the steps of Richard Branson, I had developed the ability to recognize

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REFELCTION ON LEADERSHP SKILLS
the capabilities and strengths of the subordinates. Accordingly, I allocate them job roles that help
them to enjoy their work. I have learn the procedure that first I have to analyze the working
styles and likings of the employees and accordingly allocate tasks to them. Richard Branson has
said, “"I have always believed in the art of delegation finding the best possible people for Virgin
and giving them the freedom and encouragement to flourish," (Piehler, Hanisch & Burmann,
2015). Giving opportunities to ambitious people would provide them the scope to excel beyond
their expectations and thereby emerge themselves as successful professionals for the future
(Austin, 2016). Another important attribute that I have learnt from Branson’s traits is his hands-
on approach. He believes that he should be visible and approachable by all. He also believes that
he should engage with employees and interact with them about their issues, concerns and
suggestions. He had stated "Walk the floor, get to know your people." Researchers are of the
opinion that every leaders should engage with the business and the employees (Lambert, Bassell
& Friedman, 2016). This help to ensure that employees see their leaders as a part of their team
and not just officials who monitor and scrutinize them from afar. Therefore, I will also make it a
point to engage myself not as higher official but rather as a confidante and guide helping them to
overcome obstacles and ensure proper teamwork among them (Ho, 2016).
From the entire discussion above, I have understood several skills that I need to brush up
for effective leadership. I am introvert and do not have feedback giving and receiving skills.
These would be a major barrier in my pathway of effectively leading people. Moreover, I also
lack social skills for which effective communication cannot be set by me. Therefore, effective
relationship building and bonding cannot be developed. Due to improper communication skills, I
have not been able to praise and motivate people, which have been stated to be very important by
Richard Branson. However, one positive aspect is that I have the capability to properly identify

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REFELCTION ON LEADERSHP SKILLS
skills and allocate tasks where they can provide the nets output. I can successfully delegate my
subordinates giving them the scope to exhibit their skills and flourish themselves. Apart from the
mentioned weakness and strength, one skill that I need to work on is developing hands-on
approach. By developing such approach, I can successfully ensure a proper teamwork and
satisfaction among the members that in turn will help to meet organizational mission and vision.

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References
Austin, J. (2016). Coaching as a Leadership Style: The Perceived Benefits of a Leader Adopting
a Coach-Approach Leadership Style.
Branson, R. (2015). The virgin way: If it's not fun, It's not worth doing. Portfolio Trade.
Burns, P. (2016). Entrepreneurship and small business. Palgrave Macmillan Limited.
DuBrin, A. (2016) Research Findings, Practice, and Skills, 8th edn, Cengage, Boston,
Massachusetts.
Flynn, C. B., Smither, J. W., & Walker, A. G. (2016). Exploring the relationship between
leaders’ core self-evaluations and subordinates’ perceptions of servant leadership: A field
study. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 23(3), 260-271.
Ho, G. K. S. (2016). An Examination of Leadership Styles and Corporate Social Responsibility
Activities in the Hospitality and Tourism Industries (presentation). Tourism, Leisure and
Global Change, 1(1), 183-229.
Hyde, G. (2018). Influential Partnerships—A Possible Role for a Modern-day Court Jester.
In The Leadership Hubris Epidemic (pp. 179-192). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Lambert, S., Bassell, M., & Friedman, H. H. (2017). Leadership in a Knowledge Economy:
Building an Innovative Marketing and Branding Organization (pp. 256-265).
Niphadkar, C. (2017). The new age transformational leader: Richard Branson. International
Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, 8(6), 542-547.

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Noke, H., & Mosey, S. (2017). 4 Entrepreneurial culture and leadership. Building an
Entrepreneurial Organisation, 47.
Piehler, R., Hanisch, S., & Burmann, C. (2015). Internal Branding—Relevance, Management
and Challenges. Marketing Review St. Gallen, 32(1), 52-61.
Tjosvold, D., & Tjosvold, M. (2015). Leadership for Teamwork, Teamwork for Leadership.
In Building the Team Organization(pp. 65-79). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
Williams, D. (2017). Richard Branson as a Global Magnate. What to learn from him about
Business.