Self-Reflection on Leadership Skills During Internship in US Company

This self-reflection paper details the author's internship experience as a junior accountant in a US-based company. The paper focuses on the development and demonstration of leadership skills, particularly in the context of problem-solving within the accounting department. The author narrates an incident where they successfully identified and resolved an issue related to incorrect bank reconciliation statements, showcasing their ability to lead and guide a junior support staff. The paper emphasizes the importance of leadership in the corporate world, highlighting the need for effective communication, adaptability, and the ability to work under pressure. The author reflects on how the internship experience helped in applying theoretical knowledge to real-world situations and underscores the continuous learning aspect of leadership, emphasizing the need to adapt to both internal and external influences to achieve productivity and create value.

Running head: SELF REFLECTION
SELF REFLECTION
The paper is a self-reflection for me which will narrate my job experience as an intern in
one of the US-based companies where I worked for a few months. The paper will provide an
overview of my leadership skills which I had exhibited during the course of my internship over
there.
I was working in the given company as a junior accountant and my job was looking after
daily accounts and reporting to the same to the senior accountant of the business. While working
there, I had got a considerable amount of knowledge to see how theoretical knowledge may be
channelized and applied in real-world situations to solve the problems. In this paper, I will
narrate one incident which will reflect on my leadership ability.
One day, the senior accountant called me and told me to check the report properly. Some
miscalculations were apparent from the records. He told me to check all the books of accounts of
last month. To deliver the task, I was assigned a junior support staff of the organization with
whom I enquired about all the bank statements and corresponding vouchers. Within a day time, I
was able to unearth the real issue which was primarily due to incorrect preparation of bank
reconciliation statements.
The event helped me to realize that leadership ability is something I possess. Otherwise,
it would not have been possible for me to get the work done through the junior support staff. In
this context, I will like to state that leadership is one of the most success-critical aspects of
personalities of any individual. If one wants to succeed in his or her professional life, leadership
quality is the first and foremost skill that he or she must possess (Utoyo, Fontana & Satrya,
2019). In the corporate world, we generally need to work in a group environment where people

SELF REFLECTION
from a different mindset and cultural backgrounds come and work together towards a common
goal (Coulson-Thomas, 2017). Hence, one must understand the true implications and intricacies
of group dynamics in the most efficient manner.
As far as my own experience is concerned, I think I possess the leadership quality very
much. I will also emphasize the fact that one must have this quality to control any situation when
you are working under pressure and you and your subordinates are always not ready to support.
It happens quite often that we usually do not get much time to solve problems and hence we look
after leaders who can guide us to handle this kind of problem. I think I have the skill to guide
other individuals to complete the job like a great leader. I have effective communication skills as
well, creativity and problem-solving attitude. Finally, I will conclude stating that leadership is
something which is a dynamics concept and needs to be changed and altered as per the
situational requirement (Schoemaker, Heaton & Teece, 2018). It is a continuous learning phase
of life and one needs to be responsive enough towards both the internal as well as external
influences so that he or she can tweak own emotions and passions to channelize the same
towards productivity and thereby create something valuable for the business and oneself as well
(Augier & Guo, 2017).
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SELF REFLECTION
References:
Augier, M., & Guo, J. (2017). The evolutionary nature of innovation and disruptive change: the
interrelatedness of technology, leadership, and organizations. Technology and Leadership
International Perspectives, 127-148.
Coulson-Thomas, C. (2017). Driving performance excellence through disruptive innovation and
visionary leadership.
Schoemaker, P. J., Heaton, S., & Teece, D. (2018). Innovation, dynamic capabilities, and
leadership. California Management Review, 61(1), 15-42.
Utoyo, I., Fontana, A., & Satrya, A. (2019). The role of entrepreneurial leadership and
configuring core innovation capabilities to enhance innovation performance in a
disruptive environment. International Journal of Innovation Management, 2050060.
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