Leadership and Development: BUS832 Reflective Essay, S1 2018

This leadership reflective essay delves into the author's self-assessment of their leadership capabilities, highlighting three key skills: communication, responsibility, and composure under pressure. The essay further identifies areas for improvement, including team management, time management, and assertiveness, and outlines a detailed development plan involving team-building activities, goal setting, and practicing assertive communication. The author emphasizes the importance of leading with social responsibility and sustainability in mind, advocating for open communication and leading by example to inspire team members. The essay concludes with a commitment to continuous self-reflection and seeking feedback to foster ongoing leadership development, drawing on relevant literature and personal journal entries to support the reflections.

Leadership
Reflective Essay
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Leadership self-reflection 1
Table of contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
3 Skills held.....................................................................................................................................2
3 Skills desired.................................................................................................................................3
Strategies to achieve skills...............................................................................................................3
Leading in the context of sustainability and social responsibility...................................................5
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................5
References........................................................................................................................................7

Leadership self-reflection 2
Introduction
Leadership refers to the ability of an individual to lead a team. Effective leaders go beyond their
positional leadership responsibilities and tend to have a significant influence on their team
members (Fuller et. al., 2015). A leader plays a significant role in any organization. Leaders
within organizations are bestowed upon with several responsibilities. This includes setting goals
for team members, ensuring these goals are achieved, managing performance of team members,
motivating them, guiding them, addressing their grievances and resolving conflicts as and when
they arise (Malakyan, 2014). This report is a reflection upon my own leadership style and
abilities. The process has enabled me to gain a deeper insight regarding my own leadership
skills. The results of my reflection are shared as below.
3 Skills held
The three most prominent skills of mine as a leader are my communication skills, my ability to
take responsibility and my attitude to remain calm in the face of turmoils and stress.
Communication is one of the most important pillars upon which a team rests. A leader must not
only possess excellent communication skills but should also be able to foster a culture of
effective communication within the workplace (Men, 2014). Hence, I am sure that my ability to
communicate would help me create a transparent and honest working atmosphere.
Communication skills as a leader involves verbal as well as written communication. It is
important to note that for a leader, communication is not limited to sharing information but also
involves motivating team members, understanding them and driving coordination among them
(Yu & Ko, 2017).
Secondly, a leader needs to take a high level of responsibility. This is because the entire team is
dependent on the leader. In an organization, the leader is responsible for the performance of the
entire team (Chikeleze, Johnson & Gibson, 2018). An irresponsible leader will not be able to
garner trust or respect of team members. This would eventually lead to poor relationships. A
responsible leader on the other hand would ensure that the entire team works together to achieve
organizational goals. A leadership role in itself depicts a large amount of responsibility as well as

Leadership self-reflection 3
accountability (Glauser & Holland, 2016). Hence effective leadership demands the ability to take
complete responsibility.
Lastly, conflict management is also one of the most essential attributes of a leader (Gruber et. al.,
2015). A group of people working together can often drive conflicts. Similarly, organizations at
large often confront a large number of unforeseen situations. It is natural and unavoidable.
However, it is the leader of the team who must take an initiation and resolve the conflict (Golley
et. al., 2018). This is because especially during times of crisis, the entire team looks up to the
leader. Hence the leader must be able stay composed and address the situation in the most
effective manner. This will not only increase effectiveness but will also help build trust and
respect of the team members towards the leader (Saeed et. al., 2014). Therefore, I believe this
ability of mine will help me guide and mentor my team during difficult times.
3 Skills desired
There are skills that I wish to acquire that would help me with my leadership journey. Firstly, I
would like to work upon my team management skills. I often find it difficult to work within a
team and coordinate with a large number of people. For a leader to be truly efficient, it is
important to be able to work with different kinds of people. Leaders must be includes who can
move forward along with the rest of the team (Gabriel, 2015). It is imperative for them to be
unbiased and impartial.
Secondly, I would also like to work upon my ability to manage time. An effective leader need to
take a large number of responsibilities and hence it is imperative to manage time efficiently
(Sorenson, Goldsmith & DeMatthews, 2016). I often find myself unable to manage my time.
Mostly this happens because I take a large amount of responsibility that I am unable to fulfil.
However, I would surely like to improve upon this aspect and ensure that I manage my time and
plan it better.
Lastly, I would also like to work upon my ability to assertive. A leader must be assertive in
nature. This is in fact one of the most underrated abilities of a leader which is extremely
important. I have received a feedback that I often find it difficult to say no to people. This makes
me take up responsibilities that I cannot fulfil. It is important for leaders to be able to build and

Leadership self-reflection 4
manage effective relationships with people without feeling the need to please them at all times
(Ioannou, Singh & Couzin, 2015). Therefore I would surely work upon my ability to be assertive
and strong.
Strategies to achieve skills
As depicted above, there are three predominant skills that I need to work upon. The first one is
the ability to work with a team, the second one is the ability to manage time and the third one is
the ability to be assertive. There are several strategies that I would like to adopt in order to
improve my skill set as a leader.
Firstly, in order to improve my ability to coordinate well within a team, I would start by putting
efforts in knowing and understanding all my team members in a better manner. Understanding
team members and learning more about them makes it easier to engage with them. One of the
most important part of any team is the level of trust that members share among each other.
Therefore certain team building activities can be conducted that would help the team in
enhancing coordination and trust (Miller, 2015). Personally, I would try to attend workshops on
team building. Communication is the key to a successful team (Johnson & Hackman, 2018).
Open and transparent communication among team members makes it easier for the team to
coordinate with one another (Henderson, 2015). Hence, I would try to put efforts to create a
culture of open communication and honesty within the team so that I can deal with all team
members with efficacy.
Secondly, I would like to work upon my ability to manage time. The foremost thing I would like
to do is to start a daily activity planner. This would help me in managing my time on everyday
basis. In order to manage time efficiently, it is important to have clear goals in mind that need to
be achieved in a specified period of time (Kerzner & Kerzner, 2017). Therefore I would begin
this by setting clear goals and targets for myself. This would include daily targets, weekly targets
and monthly targets.
There are several books on time management that have helped a few of my friends. This includes
“Getting things done by David Allen”, “The 80-20 individual by Richard Koch” and “First
things first by Stephen Covey”. Establishing a practice of maintaining a To-Do list goes a long

Leadership self-reflection 5
way in ensuring effective time management. For a leader, it is important to be able to manage a
large number of responsibilities and tasks (Clinton, 2018). Hence time management practices
come handy in ensuring effectiveness.
Lastly, I would like to address the issue of a lack of assertiveness. Upon immense research, I
have come to realize that the ability to be assertive can only be improved by practicing
assertiveness in daily life. It can start by a simple process of no to friends or family members. It
is important to note that being assertive does not mean being rude. Rather it means to have
clarity about the responsibilities that need to be taken. Secondly, bringing about honesty in
communication also helps people in being assertive. Therefore, I would ensure that I create
absolute transparency and honesty in all my communication.
One essential thing that is important in the process of being more assertive is agreeing to
disagree. This is extremely critical. When working with a group of people, it is natural to have
varied opinions. In such cases, it is essential to note that it is not critical that both the parties
agree with each other. In fact one should not work towards changing the thought process of
others. At some times, it is important to agree to disagree in order to maintain the sanctity and
respect of the relationship as well as views of both parties.
There are several books that are available online as well as in hard copy that teach the art of
being more assertive. I would like to start reading these books. Lastly, feedback and self-
reflection go a long way in helping people understand their abilities. Therefore I would continue
to seek feedback and reflect upon my everyday behaviour in order to understand if there has been
any improvement or not.
None of the skills mentioned above can be acquired overnight. Therefore it is important to take
small steps and bring in a change in everyday life. This gradual change would eventually lead to
an improvement in personality. I would ensure that I do not give up. I would also consistently
seek feedback as well as reflect upon my own abilities in order to understand my growth and
development as a leader.

Leadership self-reflection 6
Leading in the context of sustainability and social responsibility
The changing world scenario and the continuous growth of wicked problems in the world has
made it essential for the leaders of the world to step forward and take increased responsibility in
order to ensure long term sustainability (Jones et. al., 2014). No doubt that a leader is responsible
for the team he or she manages but it is also important that the leader steps outside the
boundaries of their team and take some responsibility towards the growth and sustainability of
the society at large (Schafer, 2016). A leader must be not remained cocooned within the
responsibilities of the team.
A leader possess the ability to motivate and influence team members and hence it is essential that
this ability is effectively used for the greater good. As a leader, I would consistently strive
towards motivating my team members to be socially responsible. Communication also plays a
key role in the process of taking social responsibility. Though open communication and
transparency, I would like to generate awareness about the burning issues that the world
currently faces.
Lastly, in order to have a real impact, it is essential that leaders lead by example (Johnson, 2015).
Therefore as an effective leader, I would demonstrate increased awareness as well as take
responsibility to deal with the issues pertaining to our society. I would like to ensure that my
team members follow the path of social responsibility and societal sustainability that I pave for
them.
Conclusion
Leadership is one of the most important aspects within any organization as well as within an
individual’s life. The learning induced through a leadership role is immense. This report is a self-
reflection analysis upon my own leadership skills. I have attempted to highlight my skills and
abilities that can contribute to my leadership journey. This includes my communication skills,
my ability to take responsibility and my ability to keep my composed in the face of unforeseen
situations.
I have also tried to factor in the skills that I need to improve upon. The lack of these can be
hindrance in my future leadership endeavours. In order to improve my leadership, I would like to

Leadership self-reflection 7
work upon my ability to manage time, work with a team and to be more assertive. In order to
achieve the same, I would read books, improve my everyday habits, introduce a daily planner,
set clear goals and create a culture of open communication within the team.
Leaders must always think beyond the boundaries of their team and work towards taking active
social responsibility and enhancing sustainability at large (Grayson & Hodges, 2017). As a
leader, I would work to the best of my ability to enhance awareness, influence others and lead by
example towards creating a sustainable society.

Leadership self-reflection 8
References
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Thinking and Communication Skills to Future Leaders. Journal of Leadership Education, 17(2),
pp.123-137.
Clinton, R., 2018. The making of a leader: Recognizing the lessons and stages of leadership
development. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. United States.
Fuller, B., Marler, L.E., Hester, K. and Otondo, R.F., 2015. Leader reactions to follower
proactive behavior: Giving credit when credit is due. human relations, 68(6), pp.879-898.
Gabriel, Y., 2015. The caring leader–What followers expect of their leaders and
why?. Leadership, 11(3), pp.316-334.
Glauser, M. and Holland, D., 2016. The Leadership Traits Shared by Successful
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293.

Leadership self-reflection 9
Johnson, C.E. and Hackman, M.Z., 2018. Leadership: A Communication Perspective. Waveland
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