MBA Assignment: Developing Leadership Skills Through Self-Reflection

This MBA assignment delves into the crucial aspects of self-assessment and leadership development through a personal SWOT analysis. It emphasizes the importance of understanding one's strengths and weaknesses to effectively navigate professional and personal challenges, particularly in leadership roles. The assignment reflects on workshops attended, highlighting the identification of empathy and discipline as key strengths. It discusses scenarios and feedback received, illustrating the need for balance between empathy and adherence to professional ethics. Ultimately, the goal is to leverage self-awareness for enhanced leadership capabilities. Desklib provides access to similar assignments and study resources for students.

Running head: MBA ASSIGNMENT
MBA
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

2MBA
Part 1
This topic has been chosen because it is one of the most appropriate and useful topic of
the modern scenario. It is important for each and every individual to know about the strengths
and weakness that are present in them. Unless the individuals are able to perform their own
personal SWOT analysis, they will not be able to realize the areas in which they have to work
more and the areas that are already developed for being used in the professional and personal
aspects. There are many stages in life when each individual needs to find out the strengths are
deeply seated in them and can be utilized for the good. A time comes when an individual has to
take up some of the challenging steps for proving their worth at their workplaces. It is at this
point of time that they must be well aware about their strengths. This is very useful in case of
taking up leadership roles as well. Knowing the strengths that are deeply rooted within an
individual he is able to understand why there are many clashes within an organization and how to
exactly handle them. This will also help in creating cooperation among and a spirit of teamwork.
Each individual will use their own strengths and will use the method of knowledge sharing with
each other (Mortier et al. 2016). They will also try to get the idea about the areas of their
weakness. They can work to find out ways in which they can get rid of their weakness as well
(Soria and Stubblefield 2015). This will also help the individuals to take up different roles as per
their level of strength. As leaders they will be able to assess the level of strength that is present
within their followers or subordinates and then assign the roles accordingly. This is very
important as this will help all the individuals to shine in their places in the best possible way
(Drucker 2016). This is very helpful because when one gets to know of all his or her strengths
they also get to know about the areas of strength and the areas of opportunity and their
weaknesses as well. They are able to segregate between the weakness and the strength and work

3MBA
accordingly (Sims and Quatro 2015). There is a process of deep learning that each and every
individual has to pass through when they are trying to find out the areas of their strength and
their weaknesses. They have to start analyzing all their experiences that they have gone through
in the course in their lives. It is from these experiences that they will be able to realize the ways
in which they have reacted and what were the outcomes of the same. They will also be able to
know what the results would have been if they acted in a bit different way. All these gathered
experiences will have them in future for becoming ideal and able leaders. It is for this reason that
all the individuals must be able to know all their strengths and their new opportunities that they
can yes for developing themselves (Bakker and van Woerkom 2018).
I have been greatly helped by all the workshops that were carried as part of the workshop. This
has helped me to know the areas of my strength and the ways I can use them in a better way.
There were many experts and motivational speakers as well who had a good lecture session with
all of us and it really helped us to know how these areas of our strength are really helping us and
how can we use them in a better way in the future (Lottman et al. 2017).
The first round of the workshop needed all of us to recollect and reflect on some personal
experiences that help us know some of our strengths.
I knew from my childhood that I am very empathetic in nature. I know how to feel the
pain and the problems if people who are around me (Soria et al. 2017). This was also the view
that was shared by people around me. I was trying to recollect some of the experiences that
happened with me in the rd cent past. The time was during a project at my college and I was
given the charge of leading a team as the head. I was looking after the team members and how
they performed and if they need some extra help and support. I was seeing for many days that

4MBA
one of the team members was not being able to perform properly. He was often less attentive and
he seemed very low (Villadangos Fernández et al. 2016). I made it a point to talk to him
personally. I came to know that he was worried as he had some home loans and did not know
how to pay them back (Shalev 2017). As a result of this, he was very worried. I immediately fell
very sad for him and offered him money. I even asked him to take a leave and I did the work on
his behalf. This was greatly appreciated by him and he was moved by this gesture of mine. He
thanked me for knowing that he will now be able to get this assurance that he will not be thrown
out from the college for not writing well (Davis 2018). This shows that I am not out an out
professional leader who does not look after the needs and the welfare of his or her followers. I
am capable of giving moral support to all my colleagues as well.
The second round of the workshop was a question and answer round. The panel of the
chief guests and other eminent college professors wanted to see what our take on different
matters would be. So they gave us different scenarios and asked to explain what the step that we
would like to take. My turn came and I was asked this question
You were given the charge of a manager of a firm. You are asked by the managing
director to not allow any late arrivals in the office. On any kind of late arrivals, there must be
strict fines charged on each of the employees. It must be a rule that all must be abiding by. Now
you see that you are not really able to tell this in a very scornful manner to your employees. You
know that you have a very good relationship with them and if you try to implement this rule over
them they will go against you. On the other hand, you also have to obey the MD. What would
your take on this matter be?

5MBA
I said that though I am of a very kind and empathetic nature, at the same time I know the
importance of discipline as well (Nishimura and Okamuro 2018). I have been born and brought
up in a rich cultural family where discipline and punctuality were taught to me by my parents. I
know that I have a good relationship with all the employees of the office and they have vested
their trust and goodwill in me. It is for this reason that they might take an offense if I appear too
strict on them suddenly. However, I will also look into this that they are trained to be good and
able leaders for their future. As I am their manager, it is not only my duty to manage them
professionally but also to see that they are having a good overall personal development. So, I
have to look into this matter and explain to them there is a certain code of conducts that they
have to abide by. They cannot break the discipline and the ethics of the office. I will call for a
meeting and will explain the whole thing to them. On the other hand, I will also ask the MD to
allow a grace time of 30 minutes for employees who come from a very long distance and a grace
time of 15 minutes for the employees coming from a short distance. This will help me in
maintaining a balance (Certo 2018). The MD will listen to it knowing that there is the need for a
grace time as there can be some emergencies or even traffic and transportation problem for the
employees. He will also know that I have been able to implement this rule properly among the
employees. The employees will know that this rule is important them to follow and this is for
their own good. At the same time, there are also some advantages being granted to them (Park
2017).
This shows that one of my strength is a good discipline and good managerial abilities. This is
really very important in the long run. I will require this for all my future endeavors. Being
friendly with the followers is important for a leader. However, at the same time, I will also have

6MBA
to be strict at the same time so that I can abide by the rule and regulations of the office that I am
working for. The ability to abide by the professional ethics is also one of the very important
abilities that a leader must have.
The third was the feedback round where the chief guests and the hosts of the workshop
gave many helpful recommendations. I was suggested that being empathetic is very good but at
the same time, I must be alert as well. There can be many people around me who may take undue
advantage of this aspect of mine. There are people who will know that I am too kind and might
get their work done by me somehow. When I agreed to do the work on behalf of my teammate
knowing my problem, U must have been more careful about the office ethics. I could have taken
this issue to the management. What I did was out of empathy and kindness and it was helpful for
him but many of the colleagues could have escalated against me saying that I am biased towards
him and I am doing something unethical and something illegal. It was not right on my part to
take such an action on my own. I could have supported him in some other way. I must be neutral
and impartial towards all.
As far as my disciplined nature is concerned I was really appreciated on that and I was
suggested that If I ever face any problem in speaking out directly to my subordinates I can
always use the mails to communicate the message. So, these recommendations have been very
helpful for me. My goal has been accomplished at the end of the workshop. I wanted to evaluate
my own strengths and know ways of how to utilize them in the best ways possible. So I feel that
all the suggestions will really be very helpful for me in the upcoming years. I can thus be a
successful leader.

7MBA
References
Bakker, A.B. and van Woerkom, M., 2018. Strengths use in organizations: A positive approach
of occupational health. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne, 59(1), p.38.
Certo, S.C., 2018. Supervision: Concepts and skill-building. McGraw-Hill Education.
Davis, M.H., 2018. Empathy: A social psychological approach. Routledge.
Drucker, P., 2016. The effective executive. Routledge.
Lottman, T.J., Zawaly, S. and Niemiec, R., 2017. Well-being and well-doing: bringing
mindfulness and character strengths to the early childhood classroom and home. In Positive
Psychology Interventions in Practice (pp. 83-105). Springer, Cham.
Mortier, A.V., Vlerick, P. and Clays, E., 2016. Authentic leadership and thriving among nurses:
the mediating role of empathy. Journal of nursing management, 24(3), pp.357-365.
Nishimura, J. and Okamuro, H., 2018. Internal and external discipline: The effect of project
leadership and government monitoring on the performance of publicly funded R&D
consortia. Research Policy, 47(5), pp.840-853.
Park, J.G., 2017. Evaluating Personal Strengths and Weaknesses: A Competency-Based
Approach. In Marketing Organization Development (pp. 31-50). Productivity Press.
Shalev, N., 2017. Empathy and Leadership From the Organizational Perspective. In Exploring
the Influence of Personal Values and Cultures in the Workplace (pp. 348-363). IGI Global.

8MBA
Sims, R.R. and Quatro, S.A., 2015. Leadership: Succeeding in the private, public, and not-for-
profit sectors. Routledge.
Soria, K.M. and Stubblefield, R., 2015. Knowing me, knowing you: Building strengths
awareness, belonging, and persistence in higher education. Journal of College Student Retention:
Research, Theory & Practice, 17(3), pp.351-372.
Soria, K.M., Laumer, N.L., Morrow, D.J. and Marttinen, G., 2017. Strengths-Based Advising
Approaches: Benefits for First-Year Undergraduates. NACADA Journal, 37(2), pp.55-65.
Villadangos Fernández, J.M., Errasti Pérez, J.M., Amigo Vázquez, I., Jolliffe, D. and García
Cueto, E., 2016. Characteristics of Empathy in young people measured by the Spanish validation
of the Basic Empathy Scale. Psicothema, 28 (3).
Živković, Ž., Nikolić, D., Djordjević, P., Mihajlović, I. and Savić, M., 2015. Analytical network
process in the framework of SWOT analysis for strategic decision making (Case study:
Technical faculty in bor, University of Belgrade, Serbia). Acta Polytechnica Hungarica, 12(7),
pp.199-216.