Leadership Effectiveness - Essay Example

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF INTRODUCTION From the time I was born to this my life has been full of ups and downs and these have transformed me into a fearless and determined person of strong character. The series of hardships and challenges that I have faced all along have been life’s lessons which have made me better over the past. While many might complain about the problems that they face and even give up along the way, mine has been to keep fighting for a better life until I achieve it. The decision to have my own autobiography written down has been triggered by the many experiences that I have encountered and the value that they have helped me add to my life. This has given me a realization that it is better to have a whole account of my life so that I may reflect back on my achievements and failures. I am also privileged to write down my autobiography so that through it other people can get the bigger picture of life and life’s purpose. Life is significantly affected by the people around one and the environment. The character of people around you will have a great influence on the kind of person you become. This is, however, not a final development in life. With strong will and confidence, the influence of the environment and people around can be overcome and a new character built. This is the approach I took in life. That despite the negative implications that happened in my life, I always strived to become the person I wanted to become and overcome all barriers. Education has also transformed my whole life and made me and gave me a better understanding on why various things happen in people’s life. I have, over the past, grown from a young scared lady to someone with a better understanding of life, confidence, great personality and strong leadership skills. BACKGROUND I was born in 1989 in Awassa, a town in Ethiopia. My father, Mr. Zaidi, was a renowned farmer and had a degree in Agricultural industry. My mother, Aynalem Markati, on the other side was a business woman. Both of them are from Ethiopia. When I was born, my father was not there for us as he was working in a different country. This implied that all the responsibility of taking care of the family was bestowed my mother. Having been Fighting for attention as a 5th born in the family was not that easy for me. However, right from childhood, I came to realize that I needed to earn attention and make the other family members notice me by the positive things that I used to do. This meant that I had to do extraordinary things that made me stand out among other siblings. For instance, I got so attached to my mother such that when I started Kindergarten, I used to insist on going to school with her. This behavior obliged my mum to accompany me to school for the first few weeks as I tried to get used to the environment. This was the beginning of a character that would see me become a person who never hesitates to go for what she wants despite the many barriers that may present themselves. This also introduced me to a world where attention is worked for and deserved. During my teenage life, there were several conflicts in Ethiopia that we had to cope up with and assume normal life. This is the time when the, by then, government troops got overwhelmed with the militia who captured various towns of Ethiopia. There were frequent instances of cruel fighting and attacks that affected people’s lives by a great deal. Unlike what many people believe, I came out of this situation with stable emotions and straight character that am proud to possess. CHILDHOOD AND EARLY EDUCATION I started Kindergarten in 1994 and used to be taken to school by my mother, at least for the first few months. At the kindergarten, we were expected to endure the character of our fellow schoolmates and learn to make new friends. Even though I was just at my tender age, this environment helped me a lot evade the troubles at home. I attended lower school well until 1994 when my performance started deteriorating. My parents were not in good terms with each other and this really affected me. While in school, all I could do was play with my friends. MORAL INFLUENCES IN EARLY YOUTH During my early education, just as that of anyone out there, the various moral influences which are obviously of great importance are usually the ones which are generally complicated and difficult to define with aims of achieving completeness in the definition. It is virtually impossible to explain in a detailed description the many circumstances which shaped my life. For this reason, I’ll only focus on the most important ones which are indispensable in the account of my life. Many things happened during my early childhood that affected my entire life. I was a young Ethiopian girl trying to survive in a country which even did not acknowledge girl-child education. Moreover, the frequent shootings and conflicts that were going on at the present made it difficult to learn in a peaceful environment. As I later realized, the person I am today can be attributed to such hardships that I encountered. By learning in a harsh environment and unfavorable conditions, I learnt to endure hardships and work hard in order to achieve my own set goals without giving up or waiting for someone to offer me help. It taught me to persevere the setbacks which are present in the road to success and to keep my moral standards good despite the misfortunes that are encountered along. I’m now a confident lady who does not stop at anything to achieve her goals, am focused and I can work in any environment and uphold my competitiveness, thanks to my past experiences. Family conflicts also have great effect to the shaping of a person’s life. Whenever a student lives in an environment where there are always family quarrels and arguments, the psychology of the student will always be altered and levels of concentration lowered. It takes a great deal of confidence and strong will for a student to succeed in such environments. Problems between my mum and dad started in the year 1995 when my little sister had just been born. My parents started arguing and quarrelling frequently, something that affected me a lot. The situation even worsened when my dad started earning a lot of money than that he used to earn before. During this time, he could come home late and spend nothing on us. The condition that my father adopted affected my youth psychology and education. It was difficult for me to watch them argue. To make matters worse, I was very close with my mum so o I used to feel a lot of pain watching her cry all night and starve without food. This made me see how life can at times be cruel to a person and cause a lot of pain. It also made me realize that even when things are tough and there seems to be no any other of making them better, the only thing that you need to do is to never give up. Another situation arose in 1989 that added to my family’s sorrows. My sister informed my mother that she wanted to get married at 20 years and that she had a man already. This worsened in 2000 when my sister ran away, leaving us with no information of her whereabouts. This depressed my mum and the entire family as even my dad had disagreed with my sister’s intention. It came as a blow to my mum as she never expected it. As the person closest to her, I could see that she was hurt and that she also had several problems with my father. However how much I tried to ask her about the problems, she said she was okay. Such a level of tolerance and endurance has helped me a lot in my present life. Living in Ethiopia came with several moral challenges that were inevitable. We did not have any form of written constitution until the year 1994. During this time, the Ethiopian constitution was introduced, though interim. This came after the Ethiopian People’s Revolution Democratic Front (EPRDF), Eritrean People’s Liberation Force (EPL) and Oromo Liberation Front defeated the Derg government which existed at the time. The U.S had prior to this year (in 1991) invited top Derg leaders and the three opposition leaders for a peace talk in London. It also happened that even before the talks, Addis Ababa had fallen into the hands of the opposition. It is these events that led to the realization of the July 1994 Transitional Conference where the interim constitution was drafted. I was only three years old when this happened but the effects that it brought to the lives of Ethiopians were evident. The drafting of the constitution in a way improved the relationship between people of a community and defined our moral standards. By following the constitution, many people were able to develop good moral standards that did not allow inhumanity crimes. At least it provided a reference for determining what is morally right or wrong for a society which had lost its morals. LATER STAGES OF LIFE AND EDUCATION When life is full of unbearable events, there is always a need to look for a better way of changing it and making it better. It is important to look forward to a better life and do all it takes to achieve it. Staying in the same position all year round is an element of failure that should not be tolerated. Life is for people to change and the only way to change it is by working for a better future. This way, the present problems can be avoided and solved for a chance to lead a happy life and so was my decision to leave my country. Everything seemed a mess at home and I was not even concentrating in class. I decided to look for ways through which I could build my own good life. Therefore, in 2003, I luckily got an opportunity to relocate to the U.K and did not waste any time to grab it. In the U.K, I was put under care of a foster family that would later be my nightmare. I started attending year 10 in Woodcote High School, located near Purley. At the school life became unbearable considering the many challenges that I faced while there. First, English was not my first language so I neither knew how to speak it nor how to write it. This largely affected me and always made my fellow students mock me. I was seriously bullied for the whole year as I tried to grasp English. I also had frequent troubles with teachers. The foster family who I lived with also treated me so bad that I always spent my time crying. They made it clear that my presence there was a bother to them. I got very depressed being that I also did not have friends and lost contact with my family. All these made my life full of sorrow and sadness. In fact, I never even had a chance to sit down and read with a clear mind. In spite of all the harsh treatments that I received, I did not lose hope, instead, I knew that one day I would be able to live on my own and succeed in my education. The GCSE exams cam in 2005 and unfortunately, I did not pass well. This was obviously because all the time I had was spent locked up and crying. I did not complain for the poor results though. I knew I am capable and I knew that provided good learning environment, I could pass well and achieve all my goals. I welcomed the results and accepted them; after all they were mine and a result of whatever little I could do while mentally depressed. These results marked the beginning of transformation in my life. They even made me more determined to change my life and go for my dreams. I had big dreams in life and I had to achieve them regardless of the methods I used. It then dawned on me that I could achieve my goals better if only I continued with my education and I did exactly that. I moved out to a shared apartment in 2006. I shared the apartment with five girls who I never knew before. This did not frighten me. I had undergone a lot and I knew I was capable of surviving on my own. Life had taught me to be confident and faithful to my goals and rules. In 2007, I met a boyfriend who taught me great life skills that not even my family had taught me before. He guided me through difficult moments and encouraged me to follow my dreams no matter what kind of obstacle I faced. His lessons helped me complete my college studies in 2009. I joined university in 2010 a brave and responsible girl. Life’s challenges had taught me to be fearless and my boyfriend had also taught me on how to handle difficult situations. I enrolled in a degree course in Business and Administration with the hope that I’d one day complete it successfully and even be a business woman. I moved out of the shared apartment in 2011 and got a one bedroom apartment. This came with a lot of responsibilities to me. I had to stand on my own feet and take care of my own needs. I also had the responsibility of taking care of my own while balancing with school work. This situation gave me the chance of learning self-reliance and many skills that are still of use to me today. Even though the journey was long and full of problems and challenges, I did manage to transform my life at last. Even now that am in my last year at the university, I still learn a lot each day and the knowledge has helped me become a better person than I used to be. GENERAL VIEW OF THE REMAINDER OF MY LIFE Life has been cruel to me and the problems that I have faced to reach where I am today are countless and terrible. I was once a naïve girl in a sad family full of wrangles but I’m glad everything about my life has changed. Through hard-work and sheer determination, I have managed to go against all odds and achieve my goals in extreme conditions. The skills that I have learnt over the past have given me strong personalities that will, in future, allow me pass any life’s obstacle that I might face. I have also built on my personality and professional skills. With my degree in Business and Administration, my future will be full of business innovations and ventures. I have always wanted to become a businesswoman and work in business-related environments. The knowledge that I have gained and the lessons that life has taught me will be handy in reaching my destination. My life took a turning point when I joined college. That is the time I decided to do all that it could take to go against all odds and follow my dreams. Though I had just scored poor results, I decided to work for my dreams and use the poor results as a source of motivation. My life did change for the better. I became independent and stood on my own. I joined college and now am completing University. The path that I have taken is now of no importance. What are now important are the lessons that I have learnt things that I have achieved and my future aims in life. LEADERSHIP THEORIES AND THEIR IMPACT ON MY LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT As described by many, leadership is basically a social process in which a person is well able to use the support and aid of other people in the fulfillment of a task common to them. According to Alan Keith, who gives a more detailed explanation concerning the process of creating creative ways for individuals to accomplish common tasks. In other words, a leader is a kind of person who identifies and recognizes present opportunity and gain knowledge, evaluates himself and also develops throughout the process. There are several theories which have been developed to explain the process of leadership development. These theories also identify the outcome of the process of leadership development as the realization of self-worth, self-identity and self-awareness. They also imply that identity that a leader assumes and the whole process of leadership are not achievable once in a life; they are continuous and repetitive throughout one’s life. Transformational leadership Theory This implies that potential leaders will always follow people who inspire them. These kinds of leaders are great at their work and are always providing positive experiences which are inspiring. They are always energetic and have passion for their work. One amazing thing about them is that they are so much concerned about the welfare of another person just as they would be about themselves. In my case, my inspiration has always been Nelson Mandela. He has been my source of inspiration and I have always wanted to be exactly like him, a leader who touches the lives of people whom he comes across; a kind of leader who is ready to sacrifice his needs for the interest of other people. The complete process of leadership transformation involves a number of traits. One is the aspect of finding the right way forward. This implies that transformational leaders barely have a plan to follow. These kinds of leaders usually face many challenges and setbacks in their endeavors and yet manage to pass through will some life corrections to consider. This happened to me exactly as portrayed; as a young leader, I faced all the challenges that hindered my chance of showing my self-worth. However, eventually all I have to do is use my experience to correct no my shortcoming as I have already achieved the leadership status. This explains the transition that took place in my life and the extent to which I have strived to build my vision as a transitional leader. Traits Theory This leadership development theory tends to explain the personality tendencies, behavior and character that result into good leadership. According to Ronald Heifetz, history of various great men is directly associated with the history of relevant society. This leadership development theory links various traits to the realization of great leaders. It is further demonstrated by Edwin A. Locke and Shelley Kirkpatrick (1991). Traits theory considers leadership as a process reached after realizing personal sense of awareness. It considers it as a situation of developing self-awareness and self-worth. According to this theory, leadership involves a driving force which includes ambition, desire, initiative and many others and a motivation to leadership which includes self-confident, self-esteem, honesty, cognitive ability and integrity among others. My life challenges have given me the confidence of self-worth that I need to provide my leadership services. With time, I have gained my own self-awareness and desire to achieve success to greater heights. The challenges that I have faced and the difficult situations that I have faced have given me the self-understanding and confidence that I need. Behavioral Theory This implies that leaders are made and not necessarily born with the leadership traits. It also focuses on the things that leaders have achieved considering their past and present behaviors. Failures due to their relevant behaviors are also considered in the theory. Through this theory, a platform for accessing the weaknesses and strengths of leaders is provided. Considering my past achievements and where I am today, it is true to say that the un-giving up nature that I adopted did help guide me through to this level where I currently am. My success and achievements can be attributed by the course of behavior that I took. This also implies to my failures to. For instance, during my lower school life, my grades deteriorated due to my consistent behavior of playing at school without focusing on my education. Having taken all my past encounters into considerations, I have focused on staying focused to my goal by adopting future-oriented behaviors. This has also taught me to continue using my encounters, whether present or past, to build on my own importance and create an ever learning attitude of an ideal leader. Situational Leadership Theory A situational leader, as implied by situational leadership theory, normally adapt to all kinds of situations that present themselves. It requires a complete understanding of several concepts of leadership and the elements that make good leaders. Here, leaders are required to be passionate about whatever they do and remain moral leaders in all circumstances (Greenleaf, 1977). This will help create an all-round leader who is comfortable with solving all leadership tasks and situations that present themselves. As implied by Herbert Spencer (1884, 6), it is time which produces great leaders. As was with my past, I moved to different environments and adopted new practices. This was evident when I moved to the U.K. Life in the U.K was completely different from that in my home country and for me to enjoy my stay there, I needed to find better ways of adapting to their practices and learning their ways and language. Just as Nelson Mandela, good leaders are those who are generous to the society and put the interest of people first. This has it that in order to be an efficient leader, one has to embrace self-awareness just as shown in the life of Nelson Mandela. Leadership, as portrayed by Mandela, is also a continuous unending process which applies throughout a person’s life. This will help you give back to the society while developing your leadership skill. This is the kind of process that I want my life to follow. ANALYSIS OF MY LIFE EVENT My Past My past has been full of many challenges that do not share the peace of youth that many did experience. The problems that I faced never passed away without leaving consequences in my life. I came from a humble background in a country which was infested with militias and fights. The setting was chaotic and violence was a norm. Ethiopia is where it all started, given birth to and attended a local kindergarten and school. My family was not the peaceful one that many would love; my mum and dad were not in good terms and would therefore quarrel most of the time. It was an experience that prepared me to the hardships that would later come my way. It prepared me by making me stronger so that I would later emerge successful in whatever activity I engaged in. When I moved from Ethiopia to the U.K, everything changed, the environment was completely different and language was a new one that I had never spoken before. I had the duty to cope with all those and fit in such a society. The experiences that I had undergone in life gave me confidence and inspired me to continue striving on and pressing hard. I did just that; learnt the ways of the people of the U.K, adapted to the climate change and learnt English. Within one year, I had gotten used to everything and learnt the language. This happened in a way that proved my sense of being a motivational leader. I fitted in and proved my ability to lead in varying environments. My past transformation from a young and naïve girl to an educated and confident woman is a leadership development transformation that has rewarded me with life’s experiences that are essential in the making of a good leader. The problems that I faced are representations of the many problems that girls of my age face in their lives. While many usually fail to make it through and end up with miserable lives, I came out with self-guidance and proved that with the right leadership skills, confidence and self-awareness; it is possible to make yourself a great leader. The torture of one’s well-being is critical to the success of every person. The act of becoming a successful leader requires a conducive environment and if not present, the concerned individual must be able to go against all odds and turn obstacles into sources of motivation. This was proved when I moved to the U.K. I faced several mistreatments from my foster family and at school as well. I used to eat a single meal in a day. On going to school, both students and teachers used to make my life unbearable. These affected my final high school grades but were my turning point. I worked harder afterwards and managed to improve my life and further my studies, against all the odds that I faced. There is virtually no benefit of leaving in democracy if you do not have the right guidance and survival traits to keep you going. Democracy gives you a choice of choosing who you are and who you become but the process of becoming the person is all for you to endure. Leadership is a process that runs over time and involves continual learning and so is not a destination to be arrived at My Present I have reached where I am today, armed with many life’s experiences and ready to work towards achieving my goals. The experiences give me references which I can now rely on to make future judgments and overcome any hardship that may come my way. I’m not only independent in my decisions but also experienced and full of leadership qualities. I have struggled on my own and created my own self-awareness and value such that not a single situation can make me lower my self-worth and appreciation. I give back to my society and try to change other people’s lives. I now play an important role as an example of how sheer hard work and determination can make even the poorest child achieve all that he wants to achieve. I now portray a leader who as struggled and come out successful without neutralizing any of my leadership skills. According to the behavioral theory, leaders are made and that’s what I try to make people understand so that they can achieve their ambitions of becoming good leaders in future. My Future My life is already a legacy for the future generations and a reference for all who may find themselves in troubles. I aim at becoming a successful business woman in future and that I know I will achieve considering my past experiences and the hard work that I put in to make this come true. I look forward to emulating nelson Mandela and becoming a people-oriented leader (Fielder, 1967, pg. 9). This will allow me exercise my leadership skills on broader environments and eventually become an environment oriented leader (Carmazzi, 2005) who is able to mobilize people and his own character to fit in different environments without lowering success. My transformation is the end of my leadership development, it just market the beginning of my journey towards being a great transformational leader (Burns 1978). I achieved everything on my own and therefore this gave me a strong self of self-worth and importance that is important in the corporate world. The self-esteem, awareness and confidence that I gained will be handy in making the future that I have always dreamt of. CONCLUSSION As stated in the transitional leadership development theory, leadership is a continuous process that has no end. It involves achieving personal worth and a self of awareness. Leaders continually learn from all the experiences that they experience in the present or in the days to come. These are people who are able to cope with conditions of various environments and adapt to them without failure. They are confident and outstanding in whatever they do. Above all, leaders are made and this is what has happened to me. I have undergone a lot to become the leader I am today. The challenges that I have faced have made it possible for me to build on my leadership profile and become a successful leader. This is why I find it amazing to write my own autobiography, because what I have undergone to become the person I am today is worth putting in writing and letting other people know the strong person that I am and in other cases using it as reference to their own lives. References Heifetz, R. 1994. Leadership without easy answers. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. a b Kirkpatrick S.A., Locke, E. A. 1991. Leadership: Do traits matter?. vol 5, No2. Academy of Management Executive. Spencer, H. 1884 The Study of Sociology. a b Fiedler, F. E. 1967. A theory of leadership effectiveness. McGraw-Hill: Harper and Row Publishers Inc.. Carmazzi, Arthur 2005. The Directive Communication Leadership Field Manual. Singapore: Veritas Publishing. Burns, J. M. 1978. Leadership . New York : Harper & Row Greenleaf, R.K. 1977. Servant-Leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness. Publishing. Read More