Reflective Personal Leadership Development Plan - Assignment Example

? Reflective Personal Leadership Development Plan Introduction Leadership have undergone numerous scholarly debate over the years, but the twenty first century scholars define leadership as an influential relationship among leaders and their followers with an aim of bringing real change that reflect their mutual purpose. However, other scholars like Yukl (2006) argue that leadership is a process because it is not attainable overnight (Rowe & Guerrero, 2011). This process occurs when the leader’s relationship can create, negotiate, strengthen and maintain the cohesion to the end. The same process also occurs when leaders envision changes in their leadership platform and seek to fulfill and accomplish them (Wren, 1995). More so, leadership is multidimensional in skill and orientation because successful leaders need to attend current realities and should possess confidence and strategies to work on complex and diverse issues (Rowe & Guerrero, 2011). Transformational leadership theories that support the kind of leader I would like to become According to Bass and Avilo (1994), transformational leadership is leadership that encompasses individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation, idealized influence and inspirational motivation (Avolio & Yammarino, 2002). Transformational leaders are exceptional in the fact that they possess a positive and optimistic general outlook and still understand about others’ needs. Such leaders have open communication that lays a platform for his followers to be aware of situations as well as understand the company happenings. More so, transformational leaders are capable of managing conflict and promoting team cohesion, which in turn improve team performance through teamwork (Gallos, 2008). In this regard, such leadership inspires me, and I look forward to becoming a transformational leader because, prior to possessing the stated qualities, I will be in a position to execute goals and tasks, speak optimistically about the future and provide a positive image of the organization. My leadership strengths and weakness To begin with, I possess personality weaknesses that somehow affect my leadership traits. I am a high tempered individual; the anger does not chip in instantly because I am very patient and will get angry and furious when extremely pushed to the wall. Prior to being angry, I am an exceptional kind of person because I possess numerous leadership strengths that include patience, understanding, and competence and above all, I am visionary and focused (Gallos, 2008). What I will do to capitalize on your strengths and modify your weaknesses In growing modern organizations, the qualities I posses as a leader are not enough to bring the needed impact and I need to capitalize my strength in order to fit the top range. In order to achieve this, I will need to add up more in social sensitivity and charisma because I believe that these two missing aspects are magical and the driving force behind effective leadership. Social sensitivity encompasses vision, and when I combine vision with charisma; I will be in a position to transform the organization. More so, charisma will help me manage my high temper because in the first place, it will grant me a great emotional appeal and I will be in a position to connect with the feelings and the values of my followers (Avolio & Yammarino, 2002). More so charisma will offer me a chance to understand the social environment hence cultivating for my vision. Gaps between the leader I am now and the leader I would like to become The gap between what I am and what I would like to be is nothing but improvement on my weakest points. Currently, I have succeeded in inspiring my followers and motivating them into being a better work force. I have also laid out plans to empower them more despite that the plans have not yet undergone implementation. Though I have interacted well with my followers, and laid plans to motivate them better, the relationship between us is a weak one (Avolio & Yammarino, 2002). My followers are unable to interact freely with me because I seem not to understand their emotions and feelings and that is why I end up being furious. However, I intend to be more friendly and understanding in terms of heartfelt emotions with an aim of becoming a charismatic leader. Action items I will realistically implement to close gaps between the leader I am now and the leader I would like to become As I leader who have realized my weaknesses and having an empowerment plan at hand, I will arrange for a meeting between I and my followers. In the meeting session, I will not point out my weaknesses but instead will lay out methods of sealing the loopholes. In this regard, I will stress on the need for us as a team or organization to have a comfortable cohesion (Wren, 1995). More so, I will lay out the proposed plans of empowerment that include rewards and other goodies. Lastly, I will divide my followers into teams because I believe that teams are more manageable and flexible and its work output is impressing. How I will actually use my plan to influence my leadership, my followers, and my organization With an aim of showing charisma and influencing my followers and the organization in general, I will start by interacting with the workforce in daily basis. This will allow them to feel free as well as give them an opportunity to raise concerns comfortably (Tichy & Devanna, 1997). More so, interacting with the followers will help me understand each ones emotion and inner self, which in turn gives them a sense that they their leaders care for them. Teamwork will be another platform for me to understand my followers better because the poor performing team will have reasons behind such performances, and in such a case, I will understand them better. Team works are also manageable because they encompass many people and their issues and ideas easily identified. In another note, I will introduce suggestion boxes and anyone with issues will highlight his plight by writing a note and posting it in the suggestion box. This will help me realized the weak points that need correction which eventually makes me a good leader (Tichy & Devanna, 1997). Lastly, the management team and I will table the issue of rewarding followers in order to motivate them in an appreciative way. This will mostly depend on the finance department because they will be the determining factor on what kind of compensation is available. Once all the stated implementations become complete, the output will definitely improve because the followers will be more satisfied hence will do a better job, and to keep my leadership strategies on track, I will subsequently monitor each of the stated aspect. Self-assessment My Leadership Style After handling my weaknesses and upgrading on my strengths, I have emerged a better leader to both my followers and the organization in general. I have transformed my leadership style because I can now help and care about others, and most of my followers can count on me (Robbins, 2009). This has been the case because I tend to understand their inner feelings in a more compromising way. More so, I am an open-minded leader and always receptive to new ideas, a task I mostly experience through my followers teamwork. My duties are done to perfection because I am a hard working, enterprising person who accomplishes his mission and vision. More so, I make sure that my accomplished mission stands the test of time by subsequently monitoring it and sealing any visible loopholes. My Preferred Conflict-Handling Style Through my routine tasks, I encounter different conflicts that arise from my followers, and I am usually glad because I am a collaborating and a compromising leader (Robbins, 2009). This means that I handle conflicts calmly and maturely by digging up the cause of the conflicts, through which I end up solving them amicably without favor. My Preferred Type of Power I prefer an expertise type of power because being an expert means that my leadership stand out in uniqueness (Robbins, 2009). Being an expert leader means that I have monitored each follower’s way of life from lifestyle, culture, feelings likes and dislikes, and when they take wrong moves, I will be able to offer instant solutions. This means that I will understand my followers in and out and I will be in a position to detect any arising negativity and its cause. Additionally, being an expert leader means that every task accomplishes its perfection, through which my followers will be satisfied and willing to follow my footsteps. References Avolio, B. J., & Yammarino, F. J. (2002). Transformational and charismatic leadership: The road ahead. San Diego, CA: Emerald. (Amazon.com). Retrieved on, from, http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Avolio%2C+B.+J.%2C+%26+Yammarino%2C+F.+J.+%282002%29.+Transformational+and+charismatic+leadership%3A+The+road+ahead.+San+Diego%2C+CA%3A+Emerald. Gallos, J. V. (2008). Business leadership: A Jossey-Bass reader. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. (Amazon.com). Retrieved on, from, http://www.amazon.com/Business-Leadership-A-Jossey-Bass-Reader/dp/0787988197/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371111370&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=Business+leadership%3A+A+Jossey-Bass+reader.+%282003%29.+San+Francisco%2C+Calif%3A+Jossey-Bass#reader_0787988197 Robbins, S. P. (2009). Self-assessment library 3.4: Insights into your skills, interests and abilities. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Pearson South Africa. Retrieved on, from http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=z6tU3o8Po1IC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Robbins,+S.+P.+%282009%29.+Selfassessment+library+3.4:+Insights+into+your+skills,+interests+and+abilities.&hl=en&sa=X&ei=4oO5UYy3DuqY1AXg54HwDw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false Tichy, N. M., & Devanna, M. A. (1997). The transformational leader. New York: John Wiley & Sons. (Amazon.com). Retrieved on, from http://www.amazon.com/Transformational-Leader-Wiley-Management Classic/dp/0471127264/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371112759&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=Tichy%2C+N.+M.%2C+%26+Devanna%2C+M.+A.+%281990%29.+The+transformational+leader.+New+York%3A+John+Wiley+%26+Sons. Wren, J. T. (1995). The leader's companion: Insights on leadership through the ages. New York: The Free Press. (Amazon.com). Retrieved on, from http://www.amazon.com/The-Leaders-Companion-Insights-Leadership/dp/0028740912/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371113288&sr=8-1&keywords=Wren%2C+J.+T.+%281995%29.+The+leader%27s+companion%3A+Insights+on+leadership+through+the+ages.+New+York%3A+The+Free+Press. Rowe, W. G., & Guerrero, L. (2011). Cases in leadership. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications. SAGE. 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