Portfolio for Self-Leadership Skills as Garnered throughout the Unit - Essay Example

Running Head: Portfolio-Personal Profile Assignment Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code and Name: University: Date assignment is due: Portfolio-Personal Profile Assignment Introduction This short essay seeks to develop my portfolio for self-leadership skills as garnered throughout the unit. The portfolio contains a self-reflection of these skills, focusing on my key strengths, as well as a 3600 skills evaluation component for the same. Essentially, this essay consist an analysis of my skills and strengths in a comparative consolidation with the areas I need improvement on. The essay starts with a self-leadership skills literature review, which backgrounds the essay on the contemporary body of knowledge on leadership skills development, evaluation and planning. Secondly, the essay will apply the literature background on my current skill level, as evaluated alongside a 360⁰ feedback. The evaluation thus consolidated will be the based on which I base my reflection on my areas of strength and those that need improvement. Having realized the areas I am relatively strong in and those that need further development and improvement, the essay will then detail an informed plan on how I can achieve personal and professional change. The strategic plan will then be followed by a tenable conclusion on the salient issues raised throughout the essay. Self-Leadership Skills Literature Overview Change processes are best initiated, maintained and successfully executed based on a realistic plan (Simonton & Baumeister, 2006). In self-leadership, what an individual needs to do first is to realize that he she is a brand and that such a brand, like any in the market place today, needs to be marketed and developed towards a particular aim (Ashforth & Kreiner, 1999). An individual is a brand that only he can create, manage and maintain. Such an understanding helps one to take full responsibility of who he or she is, how he is perceived by others, what he or she achieves and most importantly, what strengths and skills he or she possesses (Ashforth & Kreiner, 1999). Self-leadership thus emerges from a realization that one can actually improve on his or her weaknesses, that one can make his or her strengths better (Gable & Haidt, 2006), and that one can suit his or her personal brand to achieve certain ends (Ashforth & Kreiner, 1999). Once such an understanding is attained; the individual can then undertake the process of change, in this regards the self-branding process, which seeks to tailor-make the personal brand to be a certain predetermined brand (Ashforth & Kreiner, 1999). As Peter Drucker posts, “Success in the knowledge economy comes to those who know themselves – their strengths, their values, and how they best perform” (Drucker 1999, pp. 68). A person who seeks to be influential, reputable, trustworthy and respectable, will initiate a process of change towards such an objective (Drucker, 1999). Personal and professional change relies heavily on two types of evaluations namely, current situation analysis (evaluation of the current brand status (Solansky, 2010)) and then the target situation analysis (profiling of the target brand status) (Hunsaker, 2005; Manz & Neck, 1999; Solansky, 2010). The skills in particular that I am interest to develop are interpersonal communication skills, ability to harness support and loyalty, ability to have and instill insight or foresight on others, ability to marshal support for an initiative and the ability to maintain high motivation levels in others. To be a successful leader/manager, it is of utmost importance that one know what he or she want to achieve at a personal and professional level, as well as why he or she wants to achieve it (Abraham, Karns, Shaw & Mena 2001). This will enable such a leader or manager to develop a plan of action that aims at attaining that desired end (Abraham, Karnes, Shaw & Mena 2001; Manz & Neck, 1999). According to Johnson (2007), a leader will understand himself or herself better through self-introspection, through self-perception (observing oneself), through explaining his or her feelings and reactions to phenomena, through comparing himself or herself to others, through interactions with diverse people and finally through requesting negative and positive feedback from other people they interact with. Current Skill Level Incorporating 360⁰ Feedback The interests of this essay are in developing a personal profile of my current status in contrast to the desired profile that is necessary to the achievement of my personal and professional objectives. This will enable me to develop an action plan of personal development, with which I will execute a change process towards that target profile. At the beginning of this unit, I engaged in an exercise in which I filled questionnaires for my colleagues and myself. The questionnaires helped me establish my strengths profile in my own evaluation and as perceived by my colleagues. I was able to undertake self-introspection, self-perception, explain my feelings and reactions, compare myself to colleagues and obtain negative and positive feedback from them as they perceived me during our interactions. From my own evaluation, I established five major strengths as follows, ranked in order of significance: 1. Persistence and determination (Staying Power) 2. Ability to adapt to situations, new circumstances and demands (Dynamism) 3. Ability to plan ahead and execute plans towards future exploits (Strategist) 4. Ability to create and popularise an ideology in group settings (Charismatic) 5. Patience and forbearance on others (Tolerance) However, my colleagues perceived my strengths in a different light, both in the strength type and in the order of significance. The following are my ranked traits as perceived by my colleagues: 1. Patience, understanding and forgiving on others (Tolerance) 2. Insightful, always seeing ahead and able to plan accordingly (Strategist) 3. Being able to create and marshal support for an idea (Charismatic) 4. Being a quick thinker, quick decision maker and a problem solver (Intelligence) 5. Determination (Staying Power) Important to note is the fact that how I prioritized my strengths is not how my colleagues perceived me as and that while I thought I was dynamic, my colleagues did not perceive that as my strength. Instead, my colleagues thought that I was intelligent and not dynamic. A possible explanation of why my on perceptions and those of my colleagues varied is because they had a different perspective than mine in evaluating my strength. The difference in perspectives means that my colleagues arranged my strengths from a third person point of view (that of the people I would lead) while I arranged my strengths from the perspective of my being a leader with intent on achieving something. In this regards, tolerance became the most important strength to them than staying power while staying power became most important to me that tolerance. Secondly, while I classified my ability to adapt to new demands, challenges and circumstances as dynamism, my colleagues perceived it as intelligence, since I could solve problems faster and make good decisions as fast. This points out the fact that while attempting to be dynamic, others will predominantly focus on how well I can think and act, how well I can make decisions and how well I can solve problems, which to me only requires dynamism, to the people I lead it will be a sign of an intelligent leader (Hunsaker, 2005). Having consolidated my strengths as I perceive them and as others perceive me, it is important that now I focus on the strengths necessary in attaining my personal and professional objectives. This will help me to positively amplify and optimize these strengths in a way that can boost the attainment of such objectives. I am interested in developing management skills that will help me be an effective, efficient and productive leader of a department or organization with people of diverse personalities, backgrounds, specialization and goals. My plans are to establish a progressive career in an international organization as part of the management team and to progress upwards in the management ladder in both scope of responsibilities and leadership outcomes. The skills in particular that I am interest to develop, and which will serve best this objective, are interpersonal communication skills, ability to harness support and loyalty, ability to have and instill insight or foresight on others, ability to marshal support for an initiative and the ability to maintain high motivation levels in others. The necessary plan of action will therefore will be realign my strengths as perceived by others in accordance to these objective qualities and skills. My strengths can be matched to the requisite skills as follows: Tolerance Interpersonal communication skills Strategist Ability to have and instill insight/foresight Charismatic Ability to harness support and loyalty Intelligence/Dynamism Ability to maintain high motivation levels Staying Power Ability to marshal support for initiatives I feel that the area that is most important and which I need a considerable level of improvement is in dynamism where I should learn how to be a quick thinker, a fast decision maker and a momentary problem solver, one able to adapt to novel situations, new circumstances and new demands with ease and efficiency. Reflection: Area of Strength and Area for Improvement As pointed out above, I currently feel that the area that is most important to me both professionally and personally, and which I need a considerable level of improvement is in establishing dynamism in decision making, problem solving and in interactions with people. I feel that I should learn how to be a quick thinker, a fast decision maker and a momentary problem solver. This will enable me to adapt to novel situations, new circumstances and new demands with ease and efficiency (Hunsaker, 2005) Over the past exercises in the unit’s progress, I have had several incidences of reflective thinking in which I have engaged in several light bulb activities. In the progress of such exercises, I have been able to maintain a personal blog on with which I continually reflect upon my skills, my strengths and the target profile I want to brand myself with. Of importance in these reflective exercises has been the deeper understanding of how my current strengths compare with the target qualities that I am aiming at achieving. It has thus emerged that while being dynamic to a certain level, I still need to know how to employ these dynamism in leadership contexts. For instance, in scenarios where I have been faced with momentous expectations from my colleagues and juniors, I have always found myself overwhelmed and unable to make the required instantaneous decisions, as quick as they seem to expect or want. If the Situation-Task-Action-Result system of evaluating leadership skills (McCauley & Hughes-James, 1994) is employed, my rating for the particular desirable strength of dynamism in decision making would be wanting of improvement. Example (STAR-L system) a) The Situation An incidence in particular that I remember, involved choosing a paper topic for a group project in which I had been chosen by the members to moderate the discussion. We were six members in the group and had to write a 20-page essay as well as make a PowerPoint presentation on a chosen topic. After initial deliberations, we had to choose between two equally appealing topics. Three of use picked one and the others wanted the second topic. There was a dilemma in choosing which between the two topics would therefore be picked and still win support and approval from the entire group, enough to help all of us participate equally. b) Task It was thus placed upon me as the moderator to pick one out of the two topics. For whatever reasons the group members had decided to obligate me in such a task, which was otherwise a collective responsibility, is immaterial, the task at hand was for me to act decisively and be able to provide a rationale for my choice in a way that would win unanimous support from the five members of the group. c) Action I could have picked the one I had supported earlier during the group vote if I wanted the easiest path to solving the problem. However, that would not sufficiently justify my choice or win over the three members of the group who had chosen the other topic. As the good leader I esteemed myself to be, I took time to consider the interests and concerns of the other three group members. The problem however emerged when I could not make a choice between the two topics at that moment, a choice that had a convincing logic to it. At that time, I faced one of the greatest indecisive moments of my life in what was otherwise an easy decision. d) Result The most embarrassing outcome became the fact that one of my colleagues perceived my indecisiveness and to save time, he recommended an alternative method of making the choice. I had failed to respond to the demands of the moment, failed to respond to a situation of urgency and most importantly failed in the responsibility of leadership. In my reflective exercises, I have realized that this was not a lone incidence. In most times when I am in a position of leadership and I am faced with a challenging decision that requires me to adapt quickly to the situation and emerge with a solution, I have always failed others and myself. Yet, in many instances that I am alone, or when the responsibility to make a certain decision does not include other persons, I am incredibly fast in decision-making. I resolve dilemmas very fast and have never been overwhelmed by a personal decision, yet when placed in a leadership role, that strength disappears. What I need therefore is to translate this strength, one that is even evident to my colleagues, into a practical use in leadership roles. Achieving Personal and Professional Change The lesson learnt in the discussion above requires that I initiate an immediate action plan. I will thus formulate step by step comprehensive strategy using a positive psychology that aims at amplifying my strengths as a way of improving on the weakness points (Quinn, Dutton, Spreitzer & Roberts, 2004). The long-term goal guiding the action plan is: To train myself on how to make quick, responsive and appropriate decisions at the spur of the moment whenever faced with a leadership responsibility to do so, through rehearsal, practice and role playing within the next one year, and to evaluate the outcomes constantly for achievements. While this is the long-term goal, several short terms goals will help in consolidating gains towards the ultimate objective (Seligman, 2002). The short-term goals include: a) To simulate a scenario of leadership where quick decision-making is required and play the role of the leader on a daily basis during the evenings after writing my journal entry b) Whenever having a meeting in which I have a leadership goal, to plan and rehearse for at least 20 minutes prior to the meeting, all the possible scenarios in which I might be called upon to make a quick decision c) To form a group with several colleagues interested in developing leadership roles for a weekly session, to practice quick decision making as well as analyzing our practice sessions critically for self-improvement d) To always analyze my performance after a real-life scenario in which I exercise decision making leadership responsibilities, for attainments and failures (Seligman, 2002) To ensure that this action plan is implemented consistently, I will use several tools (Locke & Latham, 1990) namely: To-do lists for every day including the rehearsals/practice sessions/role plays and evaluations Electronic reminders in my mobile phone and on Ms Outlook Posting notes on my work area/desk both at home and at work Locating counseling books and other academic literature on leadership and decision making Including notes on leadership responsibilities and skills in my meeting notes Conclusion From the foregoing discussion, it has emerged that change processes are best initiated, maintained and successfully executed based on a realistic plan. A leader will understand himself or herself better through self-introspection, through self-perception (observing oneself), through explaining his or her feelings and reactions to phenomena, through comparing himself or herself to others, through interactions with diverse people and finally through requesting negative and positive feedback from other people they interact with. After conducting such an analysis on myself, it emerged that I have five major strengths ranked from staying power, through dynamism, strategic, charismatic to tolerance. Consequently, I feel that the area that is most important and which I need a considerable level of improvement is in dynamism where I should learn how to be a quick thinker, a fast decision maker and a momentary problem solver, one able to adapt to novel situations, new circumstances and new demands with ease and efficiency. From my reflective exercises I have realized that in most times when I am in a position of leadership and I am faced with a challenging decision that requires me to adapt quickly to the situation and emerge with a solution, I have always failed others and myself, despite being incredibly fast in decision-making at a personal level. I have therefore set my learning objective as, to train myself on how to make quick, responsive and appropriate decisions at the spur of the moment whenever faced with a leadership responsibility to do so, through rehearsal, practice and role-playing within the next one year, and to evaluate the outcomes constantly for achievements. References Abraham, S., Karnes, L., Shaw, K. & Mena, M. (2001). Managerial competencies and managerial performance appraisal process. Journal of Management Development, Vol. 20 (10), 842-852. Ashforth, B. & Kreiner, G. (1999). How can you do it? Dirty work and the challenge of constructing a positive identity. Academy of Management Review. Vol. 21 (1). pp. 413-434. Drucker, P.F. (1999). Managing Oneself. Harvard Business Review. Vol. 77 (2). pp. 65-74. Johnston, C. (1995). The Reteach Values Survey: Underlying structure and multidimensional scaling. The Journal of Psychology. Vol. 129 (5). pp. 583-597. Gable, S.L., & Haidt, J. (2006). What (and why) is positive psychology? Review of General Psychology, Vol. 9 (2). pp. 103 - 110. Hunsaker, P. (2005). Management: A Skills Approach. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall. Judge, T. & Locke, E. (1993). Effect of dysfunctional thought processes on subjective well- being and job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology. Vol. 78 (3). pp. 475-490. Locke, E. & Latham, G. (1990). A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Manz, C. & Neck, C. (1999). Mastering Self-Leadership: Empowering Yourself for Excellence. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. McCauley, C. & Hughes-James, M. (1994). An Evaluation of the Outcomes of a Leadership Development Program. Greensboro, NC: Center for Creative Leadership. Nakamura, J. & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2005). The Concept of Flow. In C.R. Snyder and S.J. Lopez (Eds). Handbook of Positive Psychology (pp. 89-105). Oxford, Oxford University Press. Quinn, R., Dutton, J., Spreitzer, G. & Roberts, L. (2004). Reflected Best Self Exercise: Teaching Notes. Michigan: Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship. Seligman, E.P. (2002). Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realise Your Full Potential for Lasting Fulfilment. New York: The Free Press. Seligman, E.P. (1992). Learned Optimism. Sydney, Australia: Random House Australia. Simonton, D. & Baumeister, R. (2006). Positive psychology at the summit. Review of General Psychology, Vol. 9 (2). pp. 99-102. Solansky, S. (2010). The evaluation of two key leadership development program components: Leadership skills assessment and leadership mentoring. The Leadership Quarterly, Vol. 21 (4). pp. 675-681. Tams, S. (2008). Constructing self-efficacy at work. Personnel Review, Vol. 37 (2). pp. 166- 183. Read More

A person who seeks to be influential, reputable, trustworthy and respectable, will initiate a process of change towards such an objective (Drucker, 1999). Personal and professional change relies heavily on two types of evaluations namely, current situation analysis (evaluation of the current brand status (Solansky, 2010)) and then the target situation analysis (profiling of the target brand status) (Hunsaker, 2005; Manz & Neck, 1999; Solansky, 2010). The skills in particular that I am interest to develop are interpersonal communication skills, ability to harness support and loyalty, ability to have and instill insight or foresight on others, ability to marshal support for an initiative and the ability to maintain high motivation levels in others.

To be a successful leader/manager, it is of utmost importance that one know what he or she want to achieve at a personal and professional level, as well as why he or she wants to achieve it (Abraham, Karns, Shaw & Mena 2001). This will enable such a leader or manager to develop a plan of action that aims at attaining that desired end (Abraham, Karnes, Shaw & Mena 2001; Manz & Neck, 1999). According to Johnson (2007), a leader will understand himself or herself better through self-introspection, through self-perception (observing oneself), through explaining his or her feelings and reactions to phenomena, through comparing himself or herself to others, through interactions with diverse people and finally through requesting negative and positive feedback from other people they interact with.

Current Skill Level Incorporating 360⁰ Feedback The interests of this essay are in developing a personal profile of my current status in contrast to the desired profile that is necessary to the achievement of my personal and professional objectives. This will enable me to develop an action plan of personal development, with which I will execute a change process towards that target profile. At the beginning of this unit, I engaged in an exercise in which I filled questionnaires for my colleagues and myself.

The questionnaires helped me establish my strengths profile in my own evaluation and as perceived by my colleagues. I was able to undertake self-introspection, self-perception, explain my feelings and reactions, compare myself to colleagues and obtain negative and positive feedback from them as they perceived me during our interactions. From my own evaluation, I established five major strengths as follows, ranked in order of significance: 1. Persistence and determination (Staying Power) 2. Ability to adapt to situations, new circumstances and demands (Dynamism) 3.

Ability to plan ahead and execute plans towards future exploits (Strategist) 4. Ability to create and popularise an ideology in group settings (Charismatic) 5. Patience and forbearance on others (Tolerance) However, my colleagues perceived my strengths in a different light, both in the strength type and in the order of significance. The following are my ranked traits as perceived by my colleagues: 1. Patience, understanding and forgiving on others (Tolerance) 2. Insightful, always seeing ahead and able to plan accordingly (Strategist) 3.

Being able to create and marshal support for an idea (Charismatic) 4. Being a quick thinker, quick decision maker and a problem solver (Intelligence) 5. Determination (Staying Power) Important to note is the fact that how I prioritized my strengths is not how my colleagues perceived me as and that while I thought I was dynamic, my colleagues did not perceive that as my strength. Instead, my colleagues thought that I was intelligent and not dynamic. A possible explanation of why my on perceptions and those of my colleagues varied is because they had a different perspective than mine in evaluating my strength.

The difference in perspectives means that my colleagues arranged my strengths from a third person point of view (that of the people I would lead) while I arranged my strengths from the perspective of my being a leader with intent on achieving something.

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