Introduction
Self-leadership refers to the procedure of influencing oneself to develop the self-motivation and self-direction required to execute management tasks effectively. Browning (2018) identifies leadership as a nurtured or cultivated art that starts with self-leadership, which has a direct correlation with the public one. Self-leadership enhances a manager’s emotional intellect by reinforcing his/her cognizance of self. Furthermore, it entails a person’s capacity to reflect on his/her self-weaknesses and strengths, which consequently influences his/her ability to learn about others and self. The paper provides a detailed assessment of my management strengths and weaknesses, the strategies to use to build my leadership capabilities, and the approach used to inspire followership.
Assessment of “Self” Highlighting Managerial Strengths and Weaknesses
I conducted an online self-assessment survey on leadership skills available at the MindTools website which consisted of 18 questions on various leadership concepts (“How Good Are Your Leadership Skills,” n.d.). I attained a score of 77; according to the website’s score interpretation, my leadership skills are excellent. However, the website underscored the need to evaluate the areas where maximum points were not attained and identify strategies to better my performance.
Some of the managerial conceptualizations measured in the survey include personal characteristics and transformational leadership skills (“How Good Are Your Leadership Skills,” n.d.). Components evaluated under individual factors included emotional intelligence, self-confidence, and positive outlook and attitude. Proficiencies assessed under transformational management skills included the ability to be an excellent role model and provide a compelling vision for the future (How Good Are Your Leadership Skills,” n.d.). It also involved motivating individuals to deliver the vision, offering stimulation and support, and managing performance effectively.
High scores were recorded in the following competencies: self-confidence, ability to motivate people to deliver the vision, being an excellent role model, emotional intelligence, and effective performance management. Low scores were vivid in the following categories: positive outlook and attitude, the capability to offer a compelling perspective vision, and the capacity to provide support and motivating force. All the components assessed in this particular survey are crucial in enhancing one’s leadership success. Therefore, I must employ the necessary strategies to better my expertise in the poorly scored competencies and reinforce the identified leadership strengths.
Strategies to Build My Management Capabilities
Strengthen My Emotional Intelligence Skill
Emotional intelligence refers to the self-perceived capacity or skill to distinguish, evaluate, and manage the emotions of oneself and others. Some of the approaches to improve this particular skill include:
- Utilizing an assertive communication style, which will enhance my ability to communicate my opinions and needs effectively while upholding other people’s respect (Shah, 2018).
- Empathizing with other people: empathy is a trait that demonstrates emotional strength, and it fosters one’s capacity to relate with others on a fundamental human level. It also triggers mutual understanding and esteem among people with dissenting opinions/different circumstances (Van Wingerden & Van der Stoep, 2018).
- Using active listening skills, responding positively to critiques, and being approachable and sociable.
Strengthen Proficiencies in Decision-Making
Sound decision-making skill is a critical proficiency for managers within an organization. From supervising team members to leading important workplace meetings, being a successful leader demands that one understands how to analyze or evaluate complex business issues and execute a plan for resolving these problems. Vohra et al. (2015) identify three primary building blocks for an effective decision-making procedure: constructive conflict, consideration, and closure. Constructive conflict, according to Vohra et al. (2015), relates to the process of engaging the workforce in the decision-making procedure; this particular approach typically attracts diverse debates and viewpoints and vitalizes creative approaches to problem-solving.
Proper decision-making also integrates the need to reasonably consider the perspective of every stakeholder involved in this activity before determining the ultimate solution. Vohra et al. (2015) support this argument by indicating that the failure to acknowledge each stakeholder’s view during decision-making may impact their commitment to implementing the proposed solution. On the other hand, closure is a function that aims at guaranteeing the full alignment of all stakeholders before proceeding to the next step during the development of decisions. By ensuring that the listed components are included during various decision-making procedures, I could become a primary contributor at my workplace and influence the context within which decisions are enacted.
Reinforce My Self-Awareness Skill
Practicing self-awareness is essential in providing insight into one’s emotions and their impact on those around them. A high self-awareness level is a crucial skill for managers, and, according to Khoshhal and Guraya (2016), it typically distinguishes high-performance leaders from their peers within the workplace. Self-awareness is a crucial precept of emotional intelligence, which necessitates an honest assessment of one’s weaknesses, strengths, and introspection. By engaging in self-assessment and looking up to trusted co-workers to gain insight into my managerial activities, I could develop a path for my professional advancement that focuses on the practices and competencies that need improvement.
Building Trust
Trust is an aspect that can reap multiple benefits within the organization. According to Shah (2018), individuals working at high-trust companies typically report high levels of engagement, increased productivity, and less distress. Gaining employees’ trust will be done by initiating attempts to forge deep connections with them by participating in small talks before meetings and seeking to know more regarding their lives outside their work scope. I will also promote inclusive dialogue about professional and personal differences and welcome diverse viewpoints during these discussions.
Improve My Communication Skills
Strong communication skills represent a hallmark of any effective leader. Being in a leadership role often involves handling complex situations in the business and ensuring that one’s team has the tools and information they require to succeed. When faced with challenges such as navigating change in the organization, I will be transparent and straightforward about the imminent tasks. I will instill the workforce with a shared vision regarding the benefits the company will reap from the impending transition. The recapitulation of the change plan and provision of updates will also be done continuously to ensure that workers are aligned and comprehend how their roles factor into the broader corporate objectives.
Enroll in Management Training Programs
Beyond my day-to-day activities, lifelong learning can be an appropriate strategy to bolster my skills in leadership. Through additional training, e.g., online management courses, one can learn or be conversant with new tools and technologies that enable him/her to shape various organizational training procedures to his/her advantage (Vohra et al., 2015). Individuals can also gain the necessary exposure to a group of peers with different perspectives and backgrounds who can inform them of their managerial approach and help them grow professionally.
Managing and Leading Others
A Plan to Inspire Followership Through Leadership and Motivation Theories
Motivation refers to a state of mind, typified by enthusiasm and energy, which drives a person to work in a particular manner to attain desired goals. Motivation theories offer in-depth comprehension of how individuals behave and the various motivational factors (Van Wingerden & Van der Stoep, 2018). Leadership theories, on the other hand, are schools of thought developed to elucidate why and how specific individuals become managers. These theories highlight the behaviors and traits that people can adopt to improve their leadership proficiency (Khoshhal & Guraya, 2016). Various conceptualizations included in the theories mentioned above play a crucial role in influencing followership when adequately implemented within the workplace.
To inspire followership, I would ensure that every worker feels supported and appreciated within the organization. This can be done by initiating regular check-ins with employees outside their yearly performance review and giving feedback where necessary. According to a survey by Van Wingerden and Van der Stoep (2018), workers whose leaders provide feedback every week are over five times more likely to report that they receive effective feedback. They are three times more likely to feel motivated to perform outstandingly at work, and two times more likely to be involved at work. When delivering feedback to workers, I will ensure that the conversation is less formal and focus on the individual’s progress towards attaining organizational goals. Furthermore, I will help employees to develop an action plan for the future and affirm my duty as a trusted advisor as they proceed through the subsequent steps. The concepts mentioned above have been echoed by various motivation and leadership theories, for instance, the Hawthorne effect, the three-dimension theory of attribution, and transformational leadership theory.
Additionally, approaches that aim to ensure that the workforce is fairly compensated and granted bonuses, rewards, and recognitions, as per their performances, will be implemented. The activity mentioned above will be in line with the concepts included in these theories: Hertzberg’s two-factor theory, transformational leadership theory, and expectancy theory. Team members will also be included in various decision-making activities, and their opinions acknowledged throughout the entire process before the ultimate solution is implemented. Employee training, opportunities for professional advancement, and scholarships will also be offered regularly to address their needs regarding career development and personal growth. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory emphasizes the ideas mentioned above; this theory underscores the need for leaders to comprehend every person’s specific needs and work to satisfy these demands. Lastly, the organization’s operations and practices will be based on the developed mission, vision, and stipulated procedures; this particular approach will be as per the principles of transformational leadership theory and the Hawthorne effect.
Principles of Management
Management principles are usually classified into primary categories such as planning, organizing, leading, controlling, and staffing. Each of these management fundamentals is implacably different and critical in enhancing a company’s success. Planning, often considered the most basic administrative function, relates to the process of developing organizational goals and constructing a framework to attain these objectives (Skrynkovskyy et al., 2020). It involves creating a firm’s overall purpose and operations, as well as ascertaining the approaches, actions, and resources deemed essential in achieving the company’s mission and vision.
Organizing is a precept that underscores the establishment of operational models to attain institutional goals. It involves developing person-to-person and person-to-work relationships, which cohesively function towards realizing the organizational objectives. According to Skrynkovskyy et al. (2020), organizing is usually considered the vehicle for attaining the business mission. It incorporates the following activities: arrangement, structuralizing, and designing the internal business environment to improve its procedures.
Leading, on the other hand, refers to the hierarchal framework of an organization. It entails the authoritative and influential capacities of individuals in an organization. This function mentioned above involves articulating the establishment’s vision, motivating and inspiring workers using effective communication, persuasion, and influence, and energizing employees (Skrynkovskyy et al., 2020). Leadership is a critical element of management because it establishes and guides how business operations are conducted.
Controlling is the cumulative action of ensuring that the organization’s activities comply with the established plans. Controlling and planning are widely perceived as related since controlling allows leaders to effectively realize their plans (Skrynkovskyy et al., 2020). It enables managers to monitor the effectiveness of their leadership approaches while guiding how business activities are accomplished. Furthermore, it allows leaders to analyze how well they are attaining the set objectives, improve performance and productivity, and implement necessary procedures to help one develop comparable and measurable standards for decision making. Staffing entails the selection and recruitment of workers in the firm.
Conclusion
To sum up, self-leadership enables one to develop a sense of who he/she is, his/her capabilities and future direction/plans, and the skills needed to improve an individual’s communication, behaviors, and emotions. As per the self-assessment survey, my strengths as a manager include high self-confidence and emotional intelligence, being a good role model, and possessing the capacity to motivate individuals to attain an organization’s mission and vision. My weaknesses involve a negative outlook and attitude, the inability to provide a vision for the future, and the incapacity to offer support and motivation. Approaches that aim to better one’s managerial skills and attract followership ought to be implemented by leaders to ensure the organization’s success.
References
Browning, M. (2018). Self-leadership: Why it matters. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 9(2), 14–18.
How good are your leadership skills? (n.d.). MindTools. Web.
Khoshhal, K. I., & Guraya, S. Y. (2016). Leaders produce leaders and managers produce followers: A systematic review of the desired competencies and standard settings for physicians’ leadership. Saudi Medical Journal, 37(10), 1061–1067. Web.
Shah, B. (2018). Effective leadership in organization. European Journal of Business and Management, 3(3), 1–5. Web.
Skrynkovskyy, R. M., Sopilnyk, L. I., & Tsyuh, S. I. (2020). Improving the enterprise development model: New solutions based on the principles of management, marketing and economic diagnosis. Bìznes Inform, 4(507), 191–199. Web.
Van Wingerden, J. & Van der Stoep, J. (2018). The motivational potential of meaningful work: Relationships with strengths use, work engagement, and performance. PLoS ONE, 13(6), e0197599. Web.
Vohra, N., Rathi, N., & Bhatnagar, D. (2015). Developing leadership skills among EMBA students: Innovations in design. Vikalpa, 40(1), 15–27. Web.