Leadership Managing Organization & Leading People- Assignment Help

Question: Conduct a leadership evaluation of your own leadership by doing the following: Reflect on the results of your Seven Habits Profile, including what those results might indicate about your leadership style. Evaluate three strengths of your leadership practice using a scholarly leadership theory. Evaluate three weaknesses of your leadership practice. Recommend three theory-based changes that you could make to maximize your success in managing organizations and leading people in the future. Answer: Introduction This paper will provide an insight to the personal leadership practice. This paper has undertaken a self assessment of leadership practice with the aid of specific tools. Seven habit profiles will be used in this case for evaluating the personal leadership practice (Buller, Schuler Schuler, 2000). Thus, this paper will help in identification of the strengths along with the weakness of the leadership practice. The discussion will be linked with the theoretical framework of leadership practice. Additionally, SMART goals will be set for facilitating personal development. Personal Leadership Evaluation Personal leadership evaluation is important as it will help in the identification of the strengths as well as limitations of the person. Therefore, the strengths need be capitalized and limitations need to be overcome for self development. This paper has focused on the self evaluation of the leadership style through conducting a self assessment of seven habits profile (Hiriyappa, 2009). Results of Seven Habits Profile Seven habits profile has been designed and proposed by Stephen Covey on the basis of the distinct phases of personal growth through these specific habits. In order to achieve personal growth, development of these seven habits is essential. Hence, it is important to assess my habits in order understand the need for improvement (Kreitner Kinicki, 2004). It has been found that in order to evaluate my seven habits; I had to put responses for 27 questions. The results of the seven habits profile are attached with this paper and this section will focus on discussing the results of the seven habits profile. Foundational habits: Emotional Bank Account: This is one of the most important foundational habits. The result demonstrates that I am quite good in keeping promises and honor other people. It also show that I prefer to not to talk negative things about people in their absence (Buller, Schuler Schuler, 2000). Life Balance: Life balance is an important aspect of life which is important to maintain. However, it has been observed that I have scored moderate in this category which implies that I am not able to maintain very good balance between work and personal life (McShane Von Glinow, 2000). Seven Habits: Be Proactive: Being proactive helps an individual to manage their activities better. I have scored well and there is lot of scope for improvement. It reflects that I have a moderate level of control on my life and activities. Begin with the End in Mind: It is essential to set a target for becoming successful. This habit indicates that one must be aware of the end or the ultimate position to achieve. It has also demonstrated moderate level of goal setting and planning activities. There is a lot of scope to improve my planning and organizing skill for ensuring success (Kreitner Kinicki, 2004). Put First Things First: Prioritizing is considered to be one of the most important success factors for the leaders. It is important to adopt the art of prioritizing things so that the entire process runs smoothly. It has been observed that I scored poor in prioritizing things which leads to a disorganized state. The results clearly indicates that the I need to put significant effort for learning the art of prioritizing work for ensuring completion of each activity on time. Think Win-Win: Thinking of win-win strategy refers to the attitude of an individual for considering benefits of others. It is very important to solve conflict by adoption of a win- win strategy which will satisfy both the parties. The results show that I am very good in resolving conflict by satisfying both the parties. It implies that I co-operate with others and concerned about the consequence of a decision for all the stakeholders (Hiriyappa, 2009). This is a very important trait for becoming a successful leader. Seek First to Understand: Interdependence is considered to be one of the most important aspects of successful leadership and personal development. The results of seven habits profile demonstrated that I am a very good active listener. It has been found that that I honor the feelings and idea of others. I am sensible and try to comprehend the perspective of other people. Additionally, while listening to someone I try to understand it from the perspective of that person instead of sticking to my point. Synergize: In order to become a successful leader it is very important to achieve participation of others. For making a project success, it is important to consider inputs from other people as it enhances creativity. From the seven habits profile, it is evident that, I do value as well as ask to share the insights of others. I strongly encourage other people to share their ideas and opinions regarding a particular decision or event. Thus, I am able to be creative while looking out for solutions and new ideas. Sharpen the Saw: This habit states that it is important to evaluate the ongoing activities along with the progress. It will be helpful in enhancing the personal development. It is true that development of new skills takes time and requires effective practice. Hence, evaluation of the ongoing practice will helps in learning the new skills fast (McShane Von Glinow, 2000). Analyzing the seven habits profile, it can be identified that I am consultative democratic leader. According to the leadership theories, democratic leadership style helps in effective decision making and improves cohesion among the teammates. The democratic leaders have been able to positively motivate others in order to achieve high level of co-operation from their end. The seven habits profile assessment has demonstrated that I encourage others to share their opinions. I respect the feeling of an individual and listen to their comments(Pencheon, 2000). I am a consultative leader as I prefer to consult others prior making decisions. I feel that it is important to consult others as it provides creative solutions and a new approach for a particular situation or event. As I found it helpful, I shall prefer to continue to be a democratic consultative leader (Bhatti, Maitlo, Shaikh, Hashmi Shaikh, 2012). Evaluation of My Leadership Practice The seven habits profile has significantly helped in comprehending my strengths and weaknesses along with the scope of developments. In order to become a successful leader, it is important to develop strategies on the basis of the present condition. Hence, this section will identify my strengths along with weakness in order to develop an effective plan for improving my leadership practice (Vecchio, 2000). Strengths The major strengths of leadership practice are: First of all, most important strength of my leadership style is my Win-Win negotiation strategy. It has been found that I prefer to satisfy both the parties who are engaged in the conflict. I focus on co-operating with others and listen to all the concerned people while making decision. It helps in resolving a conflict easily by satisfying both the parties which has a positive implication(Pencheon, 2000). Secondly, one of the most important strength of my leadership practice is I focus on listening to others perspective and ideas from their point of view instead of considering my perspective. It has been found that, when an individual feel valued, it makes him/ her more engaged into the work. It has been observed that it helps in enhancing creativity as well as productivity of a team. Hence, it will help in becoming a successful leader(Robbins, 2000). Third strength of my leadership style is I express my concern for others. I do keep promises and commitments which enhance my image and the followers trust me. I do share negative words regarding a person when he is not present. It makes me more trustworthy and responsible for leading a team. This trait helps me in motivating the followers in a positive manner (Schermerhorn, Osborn Hunt, 2000). In this context, participative leadership theory can be applied for substantiating the findings of the seven habits profile. In this section, major three strengths of my leadership style has been identified which can be explained with the theory of participative leadership. Participative leadership theory has focused on the study of a particular leadership style which considers view of others at the time of decision making (Schermerhorn, Osborn Hunt, 2008). The name itself suggests that, this leadership theory focuses on seeking participation of the people who get affected due to the decision made. According to this theory, when a leader makes decision without consulting with others, it may lead to issues as the leader may not consider all the pros and cons of the decision. Hence, it is better to involve all the concerned employees in the decision making process. Participative leadership theory is based on some assumption such as several people make better decision instead of one an d people are more committed to the activities where they are involved in the decision making (Kreitner Kinicki, 2008). Additionally, this theory believes that people are more collaborative while they are actively participating in the decision making process. A participative leader does not make autocratic decision and considers all the perspectives for reaching consensus. Analyzing my seven habit profile, it can be found that I am a participative leader. I consider perspective of all people for making final decision and adopt win-win negotiation strategy. My second strength states that I listen to others views and perspectives. This clearly reflects I am a participative leader. On the other hand, I have been able to exhibit my concern regarding others through keeping promises. Participative leader values other team members or followers and hence, from this analysis, it can be concluded that, I am a participative leader (Luthans, 2008). Weaknesses The major weaknesses of my leadership practice include the following: First of all, I am not good enough in maintain the balance between work and personal life. I get engrossed in my wok and ignore some personal engagements and duties. This may significantly affect the leadership style as I will be disturbed all the time. This may also lead to stress (Vecchio, 2000). Secondly, the seven habits profile has implied that I lack prioritizing skills. Hence, it has been observed that the important activities get lost due to the busy schedule and lack of planning. There are no specific goals set for a particular time. It is one of the major weaknesses which need to be improved (Robbins, 2000). Third, it has been identified that I give significant importance to others. Sometimes, it may lead to the internal conflict and delayed procedure as it will take more time to reach consensus if everybodys view is considered. Hence, it is important to have a little bit control over the entire procedure in order to ensure it is completed within time. Trait theory of leadership has focused on defining the specific traits of a leader which is essential for becoming a successful leader. Trait theory can be applied in order to substantiate the identified weaknesses of my leadership style. First of all, it can be found that the trait theory of leadership states that leaders are very intelligent and emotionally matured (Colbert, Judge, Choi Wang, 2012). Consequently, they will be able to maintain a balance between the work life and personal life. From the seven habit profile it has been found that, I have not been able to maintain balance between professional and personal life. It clearly reflects that I lack emotional maturity and desired level of intelligence for managing everything. Trait theories have clearly identified the characteristics that differentiate a leader from others. It has been found that job relevant knowledge, self confidence, intelligence help in managing tasks effectively. Hence, the leader is able to prioritize tasks efficiently and lead a group successfully (Kreitner Kinicki, 2008). However, it has been found that, I lack prioritizing skill which is essential for managing all the activities efficiently. It clearly indicates I lack job relevant knowledge and desired level of intelligence for prioritizing tasks efficiently. On the other hand, it has been identified that I give too much importance to others while making decision. According to trait theory of leadership, leader must be self confident and decisive. It means that, the leader will be able to make decision quickly. However, I give unnecessary importance to other people at the time of decision making which leads to delay the procedure and gives rise to internal conflict which is not desired at all (Robbins Judge, 2009). Recommendations for Personal Leadership Some recommendations can be given in order to overcome the limitations for personal development as a successful leader. It has been found that setting SMART goals will be helpful in achieving personal development. This section will provide some recommendations along with specific goals and specific activities. I must adopt the transformational leadership style which will help in managing my activities efficiently. Thus, I will be able to identify the desired changes and inspire the followers by establishing a clear vision. I must set examples for my followers and become their role model. Adoption of transformational leadership will significantly contribute in the enhancing the employee morale, motivation along with the performance of the followers. Thus transformational leadership style can help me in providing the desired spark and change in the organization. Additionally, I need to encounter challenging situation through innovation. Innovation clearly indicates creativity which wil l help in resolving an issue in a different manner. It is an important characteristic of a leader and for nurturing the creativity; I must keep myself updated regarding the surrounding activities. Thinking must be extensively practiced which will trigger the cognitive skills to come up with innovative ideas for providing a great solution. Hence, I need to consider various perspectives of a problem as well as solution. I must continue to listen to others and ask everybody to share their views as it can significantly contribute in managing people in an effective manner. The followers will feel valued and thus my leadership style will be effective in organizational settings. Transformational leaders can bring significant changes for the organization as well as followers (Bass Riggio, 2006). SMART Goals SMART goals refer to the goals which are specific, measurable, achievable, and realistic and time- bound. For me, the SMART goals will be the following: I need to learn prioritizing works through use of Action Priority Matrix. Thus, I will be able to plan effectively and manager any kind of interruption and ultimately will be able to complete the task within the given time frame. This skill need to be improved within 3 months and there must be less number of cases where deadline is missed (Robbins, 2003). The second goal is to maintain a balance between the work life and personal life. This is also essential for managing stress (McShane Von Glinow, 2000). It is recommended that I must focus on developing planning and organizing skills. Additionally, I need to focus on the time management and planning activities in order to manage activities effectively. I must focus on the win-win negotiation strategy and it will be helpful in influencing other members. Specific Actions The specific actions of the leader for meeting the SMART goals are presented in this section: First of all, I need to get an insight regarding Action Priority Matrix. The subject must be studied and it needs to be applied in real life context for prioritizing activities efficiently. Thus, time management skill can be improved. In order to manage stress, I need to focus on giving importance to both work and personal life. For managing stress, I must be able to make some time for nurturing my personal interests and relaxation. Every day, to do list must be developed where I must allocate some time for the prioritized works and personal activities (Kreitner Kinicki, 2008). Conclusion It has been found that I am a participative leader. 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