C200 Leadership Analysis Task 1 PDF

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Task 1 Leadership Analysis Report for managing organization...

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Leadership Analysis Shanika Lavia Western Governors University

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Table of Contents

Clifton Strengths Evaluation ……………………………………………….…. 3 Leadership Evaluation …………………………………………………….……7 SMART GOALS ………………………………………………………….…...11 References …………………………………………………………………...…13

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Clifton Strengths Evaluation Upon completing the Clifton Strengths assessment, I was given results that reflect my top 5 leadership characteristics. The following words provide a closer look at how I operate and manage issues in my personal and professional life. These five words gives insight to what makes me the kind of leader that I am. The following words are listed in order the order strongest to weakest. The word “Futuristic” to some may seem whimsical and scary, but to many other like myself it is a sign a hope and positive outlook on things to come. Some may interpret this trait as a dreamy, whimsical and unrealistic however, for me it has always been a sign of positivity (seeing the positive changes and outcomes that if we work together), being optimistic (always finding a way to take some good out of any situation), it also means that I have a knack for seeing the bigger picture which allows me to prepare and focus on the smaller details to achieve that bigger goal. This is to me is an important trait when being a part of a team and especially in my career. I’ve also been known as a motivator this is a key role in any role, especially when you’re the leader of a group or team is it imperative that you know and possess the ability to keep your team motivated, passionate and able to see the picture when they aren’t able to see it on their own. The second word in my results is “Connectedness” is an accurate representation of what I embody as a person in my personal and professional life. People like to feel like they belong and that are a part of the whole and that they matter. I have always been considered by my peers as a caring and considerate person. I have always been a personable person. For example, every job I’ve ever had I’ve always made lasting friendships with my coworkers. I have connected with them on more than the average work relationships. I’ve always had the ability

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to connect with people and make them feel included and apart of whatever we are doing together. As a leader it is important that every member of your team feels included, it is important that a leader connects with their team, connecting with them lets them know and feel like you are understanding what they are going through and that you can relate them on an equal level. This trait is great for any leader to possess. My “Strategic” strength can be best summarized as detailed, organized and meticulous. It is definitely not a word that I would use to describe myself, but I can see how the word accurately portrait me. I have always worked best when things are organized, I like making list, and writing things down and keep track of things so I don’t miss anything. I like to have back up plans and alternatives just in case things don’t go as planned so that I am never caught completely off guard. Being strategic means that you observe, assess, analyze and prepare. When you’re leading a team, it is imperative as the head of that team that you are always prepare and informed so that you can adequately communicate and prepare your team. Being strategic will be a beneficial trait in my future endeavors as a leader. Learning is a never-ending cycle, there is always something to be taught. My strength being a “Learner” is to me to the most interesting and valuable. Being teachable in any environment puts you in a position to win especially is spaces where you may be newer or may not be your area of expertise. I’ve always believed that knowledge is power, so any opportunity that is presents itself where I can be taught something new or build on what I already know excited me. As a leader you should always want to learn more because you are the head of a team and if any member of your team has a question you should be fully equipped and ready to share that with them. Another reason why learning as a leader is important is because when new projects, products, services, policies or changes are to be introduced to you team or

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department you first need to be able to clearly articulate what is happening, who it affects and how your team should proceed going forward. You also need to be able to answer any question that comes your way so in a way your ability to learn also puts you in a position to be prepared. Again, knowledge is power, and I think as leader this will be key for me. My last strength is “Realtor” this is describes as a person that craves connections that are deeper than the surface. Intimate and genuine connections with people, understanding who they are at their core, getting to know their dreams, aspirations and goals. Not only knowing but also listening to them and helping them in any way that I can. This does not mean that I am only drawn to people I know and am comfortable with, it just means that I aspire to make every relationship meaningful, so relationships might take longer to get there than others but the goal none the less is the same. As a leader and manager, I think this makes me personable, it shows my team that I care and that I have their best interest in mind. An example of this is at my previous place of employment t I had a college that never really spoke much about himself, he was funny and always made jokes and could talk about any topic for hours but would always find a way to not share anything about himself. We were both apart of the night shift team which consisted of five people so the office wasn’t as full, he sat in the cubicle next to me and as time went on, he opened up and would share things about his life and his dreams and I’d listen and encourage him. He often spoke about finishing his bachelor’s degree and I would always encourage and cheer him on, let him know that I was happy and proud that he had enrolled and was staying on top of his classes. He has since graduated and been promoted, and we still remain in contact. Each word I my top 5 results from the Clifton Strengths test reassures me that I will be a good leader. It shows how I connect with people but can also show I am able to handle any

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issues that may arise. It tells you that I am resilient and will do whatever is necessary to ensure my team is always prepared and I think those are great characters for a leader and will help me greatly in my future endeavors.

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Leadership Evaluation

One of my strengths in being a transformational leader is “Connectedness” making the people around feel included is very important to me. I grew up not always being included in things because I wasn’t as popular or didn’t have all the newer things, I’ve also been in group project and assignment with already established friend groups that weren’t as interested in bringing me into the circle but still expected me to carry most of the workload so understand what it’s like to not be excluded when there are bigger things at stake. I haven’t always been super extroverted; however, I am able to adapt to any situation or environment. When I first started my job, I didn’t feel like I fit in because I was new to that career field, I had gone out on a limb and decided to try something new, I was 1 of 4 women working in, my department and we didn’t really sit that close to each other. As I continued my tenured new employees were brought on and three of them were women, I was elated, I made sure that they felt welcomed. I gave them tours of them office, and showed them where things were, I made myself available to answer any question they had whether it was face to face or via chat, I even went as far as talking walks with them and even inviting them to lunch. It was important to me that they felt comfortable, not that the men on our teams weren’t welcoming but I wanted to do my part, those women are to this day some of my closest co-workers, and we share little pieces of our personal lives and even hang out outside of work. This allows me as a leader to connect to my teams individually and personally. Transformational leaders meet their followers’ needs for “empowerment, achievement, enhanced self-efficacy and personal growth” by taking an individualized approach (Khan, Nawaz, & Khan, 2016).

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My Strength as a “Learner” helps me to motivate my team which allows them to strive to know more, it also shows them that I can tackle any task, problem or project if I apply myself 100%, if I am willing to research, and learn all that there is to learn about something that seemed difficult I will be able to overcome any obstacle. Transformational leaders drive their followers to welcome and achieve difficult goals that they otherwise would not have pursued on their own (Kuhnert & Lewis, 1987). Leading by example is important when spearheading a team, it shows that that I am resilient and that they too have the ability to be resilient, it will motivate them to want more for themselves. According to Bass and Avolio2, transformational leaders encourage followers to view problems from new perspectives, provide support and encouragement communicates a vision, stimulates emotion and identification. Balance is important when in this aspect and it is important that my teams see and understand that. Focusing all your resources and time on learning or understanding one thing can cause for oversight of others and so there needs to be some kind of structure or strategy in place. Learning allows me as a leader to support and encourage my team’s growth in areas that serve their best interest. In order to effectively do so there needs to be a balance. As with anything in business having a strategy and plan can dictate whether or not what is being done is helping or hurting, that can be seen as my weakness because balancing that may not always be clear cut or east. As a “Realtor” my strength as a transformational leader allows me to connect with my teams personally, it allows me to establish a relationship with them where they feel comfortable to share their goal and aspirations. I am able to see the potential in them and thus help them the best way that I can to achieve their dreams and conquer their goals. Transformational leaders meet their followers’ needs for “empowerment, achievement, enhanced self-efficacy and

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personal growth” by taking an individualized approach (Khan, Nawaz, & Khan, 2016). This allows my team to see that I not only care about the company and the job, but I also care about them, we are all small parts of a big picture and that matters. It is said that a transformational leader’s aim is to transform people and organizations inside a literal sense – to alter them in the mind and heart enlarge vision, insight and understanding clarify reasons make behavior congruent with values, concepts and brings about changes which are permanent, self-perpetuating and momentum building (Bass.) Being a realtor enables me to create healthy work- trust relationships with my team. I am able to see their individual’s potential and use that to adequately delegate task and assigned projects. It allows me as a transformational leader being “Futuristic” is similar in meaning to this. Having a futuristic trait as a leader means that I see the big picture which as a leader is an important trait especially when introducing new concepts to a theme and explaining to them how this concept ties into the overall development a growth of the company and how important their role is in that. It is important that I am able to break down the bigger picture in terms that my team can understand to help them get a better visual of “the bigger” picture. This may sometimes be a seen as a weakness because too much focus on the future and bigger picture can take away from the “here and now” and the things that need to be done in the present. As a transformational leader connecting with my team is very important “Connectedness” is a way for me to relate to my team in a way that they can comprehend. It is a way for me to show my employees, the morals and standards that I interact with and how I apply that in the working environment, this will help me as a transformational leader to boost the employee morale and job performance of my team. As a transformational leader when you understand how each member of operates you can better motivate them and help them succeed

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at their job. Ethical behavior of a leader has an important mediating effect between their leadership styles and job performance of employees (Liliana Pedrajarejas, Emilion Rodriguez Ponce, Y Juan Rodriguez Ponce) In conclusion, as a transformational leader being strategic is beneficial because, in many other aspects of my leadership I focus very heavily on connecting with my team and helping them grow professional while still aligning with the company’s mission, vision and helping them to grow. In order to balance all of that I will need to have a strategic plan with allocated methods, means and time to tackle all of those without focusing too heavily on just one. This may be seen as a weakness because I can range from either zeroing in on just one specific task or spreading myself thin and working on too many at one time. Balance will be a major key in this aspect of my leadership and one way I can managed that is by delegating to my team.

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SMART GOALS Goal: Successful delegation of first quarter goals by due date. Specific: Clearly communicate to my employees what is expected of them. Provide clear and concise instruction and guidelines to complete projects and task. Measurable: Providing valuable and positive feedback that will encourage the team to keep working to successfully complete tasks and project. I will meet with team members on at the end of the week to track progress. Achievable: With hard work, dedication, and commitment our team will successfully complete all of the projects and tasks for Q1 using the guidelines and instructions provided to them. Relevant: This correlates to my traitor as a “Realtor” being a transformational leader, it is my duty to encourage my team, to help them grow and achieve their professional goals. Timely: All the first quarter task and projects are to be completed by March 31st.

Goal: Feeling confident in public speaking engagements by our mid-year performance review. Specific: Volunteering to speak in upper management meetings formally and team meetings informally as well as being informative with my team. Measurable: I will ask my mentors and superiors for positive feedback about my progress. Achievable: With time, consistency and continued practice I will use the constructive criticism and opportunities to speak to build my public speaking confidence. Relevant: Becoming comfortable with public speaking ties into my attribute as ‘Learner” allows me to be an example for my team, allowing them to me working diligently to become better at a task. It helps me to motive them, it showcases my willingness and commitment to my personal and professional goals. Timely: I will have made significant progress by mid-year performance reviews.

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References Bass B. M., The ethics of transformational leadership, KLSP: Transformational Leadership, Working Paper

Bass B. M. and Avolio B. J., Developing transformational leadership: 1992 and beyond, Journal of European Industrial Training, 14, 21–27 (1990)

Khan, Z. A., Nawaz, A., & Khan, I. (2016). Leadership theories and styles: A literature review. Journal of Resources Development and Management, 16, 1–7. Retrieved from https://web5.wgu.edu/aap/content/leadership%20theories%20and%20styles.pdf

Kuhnert K. W., & Lewis P. (1987). Transactional and transformational leadership: A constructive/developmental analysis. Academy of Management Review, 12(4), 648–657. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.wgu.idm.oclc.org/plink? key=10.83.8.67_8000_525894859&db=heh&AN=4306717&site=eds-live&scope=site Liliana Pedraja-Rejas, Emilio Rodríguez-Ponce and Juan Rodríguez-Ponce, Leadership styles and effectiveness: a study of small firms in Chile, Interciencia, 31(7), 500-504 (2006)

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