Business Leadership Development Agenda Personal Development Essay

Current research shows that knowledge and skills are the two important elements in the field of leadership that makes people more effective leaders. I want to be an effective leader who has all the capabilities of building an efficient leadership strategy. Based on my evaluation from my observers I feel that I need to work on the areas where I can show others how their interests can be realized and how they can share a dream of their future. Based on Boyatzis’s intentional change model of self-Directed learning (Savage 2010) I have used this model in my own research as my individual action plan. I found that my leadership behavior ranking based on average observers score and my personal score differs. I think improving one weakness of my leadership behavior will change the hidden behavior in me that I cannot realize.

Ideal Self

Initially, I want to be remembered as a leader who can solve conflicts between the employees by acting as an effective mediator and thus gaining respect from them. I would hope that others recognize my interpersonal skills and being motivated and emulate such behavior. I would like to be known as someone who is more generous with praise and kind words of encouragement. I also would like to be remembered as a legacy leader who empowers the employees and the people around. I want to recognize as a person who foster power in people for use in their own lives, their communities and in their society, by acting on issues they define as important.

As discussed in my leadership legacy and taking on such a leadership role, I want to garner respect and admiration from those around me. For my leadership legacy, I would want to be known as a successful leader who wants to hold onto and hold out, for everyone to see, their vision and their values. I want to create opportunities and positive influence on others to be inspired and to understand and accept leadership roles. I want to be remembered as the leader who tirelessly advocated for the differences in people as essential building blocks to creating a learning community and consistently calibrated their journey into excellence by modeling accountability and responsibility for their leadership roles, and encouraged others to do the same.

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Finally, I would like to act as a mentor to my colleagues by teaching them what I have learned through my experiences. I would like to leave behind the tools for holding, creating, influencing, advocating and calibrating the solid input to make decisions about when to step up, to step back, and to step off the action which would impact future.

My real self

Based on the feedback I received from Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI), Influence Strategies Exercise (ISE) and essential Enneagram, I believe that I have the strong motivational power that drives the success and encouragement. In my leadership legacy statement, I stated that I always want to empower people and motivate them to foster power in people’s lives. This characteristic feature represents me as a type 3 (The Performer) on the Essential Enneagram. As a performer, I want to develop a goal ahead energy of self-deception to match the image of success and approval. In addition to this, I want to encourage people to feel good about them and show them the appreciation on something they have accomplished.

Moreover in the Kolb Learning Style Inventory (LSI) 2010, I found an additional overlap between my ideal self and myself. Previously I mentioned in my leadership legacy statement that I want to be an effective mediator who is able to view concrete situations from many different points of view. In the LPI, my observers and I rated myself highly in the practice, Enable Others act. I personally believe that every individual should be treated with dignity and respect and each individual has its own strengths and weaknesses which make them different from others. The understanding of what people can do well and what they do less well is important both to the person and organization. The differences should be valued and used to the full advantage.

Leadership Gap analysis:

While analyzing my ideal and real self I identified some gaps that include both my strength and weaknesses. In my leadership legacy statement I would like to be remembered as a legacy leader who empowers the employees and the people around recognize my interpersonal skills and being motivated and emulate such behavior. As a type three mediator on Essential Enneagram, I tend to focus and concentrate on things to get job done. I also stated that I want to be remembered as a leader who has the ability of solving conflicts between people by acting as an effective mediator. However, I sometimes have problems in making decisions and I think I also need somebody to discuss the resolution to the problem because sometimes it appears to me equally good and important.

In addition to that, I also found some gaps in the area of inspiring shared vision on the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) (Kouzes & Posner, personal communication June 14, 2010). Furthermore, as I identified in my leadership legacy statement I want to create opportunities and positive influence on others to be inspired, understand and accept leadership roles. I feel I will have considerably difficulty in showing others how their interest can be realized and described as a compelling image of the future.

However, as the Performer, Enneagram and Leadership (Savage, 2010). I can become inspiring example of excellence and authenticity or blindly pursue success and status but I feel I will have to struggle with the concept of pursuing things more effectively and efficiently even there is a chance failure. My ideal self allows me to admit mistakes and listen to suggestions for improvement but sometimes I feel not making any mistakes and accomplish task more efficiently. Initially, I thought I might be type 1 The perfectionist, Enneagram and Leadership (Savage, 2010) because I do believe I can change myself and my environment to fit my ideas and organize things logically but I still feel that type three is more of my style because my first priority in accomplishing my goal is to concentrate more efficiently and get things done more quickly.

The last gap I noticed was related to Bargaining Influence Strategies Exercise (Hay group, 2007). “The purpose of bargaining is to gain support by negotiating a mutually satisfactory outcome; exchanging favors, sharing resources, making concessions” Influence Strategies Exercise (Hay group, 2007). For me I always want to make sure that I am taking everybody’s decisions and needs into consideration, I may not keep my needs or agenda into my consideration while I am listening to the suggestions and opinions from people. Based on what I have heard I will create an opinion. Typically I will not avoid the situation where there is a conflict infact I will try to resolve the conflict and come up with the resolution that best fits the needs of people and their concerns.

Sustaining Leadership Strengths

According to the LPI my strengths are in the area of encouraging confidence, enabling diversity and modeling the values and consensus. The 10 observer groups rated me high in encouraging confidence. The other was enabling diversity which was next in line. Builds consensus around organization value was the last because my observers rated me the third highest in this area of strength (Kouzes & Posner, personal communication, June 14, 2010).

When it comes to organizational skills, I believe that any administration should be organized and punctual. For example, the administration of ACCESS in Ashland University, these characteristics should be present. It is my belief that having good organizational skills means a better way of doing things. We all have learning differences and find some methods easy than others but how do we go about developing those skills. Leadership by encouragement is one of my practical interpersonal skills that can help in raising Emotional intelligence. In order to create that leadership strategy within the ACCESS it is important to review the administration strategy for implications for new leadership requirements.

For the development of this leadership behavior, it is a good suggestion to have a team of experts that will analyze the problem and that are familiar with the processes of acquiring, retaining and development of good organizational development. I believe that I am not still an expert with this requirement and that the university still needs people who are very adept on this. My organizational strategy shall begin with the identifications of drivers of strategy that will help me in analyzing the key choices that includes my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. These factors shall be analyzed comprehensively. It is my goal to make a unique strategy that can be used by ACCESS which can understand what the things essential to the students are. It is very important to accomplish a collective leadership for this.

I should have clear implications for what a leader like me should do well in order for an organization to succeed in leadership strategies. It is therefore important that my focus should be primarily on the implications primarily on the implications in leadership strategy that has to be more specific reflecting the actual opportunities and issues surrounding the key drivers. After the implication has been identified my next step will be to develop the leadership strategy in order to assess the current leadership situation and compare it to the desired future. Once the implication has been confirmed and extracted as a team through various ways within the organization, then the leadership developmental strategy should be addressed which will then follow the specific recommendations regarding approaches to be taken to develop current and future leaders as well as the organization’s leadership, in line with the leadership strategy.

Other thing that needs to be taken on to consideration while developing the strategy is an iterative process involving a team. Because this process will produce a useful conversations that have never taken place before. Those conversations themselves may act as interventions that will help in dealing with the issues within the organization. In creating a leadership strategy it is important to know the leadership culture that is required to implement the strategy and also interfere with effective performance. Once again, it is not how many leaders are in place, it is what actually do they determines whether the organization succeeds or fails.

Cultural change that has a negative impact on the working environment should also be addressed. This is the present condition on the ACCESS department within Ashland University. . Due to the less number of staff and with the increased number of students, students are not able to explore the new environment because they are not getting opportunities to share their views and know the different culture. Director of the International student advisor who is currently running the ACCESS department will be my mentor with whom I talk about the situation and discuss the solution of the problem. Pesek is the only person who I can talk and gather information regarding the problems and can provide me with the resources and can serve my advisor and counselor throughout the whole process. In order to diagnose the current problem, it is necessary to diagnose the current status of the problem and to evaluate the organizational change gained through the experimentation and survey feedback. Due to the absence of program Director the organizational culture within the ACCESS is not effective. The staff and faculty have no control over the conflicts and work problems that arise. My approach to the problem will be to create effective leadership strategies and change the way the organization looks currently and implement those areas which need to be focused and monitor every change that results.

Leadership Development Goal

My main goal in developing my leadership ability is to be more sensitive with the issues surrounding my organization. As a part of the ACCESS Department in Ashland University, it will be my task to be keen in observing what needs to be changed and improved. By doing such, I will be impartial. I shall hear both sides of the story in order for me to weigh my judgment evenly.

Another goal in developing my leadership skills is to be flexible in dealing with all circumstances. By being flexible, I believe that I can be an effective leader since I know I can deal with any situation and be on top of things.

Finally, I want to be leader that communicates. Communication is very important in leadership.

Benefits in Attaining this Goal

The first goal which I mentioned is being sensitive with issues surrounding my organization. The benefit of being able to attain this goal is that I will be keen with any issues that my organization shall face. By being such, I can be developed into a proactive leader. This means that measures are continuously done in order to prevent the rising of a crisis. This will not only benefit me but also the entire organization. Alongside with this is being an impartial leader. Being such a leader should benefit the organization as well as all members of it since a just leader earns respect and that ensures that the organization is geared towards success.

The benefit of being a flexible leader is that he or she can be able to face all issues and still be on top of things. I want to be that kind of leader. Many organizations fail or drowned in issues because some of its leaders are not able to adapt in certain issues. By being a flexible leader, I believe that I can be effective since I can lead my organization in any issue that it will face.

Finally, a leader that communicates is an effective leader. Good communication between leaders and subordinates ensures that messages are conveyed clearly, therefore, good results can be expected.

Obstacles in Attaining this Goal

There will be obstacles that I know that I will come across in attaining the goals that I have set. Some of these are external factors such as some members of the organizations are unsupportive. This is because some members may not be at ease at being handled under new leadership styles. Other obstacles may be difficult circumstances that will tempt me in utilizing old but cooked leadership styles. In this situation, it is very important to stick with my principles in becoming an effective leader.

Resources and Support in Achieving this Goal

The resources that I tend to utilize in achieving the goals that I have mentioned are attending trainings and workshops that will tackle the leadership characteristics which I set to develop. These trainings shall help me in developing these characteristics wherein I cam learn from a team of experts as well as peers that are leaders themselves.

Support from other organization members is very important for me in attaining these goals. Knowing that my peers from the organization support that such development is necessary for the growth of the organization will give me the strength and inspiration towards achieving such goals.

Action Plan

Goal: To be able to develop myself as a proactive, flexible and communicating leader. By being such, I can gear my organization towards a working environment that is conducive and that is driving towards success.

Table of Action Steps

Action step

Measurement

Timeline

My main goal is to become an effective leader that includes the characteristic of being proactive, flexible and a good communicator.

I will ask my peers to do an appraisal for me in terms of the characteristics that I mentioned.

By the end of September 2010 I will analyze the data I collected from my resources and evaluate it.

I will attend trainings and workshop on being proactive.

After the training, an appraisal shall be done again for this characteristic.

By the end of September 2010.

I will attend trainings and workshops on being a flexible leader.

After the training, an appraisal shall be done again for this characteristic.

By the end of September 2010.

I will attend trainings and workshops on being a good communicator.

After the training, an appraisal shall be done again for this characteristic.

By the end of September 2010.

Implement the leanings that I have gained from these trainings on the organization.

I shall establish a feedback system in order to monitor the performance.

By the end of September 2010.

Impart the learning and leadership style by means of succession plan.

Create measures and criteria on whom is qualified on becoming a next leader in the organization.

Year 2011 onwards.

Conclusion

I want provide a positive feedback that will help me to present creative and inspirational image of the students at Ashland University. Different people have different personalities and I think I have an ability to change behavior which shows that I am type 3 on Enneagram (Savage 2010) which says I can become an inspiring example of excellence and authenticity or blindly pursue success and status. I believe that it is important to listen to the suggestions what people say about my behavior it is possible that I may not notice changes in my behavior while perceived by others. In order for me to become a successful leader I need to interact with my followers, peers, seniors, and others; whose support will help me to accomplish my goals. For gaining the support of my peers and seniors I must be able to understand and motivate them and know the human behavior. Human behavior plays an important role in leadership strategy and they behave according to certain principles of human nature. As a leader I must understand these needs because they can be powerful motivators.

I have learnt multiple facets of leadership from an interdisciplinary perspective. I am investigating my leadership behaviors, to be more reflective in their responses and make plans to improve the effectiveness. I am able to determine exactly what goals I want to target and how I can strategically limit and focus my efforts and develop an individualized leadership developmental plan.