Your Vision of Leadership

 

In a world where every leader and every following are unique, there is no one-size-fits-all leadership strategy. When assuming a leadership role, the first decision a new leader has to make is what kind of leader they want to become. There are a number of leadership styles and approaches to choose from. My vision of leadership fits with the theory of transformational leadership. With the transformational leadership style, a leader encourages, inspires, and motivate followers to innovate and create change.

Transformational leaders lead by conveying a clear vision for the organization, a passion for work, and the charisma to make others feel energized (Parry & Proctor-Thomson, 2002). This style of leadership is marked by the ability to inspire positive changes in those who follow. Instead of engaging in micromanagement, transformational leaders lead with trust in their followers (Brown, 2011). They allow their followers to be independent and take authority over the tasks they were assigned with. This leadership style allows followers to be creative and forward-looking, with little fear of risks and failure.

One leader that I find to be particularly inspiring is Steve Jobs. Jobs is a visionary who revolutionized the world with ground-breaking innovations (Isaacson, 2012). He had a keen eye for detail and a constant need for perfection. Thus, he remained highly motivated and driven to pursue high achievements, which also inspired others to follow his lead and achieve his vision. Thus, I believe that Steve Jobs possessed some of the most important characteristics to be an effective leader, which is the ability to develop a truly innovative vision and to motivate others to follow his lead. In addition to Steve Jobs, another leader who inspired me to understand effective leadership was my previous supervisor. My supervisor led by support and guidance. She was able to recognize and cultivate the potential in those under her leadership. As a result, my previous supervisor was a highly successful leader who assisted her followers to undergo significant self improvement.

Feedbacks from my colleagues have helped me to become more aware of my strengths and areas to develop as a leader. In work, feedbacks from colleagues have always promoted my personal and professional growth. Receiving feedback has given me the opportunity to recognize and act on important issues for improving my skills as a leader. According to the feedback from my colleagues, I am a respecting and understanding person who is supportive towards others. On the other hand, I may lack the skills to effectively delegate work and influence others to follow my vision. I recognize that I need to develop these areas to improve my capacity as a leader.

The three key leadership skills that I want to develop as I progress through my MBA are empathy, communication, and influence. Empathy is a critical part of emotional intelligence. It is the ability to understand the perspective and feelings of other people. By being empathic, one can show more inclusive behavior and improve workplace conditions (Skinner & Spurgeon, 2005). The skill of communication is intertwined with leadership effectiveness. Leaders who are skilled at communication can transmit information to coach others and inspire others. Influence is the skill to convince other people with autenticity and transparency (Hoy & Smith, 2007). It is important to gaining cooperation from others and to motivating others in the pursuit of a collective goal.

To develop these leadership skills, I will take a number of measures. Firstly, I would learn to be a follower who can recognize and respect the value of team leaders and other team members. Secondly, I would take everyday opportunities to practice my skills of empathizing, communicating, influencing. Lastly, I will try my best to take on leadership opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom. In this way, I will have the chance to practice and improve my leadership skills.

In conclusion, I hope to become an effective transformational leader in the future. To this end, I will continue to work on the areas of leadership where I need further improvement. While I am a supportive person, I need to develop my skills to influence others. With practice in everyday life and in leadership role, it is expected that my ability as a leader will continue to improve in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Brown, J. B. (2011). The building of a virtuous transformational leader. The Journal of Virtues & Leadership, 2(1), 6-14.

 

Hoy, W. K., & Smith, P. A. (2007). Influence: A key to successful leadership. International journal of educational management.

 

Isaacson, W. (2012). The real leadership lessons of Steve Jobs. Harvard business review, 90(4), 92-102.

 

Parry, K. W., & Proctor-Thomson, S. B. (2002). Perceived integrity of transformational leaders in organisational settings. Journal of business ethics, 35(2), 75-96.

 

Skinner, C., & Spurgeon, P. (2005). Valuing empathy and emotional intelligence in health leadership: a study of empathy, leadership behaviour and outcome effectiveness. Health Services Management Research, 18(1), 1-12.