Ghzzr33wfjhkdkchr3qh-2.docx

[Type the document title] [Type the document subtitle] 2/27/2019

Introduction Any organization needs leaders at various levels to achieve their mandated objectives and this holds good for organizations that work with a profit motive or otherwise. Leaders at the helm of the organization give a clear sense of direction and purpose to the organization; whereas other leaders within the organization do the same within their own level in the organization. However, the purpose of the leader is to be able to lead others and these remains irrespective of being at an overall leadership level or at a lower rung within the organization. As a student with an eye for a leadership position in a career, it becomes important to acquire leadership skills at a very early stage in the career. Leadership is a skill that needs to be acquired and cannot be taught in the environs of a classroom,though leadership theories could be taught. The skills that are required of a leader needs to be imbibed into the persona in such a way that one can climb up the career ladder to reach the leadership position(Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee, 2013). A leadership position in an organization or in any other form of activity has to be inculcated in such a way that there is a natural progression towards the leadership position, an inorganic / un-natural progression towards a leadership position can always be a shortlived one. This paper attempts to study about leadership quality using self-assessment techniques thereby trying to understand the deficiencies in me which could help in taking corrective actions if required.

Seven habits profile - Reflection After completing the seven habits profile test, I could think of myself to become a transformational leader; however, there are quite a few areas which require active attention. The first segment of the test which had an overall score of 13 brought out the aspects of my personality which I cherish as a person. As a person, I have been inculcated the habit of showing kindness and consideration to others apart from keeping promises and honoring commitments. This upbringing also shaped me into not speaking ill about others which helps

me to keep myself within positive thoughts along with a positive frame of mind. I have always struggled with work-life balance and am sure to have a better-balancedwork-life balance as I have realized the importance of the same recently. While working in a team I have always realized the importance of keeping in mind the concerns of others within the team at the same time do not overdo things to go into levels of creating a burnout in self. At times I tend to lose control of my life and get a bit out of focus due and try to think about things beyond my control. I would only gather that this is more due to the age factor and have the resolve in me to take control of my life, however, I have the ability to take responsibility for my moods and actions and would not prefer to blame others for the same. My lack of clarity in what to accomplish in life is a matter of concern as I am yet to make a conclusion among the various options available in front of me, but I still have the time to make the choice. One major deficiency that I have observed in me is about not being organized and not being a great planner, though I do try and ensure not to get into a crisis mode, the feeling of not having a plan for all my chores and activities still haunts me. However, if I do have a plan at all I would ensure in a disciplined fashion that the plan is well executed to the best of my ability. As an individual, I do take care to see the success of others apart from own success and I extend my full cooperation with all others around me. In the event of any conflict resolution, I strive to find a solution that creates benefit for all. In person I have always given thoughts to the feelings of others apart from seeking their viewpoint, as part of this I have always tried to be a good listener and try to listen more than to hear. Being a good listener, it enables me to seek the insights of others and helps me in being creative while searching for new and better ideas for solutions apart from wanting to encourage others to express their opinions. A major weakness in me is the fact that I have forgotten to take care of my physical health and well being. I have always tried to build and improve upon relationships with

others, however, have lost myself in other pursuits thereby not being able to take time to find the meaning and enjoyment in life.

Transformational Leadership James Macgregor Burns who introduced the concept of transformational leadership was the first to propose the term transformational leadership and was limited to political leadership when it was first proposed(Burns, 1977). However, later academics and management gurus used this term to give more connotations to it and increased the spectrum of transformational leadership to other domains as well. It was in the year 1985 Bernard M Bass in his book Leadership and Performance beyond expectations has given more dimensions to the concept of transformational leadership(Bass, 1985). He brought put forth transformational leadership as a model of integrity and fairness and one that sets clean and unambiguous goals. While adding on he also explained how a transformational leader would keep high expectations and would encourage others by providing support and recognition to his team members. He further explains how transformation leaders would be able to kindle the emotions of people which would prompt them to look beyond their self-interest to do things that they may not probably dream to have achieved. It is noteworthy to note in this context that even after two decades of publication of this concept of transformational leadership this concept remains arguably one of the most important ideas in business leadership(Goleman et al., 2013). Transformational leadership is a leadership style where the leader works with his team members in identifying the required change in the organization, by creating a vision and guiding the change by inspiring the team members(Holten & Brenner, 2015). Transformational leaders are found to be working at all levels of any organization in different departments and also in the organization as a whole. These leaders have a clear vision of what they want to achieve and align the goals of the team members with this organizational

vision. They have an inspiring and charismatic appeal and they exhibit four characteristics namely – inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration,and idealized influence. By inspirational motivation, the transformational leader promotes a consistent vision, mission,and values to the team members such that they know what they would want from each interaction. These leaders provide meaning and challenges in the work life which motivates the teamwork and commitment among the team members. By intellectual stimulation, the transformational leaders encourage their team members to become innovative and creative by encouraging new ideas from the team members. He gets ideas and opinions from the team members and allows them to be part of the decision-making process. By idealized influence, the transformational leader often practices what he preaches. The leaders often act as role models for their team members and such leaders always command trust and respect of the team members by placing their needs in front of his/her own needs(Northouse, 2015). By individualized consideration, leaders act as mentors to their followers and often reward them for their achievements, creative ideas,and innovations. The followers are empowered to involve themselves in decisions and are provided with adequate support to implement their ideas.

Three strengths One of the major strengths in me, as I understand, is the ability to be a listener rather than just hear out others. I have observed that good leaders would want to hear to listen and understand others rather than just hear from others. While listening it becomes a process of

understanding others and trying to figure out what they intend to communicate as against hearing which ends up being a physical process of hearing. As a person sensitive the feelings of others, I engage myself in trying to seek the insights of others and give due recognition and value to the same. A leader who recognizes the value of his team members will always be remembered for being a good leader who lends a passionate ear not just to listen to grievances but also to the thoughts of others(Mccleskey, 2014). As already mentioned above and thanks to my upbringing, I have imbibed a habit of trying to keep promises and honor commitments. This is more in the form of a habit and I strive and also go the extra mile while trying to do even it does ruffle a few feathers in the process of trying to keep a promise and honor commitments(Nahavandi, 2015). As already put forth in the theory mentioned above by Bass a transformational leader needs to kindle the emotions of people which I can by lending a passionate hear to my team members apart from giving themproper recognition. I understand the value of each team member and understand the importance of each and every member akin to the cog of a wheel where each cog is equally important for the smooth functioning of the wheel.

Three weaknesses While trying to be more compassionate and understanding about others at times I have found to be wanting in knowing more about me and at times consider it immaterial which can be a key weakness which I need to work upon. As a good leader to I need to know more about myself in full before I can be fully qualified to lead a group of people. Having tried to spend more time on others I often do not find the time to find the meaning and enjoyment in life. These have also lead to an imbalance in the work-life balance and have lost out to friends while trying to spend time with my teammates. As mentioned by Bass in his book a transformational leader needs to inspire others and the above-mentioned areas need to be

worked upon by me to bring in the qualities and over the weaknesses, as mentioned above. To quote Bass, “the transformational leader uses charisma, individual consideration, and intellectual stimulation to inspire employees to make extraordinary efforts”(Bass, 1985). A third weakness identified is the use of tobacco in the form of smoking as an habit which needs to stopped. I have plans to undergo a detox program to help me come out of this habit. A transformational leader has to be a person whose qualities can be worthy of being followed by the members of the team, in the context of the having an imbalance when it comes to work-life balance the same can set a bad precedent to the people who watch a leader with an imbalanced work-life imbalance. Having such a weakness can be a major hurdle to being a leader in the given scenario of having an imbalance in work-life balance.

Three changes recommended One of the key recommendations based on the above is to master the art of creating a worklife balance and this could be imbibed through conscious efforts towards the same. I am trying to catch up with some good books on the subject and try to read whatever possible on this subject. While trying to do so I have also started trying to spend time for myself and undergo some personal pursuits to give more time to probe on my inner self. This has also provided me with an opportunity to understand the meaning of life as well as how life needs to be enjoyed. As a part of this pursuit, I have decided to take to art in the form of art from scrap which gives me lot of ample opportunity apart from the time I have decided to dedicate towards a reading of more books. The third recommendation is to identify a good detox program at a good healthcare centre in a nearby place and to enroll for the same with immediate effect.

SMART goal – 1 Specific – To read the book “Off Balance” by Matthew Kelly, this book is considered one among the top of the charts and best sellers about the subject of work-life balance and I propose to read this book to make an attempt of learning the art of work-life balance. Measurable – I propose to use an app to keep track of the book reading which will help me in keeping track through the app’s reading challenge. Achievable – One book per month should be an achievable target to make a start. Relevant – To become a transformational leader one needs to strike a right tone in work-life balance for the other team members to follow. Time - I shall finish reading the book within a 30 day period and shall allocate one hours time on a daily basis towards reading this book and attempt to finish 12 books in a year.

SMART Goals – 2 Specific-1 – To join the local art club in our locality which promotes scrap art and has a good fan following among the local art lovers and they have a wonderful gallery to display good works of art. Measurable – while joining the art club I would consider getting an annual membership. Achievable = I shall visit the art club and spend time on creative work during the weekends. Relevant – A good transformational leader should have the requisite soft skills that it takes to inspire people around him and art can be a good platform for this(Podsakoff, MacKenzie, & Moorman, 1990). Time – I shall spend a minimum of three hours on Saturday and Sunday in the art club to pursue my interests in art.

Two specific actions for achieving the above I have purchased an Amazon Kindle reader which will allow me the flexibility to read during all possible times during the course of day or night. Carrying of books while on the move could be a bit cumbersome as compared to carrying a Kindle reader and this can also help in buying more books at a time as the soft copies are less costly than the hard copies. I have joined the local Picasso Art ClubLe in my locality and have started attending the orientation sessions which are conducted by artists of international and national repute. This has become another opportunity for allocating time on self which was not happening earlier. It is also propose that I shall allocate 1% of my annual earnings to purchase scrap for use in such art forms and dedicate a part of my backyard for storage of the same. As mentioned by Bass in his book a transformational leader needs to be a role model to the team members and create an aura thereby creating self-respect and admiration for such a leader. While such an aura needs to be created using the qualities of one’s personality and or such an aura cannot be created artificially. Once this aura sets in the leader automatically assume the role of a role model for others to emulate and think in line with the leader's capabilities. A transformational leader would be able to create leaders from within and would have a discerning eye to identify future leaders by molding and or giving shape to their characters. In pursuit of creating a work-life balance it is also proposed that I will work for five days in a week only as against working for the six days in the present this will enable me to spend more time for pursuits as mentioned above apart from devoting time with family and friends.

Conclusion A transformational leader must give individual level consideration to each and every member of his and move in a fashion where all members are given equal attention. Such a leader must able to stimulate the intellect of the team members leading them to open up on ideas and give

more creative solutions during problem-solving. Lastly, a transformational leader must be able to create an ideal influence on team members whereby the leader can become a role model ethical behavior, instill pride and gain respect and trust of the team members. Though these are very generic traits of a transformational leader to conclude this paper all other qualities that are desired off a transformational leader are embedded in the same. As an individual with dreams of leading large organizations I take pride in imbibing the best qualities from international icons who have been leaders in their own spheres of activity such as Steve Jobs, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi etc to name a few and have resolved to read their inspiring stories to get inspired. In the course of my journey towards being a transformational leader, I resolve to become a learner for life and maintain an open-ended learning curve which will enable me to learn more things as I progress into my career towards becoming a leader and maintain an insatiable thirst for knowledge.

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their effects on followers’ trust in leader, satisfaction, and organizational citizenship behaviors. The Leadership Quarterly. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/1048984390900097