Key Aspects of Self-Leadership - Essay Example

Self Leadership Name: Institution: Date: Word Count: 3226 words Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 1.0 Introduction 3 2.0 Personal Profile 4 3.0 Areas of Development 7 4.0 How to Develop 9 5.0 Development Goals 10 6.0 Learning Theory 12 7.0 Action Plan 13 8.0 Conclusion 16 References 17 1.0 Introduction In order to develop a strong trait and enhance success in respective individual careers in the market, Clifford and Thorpe (2007) stated that, it is imperative for individuals to develop and enhance their overall skills and uses in the market to facilitate their eventual career development and success in the industry. The use of self leadership is an important practice and approach through which individuals can facilitate and develop their own careers and leadership traits. This is applied as an approach to stimulate traits development. Moreover, the application of positive psychology as an approach through which individuals can stimulate their overall success and traits development through nurturing of the positive aspects through the appreciation and recognition of personal milestones and achievements. This evaluation offers a self leadership evaluation on my own traits. In this case, I examine my skills and traits, establish weaknesses and as well an action plan through which to mitigate and improve on the identified weaknesses and the areas of weakness as indicated in the personal profile evaluation. My career goal is to emerge as a global entrepreneur into the future. In order to achieve this goal I require an increased trust and corporation with others in the market a trait I evaluate and seek to develop in the market. In this regard, a 360 feedback from my girlfriend, parents and best fried, I established that although I have a desire for increased success I lack enough trust in others a trait I need to improve on. 2.0 Personal Profile My personal profile evaluation can be based on my previous survey as depicted under assignment 1. Under the profile, I established that I have major trait strength on my focus on success. Through this trait, I have developed a great perception towards achieving great success. Thus, I have an intrinsic motivation towards success. Tyagi (1982) in an ancient evaluation argued that an intrinsic motivation is gained through a great internal desire to achieve. As such, through increased focus toward success, individuals achieve a drive to fight against discouragements and disappointments in their endeavour and pursuance of success. Therefore, as an individual, I have a great resilience and motivation towards success in the business market, a virtual offering me an added advantage in my future career as an entrepreneur. In addition, as an individual I have a strong self leadership trait through myself discipline culture and behaviour. As reviews from my parents and my best friend established, I am considered as a highly disciple individual with strong traits and a culture of obedience. Therefore, this offers me an advantage as an entrepreneur into the future. In this regard, the approach will enable me apply honest and ethical business practices in my endeavours. The adoption and application of honest, ethical and transparent business practices is an imperative virtual in the development and enhancement of the next generation entrepreneurs. Through these practices I will be able to cut out and establish a strong market niche and influence in the future global market. However, despite my key trait strengths in the market that supports my career growth and development into the future, I have a series of personal weaknesses. One of the areas is my lack of trust with others in the society. In this regard, it is evident from my personal deeds and overall examination issues establish that I take time to trust others in the society. In this case, it takes imperatively long for me to trust anyone that I am doing business with. Moreover, although I have enough management skills required to run and conduct business as an entrepreneur, I lack enough innovations skills. In this regard, I focus on developing and expanding ideas already developed in the market to make them unique and improve them through a logical thinking process rather than focusing on creative thinking process where I can develop new strategic and innovative ideas for improvement and overall success in the long run (Tan & Matthews, 2009). The above personal profile analysis establishes that I have a share of both strengths and weaknesses that need improvement and change in order to enhance my overall performance and success in the market as a future prospective global entrepreneur. My profile can be summarized under the table 1 below Instrument Findings How to interpret Identified strengths Identified Weaknesses Learning’s Is management for you Scored 80 A score ranging between 80 and 100 demonstrates high management potential. I have the desire and many of the skills, attitudes, and competencies that successful managers need. I prefer work along Leaning more management skills and work with others Leadership Or Management -Even-numbered scored 10 yes - Odd-number score 7 yes I answered yes to more even-numbered than odd-numbered items, you inlay have potential leadership qualities. Tend to develop fresh ideas and seek new directions for the department or organization Innovation not always good How behaviour of leader would influence employees Emotional Intelligence At Work Scored 102 Received a total score of 100 or more, you have a high level of emotional intelligence Recognize what others are feeling without them necking to tell you. Reach conclusion too quick Manager’s need to be in touch with their emotions in order to iiilcriict effectivcly and appreciate emotions in others. Cognitive Style Self Assessment - Extrovert scored 24 - Intuition scored 18 - Thinking scored 25 - Juging scored 21 - Extrovert Preference Prefers to live in contact with others and things - Intuition Preference Puts emphasis on possibilities, imagination, creativity and see things as whole - Thinking Preference Puts emphasis o n analysis using logical and rationality - Dimension J means emphasis on order through reading decisions and resolving issues Analysis things as whole willing accept ready acceptance of external events Often impatient with long, slow jobs; often act quickly (sometimes without thinking); Leaning balance between extraversion and introversion Theory X or Theory Y - Theory X scored 48 - Theory Y scored 52 The closer each of your Theory X and Theory Y scores is to 50, the less intensity you have about the fixed nature of human behaviour I balance in between. See some people as hard-working and trustworthy, but see others as irresponsible and needing direction Lake a little bit confidence about trusting people Manager’s view of the nature of human beings would influence others Kolb's Learning Style Inventory Diverging leaning style Kolb called this style 'Diverging' because these people perform better in situations that require ideas-generation Able to look at things from different perspectives Sensitive. Prefer to watch rather than doing Leaning logical thinking and more action rather than thinking Realistic Optimism (must do) -Internality scored 3 -Stability scored 4 -Globalism scored 3 - Internality is below 3.5 then you tend to explain things as being caused by “other people or circumstances”. - Stability is above 3.5 then you expect that causes of bad events “will continue over a long period of time - Globability is below 3.5, I think that the causes of bad events are “ specific to circumscribed events” Well prepared for any possible events happen Sometimes had negative thoughts Promote an optimistic view on life, and decrease any pessimism Personal Style Inventory (MBTI) -Extroversion Scored 28 -Thinking Scored 25 Scored 25-29 definite strength in the dimension; definite weakness in the other member of the pair Outgoing, socially free, interested in variety and in working with people Impatient with slow tasks Leaning understands the external Self Efficacy Scored 3.8 - The scored above 3.5 is on the higher end of the scale Willingness to change my behaviour and preserve in achieving my goal and dream Low confidence High self-efficacy help better performance Locus of control Scored 6 A scored below 8.29 means I have increasingly internal locus of control Positive thinking Accept changing Some would blame self Stay positive think and felling Type A Personality Indicator -Competitiveness scored 13 -Life imbalance scored 12 -Hostility scored 7 - Impatience scored 11 Scores above 12 in each area suggest this is a pronounced tendency. Do not afraid challenge, patient when dealing things May not good at balance work and like Leaning control emotion Soliciting Feedback From Others Hidden Area Managers with relatively large hidden areas Seek to maintain open channels of communication with others by seeking feed- back Others have a difficult time knowing how tiled manager feels or what he or she wants Open up and share things 3.0 Areas of Development As already discussed above there are several areas in my personal profile and traits that needs development. Personal development is a process through which an individual’s enhances and increases his overall performance and adaptability to effective and efficiency in interacting and dealing with environmental changes across the globe. Hughes and Youngson (2009) argued that a process of self development involves strengthening one’s own competitive edges as well as developing appropriate weakness mitigation changes and correction. One of the personal key areas that I need to change is on innovation through trust enhancement. In this case, as the personal profile indicates, I have minimal innovation competence. This area is impeccably relevant and befitting in the entrepreneurship career and strategic intention in my life. In this case, an entrepreneur is an individual entrusted with the mandate of developing new products and services that are unique and with functional features and traits that meet the overall market and society needs. Thus, based on this entrepreneurial mandate ahead, I have to improve and enhance my innovation skills. On the other hand, I need to improve on my trust issues. Trust is an imperative component in the current global environment. In this case, a majority of the business ventures have evolved and mutated from the centralized executive management decision making model to a more liberalized and decentralized decision making model in which the employees in various functions and specialties are entrusted with the role and mandate of making decisions. In order to enhance and ensure the success of this strategic approach, trust is an absolute requirement (Hwang & Park, 2006). For instance, the management has to develop a high trust and confidence level on it s employees to allow them to make decisions. Moreover, the global market is experienced a shift and increased focus on strategic alliances and partnerships as a form of market expansion, all of which require increased trust. Therefore, this evidences that I need to improve on my trust issues and develop an increased trust approach in order to successes in my future career endeavour. A final area in which I need to improve is on my focus to success and intrinsic motivation through trust and working with others. The global market with increased multinationals growth as well as technology change is experiencing an ever increasing competition aspect in the market. Therefore, in order for individuals and especially entrepreneurs to be competitive and effectively achieve overall market success, they need to develop a high intrinsic motivation to fight off fails and peruse their ultimate goal. Therefore, although I have the resilience trait, I need to nurture it to ensure my ultimate success as an entrepreneur into the future. 4.0 How to Develop There exists a range of alternatives through which an individual can improve on their skills and traits. One of the strategic approaches is through behaviour change in order to stimulate or discourage the exhibition of a particular trait. On one hand, I will develop my resilience and success seeking trait through practical involvement in practical business activities. Although I am a student, I will seek alternatives and avenues through which I can engage in direct business involvement on a part time basis and especially during the summer breaks. Through the direct involvement programs I will learn from the direct and practical market aspects on the nature of the challenges facing the business men and the current market entrepreneurs. Through this practical learning on the challenges as well as the nature and ways through which a majority of the entrepreneurs enhance their resilience and focus towards the long-term gains will offer me with an insight on how to tackle the problem. Moreover, as Kurtz and Boone (2009) discussed, into the future, the experiences will serve as a benchmark through which to counter challenges and retain success focus. On the other hand, In order to improve on my trust issues, I will increase my engagement in social forums. Currently, I am involved in an operation scenario where I do most of my things as an individual in the market. Therefore, I develop and nurture my own ideas and projects. However, through the personal evaluation in this unit, I established that through this approach, I deny myself the opportunity to work with others and in teams. As such, I fail to practically participate and get involved in a scenario of functions sharing where the ultimate success of a task is reliant on the collective responsibility of the various team members. I believe that through the use of teams one gets the opportunity to work and evaluate as well as stimulate and develop their trust issues in the market (Leifler & Eriksson, 2012). I believe that through increased participation in team works I will develop a positive perception on others and develop the trust that although I am not in control of an aspect in the market, those entrusted with the respective tasks can deliver. Therefore, enhancing my trust development will promote and enhance my ability to interact and work closely with employees, partners and business alliances in my entrepreneurial career into the future. Moreover, the approach will also help me improve on my innovation in that it will enhance interaction with others from whose ideas and recommendations new ideas and innovations can be developed and enhanced. 5.0 Development Goals In the development and enhancement of my discussed traits, I have developed a series of both long term and short term goals for each of the attributes and traits to improve. This includes a benchmark through which I will evaluate the overall achievements and distinguish if I have achieved all the objectives or if there is need to change the approach to achieving them. As such, the short term goals will allow or a proactive evaluation through which I will track the extent and magnitude of my traits improvement to facilitate my eventual success as a globally influential entrepreneur into the future. On one hand, in my endeavour to increase my trust and innovativeness, I have a short term goal through which I will engage and increase my participation in various institution teams and clubs. In this regard, my short term target is involvement in at least three clubs in the institution within the next academic year. As such, in each of the clubs I expect to be actively involved in a minimum single project where I will be working in teams (Huijser, 2006). On the other hand, as a long term objective to increasing my trust and innovativeness, I expect to start up ventures in the form of partnerships rather than sole proprietorships. In this case, through strengths enhancement as well as support with each other, I will attain increased trusts with my peers as well as tap into their creative thinking approaches as a personal as well as business improvement and increment strategy. The attainment of this strategy objective as well as the development of strategic sustainable and lasting alliances and relationships with various stakeholders in the market will serve as my key and ultimate indication of trust trait development and nurturing success. Further, as a measure to improve my success focus and subsequent resilience through trust development and enhancement, I develop a short term objective of participating in practical business activities for a minimum total 12 months prior to my graduation from the institution. The attainment of this objective will serve as a personal indication that I am gaining enough practical business operations and practice experience. In addition, I develop a strategic long term goal of establishing a stable business within 5 years of my graduation. In this case, the business will have international branches in over 5 countries. However, in order to allow for increased flexibility I will focus on the execution of any business across the industries that will be profitable and with a promising future. Therefore, at this stage I do not specify any industry of my venture although I have a larger inclination to the technology and environmental conservation industry. Finally, in order to promote my resilience, I develop a long-term objective that despite any challenges I face in the partnership business I expect to start up through disagreements with other partners I will not quit any of the partnerships. Therefore, for all the future partnerships I develop, if they were to fail, it will be through the withdrawal and resignation of my peers and not due to my withdrawal or resignation. If I achieve both of the strategic recommendations in 5 years after my graduation, I will consider my resilience and success quest fully develop and such one that I can rely on as a personal unequivocal strength (Punnett, Duffy & Fox, 2006). 6.0 Learning Theory The self leadership process discussed in this evaluation is based on the application and use of the self determination theory. In this case, as Deci and Ryan (2002) argued, the theory has three distinct approaches and performance aspects. These aspects include autonomy, relatedness as well as competitiveness. On one hand, the review applies the autonomy theory. Under this theory aspect and in congruence with the argument developed by Chua and Koestner (2008), individuals seek for development aspects through which they can establish a sense of independence. In this regard, the independence is based on the acquisition of traits and characteristics that enable them be independent. In a bid to achieve this strategy and model perspectives I developed the various trait development goals such as success focus. Through increased success in my future career as an entrepreneur I will gain increased financial autonomy and stability through rising and stable profit margin gains. On the other hand, the evaluation on self leadership is based on the theoretical perceptive of establishing the relatedness aspect. In this case, through this approach as Fiske (2010) discussed, individuals cannot exists in isolation. This can be affirmed by an earlier argument developed by Davis and Dolfsma (2008). The authors argued that human beings are sociable by nature and thus need relations and cannot exist alone. In this regard, in order to increase my social relations and fitting in the society, I applied sought to develop my trust trait. Through the trust trait development I will increase my overall relationships not only in business through teams but also on my relations with other stakeholders in the society. Finally, I applied the competitiveness aspect in my evaluation and improvement strategy. In this case, competitiveness ensures efficiency and professionalism in the execution of the duties in the market (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Through increased success enhancement and development of increased trust and innovation through partnerships is one approach through which I will increase and improve my competitiveness as a future influential and successful entrepreneur. 7.0 Action Plan In order to achieve the discussed goals for each of the evaluated improvement areas, I have developed an action plan for the achievement of the respective short and long term goals. An action plan as Le and Stoett (2006) argued is an approach through which a strategic goal is achieved through the establishment of various stages of execution. It is through these respective action plan stages that the ultimate goals and objective is achieved. This section highlights my action plan for the achievement of increased performance and improvements on my selected two traits namely increased success focus and increased trust respectively. On one hand, in order to achieve the goals of increased success focus through practical involvement in constructive business processes, I will embark on an evaluation of key entrepreneurs in the market. In this case, I will use the internet, to access crucial information on the most successful and vibrant entrepreneurs and their ventures in the market. As such, I will consequently apply in a majority of these ventures in the hope that one of them will respond to take me in during summer break. If more than one of them responds, I will evaluate the best alternative based on the venture status, as well as the proximity f the venture for m convenience over the summer break. Further, in a bid to achieve my long-term strategic objective of establishing successful partnerships, I will learn trough article and industry reviews on the operations and functioning of entrepreneurial partnerships. Moreover, I will liaise with some of my able peers to develop sample partnership deeds through which we can venture into proximate businesses upon our graduation and with availability of enough funds in the market. The above discussion is summarized in the table below that indicates the respective action plan expected tactical actions and their expected resources required as well as timelines where applicable. Secondly, in order to achieve my objective of gaining increased trust in the long run, I have developed an action plan to execute and achieve both the short term and long term goals. On one hand, for the clubs joining goal, I will conduct an overview summary evaluation of all the interest groups and clubs in the institution. Consequently, within 2 months of evaluation I will select the best three of them with entrepreneurial focus as well as use of committees and teams in their functioning. Moreover, in each of the groups I join, I will enrol into respective committees and teams to stimulate my learning where I will play active roles. Moreover, In order to achieve my strategic goal of developing strategic relationships in the market, I will join and register for workshops and seminars organized by the institution discussing on global business market trends. As such, this will equip me with the necessary skills. Further, upon my graduation and starting up a business venture, I will employ a lean supply management approach where I will retain few suppliers, appraisal and support them to enhance increased relationship management and success in the long run. The goals action plan is summarized in the table below. Trust Development Action Plan Goal Actions Duration Short Term Summary evaluation of institution clubs 1 month Select best three clubs to join 2 months Enrol in committees and functional club teams continuous process till graduation Long-term Identify institution seminars and workshops continuous process till graduation Register for participation upon seminars hosting Attend the workshops Always start up a business venture 5 years after graduation Apply a lean supply base with appraisal programs for relationship enhancement apply upon business setup development 8.0 Conclusion In summary, in developing a self leadership approach to improve my performance I applied the STAR model situation approach where I evaluated two of my strategic traits required in my future career objective career as an entrepreneur. As such I focus on my success focus as well as trust challenge traits. On one hand I established that I have a strong focus on success but minimal trust on others. Under the action component of the model, the review process the process established that I should apply the self determination theory, a major limitation in the system is on its disregard of the external environment influence on the development of the overall individual traits. Under the results analysis, this review recommends that in order to facilitate successful traits development and enhancement individuals should consider both internal and external factors influencing traits development. References Chua, S. N., & Koestner, R. (2008). A self-determination theory perspective on the role of autonomy in solitary behaviour. The Journal of Social Psychology, 148(5), 645-647 Clifford, J., & Thorpe, S. (2007). Workplace learning & development: Delivering competitive advantage for your organization. London: Kogan Page Ltd. Davis, J. B., & Dolfsma, W. (2008). The Elgar companion to social economics. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar. Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2002). Handbook of self-determination research. Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press. Fiske, S. T. (2010). Social beings: A core motives approach to social psychology. Hoboken, NJ: J. Wiley. Hughes, J. N., & Youngson, S. (2009). Personal development and clinical psychology. Chichester, West Sussex: BPS Blackwell. Huijser, M. (2006). The cultural advantage: A new model for succeeding with global teams. Boston, Mass: Intercultural Press. Hwang, Y., & Park, S. H. (2006). The evolution of alliance formation in biotech firms: An organisational life cycle framework. Management Dynamics, 15(4), 40-53 Kurtz, D. L., & Boone, L. E. (2009). Contemporary business. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Le, P. P. G., & Stoett, P. J. (2006). Bilateral ecopolitics: Continuity and change in Canadian-American environmental relations. Aldershot, England: Ashgate. Leifler, O., & Eriksson, H. (2012). Message classification as a basis for studying command and control communications--an evaluation of machine learning approaches. Journal of Intelligent Information Systems, 38(2), 299-320. Punnett, B. J., Duffy, J. A., & Fox, S. (2006). Successful Professional Women of the Americas: From Polar Winds to Tropical Breezes. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishers Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American psychologist, 55(1), 68. Tan, K. H., & Matthews, R. (2009). Operations strategy in action: A guide to the theory and practice of implementation. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar. Tyagi, P. K. (1982). Perceived organizational climate and the process of salesperson motivation. JMR, Journal of Marketing Research (Pre-1986), 19(000002), 240 Read More