Personal Leadership And Self Reflection

Essay of personal leadership and self-reflection
Sometime ago while preparing for the “Leadership and Social Competence” course, I was researching various articles on the topic of leadership. What caught my attention was an article with a heading that “A Title Doesn't Make You a Leader” . This resonated well with me because what I noticed of good leaders were their leadership qualities, the impact they made and only in the end, their titles. Most often managers and leaders are two roles combined in one and to make it complex technical experts are placed in such roles and may lack good interpersonal skills. As a leader, one is watched closely especially during a crisis. There must be good amount of self-awareness to recognize situations that

But how many leaders take the time through self-reflection to evaluate themselves? Self-reflection allows one to be highly aware of what needs to be changed, improvised and find a timely solution. A good leader is a lifelong student of leadership, should be open to honest feedback although unpleasant sometimes and ready to be coached. Or question if one wants to be a leader or is ready to lead at that particular time? If the answer is no, then it is necessarily not bad, rather courageous to accept that truth. I did that self-reflection and accepted that I am not yet ready to be a leader in a formal role. I resigned from my position not just due to the scrutiny, prejudices, and unfavorable leadership styles in the organization but also because of my acceptance of not being ready made it worthless to fight the battles and change their misguided perceptions. If I felt ready and important I would have stayed thick-skinned and continued challenging the perceptions but it was wiser to focus my energies on what mattered the most to

A transactional style is okay sometimes if the situation demands it but that is effective where there is a good amount of trust and respect built in the team. Leadership is not about being in control of others, it is a position of influence where I could shape the direction of a particular project, an initiative or of my team and make an impact. It is important for me to have that purpose but with high self-esteem so as to not let others’ perception or criticism question my own capabilities. With integrity comes trust and responsibilities which in turn create credibility leading people towards achieving common goals. But most importantly, to be a good leader, I must pay attention to myself. Taking care of the team starts with taking care of myself, understanding the limits, identifying tasks that only I can accomplish and delegating other tasks in ways that will engage my team and encourage their