Leadership Style and Attributes: Effective Analysis to Further Develop Your Skills
A person who has the ability to lead is a great strength to any organization. Leadership is driving people towards a common goal, bringing out their best, and helping them achieve success under your command. Simon Sinek said, “A boss has the title, a leader has the people.” I agree. Through influence, an effective leader can meet an organization’s mission, vision, and goals. I do not believe we are born with the best leadership style and attributes; rather, they are developed. Through self-analysis, peer feedback, training, and evaluations, individuals can develop into strong leaders. This paper examines my leadership abilities and identify areas of potential growth. Through data collection, analysis, and feedback of others, strategies were created to enhance my ability to lead.
Leadership Questionnaire, Results, & Reflection
Leadership questionnaires have been shown to be an essential way to study skills and attributes of an individual. In fact, leadership analysis through survey questionnaires are an excellent tool for assessing components of effective leadership (Dye, 2017). The leadership questionnaire completed assessing my current leadership skills was developed by Queendom and scientifically validated. According to my results, I had an overall aptitude score of 91 out of 100 (see Figure 1). According to Queendom (2019), my results show that I am a competent leader that knows how to handle groups of people with diplomacy. Based on my answers, I appear to be well equipped to handle the range of responsibilities and pressures that comes with leadership (Queendom, 2019).
Key attributes found in effective leaders include, high emotional stability, good motivational and mentoring skills, a strong vision for success, and an ability to share their vision. People who develop as effective leaders set clear guidelines for behavior, performance, feedback, and tasks (Queendom, 2019). According to the questionnaire, I excelled in long-term planning, communicating a vision, emotional control, and motivating (Queendom, 2019).
Results showed I was not a micro-manger, which suggested I was flexible, willing to provide employees with enough autonomy, and comfortable delegating tasks to others. I agree. I trust my employees’ competence which fosters a strong sense of empowerment and pride. I believe a leader that micromanages stunts an employee’s ability to grow and mature. Allowing an employee, the autonomy to complete tasks given creates a strong rapport within your team. While I agree that I have strong characteristics of an effective leader, I do not feel that my aptitude is a 91. I feel that my score should reflect an overall score between an 85 and 88. I have room for improvement, and I feel that a 91 is too close to an A. Leaders are only as good as their current environment; which can change. I feel just as a technology must adapt to its environment; a leader must adapt and learn. I have no issue being an 85 striving to be a 100.
Leadership Attributes Discussion & Professional Evaluation Feedback
Besides the questionnaire, I asked the opinion of three colleagues regarding my leadership attributes. To have a standardized form, I used my organization’s performance evaluation form that is used for leadership positions. My colleagues gave high marks for enthusiasm, integrity, honesty, loyalty, compassion, empathy, communication, decisiveness, competence, empowerment, and charisma (see Table 1). While most of the evaluation was positive, my fellow officers gave a few areas of improvement necessary to reach a higher level of effectiveness in their opinion. My colleagues stated that I often try to take on too many tasks at once which can over burden myself and my staff. These added tasks can cause too much stress and result in employee dissatisfaction.
Do not be too proud to ask for help. They told me that it is not a weakness to ask for further guidance from senior leadership. Colleagues felt I did not want to seem like I did not know what I was doing so I was “afraid” to ask for help. As we reviewed examples of policy revision and parts of our strategic planning, I understood the points they were making. They advised me to ensure that I meet with my employees a regularly scheduled times to ensure they are all on the right track. I have viewed multiple follow-up meetings as micromanaging, but I see that this is not the case.
SWOT Analysis
After conducting a leadership questionnaire and having three colleagues complete a leadership performance evaluation, I completed a SWOT analysis on my leadership abilities using guidance from Mindtools (see Figure 2). While completing the SWOT I noticed that I lack in developing relationships that would benefit our program and my career. During my career, of the 18 years spent, I have spent little time developing relationships that would benefit me as an officer or as a leader. In addition, I realize that important people have started positions within my agency, and I have not reached out to them since they started. Strong leaders have strong allies, and this does not happen overnight. I will focus developing these relationships over the next 3–12 months to not only benefit myself as the Eastern Regional APP, but as a leader in our agency.
Personal Mission Statement
Part of the reflection in this paper was to write a personal mission statement. A mission statement is a formal summary of the goals and values of a company, organization, or individual (Dye, 2017). According to Hendricks (2014), a personal statement represents a promise to one’s self, work, and family While I know my agency’s vision and mission statement, I have never written my own. The following represents my current personal mission statement:
To care for others as Christ cared for the church
Christianity is a big part of who I am as an officer, husband, and father. Whether people are Christian, few could argue that Christ was an amazing leader. This man influenced tens of thousands when he was alive and millions after his death. His servant leadership style was so powerful that the Roman empire and high priests of Israel conspired to have him put to death. If I lived by what he said was the most important rule, “do to others as you would have them do to you,” I could excel in all aspects of my life.
Strategies for Leadership Enhancement
Finally, effective analysis must be followed with an effective action plan. The following represents four strategies to implement for further leadership growth:
1. Go to the COA Leadership Conference in 2020
2. Establish an additional senior officer as a mentor
3. During each project over the next 2 quarters ask for some help from direct supervisor
4. Do not take on over 1 project at a time over the next 2 quarters
In sum, a strong leader can influence employees into action. These actions will meet an agency’s goals and satisfy an organization’s mission, vision, and goals. Through self-analysis, peer feedback, training, and evaluations, I developed a strategic enhancement plan to improve my leadership. Leadership questionnaires, evaluations from colleagues, SWOT analysis, and a personal mission statement were used to develop a plan to improve my leadership style and attributes. I am confident that over the next 12 months, my action plan will cause a stronger officer, husband, and father. If I stay dedicated to my personal mission statement, I know I will have tremendous success in life.



References:
Dye, C. F. (2017). Leadership in healthcare: Essential values and skills (3rd Edition). Chicago, Il. Health Administration Press
Hendricks, D. (2014, November 10). Personal mission statement of 13 CEOs and lessons you need to learn. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/drewhendricks/2014/11/10/personal-mission-statement-of-14-ceos-and-lessons-you-need-to-learn/#44fe9f04117d
Vozza, S. (2014, February 25). Personal mission statements of 5 famous CEOs (and why you should write one too). Retrieved from http://www.fastcompany.com/3026791/dialed/personal-mission-statements-of-5-famous-ceos-and-why-you-should-write-one-too
Leadership style test. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.queendom.com/tests/access_page/index.htm?idRegTest=702
Leadership skills: Become an exceptional leader. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/main/newMN_LDR.htm
