All leaders have strengths and
weaknesses, they are human after all, the key to being a great leader is
knowing how to accentuate your strengths and compensate for your
weaknesses. Richard Branson believes
that "the art of delegation is one of the key
skills any entrepreneur must master” (Fenoli, 2014), through this delegation he
has stated that he doesn’t need to be and expert in every area of business he
just needs to hire people who are. This
seems to be a smart way to conduct business and run a company, one person is
not going to have all the answers, though many leaders try to achieve that,
when a leader knows and understands their weaknesses they are able to rely on
those around them to fill in the gaps.
My distinctive strength is that I tend to perform well under pressure; I make better decisions when
pressured than when I have time to think about it. I have quick reactions and am able to find
solutions to time sensitive issues. In
the past, others have sought out my advice and help when faced with crisis
knowing I will be able to find a solution.
I tend to put just enough pressure on myself to increase my focus but
not enough to be extremely stressful.
My potential
strength is empowering others. Inspiring and
empowering others has always been my passion, which is why I entered the
teaching profession. Watching employees
learn and grow is one of the most rewarding parts of being a leader. Northouse (2016) defined empowering as
allowing followers the freedom to be independent, make decisions on their own,
and be self-sufficient. As a leader,
taking the opportunity to mold your employees into successful individuals is
extremely satisfying.
My Enduring Dispositions that support me are
determination and caring. I have always
been a determined person; once I start something I will always see it through
to the end no matter the outcome. This
has helped pull me through many difficult tasks at work; I have a hard time
giving up on things so I tend to find a way to drive myself to the end. I am a caring person by nature, which can be
an asset as a leader as long as it doesn’t cloud one’s judgment. So far for me, it has helped more than it has
hindered my leadership skills.
As for my
weaknesses, I have a few I know I need to work on such as being and staying
positive, the way I handle stress, and not being overly emotional. My weakness, the thing I know I don’t do well
and I want to do better, is my tendency to have a pessimistic outlook. I have always looked at the negative side of
situations. This served me well in the
past as I was prepared for the worst that helped me cope when it did occur and
when anything positive happened it was a huge relief, however, I understand
that it is not a healthy way to live. I
am working on finding the positive side of situations. Fredrickson (2013) pointed out a single day
in which negative emotion prevails has the countervailing force of three good
days” (p. 6). Positivity is something I
need to work on.
The weakness I want to change is the way I
handle stress. On the outside, I am
controlled and put together, but on the inside, I am second guessing myself and
holding on to certain levels of guilt. When I am extremely stressed and
do not have the opportunity to walk away and calm down, I tend to become overly
focused on the issue at hand, which results in tunnel vision. This causes me to dwell on every little
decision I make which usually results in my overthinking a situation and not
making the best decision possible. When
I have a complex problem that I need to think about I should use what Whetten and Cameron (2011) would describe as a reactive
strategy, which are applied on-the-spot remedies to temporarily relieve the
effects of stress, and take some time alone to process the information
before either presenting it to others or asking for help. This would help me to handle situations
better.
My enduring disposition that sometimes gets in
my way is my tendency to be overly emotional in certain situations. I tend to become overly emotionally involved
and that has gotten in my way in the past.
I am aware that I need to work on it but it is sometimes too late before
I catch myself. As Boyatzis and McKee (2005) indicated, “resonant leaders manage
their emotions well and read individuals and groups accurately” (p. 22).
Most people are aware of the
things they do well, some are even aware of the things they don’t do well, it is
taking the time to improve these things that can be difficult. People often have a difficult time admitting
they need to work on certain skills; to some, it is a form of weakness. I see it as an opportunity to find new ways
to become a better person, which will lead to becoming a better leader. A great leader is always improving on their
strengths and finding ways to compensate or counteract their weaknesses.
Boyatzis, R. &
McKee, A. (2005). Resonant Leadership (5th ed.). Harvard Business
Press.
Feloni, R. (2014). Richard Branson's 10 rules for being a
great leader. Retrieved July
03, 2016, from http://www.businessinsider.com/richard-bransons- leadership-rules-2014-10
Fredrickson, B. L. (2013). Updated Thinking on Positivity
Ratios. American
Psychologist. Advance online publication.
doi: 10.1037/a0033584
Northouse, P. G.
(2016). Leadership: Theory and practice. Los Angeles: SAGE
Publications.
Whetten, D. A., & Cameron, K. S. (2011). Developing
Management Skills (E. Svendsen
Ed. 8th ed.). Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
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