Leadership

Leadership

Leadership

Task One

Leadership can be defined in many ways. Webster defines leadership as "a term. . . generally applied to qualities and forces existing within an organization (usually centered in the top executives) which motivate, guide and direct individuals". (Stress, 2001)

There are numerous important leadership traits that must be part of the definition of a good leader. The most important of these are honesty, forward looking, inspirational, competency and intelligence. (Shead, 2007) Honesty, showing people that you are honest even when it means admitting to a mistake, displays a key trait that people are looking for in their leaders. Forward looking, a good leader will have a clear vision of the future. They will formulate a plan to get from where they are to where they want to be. Inspirational, being inspirational is usually just a matter of communicating clearly and with passion. Being inspiring can be as simple as telling people how your organization is going to change the world. Competency, a leader need not be an expert in every area but rather be able to demonstrate overall competency in their department. Intelligence, a leader must possess basic knowledge of their fields in which they work. This knowledge should be always be expanding with time. (Shead, 2007)

In this paper I will be trying to evaluate and describe my personal leadership style. There are many styles of leadership styles and I don't feel I fit 100% into any of them. By describing my traits and styles I hope to present a clear leadership type. I will list my strengths and weaknesses and formulate a plan to address these weaknesses.

I have been in different leadership positions for the last 15 years. In that time I have had many influences and have altered my styles numerous times based on the position and or personnel under my direct supervision.

I have a technical background and most of my directions come from past experiences and knowledge of the assigned tasks. Though I do not claim to know everything in my department I do have a working knowledge of most tasks. This allows me to plan and schedule tasks fairly accurately, gives me opportunities to provide some direct training and gives me a working connection with the employees. I believe that this type of background allows me to influence and motivate the workers on a technical level.

No matter what the task or project is I dedicate myself to completing it in the most efficient way possible without sacrificing the quality that is expected by my superiors. This level of dedication and commitment is something I display and expect from my employees.

I try to relate to my employees on a personnel level as much as possible. This is a delicate process, I remind myself that it is important not to get "too close" as this can effect clear business decisions when it comes to downsizing or discipline.

I feel it is important to solicit the employees input on decisions or policies which directly affect ...