Kathleen Banta

OL-125-T4848
2-4 Final Project Milestone One: Personality and Self-Concept

Leadership can be easily defined as the action of guiding a group of people or an organization.

And while the definition might be simple, the act of leading can be daunting. All aspects of your

personality come to the forefront and are put on display for a team. While there is no one set of

traits that guarantee quality leadership, knowing one’s own personality helps create the potential

for growing into a leadership position.

When I consider who I want to be as a leader, I can find many strengths within my personality

that are valued. One of these are my collaboration skills. According to my Module One Big 5

Personality assessment, I work well with a group. I can see the various skills and talents of those

around me and can motivate them to achieve the best results for the team. “You might be

comfortable working alone but that will not lead to the best results. Having a team supporting

you regardless of the members’ gender, age or race is one of the best ways to achieve greater

results. Collaboration skills as well as intercultural sensitivity are considered to be key strengths

as a leader.”1 I have always worked around diverse group of employees and understand that

differences are what foster new ideas and ways of getting things done. Along those same lines

fall my other strength: openness. I appreciate routine and structure, but I can see the value in

creativity. In this fast-paced world, all businesses must adapt to changes quickly. By welcoming
1
IMD. (n.d.). Key Leadership Strengths You Need to Learn Today. Retrieved March 13, 2020,
from https://www.imd.org/tbl/leadership-reflections/leadership-strengths/
 and fostering creativity amongst staff members, new ideas and strategies can be presented and

implemented quickly.

There are still areas of improvement that I need to address if I want to become the best leader I

can be. The most glaring is my lack of trust. “New leaders often either micromanage employees

or take on more tasks than they can handle, all because they don't trust their teams to perform as

well as they do.”2 I am prone to perfectionism and expect everyone to work on the same level as

me. The adage “if you want something do right, you have to do it yourself” has always rung true

to me. However, if I want to grow as a leader, I must accept that others are able to complete the

tasks assigned to them without my constant assistance. The improvement that I believe will be

the most difficult for me to make is empathy, or my lack thereof. Because I can leave my

personal life at the door and use work as an escape, I expect others to do the same.

Understanding that others cannot compartmentalize the same way is difficult for me. I feel that if

I am to be the leader I want to be, I need to be able to put myself in the other person’s shoes and

appreciate the perspective that that brings.

Being a great leader is not something that happens overnight. It takes hard work and dedication.

It also requires a person takes a deep, critical look at themselves and their personality. Engrained

within the best are traits that bring out the best in their team. The best are also able to know

where their shortcomings are and have the willingness to work to improve. I believe that I

2
Kuligowski, K. (2019, February 18). 6 Leadership Weaknesses and How to Fix Them. Retrieved
March 13, 2020, from https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7047-leadership-improvement.html
already have many traits that will allow me to be a strong leader. By accepting that I have

weaknesses, I have already started down the path to improvement. In the future, when I am

placed into a leadership position, I will have the skills necessary to lead a team to success.