Running Head: LEADERSHIP 1

Leadership

Name

Class

Date
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Introduction

Leadership entails skills such as the ability of an individual to influence a common group

to work towards achieving set goals or targets. This happens through the coordination of an

individual or group of individuals identified as leaders. Prior to achieving those goals, it is

essential for leaders to have an understanding of themselves (Heifetz & Linsky, 2014. pp. 29-30).

The implication is that there is a need to conduct a self-assessment by any leader before

assuming the position or steering a group towards the achievement of any goals. Self-assessment

is an essential virtue of good leadership that involves an individual in a position of authority

taking time to examine himself/herself and have a good understanding of the strengths and

weaknesses. Self-assessment also helps a good leader to be aware of and acknowledge the areas

that require intervention strategies such as improvement and learning (Heifetz & Linsky, 2014.

pp. 29-30).

There are different ways through which a leader can conduct self-evaluations such as

conducting a personality test. Some of the most common self-evaluation strategies include

Predictive Index and Myers-Briggs tests. These tests are essential in conducting self-reflection. It

is important to note that they do not act as actual predictors and are also not perfect in terms of

measuring such capabilities. However, given that they facilitate self-reflection, they assist the

end-users in being able to identify their strengths and weaknesses as well as understand the bases

for arriving at their decisions (Heifetz & Linsky, 2014. pp. 29-30).

The Core Responsibilities of Leadership

The ability of a leader to maintain order within the group he/she is tasked to head

determines the quality of that leader. There are a few things that a good leader should be able to
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achieve such as enforcing change as well as steering a team towards the successful achievement

of its goals. This implies that there are lots of responsibilities vested on leaders, some of which

may not be favored by all members of the team (Heifetz & Linsky, pp. 49-51). The core

responsibilities of leadership revolve around the three core areas of functioning that are the task

at hand, the team, and the individual. The task represents the activities that the team has to

engage in to work towards the laid out goals. It is the duty of the leaders to coordinate the

activities that help steer the team to work towards those goals. The team refers to the individuals

under a specific leader. The leader is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the team is

able to function on its way to achieving the set goals. The individual, on the other hand,

represents the specific team members. It is the duty of the leader to motivate as well as develop

each team member to explore the full potential. The team leader has to begin by offering self-

motivation before being able to motivate the other team members (Heifetz & Linsky, 2014. pp.

53).

Technical vs. Adaptive Challenges

Different forms of challenges are likely to occur in the event one is offering leadership.

Different challenges have different solutions, while, some may share the same solutions. The

main challenges that are likely to occur in leadership are classified into two broad groups that

include technical challenges and adaptive challenges. Their causes are also likely to differ.

Technical challenges refer to those challenges that can be solved by applying the knowledge of

experts (Heifetz & Linsky, 2014. pp. 28). Technical challenges are easy to identify as well as

define given that they are usually clear-cut regarding the solutions that must be taken to solve

them. Adaptive challenges, on the other hand, are situations that present challenges that do not

have any known solutions. In such cases, there may be many solutions that do not have clear
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choices. It is for this reason that they are known as “adaptive’ which also refers to their nature.

The implication is that they are usually dynamic and are bound to change with the prevailing

circumstances (Heifetz & Linsky, 2014. pp. 31).

At the task level, the leader has the responsibility of identifying and defining the task,

allocating the necessary resources, and checking the quality of the work being undertaken while

evaluating the progress. Regarding the team, the leader has the responsibility of ensuring that the

team has the right spirit of working towards the set goals and keeping an open channel of

communication for the purposes of the ease of communication. At the individual level, it is the

duty of the leader to ensure that the individual team members are able to make use of their

abilities and offer them constructive feedback on their individual performances (Heifetz &

Linsky, 2014 pp. 70-72).

Personal Attributes

Strengths

I have received several appraisals from people I led before referring to me as a leader. I

have had the opportunity to solve several customer complaints that left some imagining me to be

a manager. There are cases where some clients recommended me for a managerial role. I have

the ability to compose myself in difficult situations and also take control of certain situations that

may seem difficult. I possess a positive attitude and I like to inspire other team members to do

better. Personally, I have not been in a position of a long-term leadership role, but have been able

to stand out in cases where I was assigned short-term leadership roles. I like creating an enabling

environment for people around me to put in their best efforts and I like to praise good work. I

recognize then power of appreciating the input of others and I make it a priority to appraise good
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work while encouraging poor performance. These aspects have enabled me to have excellent

conflict-resolution skills and my team members usually have confidence in me.

Weaknesses

I often want to believe that I have weaknesses and that makes up one of my greatest

weaknesses. I tend to have excessive confidence that usually leads me to making certain

avoidable mistakes. I also like to lead by example, which is a good thing. However, I tend to take

up most of the tasks and complete them alone in events that the team members are not able to

accomplish them as expected. This leaves me with the desired experience and I tend to deny my

team members the opportunity to learn through the challenges and develop themselves. Lastly, I

am poor when it comes to enforcing discipline given that I tend to be excessively empathetic and

soft. This is likely to leave me with an indisciplined team in future. It also makes it tricky for me

as a leader to initiate changes that may be essential within the groups I lead.

Development Recommendations

I have to apply some of the best strategies that are aligned with the practices of

transformational leadership that include improving my communication and reporting skills. This

will help me in handing in accurate reports to my superiors and not having to cover the

weaknesses of my team members. It will not only go a long way in helping in their personal

development, but also help me develop myself as a leader. I can also incorporate teamwork and

embrace the characteristics of firmness to be able to enforce group policies as well as discipline

within the teams that I lead.

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References

Heifetz, R. A., & Linsky, M. (2014). Adaptive Leadership: The Heifetz Collection (3 Items).

Harvard Business Review Press.