Leadership Reflection Essay

Suppose that I’m working for an It company as a project manager. The chosen mentor is a technology guru. My personality type is Logistician (ISTJ-A). In this assignment you will conduct an interview with your selected mentor and observe him or her. You will then write a reflective essay based on your observations.

Introduction

In the contemporary organizational world enriched with modern trends, the role of a leader is vital for the successful environment and performance of various organizations. Therefore, the development of effective leadership skills and abilities is very important to help achieve personal, intrapersonal, and professional skills. Effective leadership begins with integrity, hard work, effective perception, craft dimensions of the work, and being self-aware (Northouse, 1999). As for me, I have a logistician ISTJs personality type who tends to work within clearly defined systems and act as a cautious leader who leads a team at the workplace with clear, logical, and consistent directions. This simply means that a leader has to work hard to intimately comprehend their strengths as well as weaknesses to grow professionally and interpersonally in their work environment. Moreover, a leader is responsible for an array of developing a culture of respect for team members, modelling ways in which values or principles are congruent with behavior, and having a strong sense of core values to practice a higher level of professionalism (Bambrick-Santoyo, 2018). This paper reflects on the impacts of effective leadership while being mentored by a technology guru in an interview and three face-to-face meetings to explore the necessary characteristics and traits that are necessary for better organizational output.

Part A

Observational Goals and Objectives

Many people believe that leadership quality can be referred to as the ability to be able to get individuals to work so that they can help contribute towards the success of the organization (Dotlich et al., 2011). However, both the concept and practice are more complex than that. Leadership actually relates to how an individual with certain qualities utilizes his/her influence over other workers at the workplace by motivating, inspiring, and directing their activities to help them follow a certain direction for the performance and success of the enterprise (Ulrich and Smallwood, 2012). After taking this course, learning from the mentors, reading numerous articles on effective leadership, and observing gurus and how they carry out the role of a leader, I have configured a much clearer understanding of what the concept of leadership entails in the workforce. While starting my road into leadership, I reflect on how to become an effective leader in any organization through my weaknesses, strengths, and abilities and what that means for me as a prospective leader. I have formed the understanding that leadership includes the strengths and abilities shown by individuals in management roles, such as conflict resolution, communication, decision-making, negotiation, and more capabilities that aid in encouraging people toward accomplishing an objective for the success of the organization (Elenkov, 2002).

Mentorship/Leadership Roles and Company Operations

As for me, I have a logistician ISTJs personality type which I believe to be particularly effective in the environment of the IT Company where I am currently serving as a project manager. As the project manager in the enterprise following a logistician ISTJs personality, I analyze the situation using facts and figures in a methodological and practical manner. This helps me influence and persuade other workers, as logisticians with ISTJ-A traits are predominantly enterprising individuals who are natural and willful leaders (Ahmad et al., 2020). In the workforce, I consider every factor in the work process to make clear and rational decisions with effectiveness in mind, as logisticians are analytical in their approach to working and are always loyal to the people they have committed to.

Logisticians ISTJ-A is the type the leaders who embody integrity, responsibility, and loyalty in their work to stay focused on their goals because these personality characteristics are a strong sentiment for logistician personalities (Dafoulas et al., 2019). Moreover, an individual with logistician personality traits works to make the best use of each individual’s qualities as they fulfill their duties to the organization and make others work hard as well for the organization and people logisticians have committed themselves to (Sardjono, 2023). This leadership style also helps me set high standards for achieving work goals at the workplace depending on the situation to achieve fast results. However, as a logistician, the only weakness I have to bear in my personality is when I am loaded with work, I hit a point sooner or later where I cannot effectively deliver. Moreover, as I heap the responsibility on myself so, when I cannot deliver and fail, I feel the responsibility for failure is mine alone to bear. So, I work through workloads and problems while making exacting decisions based on logical data until the problems are solved or finished.

The leadership skills and insights I personally feel interested in observing are relationship building, empathy, innovation, strategic approach, influence, motivating action, and communication. These are all soft skills that can help an individual in fostering his/her personal as well as professional growth. Such leadership skills also illuminate the leader’s motivations by reviewing the developmental goals and plans of the leader in an organizational context (Riggio and Tan, 2013). Leadership skills, therefore, are the abilities that allow an individual to delegate responsibilities, motivate action, guide organization, and respond to constructive feedback effectively. When observing a leader’s skill to follow their footsteps, the methods of observation vary depending on the style, information, and level of self-awareness of the leader (Alavi and Gill, 2017).

Observations

Observing a leader during their routine activities is all about the identification of the unique leader’s expertise and strengths based on the variety of behaviors, stressors, and situations (Hannah et al., 2009). Observing a mentor may vary based on team meetings, negotiation with people, presentations, difficult conversations with workers as well as clients, and client interactions in particular. An observer can focus on his/her observation process through different mediums, including interviews, meetings, gaining personal insights, and observing what and how the mentor carries out his/her routine activities within a work environment to foster the process of project management (Kolltveit et al., 2007). It can only be done by incorporating an observer’s all sensory perceptions, devoting time actively, and putting enough energy to focus on the mentor during the observation session (Ahmed et al., 2013). Utilizing mediums of interviews and meetings while being actively focused through all the senses during observation helps in reviewing a leader’s developmental goals and plans.

Methods of Data Collection

This reflection assessment about leadership and mentorship uses interviews, meetings, and personal observations as the method for data collection. All the methods that were utilized within real-life contexts investigated the assessment, like a case study through the qualitative research method. The data collected through multiple sources of evidence, including observation and interview, was then analyzed to identify and explore the role of leadership within a work environment that emerged from the data and instructions that the mentor provided. Data collection methods for the present case study are curated as under:

Initial Interview with the Mentor

During the interview session with the technology guru to gain insight into the interpersonal skills to help me thrive in my company, I asked several questions regarding the use of technology at work, use of online resources, experience with specific technologies, and experience with certain technology-related issues. The purpose of this interview, in this case, the study, was to determine what unique skills, technical requirements, and abilities are needed to work across the organization in order to function and collaborate effectively with a team in the workforce. He used an effective word choice when asked, “What online resources do you use in your organization to help you manage your enterprise?” to which he answered that once he felt struck with an analytics tool when he tried to integrate it into his company’s database. He continued that he sought help from the online community of gurus providing their solution-oriented insights dedicated to that particular analytics tool product. Other questions, including his IT methodology and IT skills, included “How do you ensure quality and authentication in your deliverables from your organization?” and “What technical skills, abilities, and strengths do you think are significant for a project manager’s position?” Moreover, he was asked certain informal questions, such as “Can you please curate a list of elements that are necessary for a successful time and the reason why they are important?”

Meetings

The meetings with the mentor, both in person and with the IT company’s team, were exciting, insightful, and informative experiences. I attended three face-to-face meetings with a technology guru who was well-versed in his respective field. The meetings provided an opportunity to learn valuable insights into the new technological trends and the latest technological resources in the ever-emerging field of information technology. The mentor also directed how the company and individuals working in it should have a clear agenda before planning a meeting with a well-versed guru so that they can learn about the products, trends, skills, and services that can help the organization stay ahead of the competition in the respective market. The agenda, as the mentor suggested, should include specific topics and related questions that would be discussed or argued during the meeting. He also suggested companies should have a clearer preparation and understanding of their objectives and goals before the meeting. The way he used his soft skill of effective communication while suggesting all the above-mentioned tips and tricks helped ensure the team, as well as myself, that everyone in the meeting was on the same page and learning from a mentor who is well-informed about the topics related to technology required and utilized in an IT company for the management of IT-related projects. Moreover, the agenda of discussing all that a company and the individuals needed was to ensure that the meeting stayed focused on the specific topics and questions at hand. Finally, everyone in the team provided feedback while following up after the meeting to make sure that every action item was clearly defined and well understood by the team. The feedback and follow-up, by all means, help build relationships with the mentor and the related industry experts in the field of information technology.

Observations of Mentorship in Practice

While being the post of project manager, the mentor I feel grateful to work with was a technology guru who always encouraged his subordinates to identify their weaknesses and use their strengths often. The way I observed my mentor was through his energy, leadership style, passion, interaction with people, strategic approach, and overall leadership effectiveness. He used to motivate a group of people to identify where they could translate their strengths into new situations by detecting skills that need practice so that they can be polished to yield organizational benefits. I learned from him how a leader must be perceptive enough to have so many coats and hats in hand but should know when to wear each one. Similarly, a leader should know what role he/she should play at a certain time depending on the situation and context, as the role of the leader is always contingent upon the goals and objectives of the organization he/she committed themselves to.

Another example of observation is how the mentor used word choice to emphasize the importance of communication and presentation within a work environment. The leader was observed meticulously during all the personal as well as team meetings and interviews. As a project manager in position, I took note of his word choice, articulation, voice volume and pitch, cadence, and most importantly word choice. I observed how my mentor used to manage resistance while effectively communicating with the team members in the meantime. I realized the importance of effective communication as an essential skill in the workplace that ensures individuals pick the right communication method to inspire others, meet the audience’s requirements, and avoid misunderstandings.

Evidence of Effective Leadership Practice/Malpractice

In the context of the IT company I worked in and the leadership practices, effective leadership skills could be seen in setting clear expectations and goals for the organization, promoting innovation and new technological trends, and providing support and feedback to the workers in order to create a positive work environment. However, the company also faced malpractice that impacted the organization as well as individuals committed to the enterprise. That malpractice included a lack of transparency due to non-effective management, failure to adapt to ever-changing circumstances due to new technological trends, micromanagement, and poor communication that was rectified post-following-up with the mentor after attending three face-to-face meetings and an interview with the guru.

Part B

Commentary on Own Leadership Practice

Impacts of the Leadership Practices on Staff and Organization

Leadership practices can have a significant impact on staff, all stakeholders, mentor themselves, and the organization of the observed events and activities, including organizing, maintaining processes, leveraging mistakes as a source of learning, planning active leadership skills, and engaging a critical mass of leaders and all stakeholders (Hawkins, 2009). Moreover, these practices impact organizations in numerous ways, including focusing on leadership transformation to ensure alignment on objectives and mission, driving strategic initiatives, committing people to reach a tipping point, and inspiring confidence in the face of challenges for sustained impact (Hurduzeu, 2015).

Implementation of Leadership Practices for Improving Organizational Output

Improving leadership practices help achieve improved organizational output. The mentor suggested some personal tips and tricks for improving organizational leadership skills that included being proactive as a manager, understanding co-workers as well as the audience, and asking for constructive feedback. He also added that developing a personal leadership philosophy, holding workers accountable for malpractice, promoting community, and encouraging transparency can drive outcomes-focused results. As a project manager in a renowned IT company, detail orientation and organization of the work in a structured environment due to my logistician personality type also helped me primarily focus on performance and hold my team members accountable. As suggested by the technology guru and based on my logistician (ISTJ) personality abilities, it is inferred that leadership practices that drive better results include getting each one of the staff members on the same page while communicating strategy and direction (Hagberg, 2006).

Personal Leadership Approach vs Mentor’s Leadership Practices

The personality type I have is Logistician ISTJ which refers to an individual that has quite a natural, observant, and rational outlook on work. On the contrary, the technology guru has a mix of instructional and transformational leadership styles. I believe that he encouraged, exhibited, and promoted excellence in all his strategies. With his collaborative instructions and efforts, my instructional leadership abilities have also developed a bit because I was constantly observing, learning, expanding, and implementing my personal knowledge base from the mentor. The conversations during the meetings about tools, trends, and resources of technology with me as well as his staff members, led to a greater understanding of the need for solid skill leadership in the field of information technology.

Evaluation and Conclusion

A technology guru who has a reputation for being “well-versed in technological trends” was recommended for mentoring individuals. The mentor has an IT company of his own and a prospective team that serves the organization to yield the best organizational output as compared to the other companies in the market. From the very beginning, there was no resistance to being mentored on my part as the mentor had refined and effective leadership as well as communication skills. So, there was an agreement to explore, learn, implement, active observation, and assessments through the mediums of meetings and an interview. The observation entailed watching and observing the guru implementing different tools, using word choice for effective communication, and with the staff in his working environment. The guru’s interaction and communication were enriched with massive respect and a positive tone with the staff and other stakeholders of the company during meetings. Through careful observation, the positivity in his behavior was obvious that delivered the impact that is necessary for better organizational outcomes. The power of observation and follow-up with the technology guru about technical issues as well as queries regarding the management of the organization and answers related to effective leadership practices, brought daily consciousness to the behaviors, implementations, and management in the IT company that need refining (Dessler and Starke, 2004).

In conclusion, organizations need leaders with strong and effective leadership skills that have significant impacts on both top talents and bottom hard work. Leadership skills achieve the organization’s mission, goals, and vision while handling complex work to invest the best in the market. Developing a prospective leader significantly impacts the organization, professional abilities, and interpersonal growth. This case study provided me with the opportunity to be mentored by a technology guru, observe his analytical, technological, and problem-solving skills, and learn new insights and tools for the management of projects and an IT organization.

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