My Profile As A Leader
To interpret my profile as a leader, I started by taking the recommended test on MindTools, entitled “How good are your leadership skills?” – the description of my results was that I was on my way to become a good leader; Nevertheless, there is always room for improvement. Looking for some deeper insights on my results, I realized that there were some areas in which my results were far from what I wished them to be. Hence, likewise everyone, I do have some strengths/skills and some weak attributes as well.
Regarding my strengths, I could say I am a confident person, in a way that I am self-conscient – that is, I know myself well and know in what type of tasks and situations I can add value to. However, I often feel anxious about future objectives or challenges in which I want to thrive – hence, in those cases, I feel that the pressure I put on my back is so big, and I can be so self-demanding that the anxiety I create only makes my confidence go down; and in the end, I give in to the stress and pressure of the situation, making me feel extremely angry and inefficient.
On the other hand, I know that the first step to overcome a problem is to accept it – thus, so that I can improve my leadership skills, I have to develop a positive mindset and accept that setbacks will happen every now and then, and that my stress will only contribute to make it worse; I have to develop a different perspective that allows me to face the situations realistically and to always be prepared to adapt to a new scenario, that is, to be more flexible and “think outside the box” whenever I have to. Regarding my emotional intelligence, that is, my ability to express my emotions and to handle interpersonal relationships, I think it is good. I believe that people can only get their work properly done and succeed in their tasks when everything else is fine as well – that is, I believe that personal problems affect people’s work. Hence, I always make sure that whenever I am part of a team all the group elements are okay, otherwise they will feel emotionally tired, distressed and the work will not be productive – thereby contributing to their personal problems. This vision enforces my role as a leader in a way that I put myself in a position in which my team feels they can trust me not only with work problems, but also with personal problems, thus creating a bond that goes beyond respect – it regards friendship and trust as well, hence promoting a better work environment.
Like I previously mentioned, I enjoy when my co-workers trust me and tell me what worries them. When I am aware of their problems, I know that I can help them by talking to them and letting them know that I am there in case they need me. I provide them support and stimulation, and that shows on work as well: I know that people need new challenges and to develop their skills. Hence, to keep my colleagues interested, I always consider everyone’s skills and interests to match people with tasks. I also motivate them by setting goals and selling a vision – I always like to emphasize teamwork and recognize that when people get together, great things can be achieved.
Moreover, I truly believe that this only works because I never demand from others more than I demand for myself – that is, I am never the exception to my own rules, I am supposed to be the role model, as every other leader. “Leading by example” shows integrity and commitment to work – in that case, people will show respect regardless of the position of authority, as I will inspire people because am I worthy of my power and authority, not simply because I have a given position or status.
After this self-reflection on my strengths/skill and my weaker characteristics, I think it is fair to say that my weaker attributes are my negativity regarding the future, which can be improved by trying to adapt better to changes in circumstances/scenarios and not so much by stressing about the situations.
