2 Assignments Leadership

CASE 1

I took the recommended Leadership Training and Development report: Values in Action Inventory of Strengths assessment. My values identified from this assessment were as follows: love, fairness, kindness, hope, gratitude, honesty, teamwork, leadership, forgiveness, perseverance, humility, perspective, zest, prudence, creativity, judgement, bravery, curiosity, self-regulation, social intelligence, humor, appreciation of beauty & excellence, love of learning, spirituality. I was surprised and overwhelmed with joy to see love as my number one value. Though I have a ton of love to give, I feel that I have a hard time express my love for others. Knowing that this assessment identified love as a significant strength gives me great strength that even though I don’t recognize my outward display of love, it is received by others. I was also surprised to see love of learning so low on the list. I love to learn new things, I’m just not one to pick up a book and read I would rather learn new things using the hands-on method. It is possible that my inability to identify my out-ward displays of love have clouded my perception on thought of a love to learn. I would have thought that leadership and social intelligence would have been higher on the list. I love to lead and mentor the new airman coming into the military. I’m not surprised at all by spiritual and humor being so low on my list. I’m not very good with making jokes, most people only laugh at me when I am trying to be serious. I am not a religious person therefore spiritual feel right where it should have. After taking this self-examination I will need to learn how to use my strength better rather than using my weaknesses. This test was very eye opening for me and will allow me to become a better leader along the way.

I scored fairly high on all sections of the emotional intelligence self-assessment in chapter 3 of Sterret (2006). I scored a 20 on self-awareness, 22 on self-confidence, 19 on self-control, 19 on empathy, 21 on motivation, and 21 on social competency. The results seem to be in line with what I would have expected. I have been the enlisted leader of a section for the last 6 years and have learned if the person working for you, believes you care about them they tend to work much harder to support your efforts. On the leadership assessment I scored mostly 5 or 4 with a couple 3. I completed one assessment and sent three assessments to airmen that previously worked and currently work for me, all the results were relatively comparable. The fellow airmen were initially not able to identify the links between their strengths and weakness’, as I would hope. I think I scored myself lower than the troops scored me, because I tend to have higher expectations for myself than others. It was nice to see how people that have worked for you grade you when it comes to your leadership. It gives me inspiration that I am actually doing a good job leading the personnel under me.

I identified well with the section Develop a language of strengths discussed in Passmore (2012). In this section it states you can expand one’s self-knowledge by seeking feedback, ‘aha’ moments, to establish a clear picture. When I first started the lesson I didn’t believe that I was great at expressing love. I felt that I had always struggled to find ways to show love to everyone I surround myself with. After I talked with my husband Daniel, mother Sharon, and Vicky who is my best friend; I realized that I am much better at expressing love to everyone I encounter than I thought. They helped me realize, that even though I don’t walk around giving kisses or hugs to anyone, those I’m acquainted with to the ones I love more than anything. They showed me that; my kindness, compassion, and my ability to put the needs of those around me above my own are my unique way of showing love. Everyone I encounter has an opportunity to witness my love, though the ones closest to me are the ones able to understand that is my unique way of showing love. I always try and make everyone know how special they are and how awesome it is to be special, I fortunate to know through this feedback that others know this too.

I worked with the previous identified airmen on applying her strengths to re-craft work to enhance her job performance and leadership traits with her airmen, as identified in the Job Fulfilment and Performance section of Passmore (2012). SSgt Janavaris a fellow comptroller airman and an airman I currently mentor had trouble connecting and motivating an unruly Airman First Class. With the tools learned from this section we were able to identify that her strength was honesty followed by teamwork. This helped her understand what is important to her and how to makes her foster her strengths to be a better supervisor. We used her strength honesty to develop an open line of communication; this allowed her specific goals and expectations to be effectively communicated. Second, we were able to use her teamwork strength to foster a better relationship; this established a “One Team One Fight” mentality which helped bring her team together and she has seen an improved work relationship and work product.

Before I began this quiz I was not a strong believer that taking a quiz could definitively tell the strengths or weaknesses of a person or what type of leader or mentor someone is or would become. In my opinion people who typically take quizzes or surveys are either going to be overly critical on themselves or they are not going to be truly honest with themselves. I think the vast majority of people anticipate the person they want to be told they are and they cater their responses to be told what they want to hear not who they actually are. These quizzes have showed me numerous strengths that I knew and agree with, like: love, fairness, kindness, hope, gratitude, honesty, teamwork, leadership, forgiveness. I feel fortunate that even though I know I’m the person who was overly critical on myself this section has taught me the importance of being honest and able to seek the advice or feedback from others to learn more about yourself. If I had not taken this class I would not of reached out to my husband Daniel, mother Sharon, or my best friend Vicky and learned a valuable lesson about how I love and how that is received by others. Though I may not agree with the entire order in which my strengths were listed, I am able to identify that through this section I have grown and learned lessons I would of otherwise not. I still believe that being a leader is mostly about the relationship you develop with your subordinates and your ability to adapt to their strengths and weakness. I think this is the critical component quizzes or surveys cannot capture. This quiz has taught me, and with the information I have learned I am now able to strengthen my previous beliefs and learn more about myself from those closest to me. In closing you have to create a relationship based off each individual and what they need from a leader and this class has fortified those beliefs.

CASE 2

Despite the position which an individual holds, leadership aptitude is very important, especially when moving a person through their career when assuming a leadership role. Employees and organizations who are smart understand this as a significant prerequisite for businesses survival and to establish leadership aptitudes at each level. People are unique, and there is a puzzle of identity or personality (R, 2011). Personality is a combination of sentiments, contemplations, and practices which make people special. Some identity elements are not mistakable to all. They are easier to recognize jokester in a gathering. Various identity elements cannot be displayed to the world outside. Johari window and transactional analysis are a variety of the theories which are important in the cultivation of leadership skills when considering the relationship to others (R, 2011).

The process of accepting and giving criticism is a significant standout among the most important ideas in training. Using this criticism procedure, we are in a position to view ourselves just like others see us. People usually figure out how we see them using feedback. Criticism provides data to a person either verbally or nonverbally. Feedback is usually a response by others as far as recognitions and emotions are considered. Johari window is among the models which highlight the process of receiving as well as giving feedback (Patchin, 2015).

Johari window is among the main models which are used as part of leadership as well as feedback training. The reason behind the use of this model is because there consists of parts where we are known and others we are not known. Knowing this and how it affects how we view ourselves furnishes us with a significant understanding of where we must center. Feedback is usually at the center of understanding what is functioning and what is not functioning (Patchin, 2015). Considering all things except feedback, we must establish our realities. Johari window enables us to think of where knowns and unknowns can be found to make us mindful and to improve our relationships with others. For instance, I should understand that the behavior of my supervisor as being unconscious and disruptive. I should avoid getting frustrated because of any kind of behavior by different people. I must practice achieving emotional stability to avoid anxiety when individuals like my supervisor are around. Consequently, I should attempt to make unknowns of my supervisor like extreme dominance or be work oriented to public quadrant by ensuring that they are known to him and that he understands how others feel about the behavior he portrays (Patchin, 2015).

Transactional analysis insists that in a social setting which is not constrained, we tend to work from these three senses of self-states. These ego states are sentiment arrangements, thinking as well as conducting what we live with and work with. The self-state is the child ego state which is where we act like we used to do in our youthful days. The other one is parent sense of self-state where we act just like parents. The last one is adult ego state of target reality as well as the surroundings. This is a conscience state, and it is produced in a reaction without hesitating. Our identity when complete includes all these self-image states. In a social setting, we usually exhibit the states and at times shifts accidentally from one state to another. For instance, when in front of our supervisors, we may portray child conscience state but when with our subordinates, we tend to display parent sense of self-state. There was a time I was late to submit my report to my supervisor, and after my efforts to explain why I was late, his response was a clear indicator that I am always late and I cannot do better on that side. I found myself worked up and I said to him that he did not have any right to judge me in any case. This is an example of a parent-child transaction. To me, he acted just as a parent, and he scolded me in a way which suggested that he understood my childhood life. There was another time when I counseled my subordinated at work because he was absent without leave. This was a good example of the child to child transaction. Each of these three self-image states improves our lives (Wilson, 2014).

When we call an individual immature, we simply suggest that child ego state has commanded over the other sense of self-states in that person. In whichever case and with some kind of work, people can unleash their lethargic adult ego state. This is worth knowing. This learning about our conduct which advises us concerning what we are doing and this information can help us in grasping other practices arrangements which will most likely provide us with high ground in life. Psychologists make use of the word transaction to mean social intercourse. In social circumstances, one can make a transactional jolt when saying something and other people reacts with a transactional reaction. A transaction is integral and straightforward when both stimulus and reaction from an ego state supplements each other (Patchin, 2015).

The transaction with my supervisor as mentioned above would have been improved by making sure that conversations that are work related must be carried out using adult ego state where both stimulus and responses are done professionally. For example, instead of judging me because of late submission of my report, the supervisor would have asked me why I submitted the report late and then advise me on the consequences of late submission professionally (Barron, 2015). I would also have given a response professionally giving a genuine explanation when I submitted my report late and how I would avoid such lateness in the future. Maintaining professional talks or conversations with adult ego state helps in making sure that professionalism prevails in workplaces. When using adult ego state, people function like computers. They work on information they gather, store it or even use it to settle on choices per rationale based systems. When in this ego state, a person utilizes consistent deduction to handle issues and ensuring that a parent or a child feelings are as per the procedure (Wilson, 2014).

In conclusion, Johari window and transactional analyses are very important models and theories which help in building leadership skills. They enable one to understand how to relate to their juniors and superiors in a workplace. They also help highlight on addressing each other and how to deal with different situations. A leader who prioritize the employees usually give them freedom to talk to him or her and this improves their morale and confidence thus translating to positive input in their jobs.

CASE 3

The 360-degree feedback is an evaluation system that allows an individual to have their performance assessed my multiple raters who interact with them, providing them a clear view of how their activities affect others and how others view their performance (Carelli, 2010). This allows the individual to develop their weak points and provide better performance. The survey sample from Survey Monkey would be the most applicable survey for my organization. The survey was relatively easy to fill, and it focused on the most important parts of one’s performance such as teamwork, ability to work with others and productivity.

The survey also had a good rating mechanism. The rating system had five selections from extremely well to extremely poor which allows the person completing the survey to provide an accurate answer to the questions asked. The survey also addresses each person in the company, which allows everyone to have a 360 survey conducted on themselves. Thus allows each member of the team to have a clear view of how their actions affect those around them. The survey can also be easily customized to the organizational needs. The questions asked are very general but focus on important topics related to one’s performance. These questions can be easily replaced with questions that are more precise to those topics without having to change any other aspect of the survey. The survey also maintains the confidentiality of the raters. The reports do not give the identities of those who took part in assessing an individual but only show the results of that evaluation. This confidentiality will allow the employees to fill out the forms truthfully and give accurate assessments.

When I filled the survey to assess my skills, the report stated that I have good teamwork skills, good productivity, and I have the ability to motivate others. The survey, however, also stated that I have poor people skills and tolerance for criticism as well as a lack of adherence to the work goals given.

The survey was useful to help me identify areas I can improve on. I was able to identify the areas that I excel in and will continue to work to ensure that I continue to perform these functions at a high level. The survey also helped to identify the areas of my performance that require improvement. This will allow me to work hard in those areas and improve my performance so that I can be a better performing employee (Mukherjee, 2014). The survey also helped me to understand myself professionally. I know my strengths, and this will help me chose a career path and development plan that will ensure that I progress in the path that is best suited for me. I was also able to identify my weakness this will allow me to adopt strategies to increase my performance and develop these weaknesses into strengths.

The survey stated that I have poor people skills. People skills are essential for leadership as it allows one to develop positive relations with the followers thereby earning their trust and making them more willing to follow you. I will develop a plan to help improve my people skills. The survey also stated that I have a low tolerance for criticism. Criticism is an important source of self-evaluation. Lack of tolerance for criticism prevents the followers from freely giving their opinions on various issues. Allowing followers to provide constructive criticism is essential to teamwork and team development. If followers cannot be open with their idea the team innovativeness and productivity may decrease. To ensure an increased performance of the team, I will adopt strategies that will allow me to be more tolerant of criticism. The survey also stated I need to improve my commitment to work goals. Commitment to work goals allows one to become more productive. The followers emulate their leader, and since I am not committed to work goals, my followers will not be committed either which will lead to mediocre results. To avoid this, I must be more committed to work goals.

When I took the survey to evaluate my current supervisor, the results were that they are very helpful and available to the employees and consistently reward and punish behavior as well as give feedback. They are, however, unable to motivate the staff and relate with them. I believe that these results were fair to my supervisor since I ensured that I had the least personal bias possible when filling out the form. I only used my personal experiences to judge his character and skipped the questions that I wasn’t sure of (Carelli, 2010). I ensured that I did not use my knowledge of his personal life or relationships as a factor in answering my questions.

The main areas for improvement were his ability to motivate staff and relate well with them. My supervisor has few positive relations with the employees, and this greatly affects his ability to manage the staff. The employees see him as closed off, and this reduces their trust in him. I believe that he needs to work on developing his people skills and particularly his emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand the feelings of others and have full control over personal emotions. This will enable him to foster better relationships with the staff. Better relationships will then enable him to easily motivate his followers since they will trust and believe in him and his decisions.

After taking the survey twice, I believe that the survey is appropriate for use by the organization. The survey offered questions that are quick and easy to answer, and it had a rating scale that would allow one to give an appropriate answer to the questions asked. The survey also focused on all the areas that are crucial to one’s performance such as productivity, commitment to work goals, people skills, and teamwork. I believe that these factors made the survey appropriate for use by the organization.

The survey also asked questions that are necessary for myself and the supervisor. The supervisor form asked questions about his availability to the staff, his helpfulness, consistency with the reward and punishment, people relations and ability to motivate the employees. These questions are in line with the supervisor’s job which is to manage the staff and to assure that they provide the best production. The questions also tested the critical elements of the supervisor’s skills in achieving their work goals and objectives. The self-assessment form tested one’s commitment to work goals, ability to work with others, tolerance to criticism and professionalism. These are all important factor on determining if the employee is a good fit for the organization. The survey allows an employee to understand their strengths and weaknesses and compare their self-perception to other people’s views so that they can have a clear picture of their true performance. The questions were easy to answer and relate to one’s roles and duties as an employee. There are several questions that I believe could be added to each form. For an example I would add the question; how comfortable are you when going to the supervisor for help? For the self-evaluation questions similar to the following question would be beneficial. How competent do you think you are to tackle your job?

Several pitfalls would be encountered when carrying out this survey. One of them is the potential for bias when filling out the forms. People may be biased when filling out the forms and give incorrect information. May employees tend to praise themselves or use this as a chance to defame some of their colleagues or even use personal relationships as a factor when providing the answers. This would lead to incorrect assessments (Lepsinger & Lucia, 2009). The employees may also intentionally give incorrect assessments due to fear of retaliation and lack of confidentiality. There could also be a disparity among the self-assessments and the rater’s assessment due to the individuals giving themselves a lot of self-praise to avoid any retaliation for poor performance.

To overcome these pitfalls the company must ensure that each employee understands the importance of being honest and unbiased while completing the assessment. I would explain to these raters the importance of the assessment and encourage them to use only the behavior they have seen to answer the questions and not any aspect of one’s personality or personal life. The organization can also go to extraordinary lengths to ensure confidentiality of the results and the rater’s identity to ensure that they are comfortable giving their honest reports about the individual’s performance. I would also explain that the 360- degree feedback is only for personal development and not to be used for any reward, punishment or promotion activities. This would ensure that the individuals remain honest with their self-assessment answers and there would be less discrepancy between the self-assessment and the rater’s assessment results.