Leadership is a critical skill that young aspiring professionals must develop to become a better employee in the workplace. Throughout my lifetime I have been exposed to life experiences, educational preparation, and work experiences that have helped me enhance my leadership abilities and skills. To develop my leadership skills, I must apply these three concepts: authenticity, integrity, and innovative thinking (Friedman, 2008). In my interpersonal relationships with others I have always applied the principle of authenticity.
I never act in a manner that is different than my true values and always treat others with respect. A good leader must make decisions based on integrity. During my last year of high school, I volunteered at a non-profit organization. This experience helped me develop my leadership abilities because I was given several tasks and responsibilities by the manager of the organization. I always took me work at this non-profit seriously and displayed integrity throughout my tenure working at the non-profit. On several occasions, I applied innovative thinking to resolve small problems and issues that I faced.
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As I move forward in my professional life leadership is going to play a key role in any job I work. Due to its importance, I must develop a plan of action to enhance my leadership abilities. Five of the components of leadership are self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills (Goleman, 2004). There are many different experiences that can help me become a better leader. First and utmost I must focus on my education to grow my leadership. While I am in college I plan on taking several elective courses that teach leadership to students. I can also practice my leadership in any course I take because most college courses include at least one team project. During these team projects, I plan on asking for the team leader spot so that I can apply leadership while leading my work teams. The overall performance of these teams will give me an idea on how my leadership abilities are being developed. Effective leaders differ in their personalities, strengths, weaknesses, values, and beliefs (Drucker, 2004).
As continue my leadership journey in college another part of my leadership development plan is to obtain a part-time job. Work experience helps build character which is an important trait that leaders possess. Irrelevant of the position that I obtain in the part-time job, there are always ways in which an employee can demonstrate leadership and motivation. Inspiring your co-workers to reach a higher level of performance is an example of demonstrating leadership in the workplace. If I am exposed to team projects at this job I can apply Belbin team roles descriptions which include being a shaper, resource investigator, and implementer (“Belbin North America”, 2015). Being a college student gives me the opportunity to ask my supervisor for assistance in enhancing my leadership abilities. A way that I can benefit from my work experience beyond my duties is to enter a mentorship-protégé arrangement with my immediate supervisor.
Developing my leadership skills is imperative towards my success as a professional in the future. Young people must place importance in developing this critical skill because doing so opens opportunities in the workplace such as the potential to become a supervisor or manager at your place of work. So far in my life I have been able to develop partially my leadership abilities, but I still have a lot to learn. I plan on continuing looking for ways to improve my leadership skills due to its importance. In the future one of my long-term plans is to become a manager of a major corporation. To achieve to goal is going to requires arduous work and commitment.
