Leadership Development Plan Final

7/28/2019 Leadership Development Plan Final

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Contents

1.0 INTRODUCTION ........................................................... 3

1.1 Leadership in the modern world .............................. 42.0 Aspired Leadership style ............................................. 4

3.0 Analysis of strengths and weaknesses ........................ 6

4.0 Self Analysis .............................................................. 7

4.1 current attributes ..................................................... 7

4.2 Future attributes ....................................................... 9

5.0 strategies to develop into a Leader .......................... 10

6.0 References ............................................................... 11

7.0 appendix ................................................................... 12

Appendix 1 .................................................................... 12

Appendix 2 .................................................................... 13

Appendix 3 .................................................................... 15

Appendix 4 .................................................................... 18

Appendix 5 .................................................................... 19


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1.0 INTRODUCTION

Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality Warren Bennis

In life we all have a vision,a dream, a fantasy but few of us have what it takes to

make it a reality ,most of us would think back and say Oh that was just a random

wild though that I had when I was young but the hard fact is that anything is

possible with the right balance of application and effort which is where leadership

plays a key role ,in many of our lives our dreams and visions are often

complicated to the point that they cannot be achieved in isolation ,many of us

whose dreams lie in the cooperate world should be aware of the fact that at some

point one would have to assume the role of a leader which brings us to the main

question who is a leader and what is the meaning of leadership. Well

according to Bill Gates a leader is a person who empowers others, a person who

has the courage to take tough decisions and stand by them, but more importantly

a leader is someone who has the compassion to listen to the needs of his/her

followers. However the most important quality a leader should possess is

motivation a leader should be able to transfer his positive energy to his followers

in order to build team spirit and desire to succeed collectively in terms of goal

achievement people come from different cultures and different parts of the world

but a leader should try to understand or empathize with his/her followers and act

accordingly ,for example some employees may work better when you put an arm

around their shoulder and tell them that they are important and valued while

others may work better when you push them offer them challenges ,Maslows

Hierarchy of needs theory can give an insight as to how a leader should cater to

the needs of his/her followers, similarly a leader should also be able to conduct

himself in a manner that sets an example to his/her followers especially in times

of adversity a leader should focus on emotional intelligence and always try tothink and act positively ,if a leader gives up or sulks then it is likely that such

negative emotions will also be transferred to his/her followers.


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1.1 Leadership in the modern world

Globalization has put forward new challenges to leaders, In todays day and age

people often look for charisma in a leader, however unlike in the past people are

more willing to accept someone who is a work in progress in other words

people are more willing to accept someone who may not have made an initial

impression of becoming a leader as they do not expect to blindly follow a leader

in any given situation .however it is a known fact that 90% of todays cooperate

leaders have charisma to add to other key qualities such as self-

confidence,creativity,the ability to see a vision and being able to communicate

and care for people. As a result of globalization leaders are required to face new

challenges such as managing cross cultural issues and managing such differences,

as a result of the information technology revolution leaders are required to keep

up to date with the developments in the field so as to adopt a suitable and

modernized way of achieving a vision in other words most people in the modern

cooperate world look up to leaders as innovators.

2.0 Aspired Leadership style

As I had stated above in the modern world charisma is something that should

be inherent in a leader in the modern world, therefore I can safely say that my

aspired leadership style is to become a charismatic and transformational leader

Charisma in a leader is something that has to come naturally it is not something

you can fake or imitate, charisma can make a leader an instant hero or mentor in

a followers mind ,that emotional connection goes a long way in achieving goals

both on a personal level and also on an organizational level ,a charismatic leader

will always pay personal attention to his/her followers making them feel

important but more importanly making them feel wanted or needed which iswhat most humans want regardless of the varied goals we have in life. A

charismatic leader will always be vocal ,a born motivator who can chose the right

words to say at any given moment but the standout feature of a charismatic

leader is not that he/she is trustworthy, honest and innovative ,granted all such

features are important but a charismatic leader defines himself/herself by always


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having the back of their followers meaning that whatever happens a

charismatic leader will always stand by his/her followers ,when followers make

silly mistakes and errors related to poor judgment a charismatic leader will

regardless stand by such followers and assume full responsibility and bear the

brunt of the negative consequences.

Transformational leaders on the other hand mainly try to create a positive change

both on a personal level and on an organizational level, they are very much self-

motivated and transfer their energy and desire to followers who are generally

made to feel important and inspired ,A transformational leader will often operate

with an end state in mind ,they have a vision and have the mental capacity to

visualize their end state hence making him/her unique but more importantly

effective in what he does, A transformational leader never shys away from toughdecisions in fact he/she embraces the pressure of making a tough call and will

often go by gut feeling after analyzing the necessary information ,hesitation in

anonymous in transformational leaders who very well know beforehand that in

order to achieve a vision ,a goal or an objective tough decisions will have to be

made and in some instances drastic actions such as letting a member go may be

the best possible solution in certain crisis situations. Transformational leaders are

also very mindful they know how to handle egos of certain employees which can

be a fine line as sometime he/she may have to stoke a person ego to get the best

out of him/her however if an employees ego goes out of control it is likely to

cause a disruptive influence such is the fine lines governing the success of a

leader, however transformational leaders are very adopt at maintaining a balance

in such fine lines.

The main difference I see between a transformational leader and a charismatic

leader is the fact that a transformational leader measures success based on

collective achievement something that a charismatic leader may be oblivious to,for example a transformational leader may motivate employees by making them

feel part of change or transformation whereas a charismatic leader will more

often than not motivate employees through monetary gain or the gain of a

certain status that can define oneself. therefore I believe it is important to have a

mixture of characteristics from both leadership styles that way I can have a


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positive impact on not only my life ,but on other peoples lives as well ,while also

contributing to the wellbeing of the society and the environment in which we live

in.

3.0 Analysis of strengths and weaknesses

Strengths weaknesses

Trustworthy Tends to be too agreeable

Excels at conflict resolution At times dis organized and easily distracted

Ethical Dislikes getting emotionally attached with people

Ability to work well under pressure Poor time management

Knows when to take a calculated risk Not a team playerGood negotiation skills Dislike making quick decisions

Task oriented Trys to please everyone

Throughout the course of my degree Ive worked on may group projects , Ive also

worked as the head of web development in Dinapala pvt a company that is owned

by my grandfather .In terms of working in teams Ive always tended to be an

individualist not overly socializing with others but never letting them down in any

way ,this does not mean I am not a pleasant personality almost everyone Iveworked with would have a good word to say about me because I am unselfish and

more than happy to cover for my teammates ,At the same time, as I had

mentioned above I was made head of web development and online transactions

in Dinapala pvt ,I played a major role in the launch of the website and still play a

pivotal role in ensuring that all online transactions work smoothly and the

customer receives their orders within the specified time. During the particular

project I felt like I was put on a whole new world as it is no secret that being the

head of such an important project for such a reputed company would surely beatany of the assignments I have done during the course of my degree for one thing I

had to make tough calls regarding the who I wish to work with meaning I had to

hurt some people for the betterment of the overall scheme, something I will

never be proud of but understand that is in certain situations necessary.


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4.0 Self Analysis

4.1 current attributes

Throughout the completion of various self-assessment tests I have been able to

identify my leadership characteristics and where I stand in terms of becoming an

effective leader. I have also been able to identify the steps that I should take to

become a charismatic and transformational leader.

Through the completion of the self-assessment test seen in appendix 1 I have

been able to identify that I have taken part in more management related tasksthan leadership oriented tasks ,as I have said above I find it difficult to encourage

or in some instances motivate people however when I am given power and

authority I make sure that I deliver expected results meaning that I am more

comfortable managing people rather than leading them ,the fact that I have

developed a budget ,produced a plan of action , supervised staff and organized an

event further proves my hypothesis of being more experienced in management

related tasks, however worryingly I have not encouraged participation( I prefer

people to self-motivate themselves) ,have not prepared a public speech and havenot really developed a transformational vision which can be seen in some ways as

lacking in the leadership department.

As seen in appendix 2 I have also completed the big 5 personality test , through

the particular self-assessment it has become once again clear to me that I prefer

to work by myself ,and prefer not to overly socialize with others , I wouldnt say

that social interaction among follower is in anyway a bad thing however I am

more comfortable not knowing some people outside of work as it helps keepthings professional and work related this has mostly been the case in my time at

acbt ,even though no one there has a bad word to say about me they oftenwont

find enough words to describe my character , my low score on the surgency

dimension is however worrying as it indicates that I am more suited to being a

follower rather than a leader and for someone who aspires to be a charismatic


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and transformational leader that is simply not good enough. However on a more

positive not I have a very high score in the adjustment department meaning that I

am very clam in stressful and pressurized situations something which is essential

for a charismatic and transformational leader, it also indicates that I am not fazed

by failure, criticisms and problematic characters. I think is the positive side to my

personality being quiet and reserved as I am able to control my emotions, work

calmly under pressure and not be prone to occasional moodiness which most

expressive social characters are invariably prone to. As far as the other

dimensions go it is generally neither here or there meaning that I am neither too

agreeable nor unfairly disagreeable, neither disorganized nor conscientiousness

and finally neither overly open to new experience nor against it.

I also underwent another self-assessment to evaluate my cognitive style(appendix3) ,when it comes to gathering information I tend to have a good balance in using

both intuitive and sensing strategies I dont favor a particular strategy which I

think is good as it gives me variety in solving certain problems however contrary

to the results of the self-assessment I very much dislike doing routine jobs

meaning that I prefer to be more intuitive and focus on unique contributions or

overall perspectives. I also completed LPC test (least preferred co worker) in

which it once again proved tome through the aid of a low LPC score that I am

more task oriented than relationship oriented something which I have mentioned

above , however I do realize that I may need to start being a more social able

character and start being more enthusiastic and maybe make a few jokes , it

would be out of character but I do remember that during my childhood years I

was more like that and still am in front of my family and close friends therefore I

do believe I can change this feature of being defensive and only interested in the

task at hand , it would invariably be important in being the type of leader I aspire

to be. I also underwent the self-assessment in which I was able to evaluate my

communication skills (appendix 4) it proves the fact that although I am not

necessarily overly happy about speaking in public I tend to be a good speaker who

has the ability to capture the attention of the crowd through humor, wittiness

and strong real life related examples ,this has often been the case throughout the

time of my degree since I am not a talkative person therefore most of my


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classmates and lecturers were of the opinion that I am not a strong speaker

however I have been able to surprise just about every one of them especially with

my humor, in fact one lecturer even compared me to harry Houdini a tentative

man in person yet a great magician on stage. Further in terms of influencing

people through power I prefer to use expert power and referent power

(appendix5)

4.2 Future attributes

I t has become clear to me that I possess more management traits than leadership

traits , a situation which I believe is not ideal as most leaders are born naturally

however there is that inner belief in me that says that I am a leader and that is the

belief that I hope will materialize in the future ,the first thing I have to change is

my socially quiet character I need to learn to interact with others talk about things

outside of the task and more importantly create an emotional connection as that

is without doubt the way in which a charismatic leader functions , further I need

to gain the ability to talk to LPC (least preferred worker) characters all my life I

have cold shouldered such characters and now I release that may not be the best

way to go about it . further even though I am highly enthusiastic about what I do I

seldom express such feelings and that can be a hindrance if one aspires to be a

truly transformational leader as you want your positive energy to spread among

your group members, having lazy and uninterested body language something

which people misinterpret as being uninterested is not good enough for a leader

,a charismatic and transformational leader must always have appropriate body

language and look enthusiastic , however by far the most important thing I must

change about myself is the fact that I need to start wanting to be a leader, be an

example speak out and deal with problems and no matter what happens take full

responsibility for the actions of the entire team ,this is what I believe is thedefining hallmark of a truly charismatic and transformational leader .


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5.0 strategies to develop into a Leader

Under this subheading I will be relating to the qualities that I need to develop in

order to become a charismatic and transformational leader, I have also suggested

appropriate steps I can take to develop such qualities

Motivation- attend Kumar Indamlhennas (world famous wisdom trainer) seminars

on leadership and motivation ,he is renowned wisdom trainer that has visionary

techniques and insights relating to motivation ,it will be important to me to

develop my motivation as that is first thing a follower looks for in a leader.

Socializing skills- I have decided to join social networking sites such as Facebook

after years of rejecting my friends invitations and pestering ,I believe that in

modern society it is important for a leader to be aware of whats going around in

a followers life and social networking is key to this answer I have also decided to

apply for membership at the Sinhala welandhaperamuna an group that organizes

many social event and gatherings ,in march they organized a concert with

proceeds going to charity being part of such a society will be important in

developing my social skills, therefore fingers crossed my application will be

accepted.

Knowledge- I have decided to pursue my MBA in Australia against the wishes of

my parent who believe that it may not be necessary at such an early age however

I believe that it could be beneficial for me in being the leader I aspire to be ,I have

also decided to attend several leadership related seminars and workshops

The next question is how I will know if I have become a charismatic and

transformational leader, of course I can do all the above and retake the self-

assessment tests, however I believe that once I star making a positive difference

in peoples lives only then will I realize that my aspiration has come true, only

then will I look up and say that I have succeeded


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6.0 References

1.kies,k(n.d). The case for commitment

2.Bateman,T.S., & snell S .A (2006).Management the new landscape(5th

ed).New

York.Mcgraw hill/Irwin pp 440,443,437

3.Siemone(n.d) The revolutionary leader

4.Mariotti,J1999,the role of a leader, Industry week,cleavland.

5.daglish c,& Miller,M(n,d) leadership understanding tis global impact .Tilde

University press.

6.Riggio ,E.(n.d). what makes is charisma and charismatic leadership retrieved

from

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201210/what-is-charisma-and-charismatic-leadership

7.Riggio,E.(.n.d). Are you a transformational leader. Retrieved from

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/200903/are-

you-transformational-leader
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201210/what-is-charisma-and-charismatic-leadershiphttp://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201210/what-is-charisma-and-charismatic-leadershiphttp://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201210/what-is-charisma-and-charismatic-leadershiphttp://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/200903/are-you-transformational-leaderhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/200903/are-you-transformational-leaderhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/200903/are-you-transformational-leaderhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/200903/are-you-transformational-leaderhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/200903/are-you-transformational-leaderhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201210/what-is-charisma-and-charismatic-leadershiphttp://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201210/what-is-charisma-and-charismatic-leadership


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7.0 appendix

Appendix 1

Management tasks =9 points

Leadership tasks= 5 points


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Appendix 2


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Score

Surgency -17 openness to new experience -20

Agreeableness-20

Adjustment- 31

Conscientiousness-20


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Appendix 3


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Appendix 4

Self-assessment score-7/10


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Appendix 5


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appendix 6

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