Personal Leadership plan PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 1
Running head: PERSONAL LEADERSHIPPLANPersonal Leadership planPersonal Leadership planIntroduction: Leadership can be defined in many ways. Webster defines leadership as "a term. . . generally applied to qualities and forces existing within an organization (usually centered in the top executives) which motivate, guide and direct individuals". (Stress, 2001)There are numerous important leadership traits that must be part of the definition of a good leader. The most important of these are honesty, forward looking, inspirational, competency and intelligence. (Shead, 2007) Honesty, showing people that you are honest even when it means admitting ...view middle of the document...
I have a technical background and most of my directions come from past experiences and knowledge of the assigned tasks. Though I do not claim to know everything in my department I do have a working knowledge of most tasks. This allows me to plan and schedule tasks fairly accurately, gives me opportunities to provide some direct training and gives me a working connection with the employees. I believe that this type of background allows me to influence and motivate the workers on a technical level.No matter what the task or project is I dedicate myself to completing it in the most efficient way possible without sacrificing the quality that is expected by my superiors. This level of dedication and commitment is something I display and expect from my employees.I try to relate to my employees on a personnel level as much as possible. This is a delicate process, I remind myself that it is important not to get "too close" as this can effect clear business decisions when it comes to downsizing or discipline.I feel it is important to solicit the employees input on decisions or policies which directly affect them. By doing so I am building team members instead of pure subordinates. This also creates a sense of ownership and a deeper commitment to the facility.I find that I have been able to motivate most of my employees with these and other characteristics. The level of efficiency and skill level has increased due to this.Taking these characteristics in mind I feel I am more of a transformational leader. A transformational leader treats relationships with followers in terms of motivation and commitment, influencing and inspiring followers to give more than mere compliance to improve organizational performance. (Buchanan & Huczynski, 2004)The transformational leader builds trust and respect with his employees, gets their input in setting goals and helps them achieve these goals through training, assisting when needed and motivation. The relationship with the employee is somewhat of a non contractual system. Where as in the traditional hierarchy system it is very rigid and structural, the transformational system has more of a linear type management system. This creates a greater sense of worth amongst employees.I have settled into this style of leadership after much trial and error. I have found that the transformational leadership style fits my strengths well and allows me to get the most out of the personnel under my direct supervision.Current leadership strengths:My technical background in the field in which I workMy dedication to my employer and the strategic goals I have set for my departmentMy "can do" attitude. If I run into a task I cannot complete I will exha...
