Blog Post #6 Developing Leadership Skills: making dreams come true
What skill area and specific skills (discussed throughout chapter) are your strongest?
One of the skill sets the text refers to is having a map, or a blueprint for how to implement a vision. This is one area I believe I succeed at. I always make sure to carefully plan and visualize my steps for a task before I take them which I find helpful. It allows me to be efficient in my work. Another skill I believe I have pertains to the values needed for a vision. Having an understanding of one’s self as well as the other members of the group helps to create unity. I respect and honor others opinions and ideals and this is key in order to be a admired leader. Lastly, I believe I also am strongest with using inclusive language. It’s important to do this to let followers, or peers, know that they are respected and valued.
What skill area and specific skills (discussed throughout chapter) are your weakest and how can you build upon them?
One of the areas I am weakest in is developing a mental picture for the vision and figuring out exactly where I want to be in the future. Although I can map out how to attain a vision, I struggle with developing the vision which probably stems from indecisiveness. I also struggle with ‘using the right language’. I feel like I could improve upon this skill by strengthening my vocabulary which could be helpful in motivating others. Also, the text refers to examples where leaders make use of symbols to motivate others which I think is something I could implement into my own leadership methods.
What impact do you think your leadership skills could have on your role as a leader?
I believe that I can excel as leader for various reasons. One is that I value and care about team members. When you show care for others that builds a sense of camaraderie and inspires others to achieve, not only for themselves, but because they are engaged and motivated towards group success as well. The feeling of inclusiveness and value gives team members a sense of purpose and builds morale. Another reason I think I can achieve as a leader is because of my work ethic and my preparation. These two characteristics are keys to success and I feel as if they are my strongest traits. My preparedness also gives me confidence to succeed.
Do you think some of the skills discussed in the chapter are more important in some situations compared to others? If so, explain.
The text describes many different skills of a vision and I do believe that some are more important than others in certain situations. Every situation in life is different so there are going to be cases where some of the skills are needed more than others. For instance, changing the culture of a losing sports team requires a coach to motivate a team and buy into a new system. Initially, in this case, a coach motivating a team to buy into a system is more important than the overall vision itself.
Do you think individuals in “lower” levels of leadership require the same skills as those in “upper” levels? Discuss
I do believe that the lower level leadership position do require the same set of skills as those in upper levels. These managers need to be able to motivate subordinates, have some sort of plan to achieve success, and they must also challenge others to better themselves. One of the traits that I believe exist at both levels is making sure subordinates understand that they are valued. Doing this boosts productivity and help them buy into the vision. Also both levels of leadership need to have the interpersonal skills to influence followers to believe in the vision and to work hard to achieve it.
