Abstract

The self-development of a leader is a crucial part of the leaders as they show their ability to adapt to the challenges and the most challenging situations in life.  Not many leaders have the opportunity to get formal development or opportunity to stretch their skills. This is why it is crucial for the leaders to assess themselves to note whether they meet the demands needed to succeed in the field. Combating the lack of development skills also calls for the leaders to enhance their technicality and training through self-reflection. The main aim of this paper is to give my reflection of the basic skills that I possess including the creative and critical thinking together with empathy that is important for the success of a leader. In this paper, I have analyzed my leadership skills through the use of the theoretical model and made references to specific situations and a role model leader to audit my skills.   This is important in me developing as a person in terms of the understanding of the skills that are transferable and how they can be enhanced in the future.

Keywords:  leadership, leadership theories, leadership skills, self-reflection

I have always believed that leaders are born and are not made. Therefore, no matter the amount of training that one may have, there are some qualities that they can not develop no matter the amount of training that they get. I believe in the great man theory. This was a theory that was popularized by Thomas Carlyle that shows that he leadership skills are intrinsic and they are things that cannot be taught no matter the amount of training (Spector, 2016). As a result, I have always worked towards honing my skills so that they can match with the continuously increasing demands on the leaders. I have always learned from my role models who I believe are also great leaders and are people who were once meant to lead judging by their atoms and ability to solve problems. As an inspiring leader, I believe that the most important skill that one can have is the ability to find solutions to problems that are affecting the members of the community and remain important to them.

Personally, my career path has been evolving through taking an interest in some of the most important members in the society. When I am confronted with a situation, I have to find a solution to the situation. These people include the leaders and people who are just respected even without necessarily becoming leaders.  In order to develop my leadership skills, I have always tried to pursue and develop ways of improving the interaction and leadership qualities through effective interaction by the people that are surrounding me. In the future, I hope that I will have an opportunity to transfer some of these skills to practice. The main skill that I have always been known for is critical thinking. The great man theory will me explain some of the qualities that I have that are rare in many people. This skill has always allowed me to come up with the solutions to situations that are proving to be difficult to solve for the people (Amanchukwu, Stanley, and  Ololube, 2015). My role model has been Barack Obama. This is someone whom almost everyone in the world looks up to, and I am one of these people. His leadership qualities are quite uniques and relatable to the objectives that I have in life. However, we are different. Whereas Obama shows his authority through explicit description and through the use of world examples that people relate with, I believe that there has to be a difference in personality.

Barack Obama believes that people have to be equal and that leaders should be similar in their relation to the people. On the other hand, I believe in the authoritative approach and an ability to help people solve their problems in life. Some of my best qualities include self-confidence in my abilities and being able to adapt in different situations. Adaptability is the personality of a leader that we both share with this leader. From becoming a person from law class to someone who took the most powerful office on the planet, he proved that he could adapt to different situations. My ability to solve the problem also comes with creative thinking capability. Remember one time there was a group meeting where the members did not have enough money to perform an assignment that was given by the administration. In this instance, the members of our group looked for a solution before they asked for my opinion. I was able to come up with a solution that proved to be right and successful. It even made me realize that he was a leadership quality that I possess.

A leader has to be able to find solutions to difficult problems. From a personal perspective, I have known for a long time that I am a leader and that I possess some of the rarest skills that are needed to succeed as a leader. As a result, I have always advocated for them, and the ability of the leaders reflect what makes them the good leader. This starts with me. I have many plans in the future. This encompasses personal, academic reflection experiences and the opportunities that I will have in life in terms of my career path.  In the future, it is important to have an action plan.

In conclusion, I have always believed that leaders are born and are not made. From my childhood days, I have known that to become a good leader I have o have specific qualities that are unique from the others. Also, I have to find someone whom I look up to in life. Thee.qualities will not only push me to perfect my skills but improve my understanding of the world views.  Some of the skills that I possess as a leader include the ability to solve problems and critical thinking. This has made many people look up to mend to ask for various solutions from me.  Although my ole model has different perfonalities that I do not possess such as alloquecy and great ability to adapt to the situation, I also jhave the skills that set me apart. I believe that one day, I will have the recognition from the people as one who used his leadership skills to improve the lives of those around me.

References

Spector, B. A. (2016). Carlyle, Freud, and the great man theory more fully considered. Leadership, 12(2), 250-260.

Amanchukwu, R. N., Stanley, G. J., & Ololube, N. P. (2015). A review of leadership theories, principles and styles and their relevance to educational management. Management, 5(1), 6-14.