Leadership Skills

Leadership produces change and movement, while management produces order and consistency. Based on your Skills Inventory results, what are some action steps you would like to make to strengthen your strongest two areas as both a leader and a manager?

I think that even though I had strong human and technical skills, they can still be improved upon through my actions. I believe that I can improve my technical skills through becoming more confident and competent in my actions and by being able to meet the different goals I set for myself. I think that my technical skills are something that can be developed because I am a perfectionist at times and I tend to work very hard on things. I think as a leader I need to remind myself of this, because when working with others I can not set the same standards for others as I would for myself, because sometimes I do set unrealistically high standards.

With human skills, I definitely think that I am good at working with people. I focus more on working with others in a group setting to accomplish a goal, than on my own. I feel that this has shaped who I am today, because I enjoy working in groups and getting others opinions on what should be done. I also work to shape my ideas and work to create an idea that is agreed upon by everyone in the group.

As a leader, I am working to expand upon my conceptual skills. Although I like to think that I can always see the bigger picture, this is not always the case. Sometimes I let myself get caught up into something small and try to perfect that, instead of looking and what the final product is and how I am going to get there. I think that conceptual skills, for me, will be the hardest to develop because of my personality and experiences. I feel that I need to work harder to strategically plan and where I should be going.

What is Leadership?

Are you a born leader?
No. In my opinion, leadership is a process. Yes people can have traits growing up that make them a good leader, however, these traits mature as you get older and experience more things. I have gone through the process of becoming a leader, when I was younger I was involved in different teams and day camps first as a camper and later as a counselor. In high school, I was part of groups and then became captain after I got used to the organization, how it was run, and after I figured out what impact I could make. In college, I first got involved in hall council. After a few meetings, I ran for the position of RHA rep. After I got used to RHA rep, I applied for NRHH and the RA position. All of my experiences have been processes that have gotten me to where I am today.

Can you learn leadership?
I really dont see leadership as a learning trait. To me, leadership is being a part of the group, influencing and impacting a group. I think that you can hold a leadership position, but that does not necessarily make you a leader. Holding that position can make you a so-called "leader", however you may not have any impact on the group therefore you are a leader by title but not by actions. Impacting people is not a trait that you can just learn. This concept makes me think of the quote:

"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." -Maya Angelou

What do you mean by a good or effective leader?
I think the most effective leaders would be someone people look up to or look to for answers. Good leaders have energy and work to be understanding of others. Good leaders look to make change, in even the smallest way. Good leaders have to have a good balance. A balance between when to be outgoing and when to be more relaxed in a situation. A balance between being hardworking and letting others also take responsibility. Finally the balance between being persistent/ determined, and from being over the top.

Do you need to be charismatic to be a leader?
In my experience, leaders that have that natural energy tend to be more successful in their endeavours. I dont think that this energy needs to be over the top by any means, however I do feel that people are drawn towards people with that energy. The energy that sparks a movement, or that makes people want to listen. I think that people that do not have this "energy" can also be successful in a different way, as long as the remain positive in whatever they are doing. Attitude is everything.

In what situations can you become a leader? How?

I become a leader in situations that show that a leader is needed. When no one steps up and takes responsibility for something. I think that any time something needs to get accomplished, there is a leadership opportunity that a person can delegate tasks while listening to others about how they want to do something.