My Development as a Future Leader

Leadership is a field of research and a practical skill, including the ability of individuals or organizations to direct others, teams, or entire organizations (Chemers, 1997). Bennis & Townsend (1989) believes that leaders must understand themselves to lead others. This blog is intended to discuss four areas: my development as a future leader, the feedback I get when I manage my team, my learning process, and ultimately the skills I need to lead in the automotive industry.

My leading brand

I hope to be a leader who trusts and respects others. Before that, I should be confident and attractive. However, ability, character, creativity and glamour are qualities that are difficult to quantify, let alone cultivated (Schrage, 2016). In my first job, my senior manager questioned my industry report in a meeting and only complete in a week. But I spent more than two months on the report, working overtime every day. After being questioned, I feel unresected and trusted. 

Rogers (2018) stated that respect is a valuable attribute and is considered a valuable achievement and provides them with an unique opportunity to stand out in a positive way. Trust is a more important existence than respect. Without trust, there is no leadership (Walter, 2015). The ABCD model was developed by Ken Blanchard and presented in his book “Trust Works”, providing a simple framework for understanding, communicating, developing and evaluating trust. It identifies four areas: A – Able – Demonstration; B – Respectable – Integrity; C – Connection – Caring for others; D – Reliable – Maintaining reliability (CMI, 2014). Based on these factors, the mutual trust state of the relationship between people can be determined (Mulder, 2018).

(Mulder,2018)

Team feedback

Leaders must first understand themselves to lead others (Bennis & Townsend, 1989). My second job is in the IT industry, and I lead a team of 12 people. In the early stage, I worked hard with my colleagues to make products. But later, I found that what I need was not professional competence, but operational and management capabilities. My colleague said that I am not like a leader but a normal member. 

This was confirmed later. I am not strict in time management. Each stage allows the team members to delay a bit. Eventually the product is not completed within the time expected. Schrage (2016) said that the most effective growth is constantly challenging the work. “Mistakes are inevitable, but they, too, contribute to your growth and development. You must also know the world as thoroughly as You know yourself” (Bennis & Townsend, 1989). So, I began to focus on self-awareness and leadership at work Cultivate and understanding the world.

learning process

The reality of leadership is very complicated. Chemers (1997) argued that intrinsic factors (thoughts and emotions) interact with interpersonal processes (attraction, communication, and influence) to influence the dynamic external environment. Each aspect brings complexity to the leadership process. Three years later, I became a MBA student. I got the help of mentors and learned by observing others. In the classroom, I learned from the team members the great results of collaboration. This is a treasure hunt from the school to Liverpool Street Station. My team has five people. My team members quickly discussed and assigned this task and quickly started a treasure hunt. I followed the team leader Adam to witness the process of tacit understanding of a team that members do not know each other in a short period of time.

During the 11-week study, I felt different leadership styles and effects. Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard’s situational leadership model is perfect for our team. They designed these four leadership styles on a parabolic basis. The horizontal axis represents maturity (employee independence) and is expressed as a gradient from high to low. In the opposite direction on the horizontal axis, the instruction behavior from low to high is indicated. This means the level of direction provided to the employee. On the vertical axis, they represent low-to-high support behavior; support for employees. (Mulder, 2012) According to Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard (1977), leaders must adjust their style based on their maturity. As maturity increases, employee independence increases.

(Mulder, 2012)

The skills I need to become a future leader

My development goal is to be a person with automotive expertise and leadership. It has been said that the highest achievement as a leader is to win the trust and respect. Trust happens when values and behaviors match (Mishra & Mishra., 2008). I hope that in this ever-changing world, I have enough expertise to let the people believe in me, and that I can cooperate and believe in others. When I put things into his hands, I have to trust others. At this stage, my leadership and expertise are not enough. I need to gain more knowledge from my studies and help me to enter the automotive industry. Because for leaders, learning can’t be stopped (Seijts, 2013).

References

Bennis, W. G., & Townsend, R. (1989). On becoming a leader,Vol. 36. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. Available at: https://settingupablog.business.blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/4cc67-onbecomingaleadersummary.pdf[Accessed 11 Apr. 2019]

Chemers, M. (1997). An integrative theory of leadership. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers. ISBN 978-0-8058-2679-1.Available at: https://www.questia.com/library/3643470/an-integrative-theory-of-leadership[Accessed 11 Apr. 2019]

CMI (2014) Developing Trust Checklist 243. Managers.org.uk. Available at: https://www.managers.org.uk/~/media/Files/Campus%20CMI/Checklists%20PDP/Developing%20trust.ashx[Accessed 11 Apr. 2019]

Hersey, P. and Blanchard, K. H. (1977). Management of Organizational Behavior: Utilizing Human Resources.Journals.sagepub.com. Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/105960117700200419[Accessed 11 Apr. 2019]

Mishra, A. K., & Mishra, K. E. (2008). Trust is everything: Become the leader others will follow.Lulu. com.Available at:https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=zh-CN&lr=&id=GNfgjVno_xgC&oi=fnd&pg=PR1&ots=9DruXDikc8&sig=CoHGZf7qAAr0eXlwC68fHL4YtpM&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false[Accessed 11 Apr. 2019]

Mulder, P. (2012). Situational Leadership Model (SLM).ToolsHero.Available at: https://www.toolshero.com/leadership/situational-leadership-hersey-blanchard/[Accessed 11 Apr. 2019]

Mulder, P. (2018).ABCD Trust Model. ToolsHero. Available at:https://www.toolshero.com/leadership/abcd-trust-model/[Accessed 11 Apr. 2019]

ROGERS, K（2018）The 2 Types of Respect Leaders Must Show.Harvard Business Review [online]. Available at: https://hbr.org/ideacast/2018/07/the-2-types-of-respect-leaders-must-show.html[Accessed 11 Apr. 2019]

Schrage, M. (2016) Like It or Not, You Are Always Leading by Example. Harvard Business Review [online]. Available at: https://hbr.org/2016/10/like-it-or-not-you-are-always-leading-by-example  [Accessed 11 Apr. 2019]

Seijts, G (2013) Good leaders never stop learning. Ivey Business Journal. Available at: https://iveybusinessjournal.com/publication/good-leaders-never-stop-learning/[Accessed 11 Apr. 2019]

Walter,E (2015) 12 Leadership Behaviors That Build Team Trust. Forbes.com.Available at:https://www.forbes.com/sites/ekaterinawalter/2015/12/01/12-leadership-behaviors-that-build-team-trust/#1c2e7ae07221