Striving for Leadership Excellence

Overview of Career Goals

As a leader, it is important to show your team the value of goal setting. Employees with well-defined goals can become more efficient, productive, and motivated to exceed company expectations. To this end, a leader can set a good example by creating their own goals. Outstanding leadership is the key to the success of any organization. Without it, the business is prone to low morale and frequent employee turnover. One way to help oneself grow as a leader is to set actionable and trackable leadership goals. These goals should focus on addressing your weaknesses and building on own strengths. I am now striving to make more informed decisions, that is, to improve my decision-making skills. I am convinced that this will have a significant impact on improving the efficiency of both my team and the entire production.

Leaders are constantly making decisions at work, so I strive to find a decision-making process that will help me make smarter and faster decisions. This way, my team can start working on their projects faster, and this will allow me to meet shorter deadlines. When making decisions, one should think about them from different points of view; maybe even consult with your team before deciding to get their opinion (Ferrell, 2021). I can make better decisions by thinking about all the implications of a decision and using the information I have.

In addition, my goal is also to become more adaptable to change. Throughout my managerial career, I have experienced various changes in the companies I have worked for. When changes occur, it is essential to quickly adapt to them and, moreover, help one’s team to adapt. Usually, in such situations, I set myself the goal of overcoming the difficulties associated with change. Using my strengths and leadership skills, I would like to help my team feel more confident and comfortable at work during the transition period.

It is also my goal to constantly optimize the workflow to raise the level of productivity. It includes:

• Revised production schedules and streamlined processes.
• Managing a team of employees, supervising the training and professional growth of employees.
• Perform general maintenance and repair of equipment to minimize downtime.
• Maintain order in the workplace by cleaning and eliminating hazards.
• Prepare reports and technical documentation on current production processes to analyze and identify weaknesses.

By improving my leadership skills and abilities, I would like to increase the productivity of my team of colleagues by at least 30%. Consistent performance of quality work will strengthen relationships within the team and increase worker satisfaction. Mutual supportive and respectful communication within the team will also allow me to develop my personal qualities, such as improving communication or organizational skills. I consider this critical for developing and implementing measures to increase the workshop’s productivity. Proper training of employees and coordination of subordinate personnel for the implementation of planned targets on time will make it possible to do this in the most efficient and, it seems to me, the fastest way. Along with this, it is always necessary to monitor the operation of technological equipment and the quality of products. I want to provide only good results in my career with minimal losses, so I strive for constant personal and professional development.

Critical Evaluation of Competence in Teamwork

Strong communication skills are crucial for a healthy climate and an efficient process. To function successfully in a small group, one must be able to communicate clearly on intellectual and emotional levels. Effective communicators:

• can explain the thoughts
• express feelings openly but not in a threatening way
• listen carefully to others
• ask questions to clarify the ideas and emotions of others
• can feel how others feel based on their non-verbal communication
• start talking about the group climate or process if they feel tension is building up
• reflect on the activities and interactions of your group and encourage other group members to do the same (Osborne and Hammoud, 2017).

Regular open communication, during which group members share their thoughts, ideas, and feelings, is a prerequisite for successful group work. Unspoken assumptions and concerns can be very disruptive to the productive functioning of a group. When colleagues are willing to communicate with each other openly, a healthy atmosphere is created, and an effective process can be followed.

Team effectiveness is an important component of organizational effectiveness. The most important criteria include:

• achievement of the goals facing the group;
• development of the group, for example, new group norms may appear, intra-group relations improve, group processes improve;
• satisfaction of group members with their work, that is, employees feel comfortable at work and are satisfied with their role in the organization;
• individual development of group members.

In a group, in a team, employees satisfy their needs, acquire new knowledge, skills, and missing experience, increase their activity, develop their abilities, more fully reveal their creative potential, and more. Thus, this, in turn, leads to an increase in labor productivity and, consequently, to an increase in the effectiveness of the work of the group and the organization as a whole.

As the group leader, I show a clear vision of the situation and their professional position, as well as openness to new experiences and willingness to analyze the processes taking place in the group. It affects the level of organizational competence and the ability to reflect on industrial relations. I believe that the better the leader analyzes the processes taking place in the group, the more clearly and adequately the tasks are planned for joint activities, and the more effectively and efficiently the group performs joint work. Personal characteristics and the ability to reflect can significantly impact the level of group efficiency.

The level of organizational performance can be determined through the indicator of the correspondence of the evaluation criteria of the group members to the leader’s evaluations. The higher the level of correspondence between the assessments of employees and the opinions of the director, the more the ideas of the group members about the development prospects coincide (Ellis et al., 2018). In addition, the higher the level of organizational competence as the ability to analyze joint activities and use its results in work.

The dominant style of working group management is authoritarian-industrial. That is manifested in the concentration of attention on compliance with the rules, instructions, and regulations in solving emerging problems. Leaders are focused on a specific result, strive to prepare for the implementation of the plans thoroughly and comprehensively, and take into account all production factors that affect the quality of work (Glatthorn et al., 2018). They are distinguished by a well-formed ability to plan and design activities. They strive to act logically, rationally, and economically when organizing work. I strive to avoid static and act according to the situation, which shows my flexibility and ability to support and inspire team members. I tend to take into account the emotional state of employees at work and not shy away from showing my feelings. However, I strive to maintain the image of a reliable and self-confident professional, especially in leadership positions. My dominant focus in my work is labor, which is manifested in high efficiency, perseverance, and tirelessness.

Critical Evaluation of Competence in Decision Making

Often, decision-making becomes a stressful situation, even if the consequences are not life-changing. Doubts about the rightness, fear of making a mistake, searching for the ideal path – all of this prevents us from making a choice. Usually, I, like many people, experience tension and stress when making a significant decision. However, I also understand that the well-being of not only the business in which I work but also the people who rely on me or depend on me in some way depends on me. In this regard, I believe that the process of solving a problem before making a specific (final) decision is no less important than the possible consequences. Many experts say that one should not make a decision spontaneously since it cannot be a random choice. It is quite obvious that it is possible to single out a different number of stages in the preparation of a management decision (search for a problem, determination of solutions, selection of the optimal solution from the available alternatives, declaration of a decision, and more), but the main one is the process of collecting, analyzing and processing information about external and internal conditions.

In preparing and making decisions, modern scientific and technical means, methods of operations research, system analysis, modeling, and electronic computers are used. For collective decisions, the cumulative collective intelligence of the decision-maker is of particular importance. However, the creative nature of the process of preparation and decision-making should be emphasized, the paramount role of a person’s personality, managerial intelligence, professionalism, will, and other personal and professional qualities.

Any decision is connected with a person, his creative individuality, with the motivation for the activity of everyone. Without considering this, a decision, even the most justified, cannot be made, let alone implemented. The subject of management, when making a decision, and organizing its implementation, is guided by an unshakable principle – the decision must be “projected” onto a person, team, or organization, affect their fundamental interests, and motivate them to work. Therefore, it is essential to take all measures to ensure that people make the decision and realize its necessity. Of course, the following situation may arise: the decision is correct, even innovative, but people’s consciousness is not ready for its perception. It is dominated by adherence to old decisions, past stereotypes are in effect, and emotions prevail over common sense. But even in this case, the subject of management works on innovating consciousness, gradually achieving an implementation effect through explanatory and educational technologies for studying and innovating public opinion.

Usually, when I have to make an important decision, I try to follow all the rules that I have learned, so I developed the following process for making an effective decision. It includes several steps:

• Goal definition;
• Consideration of the problem;
• Calculation and justification of a decision and analysis of possible consequences;
• Exploring multiple options for solving a problem;
• Choosing an appropriate solution to a problem;
• Making a management decision;
• Announcement of the decision to the performers;
• Control over the implementation of the decision.

I believe that I have a high ability to make effective decisions for the enterprise, with a small risk of error. Making a managerial decision is the most important stage of managerial activity. The development and implementation of solutions are subject to specific laws and principles that one needs to know. Certain decision-making technologies help speed up this process, which is especially important in extreme situations.

Critical Evaluation of Competence in Leadership

Leadership qualities are attributes that help to inspire others to complete tasks while working towards common goals. These traits help leaders increase productivity and efficiency in teams or departments and improve the company’s overall performance. A leader can show his leadership qualities only in the right situation. For example, a business leader may be very successful in some situations and fail in others. A corporate leader must be able to adapt to changing circumstances and flexibly vary his behavior quickly.

Leadership as a specific type of management relationship is based on the organization’s social impact or interaction. Unlike management, this process is much more complex, requiring a high level of interdependence from its participants. Leadership involves the presence of followers in the organization, not subordinates. Accordingly, the ‘boss-subordinate’ relationship inherent in the traditional view of management is replaced by the ‘leader-follower’ relationship. Throughout my time in my past positions, I have strived to build productive and mutually respectful relationships with the team members I was the leader of and with others, including managers. Thus, I developed professional working relationships with colleagues and supervisors thanks to my leadership abilities.

Thanks to the built trusting relationships, it was easier for me, and no less effective for this, to cope with emerging difficulties in production or within the team. As a leader, I was committed to improving the team’s performance and maintaining a consistently high-performance quality. In addition, to achieve this, I believe that proper delegation of authority is essential: delegation of work can increase the level of professionalism of the team and ensure the planned implementation of the project. Failure to delegate work is terrible for leaders and employees, who could grow professionally if they had more autonomy (Nikolova, Schaufeli, and Notelaers, 2019). I think it is essential to support your team and take responsibility when things don’t go according to plan.

During my professional development, I have supervised, trained, and evaluated about 180 employees (60 per shift). Many leaders take on multiple projects simultaneously, so it’s helpful to know how to prioritize tasks to ensure the most important ones get done. In addition, many responsibilities, such as supervising employees, developing new ideas, or meeting deadlines, also require the organizational skills necessary for a leader. I find that these skills that I have, such as time management and attention to detail, help me to do this job effectively.

Critical Evaluation of Competence in Problem Solving

The importance of decision-making in management is not questioned. However, the discussion tends to focus on problem-solving – that is, getting answers to questions that have arisen, which, in my opinion, is the wrong approach. One of the most common causes of managerial errors is the desire to find the correct answer, not the right solution. Except for planning, one of the main functions of management today is decision making, which is very closely related to problem-solving.

A decision is a deliberate influence of a person on a control object to solve a problem, the choice of an alternative to achieve the goal. The types of solutions, as a rule, coincide with the types of problems. If the problem is strategic, the solution should be strategic; if the problem is current or short-term, the solution should be similar. Cause-and-effect analysis is needed to find out the cause of the problem. During its implementation, one can discover the true causes, weed out the non-principal side, deeply study, understand, and sensibly assess the situation. Thus, the prerequisite for making the necessary decision will be prepared. Decision-making is an integral part of any organizational function and one of the most critical factors in the functioning and development of industrial firms in a market economy (Ferrell, 2021). The need to make a decision includes everything the supervisor does, forming goals and achieving them.

Competent problem solving motivates team members to achieve much more than they can imagine. By developing problem-solving skills, I improved team collaboration and the ability to deal with difficult situations. Collaboration encourages team members to use different thinking styles and make decisions together. Problems are obstacles or unforeseen difficulties that must be overcome to achieve a goal. By developing the ability to identify the causes of problems, I learned to decompose complex situations into simple elements and find a solution while maintaining composure.

Solving problems expands the understanding of the world around you – a person get information about new system elements, their interaction, and their purpose. This information complements the paradigm of a person – a personal ‘map’ of the world, which helps to navigate it, achieve goals and fulfill oneself. The solution to huge problems can lead to a paradigm shift, personal, collective, or even the entire society. In solving problems, a person acquires new knowledge and skills that can be developed into a skill and then acquired competence. It increases personal development and makes a person more experienced, wise, and valuable.

Critical Reflection on Coaching Workshop

Increasingly, organizations realize the benefits of developing talent through coaching and mentoring programs. However, questions often arise about the choice and use of each method, how exactly these methods can contribute to talent development, and the tools for launching programs. Companies today are turning to coach and mentoring programs to develop talent. These programs use the valuable internal resources of employees to develop others, saving time and money and increasing the overall satisfaction level of people.

Experienced leaders often use mentoring and coaching in one bundle while not delimiting the concepts. However, it should be understood that coaching and mentoring are two different approaches to staff training and development, both from a methodological and practical point of view. Mentoring is the primary tool when working with newcomers or interns. Its purpose is to improve employees’ skills to the level accepted by the company as a standard. In essence, it is the transfer of knowledge about how the store works, what group of goods is represented, what constitutes a disciplinary offense, what kind of attitude you need to demonstrate to customers, what is included in the service standards, and more.

Focusing on the desire of employers to retain the best employees in terms of service and sales, a transparent system for stimulating and developing sales personnel comes to the fore. For the purpose of development, we use coaching; this tool is also one of the ways to motivate employees. Coaching helps an employee to use the potential they already have for maximum performance. Coaching uses and develops the knowledge base of the employee. There is no new information when coaching (as opposed to mentoring), but we use the knowledge base and experience that the employee already has.

I believe that in any workplace, it is necessary to introduce a coaching system to stimulate employees to develop personally and professionally. Due to my experience, I believe that I can become an experienced coach and a mentor for new employees. When a new employee arrived, I assessed the trainee’s knowledge and determined what he would need to learn or learn. In this regard, I developed a training plan for the trainee. At the end of the probationary period, a second assessment of the existing knowledge is carried out, which is one of the criteria for making a decision on admission / non-admission to the state.

Coaching and mentoring benefit more than just the learner, the hiring organization, and the community. In most cases, coach mentors also benefit from learning new ways to achieve results from the people they work with. There are also fewer tangible results – feedback from highly motivated and knowledgeable colleagues or those who have achieved a real breakthrough, overcoming a difficult life situation. It opens the opportunity for a person to benefit, which concerns work in a particular organization and all areas of life.

A Personal Development Plan

In regard to the Personal Development Plan (PDP), I would like to develop in five broad areas, namely, competence in self-management, competence in interpersonal relationships, competence in self-development, competence in personal leadership, and competence in interacting with others. The competencies chosen in these five broad competency areas include learning styles, interpersonal communication, self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and respect for diversity among peers.

Social development was also an essential part of my PDP. I found that I lack soft skills concerning other people. The importance of these skills in the workplace is significant, and I needed to develop them to avoid skills mismatch in the workplace (McGuinness, Pouliakas and Redmond, 2018). Improving interaction with other people was one of the main goals of my PDP. During this semester, I changed my attitude towards people, leaving more time for interaction with them. I achieved this by seeking an elected representative position in one of the school’s professional clubs. Getting this leadership position was essential to my leadership development. Getting this position also helped me develop my communication skills, as I had to communicate the needs and concerns of the club members to the club leaders. It has also made me a better listener and a more goal-oriented person because I have other responsibilities besides schoolwork.

The presence of foreign (international) workers is not excluded, especially in the era of globalization. Each, in this case, interacts with new features for itself, and direct contact between the two groups ultimately means that the original cultures of both sides are affected. If employees do not understand and respect each other’s cultural differences, teamwork will most likely not be successful. In this regard, personal and subordinate acculturation is extremely important. Acculturation has been defined as a dual process involving members of two or more cultural groups as each adjusts to the presence of the other. In order to increase the value of collaboration, communicative, integrative, and expressive functions must be effective on both sides. In general, a personal development plan with a clear understanding of the goals is essential in tracking the changes in development necessary to achieve the goals. Planning is critical because it enables a person to set goals and decide how to achieve them.

Reference List

Ellis, A.M., Bauer, T.N., Erdogan, B. and Truxillo, D.M. (2018). Daily perceptions of relationship quality with leaders: implications for follower well-being. Work & Stress, 33(2), pp.119–136.

Ferrell, O.C. (2021). Business ethics: ethical decision making and cases. S.L.: Cengage Learning.

Glatthorn, A.A., Boschee, F., Whitehead, B.M. and Boschee, B.F. (2018). Curriculum leadership: Strategies for development and implementation. 5th ed. SAGE.

McGuinness, S., Pouliakas, K. and Redmond, P. (2018). Skills mismatch: concepts, measurement and policy approaches. Journal of Economic Surveys, 32(4), pp.985–1015.

Nikolova, I., Schaufeli, W. and Notelaers, G. (2019). Engaging leader – Engaged employees? A cross-lagged study on employee engagement. European Management Journal, 37(6).

Osborne, S. and Hammoud, M. (2017). Effective employee engagement in the workplace. International Journal of Applied Management and Technology, 16(1), pp.50–67.