C200 – Managing Organizations & Leading People

Task 2

June 2015

A.1

See Attached.

A.1.a

The Seven Habits Profile showed that I am considered “outstanding” in five categories

and “very good” in four. This indicates that I am a strong leader, and my skills are well balanced,

which provide a stable work environment, and my followers will be confident in my leadership

abilities. Even though the lowest-rated categories still fell within “very good,” I feel I can use the

Seven Habits Profile as an opportunity to improve in these four categories.

The Seven Habits Profile shows that I am emotionally-balanced and always looking

toward an end goal without sacrificing the present. I am a leader who reaches out to coworkers

and followers on a personal level in order to gain a better understanding and possibly new

perspectives. My goal is to reach a favorable outcome, and I have no issues compromising to

make my organization successful.

While still considered “very good,” I have a number of weaknesses that need to be

improved. For example, I scored a 15 in Category 2—Life Balance. Admittedly, I have a

tendency to commit myself to projects after already being committed to others. I misjudge the

amount of time and effort it takes to complete assignments, and I often spread myself too thin. I

always accomplish my goals and tasks; however, I usually end up sacrificing time with family

and friends.

To extend on this, I also scored “very good” in Category 3—Be Proactive and Category 5

—Put First Things First. Not only do I have a difficult time declining new projects when I am

already committed, I have a difficult time focusing my efforts on things within my control. I

spend a lot of time worrying about solving issues that are beyond my scope of power. I also have

a difficult time defining boundaries between work and personal lives. I have a tendency to bring

work home with me, and this practice regularly affects the “truly important activities of my life.”

The area in which I scored the lowest is Category 9—Sharpen the Saw. I scored a 13 in

this area; however, it still fell within the “very good” rating. This category is related to the others

that were rated “very good.” This area needs the most improvement, and it will also be the area

that I will struggle the hardest to improve. Since I spend so much of my time focusing on work, I

not only sacrifice my personal time, but I also sacrifice my personal wellbeing. Instead of taking

time to enjoy life and improve my physical health, I spend time rushing between projects and

tasks to make sure deadlines are met. A good leader is a healthy leader, and I need to reevaluate

my time in order to improve my health.

A.2 – The Servant Leadership Theory

According to Greenleaf.org, the servant leadership theory is a “philosophy and set of

practices that enriches the lives of individuals, builds better organizations, and ultimately creates

a more just and caring world” (2015). I believe this theory applies to me most because I adhere

to its principles both inside and outside the work environment. I believe the individual’s needs

come before the need of the organization, and a happy, healthy individual makes for a strong,

successful team.

A.2.A – Strengths

As the results from my Seven Habits Profile shows, I have many strong leadership

characteristics that help me be a great leader. One strength in which I pride myself is the ability

to create strong bonds with my employees and coworkers. I see them as a person—not just an

employee or resource, and I celebrate their individuality. By doing this, I am able to create

confident and happy employees, which, in turn, create a more productive atmosphere. I

demonstrate this strength by getting to know each of my employees and making them feel

welcome and comfortable to get to know me as well. This creates a transparent work

environment, which establishes credibility, “the foundation of leadership” (Boone & Makhani,

2005).

A second strength I have is the ability to coach and mentor my employees. I realize that

the success of my organization depends on the success of the individual, and I know investing in

their professional development means that I am investing in my organization. It is because of this

philosophy that I make professional development a priority. I spend a lot of time meeting with

employees and offering additional training and one-on-one guidance in order to bring the best

out in them. This creates confidence, which encourages the employee to challenge themselves

and their coworkers. When a person is challenged, they are freed from stagnating in monotony,

and they take advantage of more opportunities to grow as an individual and an employee. To

sum up this strength and how it applies to the servant leadership theory, Robert Greenleaf stated

in his book The Servant as Leader,

The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived?

My third strength, and probably the most important, is that I lead by example. While this

sounds like a simple concept, it is vital to the success of the individual. I conduct my actions

ethically and in a way that is morally upstanding at all times so my employees have a strong

example to follow. Unlike some leaders that behave differently behind closed doors, I strive to

maintain this high standard of living in my personal life as well so if an employee sees me

outside the work environment, they will see that I am an honest individual and someone they can

trust working with. I set a solid example for my employees by offering clarity and transparency

in my work decisions and actions. If I was unable to live by this standard, my employees would

not be able to trust me. Employees who do not trust their leadership suffer in their careers, which

often extends into their personal lives. My first two strengths would not matter or help if I was

not an ethical leader who led my honest example, which is why I strive to constantly demonstrate

my “complete commitment to serve others” (Parris & Peachy, 2013).

A.2.B – Weaknesses

After completing the Seven Habits Profile, I learned that I have a few areas of

weaknesses that I view as opportunities for development and improvement. My weaknesses are

in conjunction with my strengths, and they are very much related to each other. While I have a

personal connection to employees and view them as individuals, I have a difficult time

connecting with them on a level that is outside of the workplace. In other words, I lack the

understanding of their personal lives and how it affects their work lives. I am focused on

molding and shaping them as employees that I forget to pay attention to extracurricular needs

they might have. This is largely due to the fact that I personally blur the lines between my work

and personal life often bringing work home with me. My lack of taking their personal lives into

consideration could be construed as a lack of empathy, which could negatively impact the way I

am viewed as a leader making it difficult for my follows to find me approachable.

A second weakness that I have is that I often find myself speaking more than I listen.

According to Don Frick, listening “is a key practice of servant-leaders” (2013). While I take time

to mentor and coach my employees, I frequently have to remind myself to take a break from

speaking and listen to what the employee has to say. Listening can be an essential tool for

understanding employees and their perspectives. If I can better understand their viewpoints, I can

reach them in a more effective way.

My third weakness is directly related to my third strength. I am a person that leads by

example both professionally and personally. As positive as this can be, I find that my work ethic

at times may be a bad example for my employees. As mentioned previously, I have a difficult

time knowing when to stop working, and it often affects my personal life. As a leader, I want the

best for my employees, and this includes their personal wellbeing. By allowing them to see me

work long days and never making my personal life a priority, I am creating an unintentional

expectation for my employees that some might find difficult or impossible to achieve.

A.2.C – Theory-Based Changes

After addressing my leadership weaknesses, it is obvious to me that I need to make

changes to my leadership practices to improve my role as a servant leader. I am looking forward

to applying these changes to not only become a stronger, more effective leader but to become a

better, well-rounded individual. First and foremost, the change that needs to happen above all

others is that I need to improve my listening skills regardless of the situation. Listening is the

foundation of successful communication, and not listening has only delayed the development of

personal relationships of my peers and employees. Taking time to listen to my employees shows

that I have patience and thoughtfulness. Both of these traits will make employees more

comfortable and trusting, which will facilitate a healthier teamwork environment rather than

productivity being delayed due to frequent misunderstandings.

A second improvement would be to actively seek input from my employees and to give

them a sense of autonomy. If I truly care about taking the time to coach and mentor them, I

should be able to trust them to make the right decisions. I need to be willing to take risks and let

them experience the freedom of calling their own shots without micromanaging every aspect. If I

truly lead by example and mentor them effectively, I know that they will be able to make tough

decisions and succeed. I believe this makes employees feel empowered, and this idea boosts

morale and comradery, which fosters a more trusting, friendly, and happy work environment.

A third major improvement is that I need to be willing to make my personal life a

priority. I want to lead by example, and I do not want to negatively impact my employees who

look to me for guidance. I want my employees to be happy and successful, and I know this

begins with a happy and successful personal life. Knowing that my actions inspired someone to

put work over personal matters would weigh heavily on my conscience, and I would lose

effectiveness as a leader. My priority as a servant leader is to put the needs of the individual first,

and I am not exempt. Making my personal life a priority shows my employees that I am level-

headed and personable, which fosters trust between me and my employees.

A.2.D – SMART Goals

For the sake of professional development, I am setting two SMART goals for myself, and

I plan to accomplish them within the next month. I currently work in an Agile SCRUM

environment, and we have daily meetings that we call “Chalk Talks” where we discuss the

progress of our assignments and any issues that are present. Currently, I lead the daily Chalk

Talks, but as a way to put a recommendation for improvement into action, I will rotate new

leaders each day. I will guide the meetings if necessary, but I will use these talks as opportunities

for employees to grow and develop their own leadership skills. I will then apply, within reason,

employee suggestions and plans using the Chalk Talks as an opportunity to work on my listening

skills. When each employee has had an opportunity to lead the group, I will resume leadership

and discuss the effectiveness of the new method and seek suggestions for adjustments or

improvements.

A second goal I have set forth is to take time to speak with my employees to create short

term and long term career goals and to discuss practical methods of achieving them. I will start

by scheduling time with each employee individually, and I will help them evaluate their goals,

their abilities, and any weaknesses they think they may have that are hindering them from

achieving their goals. I will then assign each employee to new tasks that polish their strengths,

challenge their weaknesses, and give them an opportunity for leadership. At the end of the task, I

will meet with the employees again for feedback and to discuss their thoughts on how the

experience has impacted their career goals. I will then offer more specific opportunities for

professional development.

I am hopeful that these two SMART goals will not only help my employees feel

important and crucial to the business process, but it will help me hone my leadership abilities and

improve key weaknesses. As a servant leader, I want to put the needs of the individual over my

own, and I want to do this by offering my employees as many opportunities as they need to

achieve their own goals. I believe these two SMART goals will help my employees feel

empowered and valued, which facilitate more trusting and honest communication. If successful,

these goals will boost morale, which will lead to more productivity in the work place.

B – References

1. Boone, L. & Makhani, S. (2012). Five Necessary Attitudes of a Servant Leader. Review of Business, 33(1), 83-96. Retrieved from: http://wguproxy.egloballibrary.com/login?user=true&url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=heh&AN=86286635&site=ehost-live&scope=site

2. Frick, D. (2013). Greenleaf and Servant-Leader Listening. Atlanta, GA: The Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership.

3. Greenleaf, R. (1991). The Servant as Leader. Indianapolis, IN: Robert K. Greenleaf Center.

4. Greenleaf.org. (2015). What is Servant Leadership? Retrieved from: https://greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership/

5. Parris, D. & Peachey, J. (2013). A Systematic Literature Review of Servant Leadership Theory in Organizational Contexts. Journal of Business Ethics, 113(3), 377-393. Retrieved from: http://wguproxy.egloballibrary.com/login?user=true&url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=heh&AN=87015717&site=ehost-live&scope=site