A511.7.3.RB - Self-Awareness
I am a military officer with 20
years of military service, as I reflect on my career as a leader I have to
think about what it took to become a good leader. What made me different from the individual
with the same rank and time in service standing next to me? Is the person next to me a better or worse
leader, what could I learn from him in order for me to become better. Is my core values the right ones or do I need
to improve them? The military like any corporate organization is extremely
competitive. In the military everyone is
a leader in some capacity where some choose to lead a large organization, some
a small team, and others are comfortable leading just themselves. As good leader, “keeping promises and
commitments, and acknowledging responsibility for mistakes while also seeking
to correct them (Yukl, 2013, pg332),” is the hallmark of leadership. With this
said, I cannot acknowledge the positive without negative takeaways from
military leadership.
Good leaders follow, learn, lead by
example, and inspire others. Negative
leaders most often create the harsh working environment, but in essence provide
the best examples to of what not to do as a leader. The competitive nature of the military
coupled with working in multiple environments helped me to grow and learn from
both good and bad leadership. The experience has helped to shape my leadership
style and make me a better leader. I
have worked with servant, authentic, and ethical leaders, their positive
leadership styles I found to the most helpful in my development. Servant
leaders whose helped others to grow through empowerment and individual
development made the strongest impact on personnel and the organization. Those leaders who worked closely,
understanding and supporting subordinates were the most successful because they
were considered sincere individuals.
This would cause organizations to work harder because the leader
displayed ethical behavior and was authentic in nature.
At the root of my leadership are my
core values, I didn’t understand or know how to label them until I joined the
Air Force in 1995. My core values are
integrity first, service before my own needs, and excellence in everything I
do. Three simple values have shaped me
to be a servant leader where I am focused on others rather than myself. Integrity
is first because as a leader, subordinates, peers, and senior leaders must be
able to trust my dedications and actions.
Second is service before my own needs, this means I am in service to my
organization, family, and the community.
I will sacrifice my desires and needs to help others first. Lastly is excellence in what I do I will give
100% effort in everything I do no matter how large, small, or tedious the task.
When needed, I will ask for help as it will overall benefit of the
organization.
I have learned over the years that
“servant leadership are similar to those suggested by theories of supportive
and empowering leadership and theories of spiritual and authentic leadership
(Yukl, 2013, pg349).” Admitting my lack of knowledge or weakness in an area has
benefitted me. By recognizing shortfalls,
in myself, my personnel or the organization, has proven critical to my success.
By seeking help from others who are
knowledgeable on the subject or task has been one of the most successful
leadership traits I have gained. The
learning point is I don’t have to have all the answers, being humble and asking
for help makes the difference to the organization and personnel. Leaders who
want to be successful will need support from subordinates, peers, and senior
leaders. When faced with a task that is
beyond the organization’s capability, asking for help is the right thing to do
and keeps with the core values of integrity first, service before self needs,
and excellence in what I do.
Ref:
Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in organizations
(8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
No comments:
Post a Comment