Reflective Leadership Plan

A person with average charisma can be a superior leader. I consider myself to be a leader with average charisma and I am set on changing the world. I am a leader who has an exceptional relationship with my followers and it goes beyond setting goals, using resources, and conducting business (Nahavandi, 2006). My students do not see me as merely an Instructor but as role model and/or hero. One characteristic that defines charismatic leaders is their self-confidence in their own abilities and in the correctness and the moral righteousness of their beliefs and actions (Bass, 1985).
Whereas noncharismatic leaders doubt themselves in the face of failure and criticism, charismatic leaders seem to know they are right and project that confidence. My high level of confidence in their actions motivates my students and creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. Along with a high level of self-confidence, I exhibit high energy levels. I am enthusiastic about my ideas and actions, I am highly expressive, and I use my nonverbal cues to lend support to my students’ verbal messages.
Charismatic leaders are masterful impression managers (Conger, 1989 House, 1977). They surround themselves with dramatic and mystical symbols that further enhance the image of the leader as a larger-than-life figure. I believe that we are born with the traits to become great leaders. Leadership can come in different forms and from all backgrounds. Having all the right conditions in place will not guarantee leadership. I have come across leaders with all the right conditions who failed by performance when given the opportunity.

I have also come across the uneducated with no support system who becomes business owners and community leaders. First, leadership is a group phenomenon; there can be no leaders without followers. Leadership always involves interpersonal influence or persuasion. Second, leadership is goal directed and plays an active role in groups and organizations. Leaders use influence to guide others through a certain course of action or toward the achievement of certain goals. Third, the presence of leaders assumes some form of hierarchy within a group.
As far as my leadership style goes. I am more task oriented, according to the “What’s my Leadership Style Assessment”. I have little concern for people and more concern for completing the task. My leadership style would not work because I need more balance between the tasks and the people. This is something I would have to work on. My goal is to be a charismatic transformational leader. My current leadership style would create a problem in an organization. Gaining concern for the people would be one way my leadership style would become more effective.
Getting more involved in the wants and needs of the people could aid in transforming my leadership style. I would also like to hear suggestions from my followers. As a transformational leader, I would have to bring about change, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Transformational leaders are social and are capable of being learned and managed. It’s a leadership process that is organized. The process consists of meaningful searches for change, orderly analysis, and the ability to move resources from areas of lesser to greater productivity.
Strategic transformation of an organization is not something that happens exclusively through the unique behavior of charismatic intellects, it is a discipline with a set of predicted steps. Transforming an organization to make it strategically economical is a multifaceted task. However, the proof that has been gathered shows that transformation can be thought about and acted on within a framework that’s easy to understand (Tichy and Devanna, 1990). To help in the development of my leadership style I would like to transform an organization.
Though this may be a challenge, I know that it will involve both joys and sorrows. Winning/beating the competition is exciting, but it’s painful to lay off workers, sell off businesses, and disrupt traditions. These occurrences are often part of a renewal, for what worked in the past may have become the cause of failure in the present. Transforming an organization also requires new vision, new frames for thinking about strategy, structure, and people. Some entrepreneurs can start with a clean slate, but transformational leaders begin with what is already in place.
They are like architects who must redesign outmoded factories for a new use (Tichy and Devanna, 1990). Transformational Leadership Theory states that transformational leaders provide people with support by engaging with them in a way where the leaders and followers raise each other to higher levels of motivation and morality (Burns, 1978). Leaders encourage followers to accept the disappointments without feeling as if they had failed at specific tasks As a future transformational leader, I must identify myself as a change agent.
My image, both professional and personal, is to make a difference in the organization and to transform it. I must be a courageous wise risk taker, who is not afraid to take a stand. I will believe in my people and have sensitivity them but yet powerful which leads to the empowerment of them. My drive is value and I will be able to articulate a set of essential beliefs and show behavior that is quite constant with my positions. I am a lifelong learner with the ability to talk about my mistakes so that I can correct them. I will have a gift to deal with complexity, ambiguity, and uncertainty.
I will learn to cope with problems in a tough, altering economy. And have a vision of what I want in my organization and be able to translate those dreams and images so that other people could share them (Tichy and Devanna, 1990). Transformational leaders are supportive of their people by helping them to replace past glories with future opportunities. This will happen only if they are able to acknowledge individual struggle that has come from a sense of loss in the transition. Leaders should encourage employees to accept the failures without feeling as if they had failed.
It does not help to treat transitions as if the past did not exist. The past will hold the key to understanding what went wrong as well as what worked and can frequently provide a useful map to the future. Transformational leaders are being asked to address not only economic issues but also moral issues. Transformational leaders must be prepared to deal with a world in which resources are increasingly scarce and change happens more rapidly. All of the traits of a charismatic transformational leader are areas that I need to work on to become my best.
This will be overcome by my class teachings and readings. To ensure that I am on the right path, I will implement a survey that will be administered to my followers. This survey will entail all of the key aspects of becoming a charismatic transformational leader. Depending on the results of the survey, I will make adjustments accordingly. Although competence and cognitive ability might be keys for success when working alone, leadership requires successful interaction with others and the ability to motivate them to accomplish goals. I can be the first to admit that I work better alone.
I feel that I can get the job done faster when there are no interruptions. EI/EQ is a central factor in several leadership processes, particularly in the development of charismatic and transformational leadership, where the emotional bond between leaders and followers is imperative. Being able to empathize with followers can further allow me to develop followers and create a consensus. Some researchers suggest that emotional intelligence contributes to effective leadership because an emotionally intelligent leader focuses on followers, on inspiring them, and on developing enthusiasm (George, 2000).