Leading_the_Way_in_an_Organizatino

Running head: LEADING THE WAY IN THE ORGANIZATION Leading the Way in the Organization Premjeet K Shergill University of Phoenix Leading the Way in the Organization No one wants a job he or she does not like. That is the difficult part of finding a position that fits ones style and personality. As a valued employee of an organization having the ability to choose the perfect position is a great opportunity but not an easy task. The trial and error of taking on jobs that do not suit one is not the best way to approach finding the job that fits. So instead of choosing a career based on what one thinks he or she should do, self assessments can help one find a career that fits his or her personality. “Doing a good self-assessment is crucial to finding the right career. In fact, it is the most important part of the entire process” (Blaine, 2009). Assessments of Personality Basic personalities play a large role in our day to day routines. Understanding of your basic personality can give an in-depth view of how to approach your career. Strengths and weakness in the personality can help determine if an individual may be better suited for one type of role over another. Having a strong sense of openness to new experiences helps in positions of leadership as it allows one to more flexible and handle changes better whereas in some positions where the job requires rigidity being open to new experiences can be a weakness as it can lead to instances of “burn-out” quicker. Strengths and Weaknesses Serving in the role of CEO suits my personality style and assessment tests. Although I have strong traits in areas of communication, and being a goal oriented leader I do have areas such as creativity which need to be developed to ensure in my role that I can help the organization stay competitive by looking at new and innovative ways in doing business. Under my self-assessment tests I learned that I tend to be very results oriented. Understanding the weaker areas of your personality can allow focused improvement for success. Understanding this allows me to enhance my skills in this area through training and leadership courses. Understanding strengths and weakness through personal assessments allows the ability to get training the skills improvement in specific areas. My assessment also showed me to be a type a personality. Very results oriented but unlike classic definitions of the Type A personality understanding this has allowed me to understand the impacts of time and allowed me to get training and improve skills in areas of time management. Leadership Styles As an effective leader one of the strongest areas is the ability to communicate with all levels within your organization and in varying formats. The position gives the ability to be able to provide leadership directly within my organization. “Most definitions of leadership and theories about effective leadership focus on behaviors used to directly influence followers” (Hunt, 1991; Lord & Mahar, 1991; Yammarino, 1994; Yukl & Lepsinger, 2004). There are many theories on the effects of direct leadership and indirect leadership. The organizational structure can impact this approach. In my role and with the strengths in my personality in working with staff I tend to do better with a direct leadership approach. I think if my firm were larger I would rely on a more indirect approach when trying to reach all levels of staff. Directive leadership is a style that is most suited to my results oriented leadership style. I tend to have a strong approach to leading using this leadership style. Along with using directive leadership approaches I also use Achievement-oriented leadership. These two styles are the ones that have worked so far and tend to fit my style. Using personality assessments to determine whether an individual is a good fit for a position is using the Trait Approach. “This approach emphasizes leaders’ attributes such as personality, motives, values, and skills” (Yukl, 2006). Using the assessment tests will also help make the transition to the position. Career Choices There are several career choices that fit my assessment tests. These choices range from team leader, consultant, supervisor, manager and executive leadership. My assessments not only showed the ability to plan and organize well but also a strong in areas of leading roles. My “Disc” assessment style showed me to be a very dominant results oriented personality. Strong results oriented traits are important to organizational leadership. Understanding the goals and missions of the organization and learning how to achieve results that support those goals make me an excellent candidate for Conclusion Understanding personalities can help to fit individuals into positions that are better suited for their personal style and abilities. Understanding assessments can help in areas of promotions and motivation for individuals. The motivation aspect of having a job that suits an individual’s personality helps to keep the individual interested in their job and prevents “burn-out”. The assessment tests also help with career development. The assessment tests allow individuals to use the information to improve skills in areas where there may be weaknesses. References Blaine, C... (2009, December 10). Know Thyself. Salt Lake City Weekly, p. 63.  Retrieved January 10, 2010, from Alt-Press Watch (APW). Yukl, G (2006). Leadership in Organizations, v6p, Uppers Saddle NJ: Pearson Education.