In my academic life in this college, I have been performing poorly and if this trend continues I am going to lose my scholarship and be sent back home by my embassy and I have to pay all the money they have spent on my education. For that reason, I have developed a 14-day program that will enable me to improve my grades this semester. In this program, I will apply different leadership techniques such as visionary, coaching and affiliative. Visionary leadership is paramount in my case because I need to adopt a new educational direction (Benincasa, 2012). In the first day of the program, I will come up with new academic goals and put them down to ensure that I regularly check them. My vision shall be to improve my grades gradually, starting with the EMEN 4050 Leadership and Math 2300 Calculus 2. My immediate goal is to score an A in EMEN 4050 and a B in Math 2300. I understand these goals will not only require me to write them down, but to develop a positive mental attitude. Because of my poor performance, I have been feeling very disappointed with myself since I did not expect to perform like that when I joined the college.
I have also been a disappointment to my family who had a lot of confidence in me. At some point, I felt like giving up because I had started to get depressed and defeated by my grades. However, I believe it is time to get away from this negativity and embrace my current situation in a positive manner as that is the only way I can have chances of improving (Oxford Royale Academy, 2014). The fact that I have admitted that my grades have not been what I have been looking for will motivate me to take control of the situation. I know I can achieve the best grades in my subject, and I will start commanding the situation on the first day of the program. Setting goals is an essential aspect and establishing a specific outline and strategies of achieving such a goal is essential in their achievement. For this reason, I have established various strategies and an outline of various procedures and approaches I will undertake to make the change process a success.
The second leadership technique I will adopt is coaching which will commence on the second day of the 14-day program. In leadership, coaching is a style where the leader teaches the followers how to improve their performance (Iqbal, 2011). I will approach my tutors to ask them to provide me with guidance in areas that I feel that are challenging to me. I will expect the teachers to help me connect with my academic goals as well as how to come up with a study plan that will ensure I improve in all subjects. I know my lecturers know me well, and they will be valuable in helping me to draw up an effective program to improve my grades. I will ask assistance in identifying areas that I need to make changes. In addition to coaching from my instructors, I will personally identify my weaknesses and the reasons. I need to establish whether I am failing in all grades or some of them by looking at my grades in the previous semesters and seeing the trend. After the analysis, I should be able to know whether there has been a general decline in all subjects or my grades have been lower in some areas (Oxford Royale Academy, 2014). For example, I have noticed that I have been underperforming in Mathematic-related subjects like Calculus. I will approach my instructors on these subjects and ask them for coaching to make improvements.
On the third day of this program, I will draw graphs of all subjects since the first semester and discuss each of them with respective instructors. I will write down the reasons for not performing to my full academic potential and identify any external factor that could be affecting my performance. After listing all the reasons for my underperformance, I will visit the college counselor on the fourth day to try to develop solutions to these problems. Some of the challenges could be personal and I will develop strategies to deal with them. An external and internal analysis is essential in distinguishing my areas of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that might hinder the achievement of the proposed objectives. As a leader, one has to identify the internal and external strengths, which in this case include my strong will to pursue and become a success. Additionally, I am in the right environment with all the required resources to enhance the achievement of my objectives.
The third leadership technique that I will apply to improve my grades is affiliative where the importance of working as a team is emphasized (Kano, 2013). I need to develop connections with other students who are taking the same subjects with me. Even though I am the only student taking the course in class as the other students are studying online, I will try to find contacts of at least five students taking the course online on the sixth day of the program. I will request them to form a social network group through Facebook or other convenient social networks where we can discuss various topics. Connecting with other students will allow us to share the challenges we are going through and help each other to solve them. My fellow students will complement the efforts of my lecturers as there are some issues I cannot share with my tutors comfortably, but I can do so with my fellow students (Oxford Royale Academy, 2014). Additionally, lecturers may not have enough time to answer all the questions I could be having because of their tight schedules, but I can reach the students quickly.
Irrespective of the environment, teamwork plays an imperative role in enhancing the success of a person. I understand that working as a team can open understanding and enhance my ability to complete tasks in an effective manner. I acknowledge the importance of teamwork in the development and improvement of interpersonal skills. Through working with other students, I will be able to meet deadlines of various assignments that we are offered in school. This has been a major problem because in numerous cases, I have handed my assignments past the deadline, which normally affect my overall marks. The teamwork is also important because it will enhance my relational interactions and improve the outcome of various projects and examinations because I am able to draw upon the ideas of different people. As such, working as a team also provides an emotional support, which is considered essential in enhancing the success of an individual.
On the seventh day, I will come up with strategies that will allow me to pay more attention in class and ask questions. I would say I am very privileged because I am the only student in class, and this gives me the full attention of the instructors. However, this has not helped me to improve my grades because I have been allowing my mind to wander a lot when the lesson is ongoing. I will start thinking deeply what the teachers are saying and not just copying down what they are saying. Thus, I will not allow myself to leave the class without explicitly understanding the content of the lesson. I will also start to make neater notes so that it can be easy for me to read and understand them later when revising. I will no longer be afraid to speak up to seek clarification on anything that I do not understand (Oxford Royale Academy, 2014). I have noticed that it is tough for me to peruse through books to try to find a more precise explanation for something than asking the teachers. Effective leaders ensure that their followers understand the organizational goals and the way to achieve them and therefore I will ensure that I grasp the techniques provided by instructors on how to improve my grades.
On the eighth day, I will develop a plan to organize my life. Leaders should be organized to ensure that their organizations operate efficiently (Benincasa, 2012). Thus, I will start to remove all clutter that inhibits my ability to study properly. First, I need to keep my room tidy and all learning materials, including notes and textbooks, organized so that I can know where to find everything anytime I need it. I will also evaluate my time management as effective leaders appreciate that time is a scarce resource as this will allow me to create adequate study time for the difficult subjects like Calculus and others (Oxford Royale Academy, 2014). I will draw a daily timetable that will incorporate all school schedules by dividing my day into different sections with studying taking up plenty of time. In the timetable, I will allocate those subjects and topic that I will identify as problematic extra time as these could be the reason for my poor performance.
On the ninth day of the 14-day program, I will develop steps that will help me to improve my note-taking skills. One reason for my poor performance is that I have not been taking good notes in class. I usually write my notes very hurriedly, and this makes them difficult to make sense, particularly when I am preparing for an exam. The records are misleading, especially when I am revising for them, and I cannot even make an essay from them. Using the notes to prepare for an exam leads to misunderstanding, and I cannot strongly grasp the content of a topic. Thus, it is critical that I produce perfect notes from every class I attend and every book I read. All the notes I will be using should be legible, useful and logically organized. I will type all the notes that I write by hand in class at the end of the day while they are still fresh in my mind (Oxford Royale Academy, 2014). Effective leaders ensure that they put everything down in a legible and organized manner for future references.
On the tenth day of the program, I will find out the most appropriate learning style for myself. Successful leaders know their strengths and weaknesses through self-awareness. In fact, a person cannot lead others if they do not know themselves (Benincasa, 2012). As a student, I could be performing poorly because I have not found the most suitable learning style for myself. Everyone is different and has their way of studying that will yield results (Hodgson and Benton, 2014). I might be using a wrong approach to my studies, and it is the time I evaluated it and came up with the most productive style. For example, I have been studying all alone with little input from my teachers or students. It may be the time to try to work with my tutors and friends. Maybe, I have lacked the motivation from another person. Therefore, I will conduct a research on different learning styles and identify the one that is more appropriate for my character. Additionally, I have to change my attitudes and perspective about education, because I have always felt resentful, which has always affected the outcome. As such, I have began changing my attitude towards every subject and evaluating possibilities available to make each a success.
On the eleventh day, I will make a declaration that I will stop procrastinating. Visionary leaders do not constantly postpone things that they are supposed to do at any given time (Iqbal, 2011). Procrastination could be one of the reasons for my poor academic performance, and I will identify five reasons that make me put off studying (Edcon Publishing, 2007). For example, I do spend a lot of time on social media and this consumes a lot of study hours. Through the timetable, I will ensure that I set very little time for the social networks. Additionally, all my social media activities will be related to my academic life, such as discussion with fellow students and asking questions to academicians. I have noted that I turn to social media when I have a big workload because I feel that I do not have anywhere to start. However, by the end of the day, I end up delaying the tasks, and it leads me to undertake the work hurriedly, which compromises the quality and productivity. Therefore, just as effective leaders hate procrastination, I will also detest it and try as much as I can not to be guilty of it.
Revision is an essential element of passing exams, and I will allow adequate time for it from the twelfth day. I have a tendency to start revising few days close to exams, making it difficult to identify areas that may need more time. I will start treating timed tests and mocks seriously as well as review past exams to boost my confidence during the real tests. Furthermore, I will revise everything I learn in class as this will require me to spend less time during revision (Lenson, 2011). Therefore, on the twelve days, I will research on the most effective revision techniques appropriate for my course. I also need to change my tactics because I have in most cases been revising in solitude, which creates boredom and I start looking for other activities. As a result, I spend a very short period, which means that I do not exhaustively revise to the required level, which affects the outcomes of the exams. As such, I have identified a few students, who will be my study partners and I will engage with them in discussions. Through a collaborative approach, I will be able to identify the areas I skip in my revisions and understand the content in different perspectives.
In conclusion, learning is not a punishment and taking it as such has caused me the current troubles and I am going to look for motivation to trigger my academic prowess. I am confident that I can achieve the grades that I aspire, and no form of negativity will cause me to fail again. Learning will be fun for me, and I will not allow the pressures to achieve high grades to take away the enjoyment in my academic life. Therefore, in the thirteen and fourteenth days, I will investigate different ways that I can make my studies less stressful and more enjoyable. As a leader, there are different approaches that can be adopted to enhance success, but it begins with self regulation. If a leader fails in their personal responsibilities, they are sure to fail in leading others. In numerous cases, people who fail in their personal responsibilities rarely find themselves in leadership positions. For this reason, I have decided to adopt a different approach, especially focusing on improving on my academic performance.
References
Benincasa, R. (2012, 05, May) 6 leadership styles, and when you should use them. Web Fast Company. 17 July 2016. < http://www.fastcompany.com/1838481/6-leadership-styles-and-when-you-should-use-them>
Edcon Publishing. (2007). How to get good grades learning how to study: personal development for success. New York: EDCON Publishing Group.
Hodgson, D. and Tim B. (2014). The Brain Box: The essential guide to success at school. Carmarthen, UK: Crown House Publishing.
Iqbal, T. (2011). The impact of leadership styles on organizational effectiveness. Munchen: GRIN Verlag.
Kano, E. (2013). Leadership styles and school performance. Munchen: GRIN Verlag.
Lenson, B. (2011, 28 December). Getting into college made easy: Six ways to dramatically improve your sat scores when time is short. Web Straightline. 17 July 2016. http://www.straighterline.com/blog/getting-into-college-made-easy-six-ways-to-dramatically-improve-your-sat-scores-when-time-is-short/
Oxford Royale Academy. (2014, 08, September). 14 ways to improve your grades if you’re underperforming. 17 July 2016. <https://www.oxford-royale.co.uk/articles/improve-underperforming-grades.html>
