Personal Leadership
Personal Leadership
Introduction
Understanding of self is critical and important for the personal development of human being. Understanding on own-self helps one identify the opportunities for improvement and growth while overcoming weaknesses. The importance of the matter increases much more in the modern world where team orientation has taken a driving seat. Ranging from students to the leaders in the corporate world as well as politicians and professional of all sorts are required to assess own-self for improvement and future contribution.
As a matter of fact, though one can identify self by different traits, there are different tests developed by the professionals that help an individual in the personal assessment. Keirsey Temperament Sorter is one of such tests and was taken for my personal review. The underlying personal leadership assessment discusses the results of the tests and their alignment with my personal understanding of myself and its contribution in helping me improving my personality.
According to the Keirsey Self Assessment, my temperament is of a guardian. Temperament is a combination of the personality characteristics that are observed in the day to day routine. Keirsey defines the temperament in two dimensions of communication, i.e. “what one say” and the actions dimensions i.e. “What we do.”
According to the test results, my personality type is a guardian. It is important to dig down the detail and explore the guardian personality on the communication quantum of being concrete vs. abstract. The guardians are concrete in their saying and have a consistent focus on the rights and responsibilities. In this respect, the test results are correct as I am a guardian. In day to day conduct, my focus of attention remains on factors that are allowed and acceptable in the social fabric. Attention to the needs and benefits of friends, family, responsibility, duties, and everything that is capable of generating fruitful results while remaining under the challenging everyday external environment is an everyday thought to defined my strategy. For instance, to the friend and social circle I am well known for my interest in discussion regarding the happenings in the society and taking an active part in a discussion where new practically applicable knowledge can be gained. To my view, such learning’s are primary in developing one’s skills and capabilities for dealing with the challenges that external environment pose to us. Also, it provides an immense source of guidance in dealing with a society that is a mix of all sorts of people.
On the other dimension of the What we do, the test results are again much accurate in depicting my personality. Being a guardian, I am cooperative in my actions. As the result test reveal, the guardian is the cornerstone for maintaining the smooth running of the matters. The characteristics of the being trustworthy and being dependable have usually enabled me to help others in a more effective manner than other. Further, Guardians, not only speak of the responsibilities and duties but ensure to remain part of the system and contribute the right things to the society. This enables me as a guardian in taking up responsibilities that are others are reluctant to accept and proactively take up the challenges. Among friends and fellows, I am selected for the critical jobs. For instance, I am given the responsibility of Treasury in my community younger people committee. Another dimension of my personality is to take that all along and while ensuring that right of none are affected. As a team, especially with the university fellows where assignments are often assigned to groups, I attempt to ensure that entire groups work on the same page. Taking all along also provides us multiplied and synergized capabilities in dealing with work pressures Covey (Covey, 1989). It not only benefits individual but also provides a learning opportunity for others.
As a matter of fact and the results of the test reveal that I am a guardian in the context of communication and actions, there are instances when my personality and conduct is tilted towards idealists. Idealists are abstract cooperators who look for the imaginary solutions that can bring a better outcome for all. However, this tilt does not allow me going outside the boundaries of the regulation and the norm set for the particular conduct. Hence, the change only comes in the approach to achieving the objective, but boundaries are most often not compromised.
Role of Characteristic in helping me as a leader
It is often said that the leaders are born and not made. With the coaching and guardian nature who is concerned for the betterment of the society while keeping in mind the external challenges that remain intact, my leadership skill is nurtured. These are in line with the think win-win and begin with the end in mind from the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Covey, 1989). A leader is one for whom others can rely on for helping in choosing a path for them. The most important characteristic of the guardian is to remain confined to the rules, regulations, and norms while seeking for the betterment of all. This specific nature has immensely contributed to winning a leadership position among almost all group works that we do.
Another dimension of the guardian nature that contributed in excelling my leadership ability is the loyalty and trustworthiness that I exhibit for others. A leader and a follower must have a specific bond that is joint with the trust and the followers have firm belief that a leader will never direct them to the loss or wrong path. Last, but not the least, as a guardian leader there is the least deviation in what I speak and what I do. This helps me, my colleagues around and family in deciding the best path for every work from professional to personal.
Support from the Book
Though my personality as a guardian, is more driven toward achieving the goal through cooperation and working under institutional rule and norms. However, it often gets challenging in getting the desired outcome while maintaining effectiveness because society and fellows, on the whole, are made of mix fabric of nature. This in turn creates challenges for achieving the results through ways that are acceptable for all. The book of Umiker has helped in guiding ways employing which once deal effectively with the day to day challenges. Factors like competition, work pressure, limited resources and support are considered in the details in the book.
As the students have limited training from a professional perspective, the book was a source of immense guidance. The book has discussed in details the aspects to be considered while developing and maintaining a relationship with the different people with different roles and responsibilities. With the exemplary discussion, I have managed to develop and further improve my relationship with the people around. Additionally, the book is a source of immense support in defining the procedures of effective planning so that the tasks are completed within defined resources without overburdening anyone (McConnell, 2010).
References
Covey, S. (1989). The seven habits of highly successful people. Fireside/Simon & Schuster.
McConnell, C. R. (2010). Umiker's Management Skills for the new health care supervisor. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Appendix: Test Results
GUARDIANS
Guardians (SJ's) are the cornerstone of society, for they are the temperament given to serving and preserving our most important social institutions. Guardians have natural talent in managing goods and services--from supervision to maintenance and supply -- and they use all their skills to keep things running smoothly in their families, communities, schools, churches, hospitals, and businesses.
Guardians can have a lot of fun with their friends, but they are quite serious about their duties and responsibilities. Guardians take pride in being dependable and trustworthy; if there's a job to be done, they can be counted on to put their shoulder to the wheel.
Guardians also believe in law and order, and sometimes worry that respect for authority, even a fundamental sense of right and wrong, is being lost. Perhaps this is why Guardians honor customs and traditions so strongly -- they are familiar patterns that help bring stability to our modern, fast-paced world.
Practical and down-to-earth, Guardians believe in following the rules and cooperating with others. They are not very comfortable winging it or blazing new trails; working steadily within the system is the Guardian way, for in the long run loyalty, discipline, and teamwork get the job done right. Guardians are meticulous about schedules and have a sharp eye for proper procedures. They are cautious about change, even though they know that change can be healthy for an institution. Better to go slowly, they say, and look before you leap.
Guardians make up as much as 40 to 45 percent of the population, and a good thing, because they usually end up doing all the indispensable but thankless jobs everyone else takes for granted.
Establishing and following a familiar daily routine is critical to your well-being. In your ideal job, you and your coworkers would all share information so that everyone could remain "on the same page” as projects move forward. Because you genuinely care about
the people you work with, your colleagues and your customers appreciate your unassuming kindness.
