Theme 5 – Your vision of leadership
At this stage in your studies of business and leadership, what type of leader do you believe you are or would like to become? How ready are you to lead others? Watch the following podcast about the experience of being managed and led by others.
Personally, a leader has to inspire and has to have a vision. For without it, the leader will not be able to provide the necessary guidance to the employees. A good leader does not only have to lead, but will also have to be in touch with their employees. Going through this course, there is a noticeable difference between a leader and a manager. The former trusts while the latter controls.
MY PERSONALITY
Depicted on top is my personality type which is INFP. INFP’s are very nice people. They are idealist and see the positive side of others. Usually seen as calm and reserved, INFPs are flaming inside and can really shine although often misunderstood including Shakespeare himself. The percentages for feeling are rather high which shows my traits on making decisions and coping with my emotions. INPF’s are also often guided by their principles rather than logic.
Nevertheless, there is much needed room to improve. These improvements must be made to ensure that I am more sensitive to those around me as well as not to disregard their feelings and opinion. Other than that, I am also rather practical and will need to flow and imagine a little more.
PEER REVIEW
During the course of this module, my peers and I have worked tirelessly together as a team and spent hours on work together. As such, I had the privilege to be reviewed by my peers and learnt a lot from them. Below are the average marks for each skill I supposedly possessed :
- Model the Way : 9.3
- Inspire: 9.33
- Challenge: 9.53
- Enable: 9.21
- Encourage: 9.53
- Hofstede’s Culture: 8.96
Based on the findings above, it was discovered that my peers think and trust that I am a person who could set examples. They also believed that I was inspirational and encouraging as well as supportive. This is rather true based on the fact that during group activities and team work, I always do my best to assist and keep the group in focus. Nevertheless, there is room for improvement especially in the context of the Hofstede Culture where it was thought that I should be more collective.
INSPIRATION
One day, I aspire to be a leader alike Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, Air Asia’s boss. This is because he is an exemplary leader who puts his employees first and respects them. He is not the kind who would sit in his office but rather go on the field and mingle with his staff and understand what is going on, on the ground. Fernandes practices a transformational leadership style which is rarely seen especially in traditional set ups. Fernandes is also the type of leader who listens to his staff, recognizes them and implement changes accordingly and motivates them both financially and in spirit.
Most importantly, Fernandes is the type of leader who dares to go against the flow, trying out things on the path less taken as well as the ability to adapt to changes in the business and take challenges head on bravely. Starting the airline with only 2 planes and a mountain of debt, much can be said about Fernandes and his leadership style, but what truly inspires all of us is how he treated his company like his own family. Fernandes poured out everything he had to Air Asia including time, finances, love and care. It is only because of this the company is where it is at today.
CONCLUSION
Concluding, there is much room for improvement. However, the on-going journey of this programme has taught and will teach me a lot. It has thus far showed me my strengths and weaknesses which will have to be worked on. The basics of a great leader has also been taught and there is a lot to do if I was to become not only a leader but a great one. There is lots of gaps that needs to be filled and addressed and it is hopeful that this can be achieved by the end of the course.
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