2022

Personal Leadership Profile

CHEYANNE TAYLOR
 When you first become a new leader, you are worried about what your coworkers and

teammates may think about you and how well you will do in this position. There are many

questions and concerns that could be running through your mind when you finally become a

leader. Some of those thoughts may be you wondering if you are even doing anything correctly,

what is everyone saying or thinking about you, or you could even be thinking when will be the

first time I mess something up? Being a leader can be very intimidating for some people, but for

others, they could not have found a better job. As for me, when I become a leader there are many

things I need to learn. Looking at myself right now as a leader, I am not a very good leader yet,

but this is because I am still learning what I can do to improve to become a good leader. I do not

have a lot of experience with leading people, but I have learned many new ways on how I could

become a great leader. Even though I have not used any of them at this point, hopefully, I can put

what I have learned and incorporate them into being a better leader in the future. I have taken

many concrete actions to improve as a leader. I have read books on leadership, and I have taken

classes on leadership. I have even been watching very closely how other leaders do specific

things and what I like and do not like about how they handle certain situations. Based on all of

this learning, I have identified areas where I need to improve, and I am working on improving in

those areas. Some specific things I think I could work on to improve my leadership skills in the

future include being more aware of my own emotions and how they affect my behavior, being

more open to feedback and criticism, and taking more time to listen to and understand the

perspectives of others. Those are just a few of the many ways that I can learn how to become a

better leader in the future. There are always many ways in which people can grow and learn to

do better for their selves. When learning how to be a better leader your employees will respect

you more and be willing to do more for you since you treat them in a good way. “Being an
authentic leader is not something that happens but is something you must develop (Burr, 2022).”

I think that this statement is true because being a leader is not something that you just know how

to do. You have to watch how other people are leaders and learn how to develop and become the

right leader that you think you should be. Everyone chooses to lead things differently, but you

have to find out what leadership style works best for you and your team members. Everyone

expects different things from leaders, and although you will not be able to please everyone, you

have to try to do your best to stay on neutral ground. In one of the videos, we had to watch the

woman talk about how “the five most important leadership competencies are ethical and moral

values of the leader, ability to provide clear directions and objectives without micromanaging,

clearly communicate expectations, flexibility to change your own opinions, and interest in seeing

team members succeed by providing continuous training. (Chelette)” I believe that these are five

really great leadership competencies for people to follow if they want to be great leaders. It

shows that you not only care about your own success but the success of your team as well. You

trust them enough to not hover over them the whole time that they are working. You can assign

them a task and know that they will complete it without you having to be around. In the future, I

would like to be a good leader that people actually look up to and that they really enjoy. I do not

want to be a leader who looks miserable and unapproachable most of the time. When you are a

good leader your employees are able to come up and talk to you about anything that is bothering

them or on their minds, and they know it stays just between you two. I want to be an effective

leader in the future who is able to motivate and inspire those around me. In my opinion to be a

great leader you have to be someone who is able to recognize and celebrate the successes of the

team, while also being able to provide constructive feedback when needed. I want to be a leader

who is able to listen to the ideas and opinions of others and incorporate them into the decision-
making process. Being someone who can recognize and address the needs of the team, while

also being able to delegate tasks and responsibilities in a fair and equitable manner. I want to be

a leader who is able to foster an environment of collaboration and trust, as well as be able to set

clear expectations and goals. In the future, I want to be a leader who is passionate about making

a positive difference in the world, who is driven to create a better future for all, and who is

willing to take risks and make bold decisions when things like this are needed. I want to be a

leader who is open-minded and willing to listen to different perspectives, and who is able to

bring people together to work towards a common goal. A leader needs to also be someone who is

inspiring and motivating and can lead by example. I want to be a trustworthy and honest leader

and be able to build strong relationships with those around me. Being innovative and creative is

another trait that a good leader could have. A good leader is able to think outside of the box in

order to come up with solutions to difficult problems. I want to be a leader who is organized and

efficient, and who is able to effectively manage their time and resources. Most importantly, I

want to be someone who is compassionate and understanding, and who is able to put the needs of

others before my own needs. Finally, I want to be a leader who can lead by example and

demonstrate the highest level of integrity and professionalism. I think that these are all great

leadership skills to have and are very beneficial to not only you but your team as well. If you are

a good leader, then your team will follow you by doing good work. A good leader is someone

who possesses a variety of characteristics, like the ones that have been mentioned, and they use

these leadership traits to be effective in their roles. They are capable of motivating and inspiring

their team, making sound decisions, thinking strategically, building relationships, handling

difficult situations, being flexible, being organized, being a good listener, being a good problem

solver, being a good team player, being creative, be a good role model, be open-minded, and be a
good mentor. They also have a strong sense of self-awareness and are able to foster a positive

and productive work environment. My future personal vision goal that I set for myself a few

weeks ago was that I will work hard to be a good leader by leading with honesty, fairness, and

clear communication. Everyone on the team will work at their full potential. They will believe in

themselves, and the goals that are set for them. After the past few weeks, I still think that is a

good personal vision goal that I have for myself, and it should be something that I try to use in

the future for me to go by. I can even add more of the things I have learned about into my vision

goal to help make me a better leader. In the book it says “effective leaders communicate their

vision using clear, vivid messages that both motivate and provide direction. Your vision as a

leader promotes your leadership brand. It establishes the expectations behind the work culture in

that organization. (Middlebrooks, Allen, McNutt, & Morrison, 2020, p. 240)” You should have a

clear and straightforward vision statement about the organization you are working for and what

you are looking for in a new hire. That way people can see if they would actually like to work

there or not.

The first step to becoming a new version of myself as a leader is to identify what qualities

I want to develop. This could include qualities such as communication, problem-solving,

decision-making, and team building. Once I have identified the qualities I am wanting to

develop, I can create a plan to help me achieve them. This plan should include setting goals,

learning new skills, and developing strategies to help me reach my goals. I can also look to other

leaders for inspiration as I have stated before. Reading books, attending seminars, and talking to

mentors can help me gain insight into what it takes to become a successful leader as well.

Additionally, looking for opportunities to practice my leadership skills would be a good idea.

This could include taking on additional responsibilities at work, joining a professional

organization, or volunteering in my community for different events that are going on. Finally, an

important thing to remember is that becoming a leader is a process. It takes lots of time and

effort to develop the skills needed to become a successful leader. While working to become the

new version of myself as a leader, I need to make sure I am taking the time to reflect on my

progress and celebrate my successes even if they are just small ones. I think the best way I will

know if I am succeeding in accomplishing my personal leadership design is by accessing my

progress against the goals, I set for myself. I can start by reflecting on the progress I have made

and what I have already achieved thus far. I can look back and see how much I have grown as a

leader already and what I need to do to keep growing and doing better for myself. Asking my

colleagues, peers, and mentors for their honest opinion on my leadership style and the progress I

have made. This will help me gain a better understanding of how I am perceived as a leader and

how I can continue to improve. Not everyone is going to have something positive to say so I

have to be able to take negative feedback and just move on. Being able to grow and develop as a

good leader should be something every leader does. You have to learn from your mistakes and

become a better leader for not only yourself but your coworkers as well.
References
Burr, R. (2022, September 30). Who am I as a leader? Retrieved from LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/who-am-i-leader-ricki-burr

Chelette, B. (. (n.d.). Leadership competencies | the top 5 characteristics of effective leaders (Video File).
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugKyBmMJ4gs

Middlebrooks, A., Allen, S. J., McNutt, M. S., & Morrison, J. L. (2020). Discovering Leadership.