Individual Leadership Growth Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Individual Leadership Growth Reflection - Essay Example In this paper, I give the self-discoveries I have made from this course with regard to my growth as a leader in terms of power, coercion and management functions. Various ways exist in which to define leadership because of the variance in the meaning attached to leadership under diverse contexts. Nonetheless, the bottom line of leadership entails a focus on the processes of a group. It entails how an individual’s behavior or personality perspective interacts to cause transformation. Additionally, it entails the power relationship between the leader and the followers. Therefore, the definition of leadership as a process of an individual influencing a group of individuals so as to achieve a common objective by Northouse (2010) adequately covers all aspects of leadership. This means that in this evaluation of my leadership, I look at how I have been able to influence various groups of individuals to achieve the intended common goal. It will involve an analysis of my leadership traits and how I have used such traits to influence groups. First, just as is human nature to love power, I have sought to acquire power under various capacities that would give me the command and thus the leadership. Without power, it would be difficult for me to cause transformation in a group. After all, Northouse (2010) defines power as the capacity to influence. Without this potential, it implies that it would be difficult for me to control any group. Borrowing from the traits approach to leadership, some of my physical traits have greatly contributed to my leadership positions. Being tall and well built has always been a way in which people have opted to give me legitimate power in many groups. The most recent is the position of chairmanship of a group of a minority represented in the school. Through this power, I was able to bring about changes among the minority students, empowering them to occupy executive positions in the school’s students’ council. This way,