Earlier In The Course, You Were Asked To Informally Evaluate ✓ Solved

Earlier In The Course You Were Asked To Informally Evaluate Your Lead

In this Final Project, you will use formal assessment tools to evaluate your leadership characteristics, style, and skills. You are required to complete at least four assessment tools provided in "Introduction to Leadership: Concepts and Practice." Additionally, select one tool to give to a colleague or supervisor for assessment of your leadership abilities. Your final paper should be 2–4 pages in APA format, analyzing the results from both yourself and your colleague/supervisor. Include actual results or summaries, identify your leadership strengths and areas for improvement, and incorporate relevant leadership concepts as well as issues related to ethics, diversity, and power within organizational settings.

Sample Paper For Above instruction

Leadership is a multifaceted construct that encompasses a variety of skills, traits, and behaviors essential for guiding organizations and individuals towards achieving their goals. The process of understanding and developing leadership skills is dynamic and requires both introspection and external feedback. In this paper, I will evaluate my current leadership characteristics, style, and skills based on four assessment tools I completed, supplemented by feedback from a colleague, to provide a comprehensive view of my leadership profile and areas for growth.

Assessment Tools and Results

The first assessment tool I completed was the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI), which evaluates five core practices: challenging the process, inspiring a shared vision, enabling others to act, modeling the way, and encouraging the heart (Kouzes & Posner, 2012). My results indicated that I excel in "modeling the way," demonstrating strong integrity and consistency in my actions, reflecting foundational leadership principles emphasized by Northouse (2018). However, I scored lower in “challenging the process,” suggesting an area where I can develop greater risk-taking and innovation.

The second tool was the Transformational Leadership Questionnaire, which assesses attributes like idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration (Bass & Riggio, 2006). My scores were robust in inspirational motivation and individualized consideration, aligning with a participative leadership approach. Nonetheless, I need to improve in intellectual stimulation, fostering more innovative thinking among team members. This aligns with Lynch-Cerullo & Cooney’s (2011) emphasis on outcomes-based performance and continuous improvement.

The third assessment was the Emotional Intelligence (EI) scale, measuring self-awareness, self-regulation, social awareness, and relationship management (Goleman, 1995). Results showed high levels of self-awareness and relationship management but identified moderate self-regulation skills, indicating a need to better manage stress during high-pressure situations. This is particularly relevant in diverse organizational settings where emotional competency is crucial for ethical leadership and power dynamics management.

The fourth assessment was the Ethical Leadership Scale, which examines integrity, fairness, and ethical decision-making (Brown & Treviño, 2006). I scored prominently on integrity but recognized a need to enhance my fairness, particularly in navigating cultural diversity and ensuring equitable treatment. Ethical leadership, as discussed by King & Hodges (2013), is essential for fostering organizational trust and social justice.

Feedback from Colleague

I selected a supervisor familiar with my leadership in project management to assess my leadership effectiveness. The colleague’s feedback indicated that I am viewed as a dependable leader with strong interpersonal skills and ethical standards. However, they highlighted that I could benefit from becoming more assertive in decision-making, especially when confronting resistance—an area aligned with the lower score in challenging the process from the LPI assessment. This external perspective underscores the need to develop confidence in taking calculated risks and challenging existing practices to promote organizational growth.

Analysis of Strengths and Areas for Improvement

The combined results from the assessments and colleague feedback reveal several strengths. Primarily, I demonstrate ethical integrity, emotional awareness, and the ability to inspire others—traits rooted in transformational and ethical leadership theories (Northouse, 2018; Brown & Treviño, 2006). My ability to build trust and resonate with diverse team members aligns with principles of inclusive leadership, which prioritize diversity and equity (Lynch-Cerullo & Cooney, 2011).

Conversely, areas requiring development include challenging the process, enhancing intellectual stimulation, and improving self-regulation under stress. These gaps suggest a need to cultivate confidence in decision-making, foster innovative thinking, and implement stress management techniques. Expanding my leadership repertoire in these domains aligns with contemporary leadership models emphasizing adaptability, resilience, and ethical decision-making in complex organizational environments (Lawrence et al., 2013; Plummer, Makris, & Brocksen, 2014).

Leadership Concepts and Ethical Considerations

The assessment results resonate with core leadership concepts covered in this course, such as transformational leadership’s focus on inspiring and developing followers (Northouse, 2018), and ethical leadership’s role in fostering organizational integrity (Brown & Treviño, 2006). Ethical considerations are critical when navigating organizational power structures, especially regarding diversity and inclusion. For example, promoting fairness and cultural competence helps prevent biases and supports social justice initiatives, which are vital in social work and nonprofit contexts as discussed by Benton and Austin (2010).

Leadership in contemporary organizations must also grapple with issues of power dynamics and ethics. Leaders who practice transparency and uphold ethical standards build trust and legitimacy, contributing to sustainable success (King & Hodges, 2013). As I continue to develop my leadership skills, I aim to integrate these concepts by engaging in ongoing training, seeking feedback, and consciously applying ethical principles in all organizational decisions.

Conclusion

In summary, the combined insights from these assessments and colleague feedback provide a comprehensive understanding of my leadership strengths—integrity, emotional awareness, and inspirational capacity—and highlight areas for growth such as assertiveness, innovation, and stress management. Developing these areas will enable me to become a more effective, ethical, and inclusive leader capable of navigating diverse organizational settings and contributing positively to organizational missions. Continued reflection, targeted development activities, and ethical commitment will be vital as I strive to align my leadership practice with best practices and research-based principles.

References

• Bass, B. M., & Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational leadership (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
• Benton, A. D., & Austin, M. J. (2010). Managing nonprofit mergers: The challenges facing human service organizations. Administration in Social Work, 34(5), 458–479.
• Brown, M. E., & Treviño, L. K. (2006). Ethical leadership: A review and future directions. Leadership Quarterly, 17(6), 595-616.
• Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. Bantam Books.
• Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2012). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations (5th ed.). Jossey-Bass.
• Lawrence, C., Strolin-Goltzman, J., Caringi, J., Claiborne, N., McCarthy, M., Butts, E., & O’Connell, K. (2013). Designing evaluations in child welfare organizations: An approach for administrators. Administration in Social Work, 37(1), 3-13.
• Lynch-Cerullo, K., & Cooney, K. (2011). Moving from outputs to outcomes: A review of the evolution of performance measurement in the human service nonprofit sector. Administration in Social Work, 35(4), 364–388.
• Northouse, P. G. (2018). Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
• Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (2014). Social work case studies: Foundation year. Laureate International Universities Publishing.
• Additional relevant literature on leadership and ethics (include actual references in proper APA style as needed).