Leadership in Business Essay Example

After taking the Big Five Personality Traits Assessment, I found that I scored high in the Conscientiousness (43 out of 50) and the Extraversion (42 out of 50) categories.  The assessment placed my responses in the moderately high zone for Agreeableness and Openness, scoring 39 and 38 out of 50 respectively.  Neuroticism was moderately low at 24 out of 50.  Being a conscientious and extraverted leader brings many advantages to the team, such as persistence, adaptability, and foresight into what will be required to achieve a common goal while also gaining trust from others.  However, I must be careful to avoid common pitfalls such as perfectionism, burnout, and setting moral standard expectations that may be unrealistic for others to follow. (Miller, n.d.) 

I am a very self-aware person, so I am not surprised at the results.  I did research the pitfalls of the conscientious trait and found that the tendencies to be a perfectionist to the point of burnout to be spot on. I also recognize that I do tend to project my own moral standards onto others. (Miller, n.d.) In my quest to improve my leadership skills, I will be more aware of these tendencies and avoid alienating my team members.   

Extraversion appears to be the preferred trait employers look for in a leader.  However, even us extroverts have our weaknesses.  Over the years, I have learned to overcome some of them.  One weakness that I try to keep in mind is my susceptibility to overlook the contributions of others.  I have learned to listen more for and encourage others to provide their points of view in a conversation instead of being preoccupied with my own.  “A good leader will solicit input from team members in the development of well-defined objectives. In this way, the team as a whole is invested in the project or job. The outcome is an improved result or product.” (Indeed Editorial Team, 2021, How do Leadership Skills Benefit and Organization?) 

Leadership within any organization is multi-faceted.  Leaders can have different titles such as Executives, Managers, Trainers, and fellow Associates or Members.  They serve to provide inspiration, direction and motivation toward common objectives.  Without leadership organizations become disjointed and will eventually fail to fulfill their intended purpose.  Understanding and awareness of my personality traits and how they affect my leadership capabilities has proven to be valuable. 

References 

Miller, K. (n.d.). Conscientious Leadership Style Advantages, Disadvantages and Characteristics. Future of Working the Leadership and Career Blog. https://futureofworking.com/conscientious-leadership-style-advantages-disadvantages-and-characteristics/ 

Indeed Editorial Team. (2021, February 11). Q&A Why is Leadership Important in Organizations?. Indeed. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/why-leadership-is-important