I believe I exemplified self-leadership in this example by the following:
a) Being a Listener and Open to learning- Self Awareness
Self-leadership involves that the person is aware of his or her own limitations and is always ready to learn and improve. In the reading “The Ultimate Leadership Task”, author Richard J. Leider states that the change starts from the the heart; where the heart is made up of two words hear and art. In other words, the art of hearing or listening is necessary for change. By creating a committee, I was able to hear and learn from my team and use their input to create a no-show policy. The monthly staff meetings gave me an opportunity to get staff feedback and discuss possible solutions. Our implementation process was a learning process and I used the feedback from my team to revise and improve the no-show policy.
Instead of assuming that I knew everything and doing it on my own, I listened to the needs of my team and addressed their concerns to become an effective leader.
b) Emotional Control- Self-Management
As a new leader, I was under a lot of pressure to deliver results, develop trust with my team and gain their respect. Self-leadership is when you are aware of the pressures that surround and you are able to take control and make the right decisions. Like the article title “Is it better to be loved or feared”, the same question dawned on me whether my email, where I will institute the policy change on my own, would make my staff happy or make things worse. I was emotionally drained and frustrated with all the staff complaints, and was inclined to act without thinking. Thankfully at the moment, I took a big deep breath and reflected on my actions and their impacts.
The article by Cuddy, Kohut and Neffinger (2013) mentions that we work hard to demonstrate our competence by taking the solo route to show others we can tackle any challenge. Initially I was compelled to show how I had the solution to this problem and could fix everything. However, my self-reflection made me understand that even though I could enforce the policy on my team but it would damage the relationship with my team. Hence, the decision to seek advice from my mentor demonstrated that even in the stressful times I can manage my emotions to ensure that I make the right decision.
c) Motivating others
Leaders, who are aware and appreciative of themselves, will be aware and appreciate of others. By knowing themselves they are better able to appreciate, and motivate others potential. In the example, in leading change I need to be aware of my team’s attitudes and reactions. Conger (1998) in his article The Necessary Art of Persuasion states that“…to persuade meaningfully, we must not only listen to others but also incorporate their perspectives into our own.”
I think by incorporating all the different stakeholders in the committee helped me persuade my team towards the goal of creating a no-show policy. The decision to include the resistors in the committee was a way of giving them importance; even if they were not in favor of the change, they added value to the team and the discussion. Surprisingly, in the committee discussions the resistors provided valuable suggestions and actively participated in the entire process.