HR9737 Leadership and Management

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Table of Contents
PART A Academic Essay..........................................................................................................3

Introduction..........................................................................................................................3

Self-awareness and its role in developing leadership/management capabilities.............3

Emotional Intelligence and its relevance for the development of self-awareness among
leaders/Managers..................................................................................................................4

Learning to work in a team and its relevance in the development of self-awareness

among leaders/managers......................................................................................................5

Conclusion.............................................................................................................................6

PART B Establishing the Professional and the Positional: A Self-Analysis........................7

Overview of the Targeted Profession..................................................................................7

Self- Analysis.........................................................................................................................7

Cultural Intelligence Test........................................................................................................9

My readiness towards my career choice...........................................................................10

PART C What Next: Establishing area for development...................................................11

References...............................................................................................................................13

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PART A Academic Essay
Introduction
Self-awareness is one of those valuable skills that help an individual to understand and
explore his own personality such as strengths, weaknesses, actions, and the characteristics
displayed by him. A self-aware individual has a clear understanding of his mental and
emotional state. For an individual to be an effective leader or manager, it is essential to be
self-aware of his own behavior and its influence on the lives of his followers or subordinates.
This essay focuses on the concept of self-awareness and its relevance in developing
leadership and management competencies. There will also be a detailed discussion on topics
such as learning to work in a team and emotional intelligence and their role in developing
self-awareness in a manager or leader.

Self-awareness and its role in developing leadership/management capabilities

Self-awareness can be defined as the conscious knowledge of an individual's own feelings,
character, desires, and motives. Self-awareness is the ability of an individual to understand
and perceive the elements that make him what he is as an individual including actions,
personality, beliefs, emotions, values, and thoughts. It can be considered as a psychological
state in which one becomes the focus of his attention. Simply stated, self-awareness is the
ability to identify own strengths, weaknesses, emotions, and personality and apply this
knowledge to improve one's own individual performance and the way he interacts with others
(Andrade, 2019).

Leaders and managers with self-awareness know their talents, opportunities, and mistakes.
Being self-aware can be considered as the first step of developing emotional intelligence and
strong relationships with other people which are core competencies of effective
leaders/managers. In order to be able to lead and manage other team members, an individual
should be able to understand himself first and the influence he can have on other people. With
this self-awareness, the leaders/ managers can build on their strengths and take necessary
steps to improve and eliminate their weaknesses. Leadership and management involve the
delegation of roles and responsibilities and with self-awareness, managers and leaders can
seek the required support where they lack in performing their duties effectively (Hentschel, et
al., 2021).

Self-awareness is also crucial while building strong relationships with other team members.
Managers or leaders who understand themselves tend to better understand the perspectives

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and situations of other team members as well. Such leaders/managers communicate in a more
efficient way and try to build trust and rapport with the team members. Self-aware leaders are
considered to be more authentic and genuine and not only inspire the followers but also help
build credibility for the organization as a whole (Ghomi & Redecker, 2019). It is considered a
very challenging task for an individual to develop self-awareness as it requires people to be
authentic and honest with themselves. They also need to confront their biases, limitations as
well and drawbacks. However, there are plenty of strategies one can use to develop self-
awareness. One such strategy is self-reflection on the daily activities and behaviors to keep a
regular check on one's own personality. Keeping a personal, journal to record the learning and
actions is also a part of this strategy. On the other hand, meditation is also considered to be a
very helpful strategy in giving time to oneself and being thoughtful about own activities.
Seeking feedback from other people is also useful in improving self-awareness and getting to
know about oneself. 360-degree feedback is one such example used by most aspiring
leaders/managers. If an individual is open to feedback and criticism, he is considered to be a
potential candidate to be a leader/manager. With each insight received from other people, an
individual can be well aware of his own personality, strengths, and limitations (Andrade &
Brookhart, S. 2020).

The organizations can also offer necessary support to individuals to develop self-awareness.
The leadership and development programs at the workplace prove to be very helpful in
developing leadership and management capabilities while focusing on self-reflection,
feedback, and coaching. In an organization with an open and transparent culture with values
of self-awareness, it is easier for the managers/leaders to indulge in the activities of
developing self-awareness.

Emotional Intelligence and its Relevance for the development of Self-awareness among
leaders/Managers
The capacity to recognize, comprehend, and manage one's own emotions as well as those of
others is known as emotional intelligence. Employing certain skill sets, such as self-
awareness, empathy, motivation, social skills, and self-regulation, all of which are
components of emotional intelligence, is vital in management and leadership (Cristol &
Gimbert, 2021). In the last several years, managers and leaders have become much more
conscious of the need to develop their emotional intelligence. Self-awareness is a critical
component of emotional intelligence since it aids leaders in recognizing their own
personalities, feelings, strengths, and limitations as well as the effects of their actions on

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others. Self-aware leaders and managers have a tendency to be better able to control their
emotions and comprehend the emotions of others. These individuals are the most receptive to
receiving criticism from others, forming close bonds with others, and feeling a sense of
personal growth (Parola, 2020).

It has been identified in the research performed by Thapa et al. (2023), that managers or other
leaders who score higher on Emotional Intelligence are better equipped to oversee their staff.
They accomplish organizational goals in addition to building good connections with their
team members. Emotionally intelligent leaders frequently inspire, influence, and perform
their duties and obligations with great effectiveness. They may increase their workers' job
happiness by paying attention to them and creating a supportive work environment for them.
Emotional intelligence competence is beneficial in managing disputes in the workplace,
forming strong teams, and communicating effectively, in addition to increasing self-
awareness among managers and leaders (London, et al., 2023).

Learning to work in a team and its relevance in the development of self-awareness

among leaders/managers
Teamwork is an essential capability for an individual to be able to lead to manage the team
members. Being an individual player is great but one should also be capable of working with
the team as it helps in also improving his understanding of other people and their capabilities.
Any manager or leader must learn how to successfully deal with the team members as it is a
critical component of developing their management and leadership skills. Working with a
team gives leaders and managers the chance to improve their self-awareness by becoming
more aware of how they operate (Niati, et al., 2021). They may also learn how to work in a
team and with individuals who have various learning preferences and worldviews. Working
in a team has the ability to provide an individual with a variety of thoughts and viewpoints on
any topic or environment, which is a huge advantage. Working as a team allows one to
discover one's own preconceptions and limits while also gaining a more comprehensive and
thorough grasp of other viewpoints. Leaders can gain a deeper understanding of their own
perspectives and learning styles by engaging with others who have diverse learning styles and
perspectives. In order to better meet the needs of the team, they might also develop plans and
mentor the others. Finding one's own skills, flaws, and personality via teamwork is helpful, as
is learning how to interact with others. At the end of the day, it helps managers and leaders
become more self-aware (Seifi, et al., 2022).

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According to Belbin's idea of team roles, there are primarily 9 jobs that members of a team
must do. These positions include coordinator, resource investigator, monitor evaluator, plant,
shaper, implementer, team worker, specialist, and completer finisher. Each of these jobs has
its advantages and disadvantages. To collaborate more successfully with other team members,
a person should be able to comprehend his or her place within the organization. The process
of developing one's own self-awareness includes learning about one's place in the team. For
instance, if a manager or leader is assuming the role of Plant in a team, he may be incredibly
imaginative but may struggle to put his ideas into action (Double, et al., 2020). A team
member who is an implementer, on the other hand, may work well and carry out the ideas but
may lack innovation. Working in a team enables leaders or managers to enhance their self-
awareness by learning about the roles, strengths, and limitations of others as well as about
themselves. According to Honey and Mumford's learning style theory, there are four different
categories of learning styles, including theorist, activist, reflector, and pragmatist. Working in
a team can help one gain knowledge of the many learning styles that exist among individuals.
Working as part of a team enables a manager or leader to comprehend both his own learning
preferences and those of the other team members (Schildkamp, et al., 2020).

Conclusion
In order to efficiently lead their employees, today's leaders and managers need to have a
strong sense of self-awareness. It involves being aware of one's own personality, attributes,
feelings, and flaws while simultaneously being aware of how others view them. The two
main topics of this essay's debate were emotional intelligence and how to function as a team.
Such abilities have been found to be beneficial in helping managers and leaders become more
self-aware. To carry out their jobs and obligations more skillfully, a leader or manager must
have traits like teamwork, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence.

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PART B Establishing the Professional and the Positional: A Self-Analysis
Overview of the Targeted Profession
As a college student who is seriously considering a future in supply chain management, I am
drawn to the dynamic and challenging aspects of the industry. The core of contemporary
corporate operations is supply-chain management, which includes a broad range of tasks that
call for strategic thinking, problem-solving abilities, and efficient communication. My
enthusiasm for this area of study originates from a number of important elements that, in my
opinion, make it an intriguing and rewarding professional path. My long-term professional
objective is to hold the position of supply chain management in a reputable international
corporation. My responsibility as a supply chain manager would be to create and oversee the
organization's supply chain strategy. Finding the firm affordable, high-quality materials will
be a part of my work. Along with managing the inventory, I will also need to coordinate with
the teams to monitor logistics. In order to maintain successful operations that adhere to safety
and quality standards, it would be important for me to work with suppliers and vendors
(Choi, et al., 2019).

If I want to follow my passion, it is crucial for me to grow in my emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence may be useful for a supply chain manager in managing complicated
relationships with customers, suppliers, and coworkers. I will be able to strengthen my
communication with the company's stakeholders as a result. I can empathize with those
stakeholders and establish the trust necessary for successful business relationships by
comprehending my own emotions as well as the emotions of those stakeholders. Similarly,
working in teams is another requirement for supply chain management. I will be able to
distribute and delegate duties to my team members according to their skill sets and caliber via
learning and working with the teams. These two abilities are essential for becoming a
successful supply chain manager, and they will also help me become more self-aware
(Anggoro, et al., 2021).

Self- Analysis
The ability to effectively reflect on one's actions, behaviors, knowledge, and self is dependent
on one's ability to analyze oneself. An individual may work on his deficiencies and build on
his strengths to develop his personality after assessing his strengths and limitations. Future
supply chain managers will also need people with interpersonal and intrapersonal skills and

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competencies; therefore, I must have those as well. I have tried a few toolkits and
psychometric tests that helped me assess my personality and effectiveness and helped me
recognize my strengths and flaws. The outcomes of such examinations that are pertinent to
my chosen career are analyzed in the section below:

Toolkit/ Strength Weaknesses

Psychometric test
1. CEME  I am a determined and  My networking skills
Questionnair committed person to my are quite poor.
e work.  I have self-doubts in
 I am quite clear about my terms of my
future ambitions and career capabilities.
goals.
2. Honey &  The results reflect my  I easily get bored with
Mumford preference for an activist the situations.
Learning learner.  Sometimes, I take
style  I like to take challenges actions without giving
questionnaire and learn from new them a thought
experiences. (Wang, et al., 2020).
3. Belbin’s  I try to use my intuition  I am not that good at
Team Role while working with team taking leading roles.
members to avoid any  I am usually not
friction in the team. interested in analyzing
 I am a strong team worker. the subjects in-depth.
4. Big Five  My high agreeable score  Sometimes I am
Factor Model reflects that I trust people unorganized.
and work with a team  I do not open up with
effectively. people that easily.
 In most of the areas of
personality, I gained a
moderate score.
5. Emotional  I am very good at  I lack of innovative
Intelligence managing conflicts (Yan, mindset.
test 2020).  My networking

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  My self-esteem is very abilities are poor.
high.
Cultural Intelligence  I can sense that the  I seek validation from
test languages and gestures other people.
differ in different cultures.  I am not that well
 I have an awareness about aware of cultural
the variations in cultures differences in regard
regarding different to power and authority
working styles (Domenech distribution.
Rodríguez, et al., 2022).

Strengths

I've determined my strengths or the abilities I have in plenty using the psychometric tools and
tests mentioned above. The CEME questionnaire helped me learn more about my range of
skills, including my capacity for strong network building and my familiarity with my line of
work. I intend to work as a supply chain manager for a multinational corporation, therefore
my networking abilities and understanding of my field will be useful to me while I carry out
my responsibilities. Moving forward, this questionnaire helped me realize that I had
confidence in my capacity to get employment in the future. It will be simpler for me, in my
opinion, to catch the attention of companies in the supply chain management sector given the
qualification I have obtained and the skill set I possess. I will also be able to perform my
functions and obligations in a professional manner in addition to that. I learned that I am an
activist who learns from experiences and acts rather than from observations or ideas with the
use of the Honey & Mumford questionnaire on learning styles. My best asset as an activist is
that I am adaptable to a variety of settings and am open to new challenges. I like to work on
new things and learn from them rather than being anxious (Niati, et al., 2021).

The Big Five personality test was the following exam, and the findings indicate that I have
openness, introversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neurotic behavior among my
personality traits. The main assets I have, in my opinion, for pursuing my aspirational
vocation are my openness and diligence. I have average communication skills, and I have
decent self-awareness when it comes to my own opinions and feelings. The next exam I took
was a test on Belbin's team roles, and I found out from it that I am a team worker and

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implementer who can be highly beneficial to the team in every assignment. I create and
maintain the network of connections, which is an explanation that is comparable to the
findings of the earlier tests. I look for fresh materials and data that will be useful to the team.
I may use this skill to my advantage when dealing with suppliers to cut supply prices and
obtain high-quality materials for my upcoming business.

Weaknesses

The tests and toolkits mentioned above not only assisted me in discovering my talents but
also my flaws, allowing me to further develop my personality. The biggest flaw I've
discovered is my lack of emotional intelligence, which might seriously hinder my ability to
succeed as a supply chain manager in the future. In order to hold a management role, I should
be able to comprehend the thoughts, feelings, and viewpoints of others and be able to
empathize with them. My lack of confidence to advance in my potential professional
objective is another significant flaw I have recognized. Lack of effective communication
skills has been noted as another significant shortcoming (Panadero, et al., 2019). It is crucial
for a manager to have excellent interpersonal communication abilities. Without them, it is
impossible to communicate successfully with other stakeholders or team members. I've
realized that occasionally I interpret a message differently than the sender intended, based on
my own understanding and viewpoint. I occasionally run into issues because of my
introverted tendencies since it takes me a long time to trust someone or develop
acquaintances. On the other hand, as soon as I feel comfortable with someone, I develop
close bonds with them. I occasionally have a bad tendency to be too hopeful. I easily grow
bored with the work or activities, and I struggle to remain cool in trying circumstances.

My readiness for my career choice

As I previously stated, I am looking forward to managing the supply chain effectively for a
reputable global company. I must have a few particular behaviors, attitudes, and skill sets in
order to reach my aim. I think that I need to improve on a few abilities and behaviors in order
to be fully qualified to pursue the vocation of my choosing. I am a procrastinator when it
comes to time management. With this mindset and behavior, I will never be able to put in the
necessary effort to accomplish my professional objectives. Additionally, I need to improve
my decision-making abilities and emotional intelligence level. In addition to this,
communication skills are also crucial for management positions, therefore I need to improve
in this area. However, I also have several talents and characteristics that might aid me in the

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supply chain management area, like openness, conscientiousness, problem-solving skills,
collaborative skills, networking ability, and negotiating prowess.

PART C What Next: Establishing area for development

It is important to focus on strengthening the areas that need improvement after recognizing
the flaws. Finding our personality's strengths and faults and working to improve them is the
major goal of self-awareness. Setting personal objectives and outlining the actions necessary
to attain them within a given time frame may both be done with the aid of an action plan. I've
learned from sections A and B which aspects of my personality I need to work on more to be
prepared for the professional world. The essential talents I need to acquire to become a
supply chain manager are time management abilities, decision-making abilities, and
emotional intelligence growth. The action plan to close the gap between where I am now and
where I need to go is shown below:

Objectives Activities Criteria of success Time frame Resources

Improve  Establish a measuring and 2 months Diary, alarm
time- disciplined evaluating the tasks clock, incentives
management schedule with an that are finished on
skills action-oriented time and the
mentality. incentives that are
 Prioritise tasks received.
based on their
urgency.
 Keep a journal or
diary.
 Set prizes for
finishing things
on time.

Improve  Start using examining the 3 months teams, decision-

decision- diverse tools for outcomes or effects making models,
making skills decision-making of decisions made critical-thinking
 A critical skills
evaluation of
each choice that

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 must be made
 Be prompt and
flexible in taking
action.
Enhancing  To control one's obtaining a high 2 months Supervisor,
emotional emotions and score on a test of emotional
intelligence practice emotional intelligence
capabilities meditation. intelligence books
 To focus on
understanding
others' feelings.
 To put oneself in
others' shoes
before making
any decisions for
them.

To put it simply, the CEME questionnaire has given me a better understanding of how
prepared I am for my desired position. My shortcomings and talents must be understood,
though. I determined the areas where I needed to improve with the use of this quiz. I created
an action plan as a consequence, one that will assist me in developing my personality and
making myself more equipped to pursue the vocation of my choosing. Because I now know
how confident and committed, I am about getting the job I want, this CEME quiz has helped
me think more strategically.

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