BUSFPX3012 ASSESSMENT 1 INSTRUCTIONS: LEADERSHIP SELF-ASSESSMENT
Leadership Self-Assessment and Development Plan
Introduction
This paper serves as a comprehensive self-assessment of personal leadership experience, inherent leadership approach, and strategic outlook on collaboration. Leadership is not merely a title conferred by an organizational chart but a dynamic process of influence, inspiration, and strategic direction that addresses change, distinct from management, which focuses on handling complexity (Gallos, 2008). While the author lacks formal executive or managerial experience, valuable insights into effective and ineffective leadership have been accrued through observation and emergent roles in diverse professional and collaborative settings.
The objective of this analysis is to synthesize these informal experiences with established leadership theory to construct a clear developmental pathway toward becoming a truly influential and empowering leader. This self-evaluation is essential for understanding current strengths and identifying critical areas for growth as part of the overall course objectives.
Part I: Leadership Experience and Lessons Learned
My professional history spans several industries, from hospitality to retail, in environments ranging from small, family-run operations to large, structured corporations. This trajectory has provided a rich, albeit unintentional, curriculum on leadership through negative example. My designated role as a “shift lead” in one instance was a misnomer; the small team size and highly autonomous nature of the work minimized any actual requirement for traditional supervisory actions.
The most significant lessons have instead come from witnessing the detrimental effects of poor managerial practices, which often resulted in profound team apathy, disengagement, and high turnover. My encounters have ranged from the extreme of absentee management—where a lack of presence led to a void of direction—to the equally damaging extreme of micromanagement, characterized by an obsessive need for control and a corrosive lack of trust.
A particularly memorable incident involved a manager at a family restaurant who responded with irrational anger when I attempted to execute a simple task with a level of thoughtfulness and initiative that deviated slightly from the prescribed routine. This event crystallized a critical truth: the immediate supervisor acts as the primary conduit for an employee’s experience of the organization, and their actions can single-handedly destroy job satisfaction and motivation.
This observation is strongly supported by external research, such as the DDI’s Frontline Leader Project, which found that a substantial majority of employees have either left or seriously considered leaving a job primarily because of their manager (PR Newswire, 2019). The quality of frontline leadership is therefore not a soft skill but a hard, measurable business imperative. This reflection on past professional encounters and the subsequent analysis of leadership frameworks is the foundational work for the BUSFPX3012 Assessment 1.
While formal leadership opportunities have been limited, I have actively cultivated “soft skills” through leadership in cooperative video games. These environments necessitate the constant application of core leadership competencies: adaptability in the face of dynamic threats, precise and timely communication, and strategic allocation of human resources based on perceived strengths. In these virtual teams, success is entirely dependent on the collective ability to establish clear, immediate objectives, anticipate potential challenges, and assign roles quickly—qualities that are directly translatable to effective business leadership in any fast-paced organization.
Part II: Self-Assessment and Theoretical Foundation
To formally ground my informal observations, I utilize the framework of key leadership theories. Gallos (2008) provides the foundational distinction: management is about bringing stability and predictable results to complexity (e.g., budgeting, scheduling), whereas leadership is fundamentally about initiating and navigating change (e.g., vision, motivation).
My emergent leadership style, shaped by the high-stakes, rapidly changing environment of virtual teams, aligns more closely with the leadership dimension, prioritizing strategic foresight and motivational communication over procedural management.
The ideal leadership approach for a supportive and collaborative environment is often embodied by Servant Leadership. This model, championed by Robert Greenleaf, posits that the leader’s primary goal is to serve their followers, focusing on their growth, well-being, and autonomy. This principle directly counteracts the negative managerial behaviors I observed—the absent manager failed to serve by neglecting guidance, and the micromanaging manager failed to serve by stifling growth.
Adopting Servant Leadership means fundamentally shifting the power dynamic, prioritizing the development of subordinates over the accretion of personal power. This philosophical shift is a key objective of the BUSFPX3012 Assessment 1 self-development plan.
Furthermore, a significant gap observed in past managers was a pronounced deficiency in Emotional Intelligence (EQ). According to Goleman (1998), EQ—which encompasses self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skill—is twice as important as technical skills and IQ for outstanding job performance. The manager who reacted with unjustified anger, for example, displayed a clear lack of self-regulation and social skill.
For me, developing a robust EQ is paramount, as it enables a leader to read the subtle emotional cues of a team, mediate conflict with finesse, and provide truly empathetic guidance, transforming a transactional work environment into a relational and high-trust one. Applying EQ principles will ensure that future interactions are positive and motivational, fundamentally improving team morale and output.
Part III: Collaboration and Communication Strategy
The core finding from this self-assessment is that effective leadership is inseparable from collaborative success; there is, in essence, no true leadership without willing collaboration. The collaborative spirit is the cultural engine of a successful team. Effective leaders must, therefore, be proactive in fostering a culture characterized by openness, mutual respect,
and, crucially, psychological safety.
Psychological safety, as researched by Amy Edmondson (1999), is the shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking. In an environment lacking psychological safety (like the one created by the angry manager), employees withhold thoughtful ideas, admit mistakes late, and avoid seeking clarification, crippling innovation and learning. By contrast, a leader who models vulnerability, admits their own errors, and treats every failure as a learning opportunity actively builds this safety net.
This is particularly relevant to the digital collaboration learned in video games, where immediate, blunt, and non-judgmental feedback is essential for survival—a dynamic that can be softened and professionally applied to a corporate setting. The ability to create this atmosphere is a significant requirement for successful completion of the BUSFPX3012 Assessment 1.
My communication strategy, derived from that quick-paced, collaborative game environment, emphasizes two critical elements: clarity and anticipation. Firstly, clarity means ensuring that objectives are not only stated but that the why—the strategic purpose—is fully understood by every team member. Secondly, anticipation involves running mental or formal “pre-mortems,” where the team discusses how a project might fail before it even starts, allowing proactive mitigation of risks.
The most effective collaboration strategy is one that involves the team in the decision-making process, not just the execution. This involves delegating authority—not just tasks—and assigning roles that genuinely play to an individual’s strengths, a method that ensures every team member feels invested in the shared success of the endeavor.
Part IV: Personal Action Plan for Development
Based on this self-assessment, my developmental action plan focuses on formalizing my informal leadership skills and targeting the theoretical gaps identified.
Goal 1: Formalize Servant Leadership Practice.
- Action: Seek formal mentorship from an established leader known for their people-first approach.
- Metric: Implement and track the use of one-on-one “growth conversations” with future team members, focusing on their career aspirations and removing organizational roadblocks, rather than solely reviewing performance metrics. This aligns directly with the core tenets of Servant Leadership.
- Timeline: Implement upon acquiring a formal leadership role.
Goal 2: Enhance Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and Self-Regulation.
- Action: Commit to daily mindfulness practices to improve self-awareness and emotional regulation.
- Metric: Utilize a feedback tool (e.g., a simple 360-degree survey) to track how others perceive my reactions to stress and conflict, aiming for a consistent rating of “calm and constructive” in conflict resolution scenarios. This developmental focus is a key component of the BUSFPX3012 Assessment 1 requirements.
Goal 3: Master the Art of Feedback and Psychological Safety.
- Action: Study established models for giving constructive feedback (e.g., SBI: Situation-Behavior-Impact) and practice these scripts regularly.
- Metric: Measure team willingness to raise concerns or propose novel, risky ideas in meetings. The goal is to see a quantifiable increase in suggestions and reported mistakes, which paradoxically indicates a healthier, safer learning environment.
This structured approach transforms observed failures and informal successes into a concrete, measurable plan. By focusing on service, emotional mastery, and building a psychologically safe environment, I can transition from an informed observer to an intentional and highly effective leader, addressing the critical concepts covered in the BUSFPX3012 Assessment 1 course module.
My commitment to continuous self-reflection, especially as detailed in this BUSFPX3012 Assessment 1, is the first and most critical step in this journey. The successful application of these theories in real-world scenarios will serve as the ultimate confirmation of the principles discussed in this BUSFPX3012 Assessment 1 and demonstrate mastery of the required course concepts.
Ultimately, the lessons learned and documented within this BUSFPX3012 Assessment 1 framework aim to forge a leader who inspires success by focusing on the development and empowerment of the team, thereby avoiding the pitfalls of poor management that I observed in the past. This personal roadmap, which forms the comprehensive BUSFPX3012 Assessment 1, will be a living document for professional growth. This level of comprehensive self-analysis, central to the BUSFPX3012 Assessment 1, ensures readiness for future leadership roles.
The dedication to this BUSFPX3012 Assessment 1 reflects a commitment to lifelong leadership learning. Furthermore, the findings detailed in this BUSFPX3012 Assessment 1 will shape future academic choices. The final submission of the BUSFPX3012 Assessment 1 marks a significant milestone in my academic career.
Conclusion
Effective leadership is a synthesis of strong character, strategic insight, and practiced relational skills. This self-assessment has confirmed that while formal experience is lacking, a rich foundation has been built through critical observation of managerial failures and the successful application of adaptability, communication, and strategic allocation in collaborative settings.
The path forward requires a deliberate adoption of Servant Leadership as a guiding philosophy, a rigorous commitment to developing Emotional Intelligence, and a clear strategy for cultivating psychological safety to foster true team collaboration. By prioritizing these principles, I can ensure that my future leadership style will not only inspire success but also create a supportive, value-driven environment where every team member is motivated and empowered to contribute to a shared vision, thereby successfully meeting the requirements of the course.
References
Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350-383.
Gallos, J. V. (Ed.). (2008). Business leadership: A Jossey-Bass reader. ProQuest Ebook Central.
Goleman, D. (1998). What makes a leader? Harvard Business Review, 76(6), 93-102.
PR Newswire. (2019, December 9). New DDI Research: 57 percent of employees quit because of their boss. Retrieved from https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-ddi-research-57-percent-of-employees-quit-because-of-their-boss-300971506.html.
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