Course 4. Foundational Leadership Principles: (Discussion #2) Learning Leadership Skills

1. Are leaders born or made?

Leaders are made. No one is born a natural leader, because leadership is a skill that takes experience to build. Instead, we have to watch the skilled leaders around us and learn from what they do. We need to practice communicating with our team, resolving conflicts, motivating team members, and delegating work well. Even if we are naturally good at one leadership skill, or have a valuable leadership quality, learning and experience helps us refine our skills or broaden our capabilities. No matter how good of a leader you are, the best leaders are the ones who never stop learning. As our culture continues to change, we must also change to be the best leaders we can be.

2. Identify 3 skills that you need to work upon?

I need to work on emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, and resilience. Every team will face conflicts and disagreements, and how a leader responds to such situations can make or break a team. Even in the roughest patches, and on the hardest days, the leader must lead by example in persevering, and take care of their team's emotional wellbeing as well. These are the areas I struggle more in, and I want to continue working on how I handle such situations.

3. Imagine, you are a project lead and there is a conflict among your team members over responsibility share. As a leader, how will you approach the situation to resolve the concern?

I would definitely talk to each team member and find out more about what they've been doing, what they'd like to do, and how heavy their commitment and workload has been, both in and out of the workplace. I will assign work as fairly and productively as possible after learning about my team's strengths, and I will make special arrangements for those who have been struggling to do their part. Ultimately, I will hold everyone accountable for their part of the project by fully explaining everyone's responsibilities together, so that they are all aware of what others are supposed to do, so it is clear that everyone is sharing the responsibilities evenly.

1. Are leaders born or made?

From my point of view, everyone has their own seed of leadership inside them whether they know it or not. It's said that even if we're not a leader in some organizations, we're still a leader to ourselves. We have our own skills to lead people in various ways but the one who polishes their leadership skills can go further more. Some of us has natural charms and abilities and vice versa. Lastly, every success our leaders made today is the fruition from failure, practice, patience and consistency.
2. Identify 3 skills that you need to work upon?

1) my verbal communication

2) problem solving

3) emotional management
3. Imagine, you are a project lead and there is a conflict among your team members over responsibility share. As a leader, how will you approach the situation to resolve the concern?

I'll try to hear out their worries and feedback from each of them to analyze the conflict. After that I'll ask them to come up with some solutions from their mind. Later, I'll come up with solutions from my mind and analyze with all of my team members so I could prevent misunderstanding and unmet satisfaction. After the conflict has resolved, I'll state some conclusions and lessons from the conflict so that everyone could learn as well.

1. Are leaders born or made?
Leaders are made. Leadership skills can be learned and mastered. It's a lifetime learning activity.

2. Identify 3 skills that you need to work upon?
(a) Communication -- Sometimes, I hesitated to express my thoughts/feelings upon certain matters. It usually takes time for me to gather myself and finally said it.
(b) Clear vision -- I usually can't really see what's up ahead. I usually take every task and solve problems that is right in front of me. Sometimes, it lead to the wrong paths, mistakes were made and I should fix things.
(c) Decision making -- I found it quite challenging. I need lots of time to consider many things -including asking and discussing it with my team- before I could decide.

3. Imagine, you are a project lead and there is a conflict among your team members over responsibility share. As a leader, how will you approach the situation to resolve the concern?
I would organize a discussion in my team. Asking each member about their opinion to solve on that matter. Finding the common grounds, set an agreement on things we will do next. Lastly, appreciate their efforts and motivate them to move forward.

1. Are leaders born or made?

I think both. Some people are natural born leaders, it comes very easy for them. While for others it might not come as natural for them to be a leader so they are ‘made’. But I think both need equal amount of growth, effort and work.

2. Identify 3 skills that you need to work upon?

1. I definitely need to gain more confidence in myself. I think confidence is a very strong skill to have.

2. I need to learn to keep opinions to myself unless I am asked for it. I can be very honest and open, which can be a great trait. But I need to learn to sometimes keep quiet.

3. I need to trust in others more, trust is something that is very hard for me. If I give someone a job or project I constantly worry they won’t do it right or won’t have it done in time and I need to just trust that they will.

3. Imagine, you are a project lead and there is a conflict among your team members over responsibility share. As a leader, how will you approach the situation to resolve the concern?

Conflict is often inevitable when working closely with team members. But what matters is how you handle the situation. I would hold a team meeting as soon as possible. I would ask everyone to explain the situation from their view point and ask how they are feeling. I would ask everyone what I could do to make things better for them. Depending on their answers I would do what I thought was best for everyone. I definitely think responsibility share should be equal, so I would make sure everyone had a equal responsibility.

1. I absolutely, resolutely believe that leaders are made. There are certainly some skills that some people are just naturally doted with, which help in the endeavor to be a (good) leader, but the overwhelming majority of the work that goes into becoming a good leader is just that—it’s work and it’s struggle and it’s coming out on the other end of things and believing in yourself enough to trust that you can guide others through that path as well.

2. Three of the skills that I need to work on are: conciseness, my perfectionism, and my confidence.

3. I would seek first to hear out each member individually, then lead a discussion between them—enabling them to solve their dispute themselves, simply with my guidance.

@Heather225

Are leaders born or made?

Undoubtedly, leaders are made. Whilst great leaders need to also have a bit of a calling to leadership, essential skills are to be continuously improved and developed, by gaining experience and knowledge.

2. Identify 3 skills that you need to work upon?

I believe in contant and continuous improvement, so I really think I could/should work upon all essential skills. However, the three skills I`d probably have to work upon more would be:

*Clear vision – I tend to be more of a dreamer, and I sometimes set higher expectations than I should.

*Resilience – I often find it hard to pick myself and everything/everyone else up after what would be considered failure, even though I am aware that failure is still a valuable learning experience.

*Objectivity – I sometimes find myself get carried away, as I tend to focus on emotions and feelings of others more than I should, which leads me into getting attached to each individual`s needs, without considering the benefit of my company as much as I should.

3. Imagine, you are a project lead and there is a conflict among your team members over responsibility share. As a leader, how will you approach the situation to resolve the concern?

I would suggest them take a skills audit and see who would be the best fit for each task. After that, I would suggest them to work as a team, the one who has proven to be more skilled for the job being the coordinator, and the others being helpers – but still work towards the desired tasks.

1. Are leaders born or made?
As in anything, some people are inborn with leadership talents, but utilization of this skills depends on one's passion and interest to lead. These skills can be acquired through learning and observation. When a person is dedicated and puts effort they are able to grow and become strong leaders

2. Identify 3 skills that you need to work upon?
Somethings I have to work on is to prioritize the things that matters to me the most and focus on it more and be more confident in myself . I also have to work on reaching out to people and ask for help or ideas when needed.

3. Imagine, you are a project lead and there is a conflict among your team members over responsibility share. As a leader, how will you approach the situation to resolve the concern?
I would organize an open meeting and talk to each of them to get to know more of what they've been doing, what they wish to do and their opinions and feedback, there by knowing more about the strength of the team, I'd focus on assigning tasks in a fair and productive manner by finding out a common ground with still rooms for feedback and suggestions

@Heather225

1. Are leaders born or made?

I think leaders are made. Somehow someway each individual is a leader in their own lives owing to the situations and circumstances.

One important factor according to me is the experience with the domain an individual has had. Moreover, it's not the quantity but the quality of experience an individual has had.

2. Identify 3 skills that you need to work upon?

1. I need to work on efficient management of my time and energy

2. Growing more and more open in mind to incorporate new things into my life.

3. Drawing lines between various levels of relationships.

3. Imagine, you are a project lead and there is a conflict among your team members over responsibility share. As a leader, how will you approach the situation to resolve the concern?

In such circumstances, its important to put on the table the goal of team, the services which need to be fulfilled. I would help them understand this. I would provide them a sense of ownership which in turn brings in a sense of responsibility.

1. Are leaders born or made?

I believe it is 95% made and 5% born because you can make a leader of also the anyone but there are some people who are just born to naturally want to follow people and if they are stubborn enough you can't make them be a leader! However, with most, its all about moulding your personality to suite the role of leadership you have been given and adapting to be able to accommodate this role

2. Identify 3 skills that you need to work upon?

Time management: Umm i think anyone who knows me this is a very big issue of mine! Would help me be more organised if I had a schedule and that would improve my leadership.

Communication: Although Dysleixa doesn't help with this goal it still can be worked upon, i need to get better at communicating my ideas and opinions to people

Mentaining Perseverance: Now I'm not the first one to throw in the towel but i have been known to modify the goal slightly when things get though, sometimes I need to stick with it!

3. Imagine, you are a project lead and there is a conflict among your team members over responsibility share. As a leader, how will you approach the situation to resolve the concern?

I would have the team members try and talk it out and problem solve it themselves first in a controlled environment, however if this doesn't work I would get information on what exactly they were arguing about and try and come up with a solution where they are both satisfied and get equal responsibilities, make it very clear to them what they are responsible for and what they aren't.

@Heather225

1. Are leaders born or made?
2. Identify 3 skills that you need to work upon?
3. Imagine, you are a project lead and there is a conflict among your team members over responsibility share. As a leader, how will you approach the situation to resolve the concern?
4. Please reply to 3 of your peers in the thread!

Leaders are born and made. I believe there are a few that hold certain values, principles and ideas which are shaped also by the environment and the people, which enhances the personality of the born leader. Mainly, I believe that all leaders are made. What this means is that every leader needs the contribution of other factors that shape them like the born leader. In debate of acquired skill or learnt skill, then all leaders can learn to be their best version. Leadership is a skill- you practice to make it perfect. You learn a lot along the way which acts as practicing.

3 skills I need to work on is adaptability (changing views and accepting it), flexibility (knowing when to drop an idea and move on to another solution) and keeping positive all through the way regardless of what happens, therefore being patient.

To resolve the issue, I would first listen and empatise, hear them out and make them comfortable and at ease. Then I would come up with solutions to the issue from what I will have heard and what I know about the project and responsibilities. I would lastly encourage, motivate and inspire them to do their part that I'd have sorted. I want a positive environment where there's no hatred, negativity, jealousy, discomfort due to poor relations.