Self reflection

Nowadays, one of the most important factors for being an effective leader is communication.
Communication is the transfer of messages between two people. Effective communication
follows the circular model of interpersonal communication. It is when the sender is selecting the
most appropriate channel and receiving the feedback from the receiver. Error may occur due to
individual differences; that is why feedback is very essential since it is representing mutual
understanding. In modern times organisations are more willing to communicate horizontally,
since it is giving a more comfortable environment in the workplace. Furthermore, leaders who
use a horizontal approach communication style will be considered as communications
champions. A communication champion is when a person believes that communication can build
trust and gain commitment to the vision. By having this type of leadership, it would lead the
organisation to have high embedding and a sense of belonging. To be an effective
communication champion, a leader practises through the strategy called strategic conversations.
It involves being an active listener, setting the agenda , and fostering dialogue. Not only does
improving the conversation but also creating an open environment and selecting the appropriate
channel are key as well. Moreover, leaders who ask questions can develop a better relationship
with the followers since it is showing the attention towards the follower opinion. Similarly,
persuading is also another way to become an effective communicator. Due to persuasion
normally rely on emotion and story rather than fact and figures. In fact, to gain trust and improve
team performance, leaders should communicate with candour. Candour in communication is to
be transparent and honest with the follower. This action will lead the organisation to avoid
conflict and sabotage. To conclude, communication can help a leader to influence the follower to
achieve the organisation's goal while developing the relationship with the follower as well.

In my opinion, successful leadership should be inspiring, not ordering. They should be able to
guide and influence the followers towards the organisation's goal, along with providing facilities
and feedback if necessary. Not only achieving the organisation's goal, but also, they should help
improve individuals' skills through challenges as well. Through my experience I have learnt what
kind of leadership I am and who I want to be. In the group work, I am normally responsible for
delegating work and planning what should be done for the project. I usually am the one who
provides most of the information, such as the Google Form and the Canvas slide layout. I prefer
to have face-to-face communication due to it giving the quickest response compared to other
channels. Moreover, when there is a conflict in a group, I am more likely to be the one to solve
it. Since I prefer to listen more. Besides, I consider myself to be an accountable person. Since I
have to find the information and write down the structure of what everyone should be doing. To
illustrate, the professor gives a group project to collect a survey of screen time habits among
KKUIC students and present it in the class. In this situation I would be the one who read the
instructions and tried to plan how many parts it could be divided into. First, I would create a
Google Form for everyone to share. Then, I would create a Canvas slide and write down the
instructions. After that I will tell my friends to write their names on the slide they want to take
responsibility for. Finally, I would make an appointment to practise the presentation, and we are
good to go. Even though I have done this behaviour repeatedly, I still think that there is a lot of
me that can be improved. I am bad at processing work through people because I normally rely on
everything for myself. This behaviour is making me feel more tired than other people in the
group. Furthermore, I usually feel more stressed than others because I put eighty percent of the
work in my hands. To sum up, I think a great leader should motivate others rather than tell others
what to do.

From my point of view, I want to be a leader who motivates and is able to gain trust from the
followers. I think being a communication champion and active listener will help resolve conflict
in the organisation. Moreover, candour is the mindset that I should keep in mind in order to
develop trust with the followers. My organisation is more likely to use the horizontal approach
since it reduces employee stress in the workplace. Furthermore, I would like to create
embeddedness and a sense of giving among employees to make my organisation become united
with each other. Driving the employee by persuading them would be my approach because it is a
more compromising way than just pointing fingers. Not just motivating, but also I want to help
employees to develop their own skills through the challenges that I give. I think in order to be
successful in my leadership career, there are a lot of factors to fulfil this position. I should be
able to apply the strategic conversation in different situations, such as a meeting or just a normal
conversation with individuals. By applying this strategy will be able to get to the insights of the
follower points of view and be able to know how to influence them. Moreover, I should be able
to select the appropriate channel for communication. If my organisation is on a large scale but I
want a quick response, I should be able to decide which type of channel I should go for. Overall,
I want to become a leader who gets full engagement from my members and pushes them into
their best positions.

To practise my style of effective leadership, I can apply the behaviour into my daily life
routine. I should be an honest person and not lie, whether to my parents or friends. Second, when
somebody is talking to me, I should let them finish their conversation before giving my opinion.
I will not judge other opinions when I am having a conversation with them as well. Moreover, if
I am having a serious conversation with anyone, I will set the agenda clearly of what I am going
to talk about. Last but not least, if I have to work in a group, I will try to create a friendly and
open environment. The reason is because it will make everyone feel more comfortable to speak,
and it is reducing the cause of conflict as well. Therefore, practising a leader approach can be
done throughout a daily routine, and it will be beneficial to my future self as well.

As expressed, communication skill is one of the essential factors that most people in the
leadership position should have. Even though I know how to handle work properly on my own. I
still have to practise my communication skills and how to process work through people as well.
Nevertheless, practising conversation can be done on a daily basis. In the future I hope to see
myself being successful in my leadership career.