When it comes to the potential for being an effective change management leader, I think it is safe to say that I have all the “right stuff.” As my life experiences have proven, I am incredibly focused, diligent, and I am tough-minded enough to make the hard decisions that are often necessary when an organization is undergoing a large-scale transformation. Furthermore, I am open-minded enough to embrace change and its concomitant challenges, and I relish innovation (Northouse, 2014). While there are as many different prescribed managerial styles as there are organizational managers, it seems, I believe that change management leadership is the right managerial style for me. Furthermore, change management leadership provides excellent guidelines for properly contending with the massive technological and cultural changes that are likely to take place in the evolving American workplace in the next few years and decades to come (Pietersen, 2002; Gill, 2003). I look forward to my future career as a change management leader, and while there are definitely some things I can work on in this regard, I am confident that I will do very well in this sphere.
Ever since I can remember, I have embraced change and have always tried to position myself as a leader in any project that I undertake, regardless of the circumstances or potential consequences. When I was a child in elementary school, I was always first to volunteer to organize after-school athletic activities, for example. Additionally, I have never had an issue with dealing with change, and if anything, I find it stimulating, rather than intimidating. For instance, when I was an adolescent, my father received news that he would be expected to relocate several states away for his job. Most people would have been worried about leaving their established friends behind, but I was excited about the new adventure of living in another locale. I strongly believe that this innate adventurousness will serve me well in my future career as a change management leader.
As a child and adolescent, I was fortunate enough to have teachers and mentors who did not try to repress my adventurousness and novelty seeking, but instead encouraged it. For instance, I had an elementary school teacher who noticed that I had trouble sitting still and paying attention in history class, so she set me to doing a research project along with a collage for Columbus Day. Were I a child today, I strongly suspect I would have been sent to the school doctor’s office for a Ritalin prescription, but fortunately I had adults who encouraged my innate adventurousness and creativity (Boaz & Fox, 2014). I credit this emotional and intellectual support for helping me become who I am today, and the future change leader that I will become. It is a travesty that so many children like myself are being forced into conformist boxes of docility and their ability to sit still is prized over creativity. One can only hope that this trend in American society will not do much damage to our global competitiveness in the near future.
While I believe I currently possess many of the traits and characteristics that are required to be an effective change management leader, there are certain key areas where I could stand to improve. For one, I can sometimes be a bit disorganized, and good organizational skills are imperative in a truly great change management leader (Anonymous, 2012). Secondly, I have been accused at times of being un-empathic, and I think that high levels of empathy and “emotional intelligence” are important attributes for any organizational leader to possess. While I think I am doing well in many aspects of change managemet leadership, there are areas in which I can definitely improve, and I will strive towards that goal.
- Anonymous. (2012) “The 8-step process for leading change.” Kotter International. Retrieved from http://www.kotterinternational.com/our-principles/changesteps.
- Boaz, N., & Fox, E. A. (2014, March). “Change leader, change thyself.” McKinsey & Company – Insight Publications. Retrieved from http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/leading_in_the_21st_century/change_leader_change_thyself
- Gill, R. (2003). “Change management – or change leadership?” Journal of Change Management, 3(4), 307-318. Retrieved from EBSCO – Business Source Complete.
- Northouse, P. G. (2004). Leadership: Theory and practice (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Organizational change: Open Systems. Retrieved from http://www.soi.org/reading/change/concepts.shtml
- Pietersen, W. (2002, September/October). “The Mark Twain dilemma: The theory and practice of change leadership.” Change Management. Retrieved from http://williepietersen.com/pdf/Mark_Twain_Dilemma.pdf
