A Thinking and Feeling Leader - Essay Example

According to the Big Five Personality Test, I am open to novel experiences, highly conscientious, neither reserved nor sociable, agreeable, and generally calm. I am open to new experiences and seeing things in a new way, and this is one of my strengths because I can thrive in challenging workplaces where change is constant and organizations need creative thinkers. Appendix A shows that I am open to experience and I am original and creative. Indeed, I like experimenting with new ideas and experiences. Novelty can improve creativity, and even without it, I have my imagination to use when analyzing problems (Mumford, 2012, p.202). I argue that creativity comes from past experiences too, and using them to find new ways of thinking and doing things. Another form of strength is conscientiousness. I am well-organized in terms of planning and monitoring my plans. On this part of the Big Five Personality Test results, I agree that I am reliable because I take roles and responsibilities seriously. I enjoy making plans instead of making on-the-spot decisions, although I will not shun the latter kinds of situations. Moreover, I see myself as careful and well-disciplined. I know how to follow rules, but bending them can be useful if this action can produce high-quality results.  Apart from conscientiousness, I am calm in tense situations. I believe that this hails from my high emotional intelligence. I am an emotional person, in that I can relate to movie/book/TV characters, but I know how to be analytical when handling conflicts. In particular, I do not attack people when they argue with me. I attack their arguments, not their personalities.

Regarding calmness, the Emotional Intelligence test shows that I have high emotional intelligence (See Appendix B).  I am good at expressing and managing my emotions. Moreover, I can also properly interpret and respond to the emotions of others. I contend that emotions affect people’s thoughts and actions (Isen, 2004, p.263), and should not be disregarded by managers and leaders alike. If positive emotions can result in positive actions (Isen, 2004, p.263), negative emotions, such as anger and envy, can lead to harmful behaviors in both personal and work lives. Thus, I try to handle my emotions in the best way possible, while responding carefully to the emotions of those around me.

After discussing emotional intelligence, one test showed that I have a high internal locus of control (See Appendix E). It means that I attribute what is happening to me to my traits and efforts. I agree with this because I do not rely on fate to shape my life. I believe in God, but I also know that I have free will. I work hard on achieving my goals in life, and when something goes wrong, I look back and reflect on my weaknesses and areas of improvement.

Lastly, Ned Herrmann's Whole Brain Concept (See Appendix D) shows that I am future-oriented and feelings-based in thinking. The Jung Typology Test (See Appendix C) affirms this by exhibiting that I am intuitive and judging. I think of the future when analyzing problems and presenting solutions. I also value interpersonal relations, although I am an introvert. I am analytical and creative, but I do not disregard emotions in my thinking process.

These psychological tests indicate areas for growth too, where I need to improve on handling emotional confrontations, balancing thinking and emotions, and being more adept in coping with different kinds of personalities. The Big Five Personality Test showed that I am not sociable or reserved, but I see myself as a reserved person, who can be sociable when needed (i.e. family and workplace gatherings). I need to enhance my ability to handle confrontations because this is where my reservation comes in. Mostly, I let the situation simmer down instead of speaking while I am angry. Sometimes though, I have to handle the situation immediately. I should be able to learn how to control my anger and disappointment and remain less anxious in handling these people. Furthermore, I need to balance thinking and emotions because sometimes, I tend to let emotions get the better of me. This does not mean that I shout at people when I am angry, but I often cannot say no to people who are important to me. As a result, I sacrifice my plans and schedules. I should be able to assert myself to loved ones without making them feel that they are unimportant to me. Finally, I must enhance my proficiency in coping with different people. Opening myself to interacting with them can help me become more extroverted, which can help improve my interpersonal and leadership skills.

Given these strengths, I am a “thinking and feeling” leader. I value both emotions and rationality in making decisions in my personal and work lives. Furthermore, I believe that I am directly responsible for my life. I do not blame other people and events. I exert effort, intelligence, and emotions to guide my life and to help my co-workers and organization. I can work on my extroversion and sensing abilities more though. As a forward-thinking and intuitive, emotional person, I am a leader who considers future events and respects emotions.