1 | Page

College of Science, Technology & Applied Arts of Trinidad & Tobago

DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT COVER PAGE

ASSIGNMENT TITLE: REFLECTION AND LEADERSHIP ACTION PLAN

.
COURSE CODE: BUSI 203 CRN 21754

COURSE TITLE: LEADERSHIP & ETHICS

STUDENT NAME: PEARLENE CORDNER

STUDENT ID: 00071578

PROGRAMME: MANAGEMENT FOR THE PROTECTIVE SERVICES

LECTURER’S NAME: MR. WAYNE S. BISSOO

DATE: JULY 4, 2022

2 | Page

Table of Contents

Introduction 3
My Expectations 3
Analysis Of My Expectations and Leadership Exposure 4
Revelations of myself and leadership Capacity 4
My Leadership Strengths, Weaknesses and Development Goals 5
My Leadership Philosophy 6
My Leadership Style and Development Strategy 6
Conclusion 7
Reference 8
3 | Page

Introduction

As I reflect on my experience in this course on Leadership and Ethics, I feel elated. I

did not anticipate that I would enjoy this course as much as I did. Each semester, I begin my
courses with much apprehension but always with purpose. I always look forward to seeing
how much I can learn. I am a life learner at heart. I always look forward to learning new
things and developing skills that would take me further in my career and in life on a whole.

My Expectations
My expectation of the course Leadership and Ethics was that it would add to my
knowledge about ethics and leadership as the name suggested. I expect to learn so much
new material that I would be able to use in my managerial roles. I expect to be better off
because of this course and I will be able to create a great impact as I lead and influence
others. When I commenced this course, my expectations for myself were that I would commit
to the process. I would be diligent and ensure that I complete all required assignments to
ensure that success. I would actively listen to others without interrupting, show respect for
whoever is speaking, stay away from gossip and “he said/she said” conversations and support
and encourage others with positive words and actions. I consider my expectation for myself
of high value because I am in control of myself. I know that what I put in would determine
what I get out of the course.

When I commenced this course, my expectations of my lecturer were that he would

give me lots of criticism, good teaching and feedback on my work. I know that my
expectation of my lecturer is just one part of the picture. I expect that my lecturer would
know that students have a life outside of class and he will not make unreasonable demands on
them. Most importantly I expect that my lecturer would provide inspiration to me and
encourage me to be the best version of myself. I expect that my lecturer would provide me
with the tools to navigate through the course, he would share adequate details, knowledge on
the subject and his years of expertise.
4 | Page

Analysis Of My Expectations and Leadership Exposure

I believe this course met my expectations overall. At the beginning of the semester, I
really didn’t know what this course entailed but I was eager to find out. I learned many
valuable skills and lessons throughout the course. Mr. Bisson’s teaching style reflected that
he was knowledgeable and an expert in the subject area. Within the course, I learnt that
teamwork is the key to not only accomplishing tasks in the class but to succeed in everything.
Learning about how teams work really impacted me. I am a better team member because of
this course. Differentiating between teams and groups really gave me a new understanding.
The lecturer wasn’t always on schedule, but we still managed to get everything done in our
sessions. As expected, he gave students lots of criticism and feedback on their work. He
demonstrated that he understood that students have a life outside of class, he did not make
unreasonable demands on them. Most importantly he provided inspiration to students so that
they felt motivated to do the best that they could do. I was inspired and transformed in the
area of leadership and ethics because of the teaching. Prior to doing this course, I was a bit
reluctant to take on leadership roles. I see myself embracing leadership roles in the near
future as I understand the great impact I can make within my organization.

Revelations of myself and leadership Capacity

Throughout this course, I have learnt a lot about myself and my capacity to
demonstrate leadership skills. I learnt that I could learn skills that can enhance my ability to
be a good leader. I learnt a great deal about what my strengths and weaknesses are and how
to deal with them to demonstrate leadership. I have learned that some of my strengths can
also be weaknesses in some way and in order to deal with them I must first know what they
are. I have a way of believing that everyone can contribute and as such I may not always
delegate tasks appropriately. Taking this course definitely helped me to pinpoint the same. I
5 | Page

have also learned what my values are and that sometimes my values change with the things I
do. I learnt that I should not settle for things that go against my values.

I can only lead within the understanding of what I know about myself as an
individual. Learning about my temperament and it’s connection to my personality showed
me a lot about the type of leader I am capable of being. According to Keirsey Temperament
Sorter, my temperament style is “Guardian/Protector (ISFJ).” Guardians are organized and
they do well with responsibility and duty. Being in the Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force
Reserve requires me to reflect this style. Finding out that it is a natural part of who I am will
direct how I move forward in leadership roles in the future. Learning that I have been
functioning within my leadership capacity is really refreshing to learn. Guardians have a
natural knack to organize, facilitate and support. Two roles that Guardians function well in
are, administrators and conservators with role variants like attentive inspectors, expressive
supervisors, attentive protectors and expressive providers. Roles I can identify with.

My Leadership Strengths, Weaknesses and Development Goals

As a leader I must be able to know my strengths and my weaknesses. I have the

ability to work with different personal styles and approaches, being flexible with leadership
styles and approaches is a leadership strength that I have mastered. Over the years and
throughout different courses I have enhanced this leadership competency. Another strength I
possess as a leader is the ability to make courageous or difficult decisions. I have shown
great leadership strength by being able to make courageous decisions when faced with
difficult situations. I have learned over the years through experience that I am able to lead my
teams effectively when I can deal with fear, uncertainty, and doubt when making decisions.

One of my weaknesses is my communication skills. I believe that strong leaders are

excellent communicators. People within any organization can be more successfully managed
and directed if leaders possess excellent communication skills. Excellent communicators are
usually well-respected and possible conflicts can be avoided if individuals possess this
effective leadership skill. I have to continue to work on my communication skills so I can
become a more effective leader.
6 | Page

I can learn a lot from both my strengths and my weaknesses by utilizing my strengths
and working on my weaknesses. I can take advantage of my strengths by using them in my
managerial roles to guide and train persons entrusted under my leadership. I can take
advantage of my weakness by seeking exposure to opportunities that would help me build on
my communication skills.

My Leadership Philosophy

Throughout this course I have developed a “co-creator” leadership philosophy of

(Crumb, 1987, pp. 175), (Komives et. al, (2007, pp. 18). I am of the belief that setting an
example by demonstrating and then allowing my subordinates to follow will yield the best
results in the workplace. Followership Theory as presented by Robert E. Kelly proposes that
both leaders and followers are equals (Komives et. al, (2007, pp. 57, 58). As this type of
leader, I am able to be direct about the tasks to be completed. I am also able to set aims and
delegate duties and my subordinates will feel motivated to follow through. I always believe
in workers feeling motivated and included in the workplace. My leadership philosophy has
not changed from the beginning of this course. I have become even more aware of the
different styles of leadership and this understanding has helped me to work on myself. I am
the type of leader that leads by example, and I learnt more and more about best practices
regarding this.

My Leadership Style and Development Strategy

My leadership style is Participative (Komives et. al, (2007, pp. 18). I believe
everyone should equally participate in the process towards achieving a common purpose. I
intend to share responsibility with my team. I will always respect my team, listen to their
ideas, and inspire them when needed. I will behave with empathy and thoughtfulness.
7 | Page

Two action steps I can take to continue to develop my leadership style are: Adopting
discipline, I believe that a good leader needs discipline. Developing discipline in my
professional and personal life is a must to be an effective leader and to inspire others to be
disciplined as well. I know that people will judge my capacity to lead by the amount of
discipline I display at work. I have to demonstrate discipline at work by always meeting
deadlines, keeping appointments, and ending meetings on time.

Learning to follow- A true leader has to learn to follow as well. I have to know that I
can yield control to another person when appropriate. I have to practice to not feel threatened
when someone disagrees with me, questions my thinking, or puts forth their own ideas. It
won't always be easy, but if I learn to value and respect others on my team, they'll be more
likely to respect my leadership style.

Conclusion

This paper has been refreshing to complete. Being a good leader entails different
factor. I learned that being a good leader involves building good relationships with those
with whom one must lead. I learnt about my leadership strengths and weaknesses. I
thoroughly enjoyed the course and I know that it has enhanced my knowledge in both
leadership and ethics. To function well good leaders must promote ethics within their
organization. Leadership is the way forward and how individuals impact the future.
Observing new trends, making meaning and understanding diversity, and seeking to build self
and organization, leads to good leadership that shape the future and don’t allow it to just
happen (Komives et. al, (2007).
8 | Page

Reference

Keirsey, D., (n.d.), Temperament Sorter, Learn about the Idealist Teacher. Retrieved from:
https://keirsey.com/temperament/guardian-protector/

Komives, S., R., Lucas, N., McMahon, T., R., (2007), Exploring Leadership, For College
Students Who Want to Make a Difference, Second Edition. Jossey Bass, San
Francisco, CA 94103-1741.

Klein, H. A., & Ballantine, J. (2001). For parents particularly: Raising competent kids: The
authoritative parenting style. Childhood Education, 78(1), 46-47.