For this paper you are required to evaluate your Personal Best Leadership Experience; this was the first assignment you completed in this course. You can review your responses to this assignment by opening the original assignment under the ‘Assignments’ tab on the left side of your screen. You will reflect on the actions you took during your Personal Best Leadership Experience and align them with Kouzes and Posner’s Five Practices and Ten Commitments of Exemplary Leadership. Explain, in detail, how you demonstrated the five practices and ten commitments during your Personal Best Leadership Experience. If there is a practice or commitment that you did not meet during your Personal Best Leadership Experience discuss what you could have done to achieve that practice or commitment.
You are also required to discuss and evaluate the leadership theory and style that you employed during your Personal Best Leadership Experience. Provide examples of the leadership theory(ies) and style(s) you used during this experience. Why did you use them? What were the results? Is there anything that you would do different?
Kouzes, J.M., & Posner, B.Z. (2023). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations (7th ed.). Jossey- Bass and the course content in Canvas will be your ONLY sources for this paper. Since this paper involves the discussion of personal experience, the use of first person pronouns (like, I, me, we, us, and our) is appropriate.
The ability to write in a scholarly manner is a hallmark criterion for any bachelor’s degree; please remember this as you work on your paper. At this point in your education, you must follow APA standards for citing and formatting your paper (i.e., headings). Failure to do so will result in marks being deducted (and possibly a 0 for plagiarism). If you need to refresh your APA formatting and/or citation skills, please refer to the Lethbridge College APA Guide or visit the Learning Café for help (online or in person).
The previous assignment related to this: (it was mentioned above)
Describe your personal-best leadership experience by answering the following questions (in a free narrative paragraph format):
When did it happen? How long did it last?
What was your role? Who else was involved?
What feelings did you have prior to and during the experience?
Did you initiate the experience? If someone else initiated it, how did you emerge as the leader?
Your Answer:
The leadership experience i will talk about it a soccer tournament held over a weekend which lasted three days, with intense matches scheduled throughout. My role was to be a captain of a local soccer team participating in the tournament. My team consisted of players, each bringing unique skills to the field. Additionally, our coach played a crucial role in the overall strategy. Being the captain of our team, I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. Our team was considered the underdogs as this was the first year playing together. Our team was playing against some strong opponents. The feelings I had before and during the game were the first day was a challenging match, I rallied the team during halftime, emphasizing our strengths and encouraging a positive mindset. As the tournament progressed, we faced unexpected hurdles, but the team responded to my leadership with determination. My leadership role naturally emerged during the first match. Observing the team’s need for direction and motivation, I took charge during halftime. The coach acknowledged my ability to inspire and lead.
Question 2
5 / 5 pts
List the actions you took as a leader during this experience that made a difference, and answer the following questions (in a free narrative paragraph format below):
What actions did you personally take from a leadership perspective?
How did you convince others to do things differently than they had been doing them?
What did you do to demonstrate your own commitment to the project or undertaking?
What did you do to make sure everyone understood the purpose or goal?
What did you or others do to overcome any major challenges or setbacks?
What did you do to engage others and get them to participate fully?
Based on what you did or said, what other extraordinary actions did your team or group members take?
How did you recognize progress and make sure people felt good about being part of this effort?
Your Answer:
In my role as the captain during the soccer tournament, several key actions shaped the team’s performance and contributed to our success. Firstly, during halftime, I gave a motivational speech that focused on emphasizing the team’s strengths which increased confidence within the team. I also conducted individual player meetings, discussed how their unique strengths are valuable, and encouraged them to leverage these attributes for the benefit of the team.
To demonstrate my commitment, I led by example on the field, displaying a high level of dedication during both practice sessions and matches. Communication also played a huge role in ensuring that everyone understood the overall goal, which was to not only win the games but also to build a determined, resilient team.
When faced with setbacks, such as unexpected injuries and tough competition, I fostered a culture of resilience and adaptability. I encouraged open communication, making sure each team member felt heard and valued.
One extraordinary action that emerged from this collaborative spirit was a spontaneous team-building activity initiated by the players themselves. These actions not only boosted morale but also emphasized accomplishment within the team, making the leadership experience a transformative and unifying force for everyone involved.
Question 3
5 / 5 pts
Summarize what you consider to be the most important actions you took as a leader (provide at least three actions/examples).
Your Answer:
As a leader during the soccer tournament, the most important actions I took as a leader were the following:
Motivational Leadership: delivering a halftime speech that focused on the team’s strengths and instilled confidence in each player. This encouraged positivity among the team members.
Individualized Player Engagement: conducted individual player meetings, discussing their unique strengths and encouraging them to leverage these attributes for the collective benefit.
Fostering a Culture of Unity: promoting a culture of resilience and adaptability through open communication and collaborative problem-solving
Question 4
5 / 5 pts
Review the responses from the questions in steps 1, 2, and 3. What three major lessons did you learn about leadership from this experience? These are lessons you might share as advice to others about them being or becoming a great leader. Write your three major lessons worth sharing below.
Your Answer:
From the leadership experience during the soccer tournament, three major lessons I learnt from this experience was that effective communication is key, individualized leadership and recognition is also important and a collaborative/unity culture is needed in order to achieve goals. Effective communication emphasizes the power of words in influencing collective morale and performance. Recognizing the unique strengths of each team member and tailoring leadership strategies to individual needs can significantly enhance team performance and commitment.
