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Although I do not have much work experience, I have had both good and bad leaders in the past. The following are the characteristics of a good leader that I have identified for myself based on experience.

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My first leadership goal is to be more assertive. I realize that I could have dealt much better with some situations had I applied assertiveness skills. I want to pursue this goal because I want to stand up for my own and other people's rights in a calm and direct manner. I want to be able to get my point across and have my needs met without ruining my relationships with people.

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My second leadership goal is to set more leadership goals. I aim to regularly review and assess my achievements as a leader. This is an important goal for me because I do not seem to think much about my advancements as a leader. Regular assessment of what I have already achieved and what I still need improvement on will also help me build confidence as a leader.

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My first step to becoming more assertive will be to stop avoiding conflict with my fellow colleagues or teammates. As Daft (2015) writes "a degree of conflict leads to better decision making because multiple viewpoints are expressed" (p. 310). To become better at communicating my point to others and getting the outcome that I want from a situation I need to not be afraid to speak my mind and let people know directly what I want even if I know that this might start a conflict. Remembering to come out of my comfort zone will greatly help at this stage as I will be more open to different situations that will allow me to practice assertiveness.
The next action step that I will take to reach my goal of becoming more assertive is proper interpersonal communication. Specifically, I will try to use "I" statements when resolving a conflict with a person or trying to communicate a problem to him or her. The use of "I" statements was first introduced by Salter more than 70 years ago (Speed et al., 2018). If I use "I" statements and state exactly what the person did when communicating a problem, I will not make the other person feel defensive and blamed. Being honest about my feelings as I proceed with the description of the situation or action, will also help me create a better image of myself as a leader as honesty is one of the traits that are highly important for leadership (Daft, 2015, p. 38). This strategy will also make me take responsibility for my feelings, thus making me feel more engaged in the situation.

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Below is a video that mentions several other action steps I can take to become more assertive.

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My second goal of being more aware of my level of leadership by setting goals more regularly can be achieved by having a well-defined timeline. Deciding on a reasonable amount of time that it will take me to reach the goal will be different each time, but I find this an interesting task that could also help me become more organized. I think that two months will be an average time to accomplish my leadership goals. For this goal, I have to be a leader for myself in a way and use the structural frame of reference mentioned by Daft (2015, p. 375) that focuses on plans, goal setting and expectations. Although, frames of reference are used to manage others within an organization, I think I can apply these to myself in an attempt to set better leadership goals.
Another tool that I can use to achieve my second goal is the SMART criteria. I will write down my goal for the next two months and then describe it in detail following the criteria of specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and relevant, and timely goals.

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Outcomes and Benefits of my Leadership Goals

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Outcomes and Benefits of my Leadership Goals

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I think that the two goals that I have identified for myself are very realistic and possible to achieve with enough effort. The benefits of achieving those goals for myself would be having a more diverse leadership toolkit to work with. Achieving my second goal will especially help me in this as it will allow me to manage and lead myself to a specific point that I have identified for myself. This process will require some components of good leadership.
Other people who know me well enough might be thrown off a little once I start expressing assertiveness. But, in the long term, once I become more assertive my relationships with those people will improve. I might also improve productivity at my current workplace as I become more assertive because I will be more effective in directing people.

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My view of leadership that I formed through this course, as well as through personal and work experience helped me identify two goals that I want to achieve to become a better leader and work towards developing the essential characteristics of a good leader. My two leadership goals are achievable and will benefit myself, as well as my leaders and coworkers at my current workplace.

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Daft, R. (2015). The Leadership Experience. Cengage Learning.

Speed, B. C., Goldstein, B. L., & Goldfried, M. R. (2018). Assertiveness training: A forgotten evidence‐based treatment. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 25(1). https://doi-org.ezproxy.royalroads.ca/10.1111/cpsp.12216