My Self-Reflective And Racial Aspects Of My Leadership Style

Leadership is much more than calling the shots, commanding a unit or being in charge. It’s about the interaction with people, getting people to work together as a team, showing empathy and compassion, the list goes on and on. For me to conduct an extensive self-reflection and identify crucial aspects of my own leadership style, I used two self-reflection tools. Both assessment tools were utilized by myself and my wife in two different geographical locations and the outcome was eye-opening.

The first tool used in the assessment was the Lewis Model (LM). It provides a cultural classification that aligns a person with their preferences as it relates to the world. The second tool used in gathering crucial aspects was the Jung Typology

This means, that we do one thing at a time, we are job oriented and we stick with facts and figures from reliable sources. Although we share this cultural classification, we differ within the chart itself. When it comes to talking, she talks most of the time while on the other hand, I listen most of the time. This aspect is found in our leadership traits as well. For example, my wife likes to have clinical meetings with her co-workers and medical staff. During these clinical meetings, she controls the meeting flow by bringing up topics and leading the entire discussion. She believes this enables her to receive the information she is requesting or looking for. I believe in a much different approach, where I listen and just take notes. “Most of the successful people I’ve known are the ones who do more listening than talking” (Bernard Baruch, an American Financier and former Presidential Advisor). I’m currently assigned to the United States Army Joint Modernization Command as a System Manager. Part of my duties includes interviewing Soldiers that are assigned to assess/test potentially new equipment for the Army. I’m responsible for providing feedback and analysis to the U.S. Army Vice Chief of Staff. I truly believe, to be an effective interviewer you must master the skill of actively listening. This comes naturally to me as I’ve practiced this leadership aspect my

I was assessed as Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking and Judging (INTJ). She was assessed as an Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling Perceiving (ENFP). This test proved to be spot on when with the assessment. Parenting is a great form of leadership and this test highlighted how my wife and I are different. The test indicated that the INTJ personalities raise their children to be independent thinkers. They allow them to make their own decisions and give them ample room to grow. While ENFP personalities try to pass down their core values and beliefs that were inherited from their parents during their own childhood. I believe in allowing my daughter to make decisions on her on, while my wife, on the other hand, tries to guide her every step because she doesn’t want her to fail. For example, my daughter decided that she wanted to hang out with her friends instead of studying for her exams. I told my daughter that I think she’d be better off studying rather than hanging with friends, but I told her it’s her own decision. My daughter made the decision to leave and hang out with her friends. My wife was furious and made her return home, so she could study. My wife questioned my willingness to allow her to hang out with her friends instead of studying for her exams. I truly believe that had she failed her exams, she would’ve learned to value her education. While my wife stood firmly behind her