Authentic Self and Authentic Leader

Honesty is one of the most valuable attribute in the life of a person. Most people, however, strive to be honest with others and often fail to be honest with him or her. Being true to you about yourself is one of the hardest things that a human being can do. It is an undertaking that requires one to reevaluate his strengths and weaknesses no matter what this reevaluation reveals. It is vital that a person understands his weaknesses more than his strengths and strives to correct them. This is because these weaknesses will wreck your plans before even starting undertaking your business or work (Blanchard, 2006).

We usually know our strengths, but not their weaknesses. If we are to realize our full potential, we need a balance between our strengths and our weaknesses. Some people work on their weaknesses while forgetting to glorify their strengths. Others shine in their strengths and forget to improve their weaknesses. These kinds of people are usually unsuccessful in life, and blame the world for their misfortunes without knowing that they are responsible for their troubles. Friends are essential in helping us identify and improve on our weaknesses (Westbrook, 1997). Therefore, we should be extremely careful when choosing our friends. This paper focuses on my weaknesses and how I am working to improve my managerial prowess.

I am an envious person and I usually do not celebrate my antagonist’s success. What I do not realize is that I can use this envy positively. My envy stems from a need to be as successful as the person I  envy. However, lately I have been talking to these people in order to get the tips these people used to achieve their success. I also used to be a gullible person, accepting rumors as the truth. This gullibility always put me at loggerheads with my managers at my first job. Reporting on hearsay, and acting on unsubstantiated figures to reach at a conclusion.

My work mates and friend have also let me know that I am direct and honest in everything I do and say. When I hear them telling me so, I always think that this is strength, but after a careful evaluation; I have come to realize that this is one of my weaknesses. Most of my coworkers are always free to work with me, as they are sure that I will never hide anything from them. However, my bosses are not happy with my honesty. Although they realize that I will not hide anything from them, they are not sure that I will keep company secrets safe. My fellow employees also started labeling me as impersonal because I would always give an honest opinion about everything. I am learning what to and what not to say to others slowly.

Lack of the necessary skills is another of my weaknesses. It is impossible to have all the necessary skills required to thrive in a certain profession. Although I have more than twenty years’ worth of experience in retail management, I often find that there are so many aspects of the job that I do not know. As a school tutor, I often have to read, review and update my information to give the right information to my students. This is due to the rate of change of data and information. I am also attending extra classes in order to be informed on current managerial practices (Westbrook, 1997).

I have also become bored and have a sense of disillusionment in my job. This is partly because I have been working for too long. I am currently finding ways through which I can employ myself in order to realize my full potential. Failure is my other weakness. I am too reluctant to accept failure, a phenomenon that keeps me dwelling on current things instead of focusing ahead. Inability to control my anger has often landed me into problems. Understanding others and accepting their opinions are vital if anybody is to control his temper.

A person with weaknesses such as mine should develop weakness identification and solving program. The person should also make this program public and let people know that he or she is aware of his weaknesses. A person should also take care that his strengths do not turn into his weaknesses.

Personal values are the driving force of a person’s life. They are the beliefs that guide us on what is right or wrong. Personal values are borrowed from religion, education, peers, and the family. Personal values assist a person in decision making, especially in the presence of a myriad of choices. They also help a person live a life of high integrity. My personal values have been the pillar of success in my life. If we analyze the lives of famous people, it is clear how personal values propel them to the top of their lives. Good personal values attract success and overall wellbeing of a person (Nahavandi, 2011).

One of my personal values is to keep away from alcohol. Alcohol drinking apart from the health risks it poses is a leading cause of misbehavior in our society. Alcohol makes us lose the sense of time and responsibility. Alcohol addicts usually neglect their duties at home and their places of work. These people cannot develop as they use most of their money beer taking. Most of them also have low personal hygiene. The smell of beer follows them wherever they go. It sends a poor image to a customer, if the person serving them is not only dirty, but also smelly. It is this fear of driving customers away, and essentially losing my job or family that makes me avoid alcohol at all costs.

Respect is also necessary if any form of relationship is to thrive. I always respect my seniors at work, and in the same vein I expect my juniors to respect me. We should maintain a cordial working environment at our places of work. However, we should not let the relationship be too unofficial to foil the respect to the organization. Respect is about appreciating the efforts of all employees in the organization when they are commendable. Respect also involves correcting the employees in the right manner when they go astray.

I have changed my jobs severally. My personal values have driven me in changing jobs. The culture of the organization where I am working is vital. What does the organization stand for? Does the organization owe a duty of social responsibility to the society? I want to work in an organization that has the thoughts of the people at heart. I want to work in an organization that cares for its employees and customers. The culture of the organization should promote a sense of belonging amongst the employees (Santrock, 2007).

Customer service is another one of my values. I believe that the growth of a company is dependent on the number of return customers a company gets. This is from my experience as a retailer for more than twenty years. If you keep your customers happy, they will want to buy from you again. A company should provide the best customer services it can afford. A company that values its customers should invest highly in its customer service department.      

A person's values guide how he or she behaves in front of others. Values guide a person in deciding what is wrong and right. Values also influence the relationships a person builds, especially the friend that such a person has. Friends can alter or change the values of an individual, and it is essential that a person chooses a friend he or she can identify with. However, the best judges of our behavior are those we associate together. We cannot identify our weaknesses if we are not aware of the blemishes in our behaviors. The best people to get feedback from about your behavior are your family members. This is because they know you inside out and can spot any change of behavior in your life. I always talk to my mother to know how I am fairing on behavior wise (Santrock, 2007).

Actions speak better than words. A person’s deeds should be a manifestation of what he or she says. Rarely has my behavior been in contrast to my values. I always aspire to walk the talk and always apologize to the people I hurt in case I go astray. I am lucky though that my behavioral path is well set. I do not have to think too much because my late mother has laid a path for me to follow. Where she has not set an example, she has given me the proper guidance and the right teachings to enable me to choose the right path.

Conclusion

Strengths and weaknesses are the determinants of a person’s life. We should balance our strengths and weaknesses in order to ensure that we are moving ahead in life. What does not make you, kills you. Our lives should be under a set of personal values. These values should show us what is right or wrong. We should have a role model, a person we want to be in the future. We should try to model our lives to that of our role models. Identifying your weaknesses, working on them, and behaving appropriately are vital if a person is going to survive in this world.