Write a conclusion for the following: 

“Since earning a Bachelor of Arts, Honours in Communication from the University of Ottawa, I have held a variety of public relations and communications roles in the public and non-profit sectors. Wile I have managed small teams in the past but am not currently in a management position. Leadership does not always come easy to me owing to my minimal experience overseeing direct reports in a professional setting. However, I am quite comfortable in sharing my expertise with senior management and leading projects with peers across an organization. I anticipate the learning outcomes in this course will provide insight into my leadership style and highlight areas for improvement as I pursue new professional opportunities following completion of this MBA program. 

Focusing on leadership within the public relations field, some positive aspects are building relationships and growing a personal network with multiple stakeholders, including journalists, senior management, cross-functional peers, and government officials. Adaptive leadership allows individuals to adapt to multifaceted environments by overcoming challenges and implementing change (Heifetz & Linsky, 2014). Leaders in public relations rely on adaptive leadership to navigate an ever-changing media landscape, keeping well-informed on current topics and trends within digital communication strategies. Indeed, research has shown that communication knowledge and expertise are among the among the most important qualities for successful leaders in public relations (Meng et al., 2012). In addition, public relations professionals have the opportunity to shape and influence an organization’s public reputation by using creative strategies and leveraging influence with media partners.

Negative aspects of the public relations field include being solely responsible for managing feedback which could damage an organization’s image. Navigating high-pressure, complex situations with demanding stakeholders can be especially challenging, contributing to the high-stress nature of the role. This note of managing workplace stress also extends to the public relations leader’s team, as they are expected to help employees navigate the high-stress aspects of the industry in addition to managing their own.  Second, strong leadership skills are necessary to balance the often-conflicting priorities and expectations for internal and external stakeholders maintain. Lastly, leaders need to be available outside of office hours to respond to crisis situations, leading to an inadequate work-life balance.

Currently I am employed as a communications officer at an applied college in the National Capital Region. My position is comprised mainly of media relations activities, with content creation and digital communications support also falling within my scope of responsibilities. After many years as a communications professional, I decided to enrol in this MBA program to broaden my skillset and shift careers into change management. My ultimate goal is to build enough experience and credibility to launch a consultancy business where I help clients navigate project-level change management with focus on facilitating employee impacts and engagement. To facilitate this change, I need to leverage my existing skillset while building leadership qualities to grow a clientele. While I do not wish to lead a team of direct reports in a traditional office environment, my role as a change management consultant will require me to lead the implementation of a strategic methodology while providing advice and expertise to senior client stakeholders.
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The questionnaires I chose for self-analysis are Conceptualizing Leadership Questionnaire, Skills Inventory, and Path–Goal Leadership Questionnaire. First the conceptualizing leadership results showed high scores for trait, skills, and process emphasis, while my lowest score was for relationship emphasis. Next, my skills inventory scores resulted in a high range for technical skill and moderate range for the conceptual and human skills. Lastly, the path-goal styles of leadership resulted in a preference for directive and supporting style, with the participative and achievement-oriented styles tying for third place. 

These results are fairly accurate in my perspectives and how I view myself. I view personal characteristics like confidence and intelligence as essential for effective leadership, believe in the importance of technical expertise and proficiency within a leader’s field, and prefer a task-oriented leadership style that sets out clear guidelines and expectations for followers. 

The questionnaire results provide insights on my human and social capital with regards to my strengths and weaknesses. My responses relate to human capital by highlighting the importance of personal traits and technical skills in effective leadership. First, the trait emphasis leadership style prioritizes personal characteristics and attributes associated with effective leadership across any number of organizational situations (Zaccaro, 2007). By viewing trait emphasis as important to leadership, I am suggesting that certain characteristics are inherent in strong leaders. I believe I possess several of these traits, including extraversion and confidence, which define leadership success in accordance with the theory. Conversely, my low score on relationship emphasis shows that I have some work to do with regards to supporting followers in the workplace. Leaders who take the time to build connections with employees are more likely to create a psychologically safe workplace, foster open communications, and increase team productivity (Horner, 2023).  

Technical leadership skills contribute to leader’s human capital as they enhance their competency, knowledge, and proficiency withing a given field. By investing in technical leadership skills, managers can effectively lead and make informed decisions within their department. This skillset it particularly relevant to my professional goals as I prepare to embark on a career change to a new field. Completing this MBA is one of many steps in learning new skills to be successful in this endeavour. Similar to my conceptualizing leadership results, the human skill was my lowest score in the skills inventory. This indicates a gap in my perception of the needs of others in my interactions and decision-making. 

While directive leadership style focuses on providing followers with clear instructions and expectations, it can have implications for social capital. Social capital refers to the networks, relationships, and social connections within and outside an organization (Kenton, 2022). Highly directive leaders may prioritize task accomplishment and efficiency while sacrificing employee engagement and development. To prevent impacting team morale, I should address weaknesses in participative leadership by promoting collaboration and share in decision making. 

Taken as a whole, these scores indicate a positive alignment with the role of change management consultant, along with some notes for improvement. These factors will be discussed further in the ensuing section. 

Based on my communications, background questionnaire results, as well as the human and social capital analysis, I believe I have a solid foundation for a career as a change management consultant. However, there are some areas which I should strive to improve in, including how I relate to others, including forming relationships, sensitivity, and collaboration. Change managers need to have excellent communication skills, be influential across networks, and be proficient with using technology to support strategies and tactics (Prosci, n.d.). As a change management consultant, possessing traditional leadership traits help establish credibility and build trust with clients and stakeholders. These traits can be effective in guiding and influencing organizations through the change processes. Working on improve my active listening skills and encouraging open dialogue with further assist when soliciting feedback from employee at all levels on a particular project. 

In a change management consulting career, having strong technical skills and expertise in change management methodologies, tools, and techniques is essential. Technical knowledge is essential when designing and implementing effective change strategies, assessing organizational readiness, and guiding clients through the change process (Prosci, n.d). In leadership, technical skills enable consultants to bring about desired outcomes and navigate the complexities of change management. To improve on my skill inventory, I should endeavour to remember the human side of change management and use empathy to consider how any given change will affect the individuals within an organization. 

Lastly, the directive leadership style is advantageous for providing clear guidance and instructions to stakeholders, setting expectations, and monitoring progress during change initiatives. This can help ensure that change activities are aligned with the desired outcomes and deadlines. However, it is important to balance directive leadership with a supportive and collaborative approach to encourage engagement and ownership from clients and stakeholders.”