Part 1: My Personal Best Leadership Experience

My line of work in the development sector is mostly on research, writing, technical inputs and project
management. Among everything else, project management, for me, is the hardest as it requires
interaction with people who are highly diverse. Hand and hand with the need to deliver a quality output
is to be a leader in successfully putting highly organized, orderly and well coordinated project, set to
achieve its desired goals.
Thus, the overall management of the project is an everyday test of leadership. Almost always, there are
important actions I take both as a project manager and a leader.
One is to foster an atmosphere of teamwork. I make sure that I am of help to everyones task but at the
same time, welcoming of each individuals contribution. This is promoting an environment where
everyone can count on each others back.
Second is learning to listen to everyone, most especially in sticky situations. This enables me to know
and understand an issue, or where everyone in the team is coming from, and provide participatory,
suitable solutions.
Third and last action is never forgetting to make everyone feel appreciated and is rewarded for their
contribution, no matter how big or small the contribution was. The appreciation and reward are not
exactly expensive. Maintaining that everyones needs are taken care of (e.g. food, coffee, water, rest),
and giving the team members leeway to take time off after finishing a colossal task, I believe, are
surefire ways to keep a happy working environment, and cultivate a kind of leadership that is relaxed,
but is set to achieve quality work.
Commitment and humility are the concepts that best describe this everyday leadership experience.
Commitment to deliver a good work, which I attribute so much to the people around me; and therefore,
I could not emphasize more on maintaining respectful and good relationship with colleagues.
Humility, as a recognition that everyone has something to offer, and that being a leader does not mean
a monopoly of knowledge and skills. A task is a learning experience to everyone, and that does not
exempt a leader.
Hence, with everything that has been said, this leadership quote I thought of:
Leadership should never get in the head. Leadership instead should be a perpetual way of teaching
everyone to be grounded




Part 2: How can I enhance my Dialogical Leadership Abilities?

My leadership skills become particularly weak, when a colleague starts irritating me. In either quality of
output; or the way he/she related with people and with tasks at hand, or both. In relation to this, my
dialogical leadership abilities should be enhanced.

More of Less of By.
Listening Truly understanding
where someone is
coming from
Judging Listening quietly, and
intently
Suspending Setting myself to
become eager to learn
from someone
Judging, biases Taking someones
word or opinions as
valid and is genuinely
intended to contribute
for whats good of the
project, despite
differing perspective
Respecting Regarding someones
feelings, opinions
reasonable
Biases Dialogue on where
someone is coming
from and surfacing
from there what
motivates hesitation
or fear.
Voicing Observing, thinking,
respect to someones
feeling and opinion,
before uttering a word
Being reactive and
emotional
Using of appropriate
and kind words to
convince change,
taking into
consideration where
the other person is
coming from