What are the three actions you’ve currently taken in the leadership realm?
Working in the entertainment industry in the lighting and production sector, I have explored my leadership capabilities on numerous occasions. One of the actions which I have been involved in is developing solutions for missing materials during events.
In some events, my company failed to meet logistics for certain materials, such as when the materials were bulky for off-premise shipment or when simultaneous events rendered the company unable to use required equipment, as they were under parallel use. There are other instances when my team discovered that some materials could have been left out during the packing phases. I showed leadership therein by improvising or suggesting alternative tools or equipment, which fulfilled the tasks as scheduled and desired quality.
I also led my colleagues on numerous occasions in an administrative capacity. The management appointed me to lead teams in fieldwork, such as when my supervisors and operational managers were unavailable for duty. As a team leader, I was tasked with organizing operations, scheduling jobs, and filing reports at my company’s headquarter. Another function as a team leader included coordinating the other employees, acting as a communication bridge between the firm and team, and handling disputes emerging in the team.
I also acted in the leadership realm by representing my company in negotiations on a number of occasions. For instance, I represented my company in negotiating with a third party outsourcing firm in the lighting industry. While the initial offer came from the latter, I was tasked with reaching a price deal. I also negotiated with other clients on materials to use in their events and justified them, despite the clients at first opting for other materials and equipment.
How do you know you’ve added value? What have you used to measure this?
By evaluating my seniors and juniors’ feedback, I know the value I have added to the organization. However, this is two-pronged as feedback is either positive or negative. In the case of positive feedback, one strives to maintain operational modes, while for negative feedback, one seeks ways to improve themselves.
Another metric that is used is Self-assessment. Self-assessment refers to evaluating oneself on how well they performed in a particular task. For instance, in the leadership functions I was involved in in the organization, I had set objectives at the start. Thus, I assessed if I had met targets, how I had handled challenges, and so on. Accomplished objectives, goals, and targets are a strong indicator for added value in the organization.
I also used Customer satisfaction as a metric of determining added value. Customer satisfaction assures the company of returning clients and the probability of the clients recommending the organization. Lastly, reaching Consensus with other negotiation parties is an important metric of adding value to a firm. I, therefore, evaluated other parties’ satisfaction with negotiations.