Ten Traits of Great Business Leaders, Essay Example

Section One: Goals

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to become involved in senior management, but over the last several years, I stepped back and closely examined my career path and current station in life. During this time, I found the time to contemplate my lifetime goals as a husband, father, and a professional. After looking deep inside, I came to the realization that I was not close to any of my professional goals; however, I was proud of attaining my goals as a father and husband. Although I had done my duty to provide for my family, I had failed to attain the goals I established for myself when I was in my early twenties, being to help individuals and companies grow and prosper. As to my short and long-term term academic goals, I am not your typical twenty-something college student because I already have a profession; however, I still yearn to chase after my early dreams of becoming a manager for a multi-million dollar healthcare company and having financial security for my family.

Therefore, my first specific long-term goal is to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in business management which will help me to find employment as a manager in a healthcare-related company. This degree will open a vast array of opportunities related to increasing my income potential which will result in providing my family with greater financial security and stability. As a manager, I would look forward to seeing daily operations running smoothly and take great pride in helping to solve problems concerning employees and how the company functions as a business entity. In essence, this type of degree will provide the impetus that I need to stand out as a dedicated and responsible professional manager. My second long-term goal is closely related to acquiring a degree in business management–to create financial security and stability for my family. I feel that this specific goal is of great importance, especially in today’s world where the number of people living in poverty seems to increase every single day.

These two long-term goals will not be accomplished without the assistance of short-term goals which act as building blocks or steps to achieving a major goal or ambition in the profession of business management. Also, all of my short-term goals are based upon my core work values of hard work, dedication, and thoroughness. First of all, I must develop the traits and characteristics that are found in great business leaders. According to Micha Kaufman of Forbesmagazine, great business leaders are persistent, possess an eye for talent, admit their mistakes, and always look ahead instead of looking backwards (Ten Traits of Great Business Leaders, 2014).

Second, I must reorganize my thoughts and ideas, meaning that I must “convert” my thinking processes into those of a professional business manager. Part of this conversion includes knowing when to set realistic goals and how to formulate foundational strategies that will make the performance management process simpler and more efficient. Third, I plan on starting a business journal that will include new ideas and thoughts related to business management. The basic purpose of this journal is away to organize my thoughts on a daily basis while pursuing my major goal of a degree in business management. As to an obstacle that I must first overcome, this will be locating the funds to pay for a higher education. One way to conquer this obstacle would be to do research on funds available to older individuals who wish to return to school to broaden their possibilities.

Section Two: Study Plan

Of course, my most important activity that occurs on a weekly basis is my job as a firefighter. This is my number one priority, due to being the source of my income. Usually, my time on the job as a firefighter is between ten and twelve hours. As might be suspected, this amount of time will probably interfere with the time I will need to complete my studies at school. A second essential activity is preparing myself for returning to an educational environment. I do this on a weekly basis via reading some of my old textbooks and doing research on the Internet concerning schools in my state that offer superior courses in business management.

Section Three: Self-Care Plan

Over the course of a week, I do experience several events or circumstances that create a great amount of stress, especially as a firefighter on the job. Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do to alleviate this stressor besides quitting my job. Another source of stress during the week is making sure that my family is behind me 100% regarding going back to school. Luckily, they have nothing but support for my efforts.

Section Four: Personal Mission Statement

What exactly is a personal mission statement?  According to author Stephen R. Covey, a personal mission statement is founded upon core personal principles that have been part of a person’s life since the days of his/her childhood and early adulthood. One could view a personal mission statement as a “personal constitution” and as the “basis for making major life-directing decisions” while living and working amid circumstances and events that affect a person’s emotional foundation (Business Mission Statements, 2015).

Since a personal mission statement must be specific, I will only include some discussion on my two major long-term goals–to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in business management and create financial security and stability for my family. Of course, in order to attain my second major long-term goal, I must first accomplish the first long-term goal of obtaining a degree from an institution of higher learning. This is perhaps my most important goal related to an academic strategy or devising a plan that will help me to obtain that much-desired degree which in effect will alter the course of my life. Like most things, a person has to devise a number of small strategies and then link them together to form a major strategy. Therefore, I must first learn as much as possible about business management on my own before I attend school. This can be done by visiting my local library and selecting the right books and materials. Second, I must find enough time during the week to study these books and materials and absorb them as much as possible. Third, I must improve my writing skills. This can be accomplished by practicing writing every single day for a few off-hours with the assistance of a book on English composition. And fourth, I must do some research on the Internet concerning the best schools for business management and how to apply as a future student.

My second long-term goal of obtaining financial security for my family will hopefully come about after I receive my degree in business management. Although my present income as a firefighter is somewhat sufficient for our needs, I am most concerned about how my family will survive in the future, due to the fact that the present world situation related to personal financial security is quite unstable. As I see it, there are several advantages to having a degree–first of all, a degree increases the amount of lifetime earnings, and as might be suspected, a degree in business management is highly desirable in the world of business, especially in healthcare organizations. Secondly, a degree provides opportunities that might not come along without it, such as opportunities to advance in a career; and third, a degree in business management is currently in high demand, especially when the person with the degree has substantial life experiences because of his/her age.

I should point out that my personal mission related to my academic pursuits will undoubtedly change as time passes, due to changes beyond my control and those that normally occur over the course of several years. I should also mention that one of my most important personal traits is perseverance or the ability to stick to a process or a set of steps that eventually leads to a goal.

References

Covey, S.R. (2015). Business mission statements. Retrieved from https://www.stephencovey.com/mission-statements.php

Kaufman, M. (2014). Ten traits of great business leaders. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/michakaufman/2014/09/05/10-traits-of-great-business-leaders