The last practice is Encouraging the Heart. This practice suggests that “Leaders give heart to others by recognizing individual contributions and celebrating victories together” (Kouzes & Posner, 2021, p.135). Belinda encourages the heart of her employees by constantly celebrating the achievements of each of her employees. For instance, Belinda mentioned that every few months, she highlights the contributions and accomplishments of her employees to shed light on their hard work. Belinda’s recognition of her employee’s contributions and achievements creates a more positive work environment and strengthens bonds within the team. Belinda also mentioned that one of her employees wanted to quit because she felt undervalued and unappreciated. From that moment, Belinda made it a priority to constantly express appreciation and show genuine concern for the well-being of her employees. Belinda is a leader who thinks quickly on her feet and makes sure that the needs of her employees are satisfied. Recommendations for Improvement Considering all the answers Belinda gave during the interview, she is a good leader with the potential to develop her leadership skills further. During our interview, Belinda fulfilled 3 of the five leadership practices outlined by Kouzes & Posner. Challenging the Process and Enabling Others to Act are two areas of weakness for Belinda. When Belinda is under a lot of pressure, she tends to have this solo mindset where she believes she can take everything on herself instead of relying on her team, causing her to be burnt out and overwhelmed. This is also evident when implementing changes within the business. When listening to Belinda’s answers, it is evident that she has trust issues regarding certain aspects of her company. To overcome these weaknesses, Belinda can create trust-building exercises with her employees to build a stronger connection and have a genuine conversation about why she feels she can’t trust her team in certain areas. Additionally, Belinda can seek mentorship and leadership coaching to help her develop strategies to delegate tasks effectively without feeling overwhelmed and burnt out. Seeking the wisdom of others would allow her to gain the necessary tools to overcome her solo mindset. If Belinda addresses these areas of improvement, I believe she would be an extraordinary leader.
