1. Dan Isenberg
Management 600 – Section 202
March 26, 2015
Page 1 of 5
Self-Application Paper
Every leader is unique. Some are focused on the present; some on the future. Some
leaders care for the needs of individuals while others attend to the needs of the organization as a
whole. No matter the particular characteristics of a leader, their success is critical to the overall
success of the organization (Gentry, Weber, & Sadri, 2007). According to Robbins & Judge
(2013), “in today’s competitive and demanding work place managers can’t succeed on their
technical skills alone. They also have to have good people skills.” (p.2) To better understand my
particular people skills I took both the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the
Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation – Behavior (FIRO-B) assessments. The results
from these assessments affirmed the social skills I knew I possessed as well as allowed me to
identify areas for growth. In order to become a successful leader, I must refine and broaden my
interpersonal skills to be able to understand individual employee needs, team dynamics,
organizational culture, and power dynamics.
Understanding one’s own personality is key to being able to effectively lead others. Both
the MBTI and the FIRO-B are tools developed to assess a person’s traits and behaviors.
According to the MBTI, my personality type is ESFJ: Extroversion, Sensing, Feeling and
Judging. The FIRO-B assessment showed that I seek inclusion as well as my need to express and
obtain affection. Overall, these results show that I am attentive to social factors, driven to
succeed and structured in thinking. These traits have allowed me to succeed in my career as a
purchasing agent. I must always push forward, thinking about the future needs of our customers,
using assumptions to make concrete decisions and working with internal and external parties to
ensure customer satisfaction.
Each leader has a view of the people and organization they lead, which is known as their
“Leadership Perspective” (Bolman & Deal, 2003). Bolman & Deal (2003) suggest that there are
4 frames within which leaders can view their organization: Structural, Human Resource,
Political, and Symbolic. Successful leaders are able to apply all four frames to their organization
and can adapt their view based on the current situation. Studying my personality traits, I now
have a better understanding on my leadership perspective and which frames I currently utilize as
a leader. I have found that my leadership perspective is unique and falls within each frame to

2. Dan Isenberg
Management 600 – Section 202
March 26, 2015
Page 2 of 5
varying degrees. Overall, the frame I use most often is Human Resource, followed by Structure,
Symbolic, and finally Political.
My traits of extroversion, sensing, and feeling and my desire to both show and receive
affection lend well to the Human Resource frame. This frame focuses on the unique believes and
drivers of employees (Bolman & Deal, 2003). As a manager at Walgreens I often connected with
my employees. I understood their individual believes and goals which allowed me to build them
up and motivate them. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, people are motivated by
intrinsic factors such as affection, growth, and autonomy (Robbins & Judge, 2013). In order to
build this frame further another trait I should focus on is empathy; a skill that research shows is
important for effective leaders (Gentry, Weber, & Sadri, 2007). Additionally, I should focus on
perceiving, which is the tendency to be flexible and spontaneous. Understanding employee’s
emotions, moods, and even turnover, one would need to be flexible and ready for the next
challenge that awaits. For example, in the case of Alex Sander, a product manager who takes a
“Heroes” approach, his supervisor Sam needed to remain flexible in order to steer Alex without
killing his drive (Greiner & Collins, 2008; Waldroop & Butler, 2001). In the future I will
continue to utilize my extroversion, sensing, feeling, and affection as well as learn flexibility to
make deep connections with my employees. The results of these emotional connections will
ensure they have job satisfaction and positive attitudes to increase organizational success
(Robbins & Judge, 2013, p.44).
Extroversion and judging lend well to the use of the Structural frame which is focused on
the design of an organization (Bolman & Deal, 2003). Things such as process flow, division of
labor, and team structures are seen as key components in driving the outcome of an organization.
Focusing on the outer world around me and having a structured thought process enables me to
see the larger organizational picture and make appropriate decisions based on that structure. My
greatest strength in this area is my ability to understand and work with a team. Organizations can
be made up of different types of teams such as Problem-Solving Teams, Self-Managed Work
Teams, Cross Functional Teams, or Virtual Teams (Robbins & Judge, 2013, p.150-151).
Throughout my career at Bunzl Distribution, I have worked in both the warehouse and
purchasing departments and collaborated closely with sales representatives. This unique cross-

3. Dan Isenberg
Management 600 – Section 202
March 26, 2015
Page 3 of 5
functional experience allowed me to understand our branch structure to develop a novel, efficient
system for incoming deliveries. In order to strengthen the use of the structural frame, I should
focus on the personality traits of intuition and thinking. Whereas I draw conclusions from
sensing and feeling, leaders who are able to think and perceive may continuously see changes to
the logic of an organization. To become a better leader in the future, I will utilize a collaborative
leadership style in order to ensure an innovate organization (Ibarra & Hansen, 2011). This will
allow me to notice and address structural successes and gaps.
Leaders who use the Symbolic frame focus on the “meaning” and “faith” of individuals
in their organization (Bolman & Deal, 2003, p.19). The fact that I am extroverted and I make
decisions based on values indicated I should continue to use these traits to apply the Symbolic
leadership approach. My traits allow me to see the organizational norms or “acceptable
standards of behavior shared by their members that express what they ought and ought not to do
under certain circumstances” (Robbins & Judge, 2013, p.136). For example, in my workplace we
have two identifiable norms, working hours of 8 am - 5 pm and casual Fridays. My company is
not very diverse and is predominantly made up of Caucasian males who are fifty and older.
Therefore our “surface- level diversity” is not very prevalent (Robbins & Judge, 2013, p.15). On
the flip side, our “deep-level diversity” is very prevalent as everyone has different values and
personalities (Robbins & Judge, 2013, p.15). In my opinion, companies with a lot of diversity
may struggle to find their “vision” or “identity”. The MBTI results indicate my opportunities for
growth into better utilizing the Symbolic lens are intuition and perceiving. In the future, I will
continue to use my feeling trait and focus on intuition to draw conclusions based on
organizational values. This will help me make appropriate hiring decisions, ensuring employee
and organizational values align to reduce the risk of unsatisfied employees and high turnover
rates (Robbins & Judge, 2013, p.262).
The Political frame focuses on the power dynamics within an organization (Bolman &
Deal, 2003). Understanding “scarce resources, competing interests and structures for power and
advantage” are the underlining factors of the Political frame (Bolman & Deal, 2003, p.18).
According to my MBTI results, the Political lens should be a strong indicator of my potential
leadership qualities. As a purchasing agent, negotiating contracts is a focal part of my job

4. Dan Isenberg
Management 600 – Section 202
March 26, 2015
Page 4 of 5
responsibilities. Using the “integrative bargaining” approach I strive to come to a win-win
solution for both parties (Robbins & Judge, 2013, p.224). Also, utilizing “self-efficacy theory”,
or the belief that I can effectively negotiate a win-win solution, will provide an increased level of
confidence in carrying out this task (Robbins & Judge, 2013, p.106). An area of the Political
frame that I need to develop to become an effective leader using this lens is perceiving. As an
individual who likes to be organized and have a plan, when conflict and competition arise it
takes time to adjust. As I learn to become more flexible, I can better adjust to these occasions on
the fly and prepare myself in a timely manner. As an individual who is attentive to the outer
world, senses when problems arise, and make decisions based on feelings I should have an innate
sense to power struggles and conflict. Even though my MBTI scores suggest that I am
uncomfortable with conflict, my previous career experience and traits suggest the opposite. My
traits of warmth, cooperativeness, and decision making based on experience suggest that a
collaboration approach would fit my leadership style. These traits can help me to navigate
potential political situations such as the one Thomas Green faced when in conflict with his
supervisor (Sasser & Beckham, 2008).
The results from the MBTI and FIRO-B assessments show that I am already on a path to
become a great leader. I am extroverted, sensory, make decisions based on values, and take a
planned and organized approach. Becoming familiar with my personality traits allowed me to
identify where I am succeeding as a leader and where I have opportunities to grow. In order to
become a successful leader, I must utilize and strengthen my unique personality traits to provide
employee satisfaction, make effective decisions about teams, build a beneficial organizational
culture, and navigate political situations. Leading with these 4 frames in mind will ensure the
success of any organization I am a part of.

5. Dan Isenberg
Management 600 – Section 202
March 26, 2015
Page 5 of 5
References
Bolman, L.G. & Deal, T.E. (2003). Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice & Leadership (3rd
Ed.). San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass.
Gentry, W.A., Weber, T.J., and Sadri, G. (2007). “Empathy in the workplace, a tool for effective
leadership.” Center for Creative Leadership.
Greiner, L.E., & Collins, E. (2008). A day in the life of Alex Sander: Driving in the fast lane at
Landon Care Products. The Harvard Business Review, April 11, 2008.
Ibarra, H. & Hansen, M.T. (2011. Are you a collaborative leader? How great CEOs keep their
teams connected. The Harvard Business Review, July-August 2011.
Robbins, S.P., and Judge, T.A. (2013). Essentials of Organizational Behavior. Upper Saddle
River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.
Sasser, W.E. & Beckham, H. (2008). Thomas Green: Power, office politics, and a career in
crisis. The Harvard Business Review, May 1, 2008.
Waldroop, J. & Butler, T. (2001). Managing away bad habits. The Harvard Business Review.