A Common Theme From My Research

Factors that can influence an individual’s choice of leadership in any given situation are many and varied. An individual is likely to have a primary leadership style which they are most comfortable with using. Often the primary leadership style is that which most suits their innate personality traits. For example,

Max De Pree explains that the true leader (manager) is there to enable his followers to reach their full potential, that he is their "servant" not the master. In his book Leadership is an Art, De Pree summarizes the qualities of the future leader. Leaders need to recognize when another individual’s skills and gifts could do the job better than they can. •Leaders must be able to gracefully step down and follow the other person’s lead.

As a leader, it is also important to be loyal, firm and devoted. It is vital to be someone that employees can set their clock to. Knowing my values and what I stand for can help me to be a steadfast leader. Someone who is ambivalent in his or her decision-making does not make a good leader.

Think about the quote: “How you think about leadership will strongly influence how you practice leadership.” Peter Northouse

As previously stated, my personal leadership philosophy is to be the leader you aspire to be. This leadership philosophy sets a framework for individuals to model their behavior after those that have been successful within the organization. Generally speaking, our greatest leaders have attributes and traits that have directly contributed to their successes. The key here is to understand that if you want to be a great leader in the organization, then you have to look for, identify, and model those behaviors of those ahead of you that have become successful. Take for instance a small boat coxswain. The coxswain is a position of great responsibility. There are good boat drivers and there are great boat drivers and when making a parallel to this leadership philosophy it makes sense that an up-and-coming boat driver will want to model their behavior and performance after a great boat driver; i.e. be the leader you aspire to be. The same method of mentorship and learning is true when it comes to leadership. Some leaders possess personality characteristics that naturally allow them to lead people with ease. These same leaders are made even greater when they incorporate teachable leadership principles into their leadership styles and techniques. When they utilize these techniques in their day-to-day leadership their actions may appear natural to an onlooker, but in fact leadership is a practiced art and in order to and maintain proficiency within leadership it must be continuously refined. Being a great leader is more than just watching and mimicking behavior. More important than constant observation, continually life-long learning and application of styles, techniques, and models of leadership will help propel individuals to the forefront of

It is very commonly stated that there are two types of people in this world: leaders and followers. A leader is someone who is brave, or good at divulging the bravery of others. A leader is someone who is relaxed, or able to bring serenity into a time of chaos. Most importantly, a leader is persuasive and able to provide people with the direction needed to achieve the task at hand. Unfortunately, these are not qualities that one can simply decide to possess. People are not followers simply because they choose to be, but because they do not have what it takes to be anything more. Although many people will try to rise above and lead others, there are only a select few that will succeed.

Leaders tend to think about” Why.” and not “How.” this is an important lesson I learned from reading the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Good leaders are focused, they care for the total well-being of their group, and make decisions based on the group. As well as, taking charge when no one else wants too or can. The novel shows these qualities throughout its chapters with one of its main characters, Ralph.

Throughout my short life, I have come to realize that a leader does not necessarily, although they may, maintain a defined position of leadership. A leader is one who will rise to the challenge even when the odds in opposition. A leader will tackle any barrier that stands in the way of the goal. A leader is willing to be hated and face criticism for doing what is right. Leaders come in all different forms, but a leader is the one who is always willing to make the difficult decisions.

Imagine you’re going on a hike through the woods, and after an hour or two you’re ready to head back, but as you look around at all your friends you realize no one knows how to get back. Being a leader means coming forward and taking charge, and figuring out the safest and fastest way to get you and your friends back home to safety. Many leaders have many different behaviors and ways that they lead. Many times my friends turn to me to make decisions about what we will do, where we will go, or simply where we will eat. My actions toward the situation define my leadership skills.

Many people in life wish to be a leader – someone who others can follow and who others

The article I chose attempts to define a leader, the types of leaders, and the ways in which a person can be an excellent leader. The author, Tom Decotils, lists three types of leaders: An appointed leader or someone who is a leader in name, an accepted leader or a leader in practice, and an authentic leader. Decotils suggests that when obtaining a leadership role, one must strive to be an “authentic leader,” whose focus is on results by moving followers forward through teamwork and insisting on personal excellence. (Decotils, 2015, para. 1) Decotils states that an authentic leader has good intentions, grit, and a constant yearning for improvement. (Decotils, 2015, para. 5) Additionally, an authentic leader must have a good

Leadership is the ability to inspire and focus members on a common goal, whether short term or long term and have the same vision. Leadership is more than telling or ordering, but having members believe and want to follow the same path as you. It’s a commitment to your people built on trust and respect. Many leaders shaped my personal leadership philosophy, to include several negative and positive experiences. Negative experiences from poor leaders and lessons learned on my part have uniquely shaped this vision. Difficult to be a good follower when your leader lacks competency, integrity, and your trust. If a leader takes credit for work other than their own, or forces and ideology onto others, but does not follow it themselves; these negative influences damage the trust and respect required of all leaders. However, positive experiences can also have a career lasting impact. A leader who inspires through personal actions and convictions can change how an entire unit operates without ever saying a word.

There is a difference between a manager and a leader. A true leader not only manages their department, they also encompass relationship-building behaviors such as asking, listening, including, coaching and encouraging. The main characteristics of a highly effective leader are the ability to confront problems, focusing on the goals of your subordinates, and insisting on excellence from your staff. The most memorable leaders in my mind are the ones who would not ask you to do anything they would not do themselves.

In my reflections as I prepared to write this paper, I came to the realization that leadership is much more complex especially since the paper requires that I focus on a few traits. In an effort to make it simple, I wrote down the traits that came to mind and in process had over 10 important traits but an even bigger challenge was on how to narrow them down to 3 or 4 and this is the place that required a good deal of reflection. Eventually, however, I had to prioritize them since in any case; it is not possible to get a leader that has all the traits. As I thought of the various leaders who have inspired me, I noticed that while they strived to provide the best leadership by focusing on their strong points, they still had their weaknesses. To me this provided a justification for at least identifying key desirable traits and thereafter working to improve them. I did manage to settle on four traits, which for me are indispensible if a leader or a leadership is to become effective.

Leadership is not an easy task. This is mainly because in every situation, the leader is expected to make some decisions that determine the direction that his company takes. As such, if he makes a mistake, there is a very great possibility that the whole organization will be misled (Charnes, Cooper and Rhodes 2). As such, the leaders need to be very effective in their decision making skills. This is mainly because if they. An indecisive leader is an ineffective leader there is no way that he can lead the organization to success. A leader needs to be very decisive so as to rally support from his staff (ubalt.edu