Essay On Historical Leadership

“Developing excellent communication skills is absolutely essential to effective leadership. The leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a sense of urgency and enthusiasm to others. If a leader can't get a message across clearly and motivate others to act on it, then having a message doesn't even matter."

From the vantage point of the present, it is easy to look back at the tenure of any great leader and draw conclusions about just what it was that made him/her great. We can examine the circumstances under which their leadership flourished; piece together what we know of their character and personality traits; delve into the factors that may have driven them; and dissect their leadership style all in an effort to pinpoint the source of their success. The ‘Great Man’ theory, popular in the 19th century and now thoroughly debunked, held that leaders are born, not made; suggesting that men like George Washington, Martin Luther King Jr., and Winston Churchill were born with the innate capacity to change the world (Landis,

Throughout the millennia that humans have been forming societies with leaders, there have been many different kinds of leaders, some effective and others not. Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar shows examples of leaders who prevailed over time and leaders who didn’t. This information combined with knowledge of other past leaders can be used to establish common traits among effective leaders and common traits among ineffective leaders. Although Joseph Stalin is primarily considered a cruel tyrant, he also exhibits several of the leadership traits deemed most effective. While most can agree that his practices were immoral, it is often forgotten that due to his organization, practicality, and determination, Stalin was a decidedly effective leader.

Leadership is, and always has been, a vital aspect of social and economic constructs. It is essential to the survival of societies, industries, organizations, and virtually any group of individuals that come together for a common purpose. However, leadership is difficult to define in a single, definitive sense. As such, theories of leadership, what constitutes a great leader, and how leaders are made have evolved constantly throughout history, and still continue to change today in hopes of improving upon our understanding of leadership, its importance, and how it can be most effective in modern organizational cultures.

What is leadership, and how do we attain the best and most effective leaders? These are questions that are as old as civilization itself. Bass (1974) wrote that, “from its infancy, the study of history has been the study of leaders” (as cited in Wren, 1995, p. 50). Since the study of history in the West is commonly held to begin with Herodotus of ancient Athens, it is not surprising that we should examine the historical views of leadership through the eyes of two titans of Greek thought: Plato and Aristotle.

Leadership many times can be misinterpreted by many individuals. Leadership is an ability that not everyone is meant to have nor develop. In fact, many can be called, “leaders” but that does not imply that their leadership role plays a positive impact on others. At times, some people seek leadership in a form to only obtain power and abuse it for their own self-interest. While there are others that create great influences to following generations. For instance, there are those like Plato and Thomas Jefferson who have established philosophical thoughts that for past centuries, have revolutionized many people’s ideals. Through their principles many people have identified, what they consider can exemplify, true characteristics that make someone have successful leadership qualities. In their own way, they have influenced others, with the purpose to communicate a foundation of important ideals which have helped guide many. Whether it is one or a group of individuals. Many people should consider in practicing and adapting to those philosophical principles, manifested in Plato’s, “The Allegory of the Cave” and Thomas Jefferson's, “The Declaration of Independence” essay who illustrate certain ideals and aspects of leadership in their own unique way.

As a growing debate, the question at hand is whether great leaders are born with specific leadership traits, or if one can be taught certain traits over time. According to (Wikipedia.com) the approach of listing leadership qualities, often termed "trait theory of leadership", assumes certain traits or characteristics will tend to lead to effective leadership. I believe that leadership traits such as honest, competent, initiative, inspiring, hardworking, intelligent, and the ability to lead the masses, are some of the leadership traits one should possess. Within this paper, I will examine the overall concept of leadership traits, while observing the traits that were, or can be associated with successful leaders.

The purpose and the intent of this paper are to compare and contrast the leadership styles and scope of influence of two historical leaders. This paper will capture what made this historical leader effective looking at these points of interest one) Integrity, two) Knowledge, three) Sincerity of purpose and four) Care for others. This paper will also view how the historical leader influenced the lives of others in a positive or negative way. How will or has this leader been remembered in history? In my personal opinion would I consider this leader a servant-leader and how did these leaders use their communication skills gain the support for their ideas doing the time of leading others. It is the hope that the reader will be able to make a

Great leaders govern society today, but what qualities do these leaders possess that puts them above the rest? The qualities that are required to make good and lasting leaders are portrayed in the four texts Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Gone by Michael Grant, ‘The Iron Lady’ directed by Phylida Lloyd, and Macbeth by William Shakespeare.

Leadership Evaluation and Philosophy: An Appraisal of Angela Merkel’s Leadership during the Euro Crisis and My Leadership Philosophy

From Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela’s charisma, to Winston Churchill and Martin Luther King’s intelligence and Steve Jobs’ analytical nature, there can be as numerous ways to lead as there are leaders (Crossman, 2010). Leadership is a hot debate both in the business world and other areas of the society. Throughout the world's, there have been as many leadership models as there have been their commentators (Burns & Peltason, 1966). Fortunately, psychologists and businesspersons have established useful frameworks that refer to the main ways of leadership.

It is essential for business leaders to have excellent verbal and non-verbal communication skills, as leaders are often a symbol of a company’s integrity and this affects not only how customers perceive the company, but also impacts the thoughts and actions of lower positioned employees. For example, a leader that speaks using improper grammar, or writes correspondence with spelling errors throughout it, could project a negative image that can be harmful to a company. Customers might conclude that the leader is incompetent and they might decide that they do not wish to purchase goods from a company that hires inept leaders. Furthermore, employees might become less apt to respect an authority that appears to be uneducated, as well as employees might feel that if the leader disregards using proper communication than it is not necessary for them to use it either. Business leaders need to know when to listen, when to talk, and how to share ideas effectively. Clear and concise communication states exactly how, who, what, and when and serves to guide, direct, protect, persuade, and to inform. Communication is essential for decreasing miscommunications and for increasing productivity, motivation, and efficiency. When someone uses effective communication, he or she is more apt to have favorable results and his or her requests will become granted more often. Furthermore, communication builds goodwill. Having excellent communication skills is

Strong leadership is critical to an organizations success. Leaders need to be honest, trustworthy, respected, and good communicators (Montana & Mitchell, 2005, p. 83). Effective communication is necessary to eliminate confusion. Think how the receiver will interpret the message that you are saying or writing. Effective communication can only occur when the receiver of the message understands what the sender is intending to say.

workplace as well. Communication is an essential skill that we cannot avoid, and should be perfected as a goal in improving your leadership efficiency. When in a leadership role, the leader

The original idea is that a leader should model how their “followers” should behave. While this idea is true some leaders lack the ability to act on their own instructions. Many leaders find it easier to lead by words but leading by example can bring a more powerful effect on the community. Leaders, who fail to show their “disciples” how to live according to their beliefs, will fail to succeed as a great leader. My plan in this paper is to show how Mahatma Gandhi led by example and how his way of living as a leader matches what St. Benedict says about the qualities of a leader.