Exemplification Essay: Who Is A Basketball Leader?

This semester, we learned specific ways to build our leadership capabilities by reading “How Remarkable Women Lead” by Joanna Barsh and Susie Cranston, researching Boston women leaders, interviewing a present day woman leader, and reading a group book. Throughout all of these resources and research, common themes of how to be a successful leader emerged. Not only did I learn more about leadership in general, but I also found ways to improve my own leadership without going too much out of my comfort zone. The important lessons of leading with perseverance, framing, and an activist's mindset thoroughly influenced my identity as a leader and gave me new tactics to grow as a person.

An example of leadership is in basketball setting an example for your other team members to follow even when it gets tough.A leader puts other people before himself and helps keep the team in order. The leader always gives 110% even when he wants to quit because he knows if he does the whole team will fall apart. I was a leader when my team was losing in a game at halftime and we went into the locker room i knew we needed an extra push so i decided to motivate the team. After halftime I gave an extra effort in bringing us back into the game by doing good on both defense and offense. Another example in which i have resolved a dispute is at basketball practice. It started as a regular practice with stretching and a little jogging. We started

Being a leader is not considered a job or position. Becoming a leader is not a talent, job or position. Although, leadership can be rewarding and difficult at the same time. In today’s society, “the kind of leadership necessary to move social movements forward is very different from the type of leadership required in a military setting, especially on the battlefield. A more sharpened focus on leadership processes versus individual leader traits and behaviors deepens our understanding of the complexities and interactive nature of leadership” (Komives, Lucas and McMahon 2013, 46). My goal is to understand how to face the complexities in life as a leader to communities, universities, organizations, the workplace and the world. As a leader,

I believe that the quote “The wisdom of admitting your weakness and correcting them through continuous learning means leadership” by A. James, is about how we become leaders within our community. Throughout my life I have had struggles and experiences that have helped me become a leader.

Duke University head coach Mike Krzyzewski states, “In leadership, no word is more important than trust” (Krzyzewski, 2000). It does not matter what ethnic background a person comes from, the religion or the gender of a person, any person can be a leader, as long as they have the ability to inspire the people around them, trust those people and keep those people constantly motivated to exceed there limits. There are leaders everywhere, whether its in sports, or the military, to the person at the local grocery store or the person sitting next to you on the T as you ride into the city, all those leaders need is the environment to showcase there skills in. Leaders are often consider being followed, but the great leaders have

This week explored and learned that there are desirable leadership traits to acquire, that becoming a leader can be a conscious process and that being a leader also means to owe respect and have a responsibility to others.

Leadership is not a solo act, it’s a team effort the authors explain (p. 223). To enable others to act the leader needs to create a climate of trust by facilitating relationships. To start the process one must, “be the first to let go of control,” Kouzes and Posner explain and it requires self-confidence (p. 227). Just like Bass and Avolio (1980)

In Scott’s conclusion she writes, “Fierce leaders aren’t born that way; crossing the bold line between leadership and “fierce” leadership takes courage and work. It requires that you hone your faith in others and in yourself” [p.292].

The topic of leadership continues to attract several theoretical arguments as the practice of leadership varies depending on a variety of factors (Loveridge, 2014). However, the contributions made by John Wooden in transforming leadership are impeccable, with his many years as a basketball coach earning him admiration and success in equal measure. John Wooden, therefore, explains how leaders can get the maximum potential out of their followers through enhancing the individual abilities and shaping the personal efforts in a manner that guarantees personal peak performances and subsequent improvement of team or organizational performance.

Across five separate readings, I have discovered and learnt different aspects that make a great leader. More importantly though, is I have been exposed to ways that particularly relate to me and furthermore how I can use this knowledge to benefit my growth in becoming a great leader. These five readings include; “Legacy: 15 lessons in leadership: what the All Blacks can teach us about the business of life” (Kerr, J. 2013), “The authenticity paradox: why feeling like a fake can be a sign of growth” (Ibarra H. 2014), “The power of Appreciative inquiry: a practical guide to positive change” (Whitney, D., Trosten-Bloom, A. 2003), “Salsa, soul and spirit: Leadership for a multi-cultural age” (Bordas. J. 2012) and “Leading with questions: How

I believe that leadership is exemplified by certain traits such as integrity, perseverance, and positivity. Kate has always exhibited these traits. I have frequently noticed that she calmly handles the stress of handling a full academic workload, plus her extra-curricular activities. Kate continuously shows stamina and resourcefulness. The detail-oriented focus which Kate shows is rare in young people, and I know that it makes her well-suited to following directions, leading when necessary, and performing creative, helpful deeds.

Basketball legend Kobe Bryant, once said, “If you’re going to, you’re not going to please everybody. You gotta hold everybody accountable, even if you have that moment of being uncomfortable.” Kobe Bryant was a basketball player who played for the Los Angeles Lakers his whole career. He was not just a basketball player but a captain and leader for his team. But he wasn’t always this way. When he first started it out he was very shy, immature, and very comfortable, not leadership material. But through trial and error, consequences and repercussions, he grew to become a very successful leader and player. The results speak for themselves, multiple MVPs, Championships, and many other accolades. A leader comes in all shapes and sizes. From basketball players to politicians, and even presidents and dictators. A leader is a leader no matter what the job may be and anyone can become one. Leaders are born and not made because of skills, experience, and development.

When you are born with certain characteristics, leadership can sometimes come easy. Like Dr. Brian Hemphill said in the video, age does shape natural born qualities on leadership. A person at 10 years old that is born with leadership qualities will think differently of those qualities at 40, 50, or 60 years old. In order to gain a following, it is however important to posses these qualities. Courage is a quality I have difficulty with. I have had this issue since I was a little girl and still struggle with it in my day-to-day activities. I find is scary to step out of my comfort zone, especially if I am taking a big risk on something. It is hard for me to have courage because I don’t like rejection or failure. I have leaded by watching this video that leaders don’t become leaders in a shell. It is necessary to acquire courage and perfect that quality. I could start practicing courage by giving myself courageous task weekly. An example of this would be gaining enough courage to cast myself on the ballot for different employee groups at

There are many kinds of leaders; some lead through position and authority, while others lead through inspiration and vision. Some people are simply natural born leaders. However, whether one was born a leader or has to become a leader, all great leaders spend time developing their traits. Similarly, when you train for a sport, you first learn to develop the fundamentals, and then you work to master and apply them. I’ve been told I am a born leader, but have always sought to improve my leadership abilities through experience. Maxwell states, “The learned leader; has seen leadership modeled most of life, has learned leadership through training, and has self-discipline to become a great leader” (Maxwell, 93). This statement is reflective of my experience during my military tenure, and what it means to me is; leadership must be developed in practice, as well as in theory.

According to Bill Bradley,author of ” Values of the Game” he discusses leadership and what it means to him. Leadership means getting people to think, believe, see, and do what they might not have to do without anyone being present while they are doing that particular thing.What he means by this is being able to see yourself set goal and being able to accomplish it on their own behalf; being cautious of their surroundings led by fears and anxiety created by those who are leading them to where they need to be, in order for you to do that you must overcome that anxiety and your fears.(103) On the other hand, according to the Bulls’ Phil Jackson, leadership for coaches meant getting their players to commit to something that is bigger themselves.(103)According to Bill Bradley, found on SuccessTelevision.biz showed leadership in many ways on the basketball court, 18 years as Senate, and when he helped 13 million children from poverty, expanded opportunities for others to receive an education, and helped lower taxes for everyone in America (Bill Bradley,Success Television). According to Robert Palestini, author of “A Game Plan for Effective Leadership: Lessons from 10 Professional Coaches Theory to Practice” Bill Bradley chose to wait for a good time to become an active leader.(246) When Bill Bradley came to the Knicks, he did not get