Leadership And Leadership Practices And Expectations

Great leaders generally have to lead more than one person. They have a group or team that needs to collaborate and cooperate in order to get the work done, and this means that the leader needs to be adept at

Leadership at times can be a complex topic to delve into and may appear to be a simple and graspable concept for a certain few. Leadership skills are not simply acquired through position, seniority, pay scale, or the amount of titles an individual holds but is a characteristic acquired or is an innate trait for the fortunate few who possess it. Leadership can be misconstrued with management; a manager “manages” the daily operations of a company’s work while a leader envisions, influences, and empowers the individuals around them.

“At times of change or dealing with uncertainty or in a crisis-- that is when the best leader will shine” (Ellis, 2016). A leader who can work effectively in a complicated, unpredictable situation is a competent leader and he tirelessly works to improve his capabilities (Ledlow & Coppola, 2010). All great leaders are known for communicating effectively what they want to achieve. They are visionaries who have the ability to lead others toward a shared goal (Gibson & Weber, 2015).

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.

My father once told me that, “everything we do— be it in academia, at work, social or family life—we are guided by principles, beliefs and values that collectively form our ideology of life.” I believe that every leader, to a certain extent, is shaped through her individual personal experience. Although in some cases, we may not realize to what extent our personal assumptions and beliefs shape our ability to lead or be led.

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.

Leadership is both an inherent value and is forged overtime. Inherently, some people are born good leaders and intrinsically have good values imbedded. Leadership traits can be honed and developed overtime; you never stop learning to be a good leader. Leadership is the cornerstone of all successfully run organizations and is what drives stewardship to successfully carry on the organizations mission statement. Throughout one’s life experiences, they come across some great leaders and some not-so great leaders. Those life experiences transcend one to become a better leader through experiential circumstances.

Great leadership overcomes the status quo by taking risks. However, it slowly moves the group through a series of small steps designed by the leader to encourage participation and build feelings of success. To continually inspire and encourage their followers, leaders must be able to break a large task into small components. This builds self confidence and a culture of active learning and hardy determination. To build this hardy resilience leaders anticipate setbacks and develop the ability to learn from them. Leaders will also teach their followers to learn from adversity and

One of the biggest lessons learned from this course is that to be an effective leader, you must have a diverse skillset. I’m not sure if there is any one magical component or characteristic in being a great leader. One influence during my review of the literature was that; although easier for some, I see leadership as something we must continually improve upon. This is in contrast to my belief during my first day of class, when I thought leaders just

John Quincy Adams once said “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” There are many qualities that a person must have in order to be a great leader, if all he/she care about is power and control than they are not a great leader. A great leader is someone who is always looking towards the future. He/she has a plan and even when that plan may not be the most popular thing they stick with it and carry it out. A great leader is also always looking to better the society or the group he/she is in, he/she never gives up on making the world a better place and aren’t afraid to stick up for what he/she believes in. Another quality a great leader must have is being patient with his/her peers and always treating them with respect, he/she have to demonstrate a clear understanding of people and be able to understand and accommodate to a person’s needs. A great leader is always willing to put the needs of the group in front of his/her own and is willing to make sacrifices in order to better the society.

Firstly, a good leader should be able to manage their emotions, meaning that if they have to act on their emotions, they should be able to also think of the

Early on in the study of leadership, it was believed that people were born with specific traits that made them great leaders. In other words, early

The more information one has to understand leadership the further one will be able to go in one’s career. Leadership is not easy, one has to have the ability and buy in of the team to be successful in any project.

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.