This paper will discuss the topic of Leadership and both explore, as well as explain, it’s applicability in today’s work environment. The basis for discussion will be centered on the material provided during instruction of Management 371 and the personal LSA Journal entries of John Brennan. Additionally, there are three referenced articles that further explain and highlight the topic of Leadership. Throughout this paper, Leadership and the traits that make up a great leader will be explained.
Discussion
By definition, leadership is the position or function of a leader, a person who guides or directs a group. But can we really sum up “leadership” in a single sentence? Recently, an article was run in Business News Daily (2015) that listed 30 ways to define leadership. In those 30, there were many quotes by CEOs, COOs, Founders, and company Presidents. Common attributes like “behavior”, “ability”, “vision”, and “followership” were mentioned. So it goes without saying that if these prominent individuals can figure it out, why can’t those below them? Thankfully, most do, and some will even rise to the top like those previously mentioned. The key point to all of this though is that it takes more than just one characteristic to make a leader. Throughout this piece, I’d like to explore the aspects that make up a Leader, how I fit the role of a leader, and what I’ve learned throughout this course in leadership.
Why the need for Leadership
Outside of the obvious, we need
Understanding what leadership is, it is leading, influencing, commanding and guiding people. A good leader leads the pack, influence them as a role model, command them and sticks them together in crisis and guide them to be the best in professional as well as personal life. Thinking about who are leaders or are they made, in my personal view, I would say that, everyone is a born leader, where some stands up and fly, and some others sit back and watch.
Leadership, which is defined as “…The action of leading a group of people or an organization” is used in many different ways. Most people think being a leader is mostly about being the boss, having people work under you and just becoming successful, but it boils down to more than that. Leaders are those individuals that actually utilize their many abilities in leadership and administration to help make a better change for themselves, the people around them and the goal that needs to be achieved. Leadership is not an expertise that can essentially be grabbed from a book or article based on leadership but instead it is one of those initiative abilities that are increased through experience and understanding those real life situations.
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.
The definition of Leadership is the action of leading a group of people or a organization. A leader is someone who is willing to do take responsibility for someone else,someone who will lead them to success or a better path. The qualities of a leader is having integrity,compassion,and the ability of making wise decision. Many people say military generals are the most important leaders of them all besides the President of the United States which in 1860 was Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was a big leader of the Civil War in 1861.
Leadership is defined as an individual that leads a group of people or an organization. It is also a process in which an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. The core traits that a leader must possess are: intelligence, dominance, self-confidence, level of energy and activity, and task-relevant knowledge.
According to Webster’s Dictionary, leadership is the power or ability to lead other people, the act or instance of leading. I believe that Leadership is an art, the art to get others to follow and accomplish a common goal or task in a harmonic manner. A leader can be shown in all kinds of shapes and forms. To be a great leader many people believe it consists of modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, enabling others to act, and encouraging the heart. Over the course of me learning how to become a better leader and being in leadership roles, I’ve learned that all these are very necessary to be a great leader.
The definition of leadership has not changed over the course of time. Through a compare and contrast method of analysis, one can glean the common traits of a leader from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Thomas More’s Utopia, and Queen Elizabeth’s speech to the Spanish Armada. Leadership can be defined as a person who is able to relate to their subjects, accept their responsibilities as a leader, and has a following of supportive people.
Leadership can be defined in many different ways. Some people are saying that leadership is “the behavior of the individual…”(Hemphill & Coons, 1957, p. 7), some others may describe it as “the influential increment over and above mechanical compliance with the routine directives of the organization” (Katz & Kahn, 1978, p. 528). I have to admit that I completely agree that every one of them but I personally believe that that the leadership is “the ability of an individual to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organization...” (House et al., 1999, p. 184). As I mention in my first paper that good leaders care not only about their personal best, they always want to get the best out
There are many definitions for the term leadership. This term have different meanings to each individual. Leadership is defined as a complex phenomenon involving the leader, the followers, and the situation (Hughes, Ginnett & Curphy, 2012). Leadership is a quality that one can gain through employment experience and/or through education and can also be gained through mentorship. There are many different leadership styles that a leader may fall under. Each type of leadership style has its own uniqueness that makes the leader fall under that particular
Leadership encompasses the world around us, and is seen in some shape or form every single day. Without it, there would be no sense of direction for anyone, people would be lost. Leaders are those who take initiative to do what others won’t. Those who strive to make a difference in our ill directed world and guide those who need to be guided, or pushed, further than they deem themselves capable. Leadership doesn’t take enormous physical strength or even a booming voice. All it takes is a strong mind, full heart, and a purpose.
Leadership has a variety of meanings to different individuals, often based upon the circumstance and situation which defines the term leader or leadership. Northouse (2016) defines leadership as, “a process by which an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal.” (p. 6). Sammi Caramella writes, “Leadership is critical to every company. Workers need someone to look to, learn from and thrive with. Every leader has their own style and strategy. Further, leadership styles and methods vary because of outside influences and personal challenges. While leadership is unique to everyone, there are some common ways to define the term.” (2017). According to Peter Economy (2018), also known as "The
According to Stephen, DeCenzo, and Coulter, leadership is the way an individual leads and influences a group to achieve certain goals (p. 337). When looking at being a leader, whether it is in a corporation or on a sports team, certain traits are associated with leadership. In addition, transactional, transformational, and/or charismatic leaders will each see a different outcome of the way they lead.
There are certain essential elements that constitute the definition of leadership. It may refer to the totality of an organization’s top direction-giving functionaries, or the actions applied in providing direction that enables the organization or team to move forward towards a goal. In reality, there are very diverse definitions of leadership depending on
Leadership is defined in Webster’s Dictionary as the “action of leading a group of people or an organization.” Leadership is also the ability to set trends, inspire, motivate, and sway others to produce desired results. There are different styles and ways of performing leadership and a good leader has the ability to take ordinary people, put them all together, and hopefully yield successful results. For organizations to have sustained results from their performance there must be a good balance of business insight, technical and interpersonal skills, and good team dynamics. A leader must know how to use all these areas as well as trust and communicate with their people in
Over the years, a great deal of time, and research has been dedicate to the study of leadership. Even with extensive data on the topic, many still disagree on what leadership really means. Hence, leadership is a word that has many different meanings and different researched theories associated with it. On a basic level, leadership involves having and establishing a clear vision, sharing that vision with followers, respecting followers, and leading an organization with excellence while ensuring that everyone is part of the team. Leadership is also a method by which a leader uses his or her influence towards getting a group of followers to take ownership or buy into a vision.