Leadership Credibility : Four Traits Tested Through Time

In the Leadership Challenge, 4th edition, it is Kouzes & Posner (2007) intention to present a road map for individuals to follow on their leadership journey. The authors stress that “leadership is not a gene and it’s not an inheritance.” Leadership they assert is “an identifiable set of skills and abilities that are available to all of us” (p. 23). They make clear that the “great person” theory of leadership is “plain wrong.” Leaders are our everyday heroes who do extraordinary things on a regular basis (p. 23).

Businesses also have a variety of different leaders controlling the organization. Some executives attain a high-level position, placing them in a leadership role. However, there are many leadership positions that do not actually “lead” a team. A leader does not decide to be a leader overnight. A leader possesses a particular set of qualities and

In Kouzers and Posner’s view, leadership is to mobilize others to get extraordinary things done; and it is not about personality but it’s about behavior.

Values are personal because they are individual belief. Values can be end values or instrumental and individual needs both because it enables one to reach a decision, act, be committed and be able to focus on the current issues, which are reflected in the future. The two sources showed the similarities in their presentation concerning the actions or values congruence in that the leader gains credibility in the workplace. Leaders should clearly demonstrate their values incongruent way because it is the basis of developing credibility and inspiring others to follow and listen (Hoyle, 2007). The authors recommended the importance of leader’s ability to articulate their values to enable others to understand the significance of personal beliefs.

In developing this idea of what leadership is, I examined what was most important to me in being a leader. Since leadership is such a broad term, this could not be a process whereby I could generalize leadership for everyone. Rather, the task is to determine who I am as a leader. I asked myself, what is it that shapes the vision? What are the factors that comprise a leader, and what makes these things add up to create something larger than ourselves as leaders? Thoughtful reflections on these things lead me to generate the following definition of leadership: Leadership is about more than simply having followers; it is not a title, and it is not achieved by just following a few principles. Leadership is complex, though at its

This report reviews and examines the theories behind leadership; identifying and analysing the concept of leadership and leaders from an analytical perspective. Some of the key points will focus on areas I have particular disputes with. Areas such as:

Kouzes and Posner support an approach to leadership that is practical and workable on a day-to-day basis. For these authors, becoming a leader requires a commitment to five fundamental guiding practices: 1) challenging the process, 2) inspiring a shared vision, 3) enabling others to act, 4) modeling the way, and 5) encouraging the heart. These five themes of leadership - honesty, forward-looking, inspiring, competent, and credible are traits to be admired and followed. They are qualities that we, can strengthen in ourselves as we work with our colleagues to accept the challenges of leadership. Because to be a leader, one has to believe in oneself, but with reasonable doubt and humility. One has to have a zeal for the role and genuinely care

What is leadership? How does society define as good and bad leaders? What are the traits most embodied by the successful leaders? These questions, along with many other, have been the topic of debate for centuries. Defining leadership in hard terms can be a challenging thing. In one hand, soldiers in the Army, for instance, can recite the definition of a leadership that came out of a publication. On the contrary, most soldiers will struggle to define what leadership means to them, in their words. However, troops in any organization can quickly identify who is a bad or a good leader. They know what right looks and feels like, though, putting it into terms can prove to be more challenging, and goes to demonstrate why it is

Effective leadership, commonly regarded as both a learned skill and innate ability, is an essential characteristic of successful organizations (Northouse, 2016). Great leaders are said to define purpose, create a vision for the future, set high ethical standards, and guide their organizations through many circumstances and into new directions (Morrill, 2007; Parris & Peachey, 2012). Leadership is also described as complex – it can mean different things to different people. Given there is no standard approach to leadership, scholars focus on the process of leadership as opposed to the definition (Northouse, 2016). As a process, leadership is not simply possessing formal authority or characteristic traits and personal attributes. Quite the reverse, leadership is mostly a relationship – engagement and interactive exchange – between leaders and followers (Morrill, 2007; Northouse, 2016). According to Parris and Peachey (2012), the impact of effective leadership on economic, political, and organization success makes leadership one of the most comprehensively researched processes of human behavior. Therefore, understanding the behaviors of leaders is critical to understanding individual and organizational success.

There seems to be a long standing fascination with what makes a leader. Studies dating back to 1869 attempt to identify the characteristics these “extraordinary individuals” possess. (McCkleskey, 2014). However, what these studies have found over the years, is that there isn’t one set of common characteristics found when leaders are compared; there isn’t that one “thing” that stands apart. (Great Man article). One of the biggest questions still remaining from all those studies is, “what is leadership?” Rost (1995) states that while there are several problems in studying leadership, the first problem is there is no commonly accepted definition or everyone is expected to use their own. Rost goes on to state that 300 people reading the

What defines a leader? Are there inherent differences between leaders and followers, e.g., genetic makeup, behavior, characteristics, intelligence, or another physiological, social, emotional, or cognitive capacity? Are leaders the product of nature or nurture, more specifically can leadership be taught? These fundamental questions about leadership form the basis of research on the traits, behaviors, relationship dynamics, and communication competency that encompass different leadership roles and styles. My paper will provide a synthesis of the reading from chapters 1, 2, and 9 of the textbook, “The Leadership Experience,” highlight novel leadership concepts, notions, and theories for me, as well as, any clarification or reinforcement of

Leadership lacks a universal definition, there are too many variables that make each situation unique and different. Kouzes and Posner’s book, the Truth About Leadership, takes an alternative approach, stating ten actualities that exemplify proper leadership. By staying constant to these truths, there is opportunity for individual customization of a leadership definition or style best suited to oneself.

Titles are important no doubt about that, but when it comes to true leadership i believe they don’t have much value. I believe true leadership can’t be assigned or appointed, it is not the position that makes the leader, it is the leader that makes the position. Martin Luther King Jr is one of the great leaders who didn’t hold high positions. A true leader influences others in a positive way and directs them to reach their specified goals, that is the type of a leader I want to perfect in me.

Leadership has been a developing concept for me. People I have met throughout my life have greatly influenced my definition of leadership. I have seen my definition of leadership evolve as a result of their influence in my life. In this paper, I will discuss how my previous leaders and five leadership levels shaped the way I approach the idea of leadership.

Precisely identifying what it takes to be an effective leader can be a difficult task. Which is likely the reason that almost all who have attempted to define leadership have provided somewhat different descriptions (Grossman & Valiga, 2012). Therefore in order to develop a personal leadership philosophy the review of others writing on the subject of leadership was conducted. Maxwell concluded leadership is the ability to influence others, and while we may be unaware of it we are all leaders in one way or another due to the influence we have on others (2012). Further Maxwell went on to state, it is the responsibility of each individual leader to