Organizational Leadership : The United States Military, Education, And Parenthood

Today’s potential leaders who have enhanced there skill with education in leadership, believe in the elements that they 've learned. The rational, technical reducible in today 's marketplace could be ill-equipped without the proper motivation and mentoring because motivation of followers isn 't created out of thin air. It’s accomplished by aligning individuals and members who take pride in their contributions and have an understanding of shared goals and values.

Leadership development in the military is critical to its mission and objectives. Understanding and embracing leadership will foster an agile culture and facilitate attainment of strategic goals. People desire quality leadership to assist with achieving their goals, albeit personal or professional development. Having a clear vision and the motivation to perform at high-levels influences others to work synergistically together to achieve organizational goals. Insomuch, employees value being treated respectfully, fairly, and ethically. Leaders serve people best when they help them develop their own initiative and good judgment, enable them to grow, and help them become better contributors.

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.

Leadership is the elaboration of group inspiration. One person entrusted as leader can implore the aid, and support of supporters in the accomplishment of a common mission. According to Gurdjian, Halbeisen, and Lane “Becoming a more effective leader often requires changing behavior. But although most companies recognize that this also means adjusting underlying mind-sets, too often these organizations are reluctant to address the root causes of why leaders act the way they do” (Gurdjian, Halbeisen, and Lane, 2014) However, today abundant businesses engross importance on the improvement of leaders. Some of the ultimate leaders were formerly followers, such as in instructive businesses. One aspect as leaders many have to contemplate in striving

It is easy to presume that that person is in the position they are in because of money, connections or an extraordinary intellect. We may suppose that any adversity or problems that this type of person has encountered are on another level to those that we face. Perhaps we don't imagine that there were private obstacles to overcome, personality traits that needed adjustment or adaptation, that private insecurities or personal failings had to be surmounted. It is simplest to assume that the role of leadership was cut out for him/her alone. More often than not, one imagines that the "leader" in an individual emerges early on in life, apparent from an early age: a bright child with above average intelligence, active in all walks of life, successful in anything that he puts his/her hand to, popular with peers and admired by elders. But nothing is that simple.

Along with their self-confidence, every mentor leader needs an internal sense of security. From the groundwork of security comes the capability to mentor other individuals, to lead them without demanding continuous verification or being diminished by self-doubt. Mentor leaders already have a sense of security in who they are and they are able to devote themselves in assisting other individuals cultivate and develop to their full potential. Attributes that are fundamental to the mentor leadership style include demonstrating courage; modeling faith; and leading by example. Mentor leaders will always be learning and growing, to be mentored themselves. Mentor leaders need to look for opportunities to make an impact in all walks of life. Mentor leaders that make a difference in the lives of others will always be present. Mentor leaders also need to understand that they act as a role model to others. Mentor leaders will be known by their legacy. When Tony Dungy was in Junior High School, the assistant principal Mr. Rockquemore acted as a mentor leader that still sticks with Dungy to this day. Mr. Rockquemore sat with Tony Dungy and his friends during the lunch period and talked to them about things outside of school. Mr. Rockquemore was trying to learn more about Tony Dungy and his friends because he cared about his students. Tony Dungy was about the quit the high school football team when Mr. Rockquemore took him under his wings and mentored the young Tony Dungy. They developed a close relationship. Mr. Rockquemore felt that it was his duty to build into Tony Dungy’s life and to mentor him when he was about to get off track. The culture that one constructs permeates everything you touch in life. The success to any mentor leader is to under-take a culture that supports it. When done successfully, mentor leadership is a constant practice of leading and being led, of developing ourselves and cultivate the future leaders.

This past year, I had the opportunity to serve as the acting Detachment SGT for 629th Military Intelligence Battalion. During my time as DET SGT, I began thinking about my leadership philosophy and what it would mean to my soldiers. I thought of a number of ideas, however the one word that came to mind was mentorship. Early in my career I had the privilege of being mentored by SGT Ronald Lott. He was an older NCO who was about to retire from the National Guard.

A leader is the example or role model by which a crowd or subordinate that is beneath their expertise is easily influenced. Ultimately this will start shaping or sculpting a cluster or personnel’s behaviors. Thus why a mentor must obtain and uphold the peak standard of integrity and honesty either on or off orders. Integrity concerning one’s charisma should contain honor, virtue, allegiance, and subordination. Short of integrity, the mentor won’t grasp the respect and confidence of junior and senior supporters within the group whether it be a team, squad, platoon, or troop.

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).

Anita Satterlee makes an obvious, but profound observation stating, “A leader cannot lead without followers (Satterlee, pg. 6, 2013).” Essentially, a leader without subordinates who are engaged can not lead properly. While this concept is easy to comprehend, what is most intriguing is Satterlee’s claim that “by mastering the role of followership, a subordinate prepares for the role of leadership (Satterlee, pg. 7, 2013).” Instead of viewing leaders as being static, it is important to view the process of leadership as more

Boseman, G. (2008). Effective Leadership in Changing World (pp. 36–38). Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

As I look forward to graduation in the spring, I prepare myself for the great challenges I may encounter while envisioning a future executive position that allows me to make a difference in my industry. Mulcahey has taught me how important it is to be a fair and honest leader; if I can take time off for family events then my employees should have the same opportunity. Similar to Mulcahey, I grew up in a family invested in the automotive industry however unlike the experience she is giving her son my parents were hardly around and I wouldn’t change my experience because it has made me who I am. However, I hope to provide an opposite experience for my children demonstrating that proper leadership overflows into all aspects of one’s life. Looking to the future, I find great interest in her involvement in Penske’s mentor program as I believe that the best way to learn about an organization’s culture and operations is through an employee who has been with the company. Ms. Mulcahey explained how important this program is to her because when she began working for Reynolds and Reynolds as a college graduate she happened to be paired with the President and CEO of the company (Harris). While this was intimidating for her at first she quickly grew to see the benefits she was reaping from meeting with her mentor once a week and has now brought

There are different types of leaders and also mentors; examples of famous leaders are Nelson Mandela, Adolf Hitler, Abraham Lincoln Barrack Obama, examples of mentors are Socrates who mentored Aristotle who subsequently mentored Alexander the Great.

The word ‘leadership’ often times triggers a preconceived image of an ideal leader—typically accompanied by the aura that the effective leader should be at the top of the hierarchy, ready to produce the solutions to complex problems. However, this is not true of leadership, given that effective leadership is not achieved by position but rather through style and situational awareness. Examining leadership requires the consideration of the catalysts for different types of leaders. Popular leader development theories tend to focus on the natural servitude of the leader, his or her capability to manage, and leader behavior.

For decade’s individuals, companies, and organizations have spent an unprecedented amount of money on researching, molding, modeling and working to define what a leader is and what characteristics make successful leaders. Despite all the research, there is not a quick answer or even full agreement as to what makes an individual an effective leader. The definition of a leader is “someone who can influence others and who has managerial authority.” (Robbins, Decenzo, Coulter, 2015. P.370)