Personal Statement: Profile Of A Leader

As a teacher-leader, I have been assigned a number of wide-ranging and important informal roles in my career thus far that have enabled me to support and contribute towards the success of not only my students, but also my department and my school as a whole. By assuming these diverse leadership roles, I have been able to develop professionally, improve student attainment, positively influence the teaching and learning practice of my peers and contribute towards the culture and ethos of the schools I have worked in.

My leadership purpose stems mainly from my servant leadership philosophy. According to Greenleaf, servant leadership means a leader is a servant first. My leadership is geared to serving others and to helping them grow as persons. My leadership purpose is to ensure that people are empowered, motivated and inspired to do a better job. This paper will describe the purpose, principles, and values that guide and inform my leadership. My life story will also be a basis for the description and discussion of some areas of my leadership qualities, which I intend to improve in the years ahead.

After consulting with my team members and hearing their thoughts, I gained a lot of insight as to how my performance as a team leader was. I asked them to give me their thoughts on my first week of being a team leader and then I asked them again in regards to my second week of being a team leader. The changes they told me about were quite surprising. For starters, my team told me that my first leadership week wasn’t too great. They said I was not vocal or authoritative enough so they didn’t really know what they were supposed to be doing while we were out of class. Also, during my week we were doing the video assignment and they said that during the meeting which we were recording, I was too quiet and wasn’t leading the discussion like a leader should. Overall, they said I did not act or communicate like a leader during my first week. Now, following my second week as team leader, there were some major changes in the group’s feedback. During this week we started working the T6 assignment, and this time the group told me they had a much clearer idea of what their roles were as I assigned everyone a task. For example, Lisa and Kerine were assigned to revise the T2 and T4 assignments and they felt much better about knowing what it was they had to do. In sum, after my second week as a team leader my team members responded saying I was much better with communication and actually leading them.

This paper will profile Jeff Hawkins, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for PalmOne, Inc. examining qualities that Mr. Hawkins exhibits that make him influential leader. The paper will also examine details of the business strategy that make this man an exceptional innovator and his contribution to eBusiness technology.

This paper will profile Jeff Hawkins, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for PalmOne, Inc. examining qualities that Mr. Hawkins exhibits that make him influential leader. The paper will also examine details of the business strategy that make this man an exceptional innovator and his contribution to eBusiness technology.

Is a leader as defined in the Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, merely one who leads - synonymous with a boss? Or something more? I believe that a leader is much more than that and can be defined in any number of ways. In attempting to define a leader personally, I will use both myself and others as examples.

Over the past 14 years, I have had the opportunity of experiencing many diverse styles of leadership ranging from the enlisted ranks in the Navy to being a commissioned officer in the Army, each experience with its own distinct style of leadership. I find that having such a diverse range of experience contributes greatly to my current position as a Maintenance Test Pilot.

A good leader shows others the proper way to act in everyday life. Good leaders help others with their challenges but they also acknowledge that they themselves have challenges in everyday life. A good leader is there to support and aid anyone at anytime. Even if that means getting up early to help before a long day or staying after a hard day and provide guidance those who need it a true leader will do it. Leaders put in the extra work to pick up the slack within the group if it is necessary. Leaders change groups into families. You can not be a leader over others if you first can not lead yourself in the proper way. The only thing different from leading yourself over leading others is that the actions you make while leading yourself only affect you, when you lead others, your actions affect you and others. The person has to be able to take responsibility over their own actions, respect themselves and show, do the work that is necessary and cooperate with

Throughout my life and experiences at school we are always told to stand up and be a leader. I am alway told that leaders volunteer, share their opinions, and get the job done. I have also been told that when it comes to working in a group that does not participate, not to take complete control, however that is easier said than done when in certain situations.

First, about my past leadership skills were understanding and gaining knowledge from people. When I was a child, I would always look up to my father and mother as role models to help lead a family together. Both of my parents gave me positive reinforcement in school and out of school so I can be successful in life. I have also taken an interest in

In my personal life, I have had more disappointments and let downs from people in authority over me. They had the managerial concept, but the leadership quality was lacking. Most of my experiences were fearful driven by overpowering bosses that instilled do it or lose your job, and that everyone was replaceable. Until ten years ago I thought all bosses treated their employees this way, however, then I had a career change abruptly, it was there I met a man that would change my thoughts on bosses, my career direction and the way that I myself lead others today. Sam was the Human Resources Manager at a factory where I became a temporary employee, then became a full-time employee. Sam was not only the manager, but he was

Respect is the most important factor in being an effective leader. I always give my peers and colleagues the utmost respect they are due and that I would want to receive. If you don’t respect others, they will never truly follow or look up to you. If you give people the respect you would want to receive, then they’ll see you as a fair and unbiased leader and would be far more willing to do what you ask of them. When your subordinates respect you, they will come to you when they need help, enabling you to further build trust and respect.

The Servant (1998) examines this by suggesting that people have a need to be shown they are important. In order for a leader to build authority, they must respect others and acknowledge their value as part of the team. According to Robert Greenleaf (as cited in Ramer, 2008, p. 256), a servant leader must be a servant to others by meeting their needs first in order to become a servant leader. I believe respecting others, actively listening to others and acknowledging the importance of those individuals; which are all aspects of respect accomplish this.

As a future leader, I strive to inspire those around me with. Not only will I constantly seek to challenge myself and develop as a leader, I will support and drive others to do the same. I aim to lead because achieving dreams with the help of other people requires leadership skills in order to get them behind you. I will build and define a mission for my team while clearly and concisely communicating objectives required to succeed. I strive to help my followers find the best in themselves because I believe all good leaders should always build up their team with strength and encouragement. There may be obstacles along the way, but as a leader I will find ways to move forward with our projects when these problems occur, while always taking responsibly for team downfalls. As a successful leader, my internal strength will shine through with the support of my followers. In order to maintain the trust of my followers, I will always be a model of the behaviors I wish to see in my followers. “Leaders do what they require of others.” (Johns & Moser, 1989, p. 120).

In addition to her teaching me respect she also expressed finances to me. My mother always would a way o tell me about finances. Being a single mom it was hard raising three girls on her own. She shopped smart and found ways to let us be involved.