Leadership Reflection Due to my passive nature, I’ve always avoided leadership roles. With that being said I still aspire to be someone who can be looked to as a leader. In order to reach that goal I observe and try to mimic the actions of people that inspire me. There have been many people I’ve taken orders from, but I have “followed” few. Those are the ones I consider to be true leaders, and have tried to be like myself. In general, a leader should be someone who has their stuff together, a stable psyche, and an open mind. My leadership style is Change-Oriented (MBTI) meaning that I like to find alternative ways to do things and introduce creative solutions to problems. I always lead by example, which forces me to learn as much as I …show more content…
I have had many leaders I’ve followed over the years. An impactful experience was working for my brother. I was 20 and my brother 21 when I got a job for him as an automotive detailer. Up until that point I never looked at my brother as a leader. Over the year or two my perspective of him changed a lot, and I learned a great deal. These things came naturally to him. One thing I observed is how he consistently held his team accountable. So much so, if a coworker messed up. They would almost be afraid the consequence. On the other hand he also would acknowledge good work which showed respect. Over time I saw how the team progressed. Eventually my brother hardly even needed to be at work. Another thing he showed me is the importance of relationships in business. He always made it a point to connect with his bosses and other people involved in day to day business. Word spread quickly how friendly of a guy he was. He ended up getting a recommendation from a client for a promotion. People up the chain of command need individuals they can rely on to do work. Followership is important because if you can be a good follower it shows you have an open mind and want to grow. I think leadership relates to business like if you were trying to sell yourself. In the follower role you gain insight on how to better present yourself. Since I’ve been at ECU I learned a lot about leadership. When I meet a person I can better understand
As previously stated, my personal leadership philosophy is to be the leader you aspire to be. This leadership philosophy sets a framework for individuals to model their behavior after those that have been successful within the organization. Generally speaking, our greatest leaders have attributes and traits that have directly contributed to their successes. The key here is to understand that if you want to be a great leader in the organization, then you have to look for, identify, and model those behaviors of those ahead of you that have become successful. Take for instance a small boat coxswain. The coxswain is a position of great responsibility. There are good boat drivers and there are great boat drivers and when making a parallel to this leadership philosophy it makes sense that an up-and-coming boat driver will want to model their behavior and performance after a great boat driver; i.e. be the leader you aspire to be. The same method of mentorship and learning is true when it comes to leadership. Some leaders possess personality characteristics that naturally allow them to lead people with ease. These same leaders are made even greater when they incorporate teachable leadership principles into their leadership styles and techniques. When they utilize these techniques in their day-to-day leadership their actions may appear natural to an onlooker, but in fact leadership is a practiced art and in order to and maintain proficiency within leadership it must be continuously refined. Being a great leader is more than just watching and mimicking behavior. More important than constant observation, continually life-long learning and application of styles, techniques, and models of leadership will help propel individuals to the forefront of
A leader should have characteristics like being responsible, trustworthy, and professional. I think I have all those characteristics and more. Being the oldest of four, I was expected to help out around the house. Tasked with getting my younger siblings up and ready for school helped me to become a mature a responsible person. Helping to care for my siblings when my mother went to work and getting them up every day for school helped instill a sense of responsibility in me.
Students before me, with me, and even after me has taught me many skills on how to be a leader. I remember a time, when I was in 3rd grade,
The article I chose attempts to define a leader, the types of leaders, and the ways in which a person can be an excellent leader. The author, Tom Decotils, lists three types of leaders: An appointed leader or someone who is a leader in name, an accepted leader or a leader in practice, and an authentic leader. Decotils suggests that when obtaining a leadership role, one must strive to be an “authentic leader,” whose focus is on results by moving followers forward through teamwork and insisting on personal excellence. (Decotils, 2015, para. 1) Decotils states that an authentic leader has good intentions, grit, and a constant yearning for improvement. (Decotils, 2015, para. 5) Additionally, an authentic leader must have a good
Over the course of my career I have had the opportunity to work for dozens of leaders that aided me in the development of my leadership style. As one would easily recognize not all leaders had a constructive impact on my career but rather provided leadership traits to avoid. One person that I have learned a considerable amount from is my father. My father instilled in me the fact that I need to work hard, complete the task at hand, dedicate time to the betterment of my people, and myself and have fun while doing all of this. Another person that introduced considerable leadership influence on me are my grandfathers. My grandfathers lived very different lives; one was a businessman, while the other was a US Army post-WWII veteran, yet they had a uniformed message. That message was continuously grow, be aggressive in studies and work, stay active, and finish what you started. Two additional influencers of leadership are CDR Michael Fredie and MCPO Darrick Dewitt. CDR Fredie is a natural leader, and lives the quote made famous by Theodore Roosevelt, “Speak Softly and carry a big stick; you will go far”. He has the uncanny ability to influence others to work harder through passion and inspiration. Whereas MCPO Dewitt is an authoritative figure that demands respect and continuously inspires his workforce to better themselves in pursuit of bettering the unit, rating, and service.
Leadership and come to mean different things to different people. One of the biggest reasons that I took this class was to become a stronger leader in my personal life, as well as professional. I did not take this class because I have a desire to me in management at this point in my career. What is important to me was to look at this way to be a better employee, in reacting to management styles. I also wanted to take different aspects of management and implement them into being a leader in my family. I have had several managers that I have respected during my career and certain attributes I wanted to emulate. My current manger David Taggerty took the time out to discuss his role as a leader and how he got into leadership. We took a look
I have exhibited leadership by being an example for my little sister. I often help her with with her homework assignments and try to guide her to have a successful academic career. Often times I will have conversations with her about different aspects of math and science, since she shares those interests with me. For example one time in her math 1 class her teacher briefly mentioned imaginary numbers. We explored the topic together, going back to when
This leadership course has taught me to the importance of leadership and what it means to be a leader. That leadership is something that is learned and developed over time. To set goals and encourage those who are involved in accomplishing the goal. Being a leader more than just having follower, but to have enthusiasm, courage, humility, and integrity. This course have also helped me understand how to not only apply leadership to my personal life but to the working atmosphere.
Throughout my life, I have been in many situations where I have to step up and be a leader. I have experienced certain leadership traits being on multiple sports teams, having to help lead Wednesday night church services, and also being a role in my family. I have acquired many different leadership qualities throughout this including how to be a good listener, how to be a team player and how to find the good in every situation. However, there are still some things that I have to work on. Such as, having patience, having self control, and being there for anyone no matter the circumstances.
What I have learned from going to school, especially while working, is that good leaders are hard to come by. Leman says it best as to why more people don’t shepherd their people, “Great leadership comes at a price that too few are willing to pay” (p. 111). I have been working since I was 15 and to be honest, I have only had one exceptional leader who has made an impact on my life and that is because she knows, practiced and displayed the value and principles in The Way of the Shepherd. The knowledge that I have gained from her guidance in partnership with school and Dr. Meade will be with me for a lifetime and I plan to use all of these principles and teaching as I move forward in my career and in
My personal leadership course made me realize that I have all the characteristics to become a great leader, it was just the fact of actually doing. Since then in my work I
Management and Leadership are two different skill sets and positions, however, it is believed by some organizations that they go hand in hand. I believe that management is a learned concept that is taught in schools. Universities and colleges offer degrees in Management and/or Leadership. Authentic leadership is not actually taught but can be learned as a practical skill through being coached and mentored by a true effective leader. Leadership skills are gained by completing research, gaining ideas to inspire and help others achieve new skills to move into a better position or advanced career. Achieving new leadership skills is always a work in progress. In my IMG 233 class I learned that Management is the formal influence of the organization. Managers develop strategic goals, establish performance control mechanisms, and communicate instructions and information to ensure probability and production to meet the overall demands. Leaders are the heart of the organization and their role is to informally influence and inspire employees while creating visions and direction and at the same time building strong team relationships. An effective and dynamic leader empowers their team with the knowledge to be innovative and generate new ideas to increase productivity and performance.
As an educational leader, I have encountered several new and existing school policies. I never thought deeply about the various processes and the stakeholders involved in policy formulation and implementation. This semester I am engaged in the course Managing Educational Policy as School Leaders (EDLM 6005). This is Semester III, 2016/2017. My course coordinator is Dr. Timar Stephenson. Dr Stephenson was my course coordinator once before and was very helpful whenever I needed clarification or when I had a difficulty. I am thrilled to embrace the new ideas and learning opportunities embedded in this course since it teaches issues which I experience at work. Dr Stephenson, during his introduction reminded his entire class that success in this course would only be realized through hard work, dedication, and commitment. Therefore, it is imperative that I have the right attitude as I navigate this course. The course involves seven weeks of intense work. I am pleased to have a wonderful group facilitator by the name of Rhonda Joseph who has already given us a BBC to explain the requirements of the course and our first two modules.
I’ve learned that there is no one leader in any team. There are many different things that someone can do within a team to be a leader and show their leadership skills. To me leadership is when someone in a team passes along knowledge or skills to someone else in the team. This knowledge or skill passed along must be beneficial and must be new knowledge and a new experience for the person being led. Anyone can be a leader if given the right resources.
In the course of this semester I have gained and achieved profound knowledge about leadership styles and methods. I am now much more confident handling a diversity of issues and dilemmas applying the knowledge that I have gathered. My goal is to continue learning and to stay authentic to others. I trust God, believe in Karma and positive energy. I have a very clear picture and notions of my potentials and perspectives. I can distinguish very well, which paths I am going, in order to choose and pursue my dreams and goals. I think, that I can be a strong leader, since I have very good influencing and persuasion skills. I like to help people wherever I can and pass my knowledge to others so they can succeed.