What I've Learned from My Various Leadership Experiences

A leader is defined as an individual who is able to exert influence over other people to help achieve group or organizational goals where leadership is the process by which an individual

By definition a leader is a person who leads or commands a group however, I believe a leader should be a person who inspires his team excel in the worst of conditions. A leader should be extraordinary reliable as the team should know that the leader could guide them to the best of his abilities toward their goal. A leader should be persistent as they should be the motivational force leading the group. A leader should be patient and calm knowing that quality takes time and that the individual member of his team have obstacles to overcome on their own part.

The definition for being a leadership states, “leading a group of people or an organization”, but to me it is not about to the end goal. It is how you get there. Throughout my life I have seen leaders that have fallen short, right

What does it mean to be a leader? Is a leader someone who can take control when a firm hand is needed? Or perhaps it is the man who is willing to stand up for what he believes in. I used to think of leaders as impressive and impeccable meta-humans. They were men and women who I thought were simply cut from a different cloth and beyond someone like me. Now I believe that a true leader, is that special someone who is willing to get up early and start making breakfast. I believe the hero takes the two-minute walk to find fresh water. During my time at NOLS Patagonia I was able to tune into what it truly meant to lead your peers. When I entered college with the mindset of tackling freshman year, I found myself unprepared for the workload.

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.

A leader is someone who stands out among his or her peers and is chosen to be placed into a position that requires setting an example and providing direction for that group. Although anyone can be chosen as a leader, he or she must be willing and deserving of this position.

A leader is someone who will step up in the times of crisis and is able to think and act creatively in a difficult situation according to businessdictionary.com. A leader can also inspire others to be engage and to work together to achieve a common goal.

Before answering this question I asked a few of my classmates what they believed a leader was and all of their answers were similar. They believed a leader was someone who knew it all and never made mistakes. I was surprised to hear these responses because it was completely opposite of what my definition were. To me, a leader is someone who has failed multiple times and never gives up. Being a cheerleader, I’ve messed up so many times I couldn’t even count it if I tried.

To me being a leader is some who takes charge and commands other toward an objective, but If he fails in reaching his objective can look back and assess the situation and find where the failure occurred so that the same mistake isn't made twice. Being a leader you can do great things for yourself but you can’t think about just yourself to be an effective leader. You must think of the group you are leading as a whole, and take their interests and safety in to account before your own even if it means making sacrifices on your end. A leader in my mind has to be able to talk to people, so that instructions can be given and understood and carried out efficiently and effectively. Also a leader must knowhow to motivate his followers. A leader should also welcome and meet challenges head on so that they my be conquered. I think a leader need to realize that both success and failure are temporary. if you you have failed it doesn't make failure, however if you win you my lose they next time. A leader need to know how to prepare, and recover for both. A strong leader can accomplish so much if he can do the things previously stated. Most importantly when you are in a situation to lead make sure you have followers, because who will you really be leading if no one follows

It is hard to quantify what I have learned in the semester of Leadership because the courses focus was not about memorizing data, but rather learning about having the will to lead and finding the courage to make it happen. A majority of the information I learned from this course came from learning about myself. Through readings, course activities, and various projects, I learned what makes a great leader, but more importantly what traits I possess that will make me a great leader. In order to be a great leader, one must have an understanding of what leadership is. Leadership is a social influence (Stogdill, p. 25). It means leaving a mark. It is initiating and guiding, and the result is change. Leading is the result of your passion coming to life.

The profound Mark Twain once said “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” This quotation not only symbolizes the importance of courage and taking risks but it demonstrates the importance to being confidant in your abilities and taking on leadership roles. The past three months of studying the ‘Interdisciplinary approach to Leadership’ has opened up my eyes and given me an entire new perspective on what leadership is. One of the first things we learned about leadership was that it is so complex that there cannot simply be one way to define it. Leadership can mean something different to every single person in its own way. That is what I love about leadership. I find it beautiful, like a stain glass window; everyone has his or her own interpretation. Some people can see it in all its beautiful glory, whereas others may see other negative aspects. All in all leadership has many sub categories and when viewed by the right person with the right mindset, you are left with something truly benevolent.

Before this class, I had a very primitive and vague definition of leadership. Not only did I define it as per my views and ideologies, but I also said that each individual has their own definition of leadership. My initial belief was that leadership does not have a clear cut definition, but there were well defined leadership traits which made an individual. I also initially believed that personal traits did not translate into leadership traits with no strong correlation. After going through the various modules this class offered, it is safe to say that I have significantly redefined leadership and underwent a strong personal assessment. This paper talks what I took back from each of the class activities, assignments and how my self-assessment compares to the perception of others.

“A leader is a person who influences a group of people towards the achievement of a goal, having empowered the very same to reach their full potential in benefiting both sides." ()

A leader is a person who takes risks, attempts to achieve shared goals, and inspires others to action (Marquis & Huston,

My personal experiences of leadership started when I was younger, roughly 7 years old, I was elected the captain of my travel soccer team. At the time I didn’t think much of it, nor did I have any extra duties that I was explicitly told that I needed to perform. Later throughout the season, I started to notice my teammates mimicking my styles and techniques and I highly enjoyed this feeling of being looked up to. I didn 't realize until years after that the recognition and pride I felt was leadership. This privilege of being captain was the first time I had realized that people weren 't necessarily following my actions because I was extraordinarily skilled, but because I provided this role model status with my confidence and encouragement. Some of the most valuable leaderships traits that I acquired and fortified are: