Leadership is a word that is portrayed uniquely by each individual who demonstrates it. It is molded by a person’s morals and ideals of who a leader should be, and it is this versatility of the word that makes it so exclusive. My idea of a leader has always been extravagant, brilliant human beings who seemed to be miraculously gifted, something that someone so minuscule like me could never dream of achieving. Looking back, I regret having that assumption for I believe everyone has that ability inside them. I do feel as though some people radiate leadership while others have to dig deep to uproot it, but I sincerely believe it is inside every single one of us. Although the complexity of what it means to be a leader is something I will never fully grasp, through my knowledge and experience I have come up with a self-created definition which helps me with my understanding. I had the opportunity to take leadership test which was based on a series of questions, and the results had a much different set of definitions of leadership then I have. This got me thinking; what kind of leader am I? What qualities do I possess or need to possess to make me worthy of being followed? The results of my analysis of these questions were rather enlightening
The leadership test I took revealed that I am considered to have a “line leadership” mindset. This mindset is described as someone who is customer and market directed, hands on and gets desired results quickly. According to the test my
Every person has a different definition of what makes a leader. Some feel a leader is inspirational, while others regard leadership as someone who can give criticism and make the tough decisions. Each definition is unique, and each is vague. This is why the definitions of leadership people use aren’t always accurate. Bolman and Deal, however, do an excellent job of presenting four frames of leadership people use to successfully—or unsuccessfully—support and lead a group of people. The four frames presented by the authors are: human resource, symbolic, structural, and political. The human resource frame is used by leaders to empathize with their followers, the symbolic frame is used to inspire and unite followers around a vision, the structural frame is used to emphasize the importance of a process, and the political frame establishes competition and focuses on creating allies.
Growing up, I watched all of the cringe worthy movies and TV shows that displayed the cliché example of leadership, where the popular protagonist delivered a booming heartfelt message from a stoic position to inspire their peers. These programs taught me that this idea of leadership was the one and only idea, and I held on to it up until my early high school years. Around this time I was starting to figure out myself mentally and emotionally; I realized and accepted that as a person I am naturally and simply introversive. My idea of leadership came into fruition when I
1. Webster’s Dictionary defines leadership as “the action of leading a group of people or an organization”. That definition does the word no justice as leadership can look like a great many things to different people, and there are equally as many ways to lead. A leader can lead through fear or respect, by word or by action. Numerous leaders have influenced my career and leadership style to this point. Most notably, the Chief of my first Patrol Boat was one of the biggest influences I have experienced in my career. He conveyed confidence, empowered his people, and exuded the charisma to inspire people to want to be better, if nothing else, to not disappoint him. Simultaneously, he demonstrated the ability to hold people accountable, and
Leadership is a broadly used concept which needs to be defined narrowly. One way is to define the context in which it is used and the process within which it fits. Moreover, theories on leadership have explored and studied it from many angels. Trait Theory of leadership asks what type of person makes a good leader. Moreover, early trait theories said that leadership is an innate, instinctive quality that you do or don 't have. Thankfully, we 've moved on from this idea, and we 're learning more about what we can do to develop leadership qualities within ourselves and others. In contrast behavioral theories studies what good leaders do and how they behave. For instance, do leaders dictate what needs to be done and expect cooperation? Or do they involve their teams in decision-making to
What makes a leader a leader? Are leaders born or are they shaped by their experiences? Do we follow leaders because we believe in the same ideology or simply because they are charismatic? Many theories argue many ways a leader is made, yet it is truly not crystal clear what makes a leader a leader.
With so many leaders in this world, the question is, what truly defines someone as a leader? In my opinion, leadership means someone or a group of people who’s trying to make their vision become a reality by guiding others without force into a positive direction where they can achieve their desired goals. In other words, leadership is done by a single person or many people, but they all need supporters and be able to guide them to success without exertion. It doesn’t always have to be in a positive direction as we learned from previous leaders such as Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin who negatively affected society, but most of all, leadership requires a vision, planning, and the ability to carry out the plan. To be a successful leader, you sometimes have to be a jerk because of the desire to accomplish your goals, but the most successful
What qualities make a good leader? You can ask a hundred different people, and you will get a hundred different answers. A good leader is someone who accomplishes the mission, has the respect of their subordinates, and makes the difficult decisions when needed. For me, I believe that a great leader needs to have a variety of qualities, but most importantly a sense of fairness, hard work/care, and common consideration for others. Different experiences throughout my life and time at West Point have lead me to believe that these three tenants are what are most needed for a great leader. In terms of a leader’s moral character, common consideration has the greatest influence on the success of a leader, because without common consideration, a
Strategic thinking is one of the abilities that enables me to think widely about border business perspective and will help my problem solving skills to assure an organization`s enduring success. I would like to think deeply and find the key things that an organization needs to be successful. I know that I have to improve my leadership skills for addressing the human and organizational capabilities that are necessary for implementing the business strategy.
The topic of leadership, more specifically effective leadership, has been a common research topic for quite some time. There are many definitions and many views on what makes a good leader. In Management, Kreitner defines leadership as “the process of inspiring, influencing, and guiding, others to participate in a common effort” (Kreitner, 394). This is a broad definition describing a leader that can inspire workers to achieve their goals. In regards to what actually makes a good leader,, the concepts and research have recently been geared towards ethics and the differences and common qualities between a leader and a manager. In essence, “today’s leaner and continuously evolving organizations require people who can both lead and manage—in
1. Leadership can be very complicated since it is personal and most of us have a different vision or stance on how we lead or think we lead. There are many definitions on what leadership is and most are usually correct in one way or another. A person’s leadership philosophy can be greatly influenced in many ways spanning their entire life and career. I have been influenced from the beginning starting with my parents and continuing to the newest A-school student checking into the Air Station. I like to think that a good leader is influenced by anyone he comes in contact with shaping who you are as a leader and that it never ceases to end. Being a United States Marine has also greatly influenced my life in many ways, including building the
Leadership is one of the most important traits to have as a human being. Without great leaders to help instill and create a sense of direction, I believe society world will be stagnant. I believe there is a variety type of the leaders such as, good leaders and bad leaders. A good leader must have several qualities. These qualities should not be taken likely and must be able to possess qualities like having good morals, such as integrity which will set the example for their subordinate. In addition to being a good leader, you must have a strong mindset and the ability to lead everywhere you go. I am going to be discussing how it is imperative to implement change when you are responsible for an
I never would have imagined when I started this journey a year ago that I would be so changed in my opinions of what a good leader should be. We began with organizational behavior and the importance of the individual and what motivates them, and how this applies to group cohesiveness. Throughout each module we were given insight by example of how certain types of leadership works and does not work. After eighteen years of working for the same company and being led by several different types of leaders, I hope to combine what I learned through this last year with what is really needed to become an awesome leader.
Romans 12:8 describes a good leader as one who is generous, involved, and zealous. As in biblical times and in today’s culture, these qualities are vital to leading, whether it be a small group or a large organization. One example of a leader whose leadership qualities allow her to be successful in her career is Lynn Good, president, chairman, and CEO of Duke Energy. Duke Energy thrives as one of the largest electric power companies in the United States with more than 7 million customers and both commercial and international business. Previously chief financial officer of Duke, Good worked under former CEO, Jim Rogers, and is said to have helped him “build his shiny empire “(Otterbourg, 2015, p12). With a background as a partner in two accounting firms and Cingery Corp, Lynn’s comprehension of strategic planning, resource allocation, and utility management allowed her to become head of the company in 2013. That same year, Good was named one of the 10 most influential people in the energy sector by SNL Energy, and in 2014 and 2015, Fortune named her #13 among the “Most Powerful Women in Business”. In 2014, Duke Energy was listed by Business Insider as one of the “50 Best Companies to Work for in America” and DailyWorth named Duke as one of the “25 Best Companies for Women”. Lynn Good’s forward thinking and implementation of the four management functions, planning, organizing, leading, and controlling, combined with her understanding of her organizational environment, allows
A great leader shows strength as strong as an ox, wisdom like the king Solomon taught to us as children in Sunday school, and the fortitude like a lion. Leaders have to be this way in order to control the masses. The great leaders of our past impact the world and leave their legacies behind for leaders to follow. Future leaders look up to these men and women for guidance on how they had the gentle but forceful hand at being a dynamic leader to the multitude of people.
Leadership appears to be an increasingly discussed topic, not only in business school, but also in real-life workplace. As teamwork has become the essential part of today’s business world, few people would argue the importance of leadership skills in contributing to a prospective career. I believe there is no one-size-fits-all definition for leadership. Everyone can have his own understanding of what characteristics or personal traits make a good leader. The understanding usually stems from one’s personal experience. I have rarely been a real leader so far in my career; therefore my definition of leadership, to a large extent, comes from a non-leader perspective and may vary with someone who is a leader.