Developing Potential It is undeniable, in an honest examination of the world, to deny that leadership will determine the success, or lack of success in almost every endeavor. This holds true for small group projects through the largest possible business venture, and beyond. John Maxwell discusses principles followed by great leaders and utilized by others to increase their own talents. His book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, is a valuable resource to those who seek to improve individual leadership abilities. The Law of the Lid The first in the list of twenty-one; it simply states, “Leadership ability is the lid that determines a person’s level of effectiveness.” This is an important point; Maxwell explains that on a scale of …show more content…
Managers placed in this manner, typically only maintain systems, processes, and direction. Leadership is necessary to change direction. “The only thing a title can buy is a little more time – either to increase your level of influence with others or to undermine it.” The Law of Process Great leadership is not achieved over night, and it is not something that one achieves and stops. Great leaders spend entire lives building and growing their leadership skills. It is not likely that a leader will one day wake up with all of the vision, influence, knowledge, respect, and momentum necessary to be great; these take time to develop. “It is the capacity to develop and improve their skills that distinguishes leaders from their followers.” The Law of Navigation Regardless of one’s leadership level, it is impossible to know all and have all the answers. It is necessary to listen to many sources including your leadership team and people within the organization to know what is going on at all levels. Leaders know to rely on a team; they do not attempt to navigate the course alone. The Law of …show more content…
The premise is that you cannot teach or expect what you do not show yourself to be. A leader will find that his followers are not honest, punctual, nor enthusiastic if he or she does not demonstrate these traits. If people are not following, the example set by a leader, it is not that leader, they are following. The Law of Priorities “Busyness does not equal productivity. Activity is not necessarily accomplishment.” It is because of this that leaders must prioritize; they must always think ahead and know how everything relates to the overall vision. A leader must be able to recognize when it is necessary to reprioritize as situations shift and change. The Law of Sacrifice “There is no success without sacrifice.” Sacrifices of, time and money seeking knowledge, time and perspiration seeking high levels of physical performance. These efforts to succeed cost, money, time away from loved-ones, and many other possible losses. “Leaders are often asked to give up more than others.” This principle is driven home in the Marine Corps; a leader at any level in the Marines is expected to take care of those he or she leads before themselves. This is demonstrated most visually when Marines eat; when a platoon forms for chow it is by rank. The lowest will always receive food before the senior ranking of the group. It is through this that Marines, are continually reminded, to take care of those in their charge before themselves. Success
Ramsey, R. (2006). Lead follow or get out of the way: How to be a more effective leader in
The most effective leaders know better than to try to be someone they are not. They should always be searching for opportunities to reinvest in their strengths. Leaders need to stay true to who they are and make sure they have the right people around them. The book says those who surround themselves with similar personalities are at a disadvantage to those who are secure enough to be surrounded by people who strengths will compliment theirs.
The role of a leader is often inaccurately defined as an individual who is in a position to give orders. However, there are enormous differences in the attributes of an outstanding leader, and one of mediocrity. An outstanding leader, above all else, is a role model for their peers. In doing so, a leader of the highest caliber is trustworthy in both their peer’s trust for the leader as well as the leader’s trust of their peers. A leader must also display exceptional skill in communication which transcends speaking and, more importantly, includes listening and consideration to the ideas presented to them. Furthermore, a leader must be supportive of and willing to help their peers build their own strengths. The attributes listed above represent only a small subset of what makes an outstanding leader. Yet,
The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes and Posner (2007) is the result of twenty years of research on the factors that influence and create great leadership. Through studies and stories from leaders with various backgrounds throughout the world, the practices and characteristics that create great leadership are delineated. Leadership is viewed not as a group of inherent characteristics, but as learned behavior that anyone can achieve. The goal of Kouzes and Posner’s book is to inspire and educate leaders through transformational leadership. As such, leadership is about mobilizing others to become and do extraordinary things.
One may wonder exactly what it is that qualities a strong leader possesses. A strong leader is determined, and strong willed. They must be of good judgment, and without bias. They cannot easily be persuaded, and they are firm, yet at the same time, a good lead must also empathize with his subordinates, and have the best interest at heart for said subordinates, at all times. However, with that being said, a good leader cannot be afraid to discipline his subordinates when necessary. Unmistakably, being a leader is a very difficult feat – one which not everyone can accomplish. A leader must be an authority, a friend and a counsellor, all at once. They must be responsible, and always take into account the disadvantages of a situation. Not everyone is suitable to be a leader, whereas, just about anybody can be a good role model.
Maxwell states that working hard and raising the lid increases effectiveness and potential. The leadership impact is always determined on how high the lid is. Leadership is not held in one category or one character there are different forms and positions of leadership and each require their own laws.
The theory believes that a leader is a servant to those he or she leads. And that a leader should focus on serving others rather than being served. The servant leader creates an environment of trust and cooperation, which results in reciprocal service and ultimately higher performance. Much of Jesus’ approach to leadership used this model.
One very important aspect of a great leader is to lead by example. Any person in a position to guide others cannot ask the team to do one thing and act in the complete opposite way. This is a sure way to show that the leader has a need to show power and quickly loose respect from those who should be learning from him or her. Being a role model is importan...
Throughout life one faces many situations therefore coming into contact with a variety of different people, in turn making relationships that one can learn from. It is from the opportunities we have working with others that we form our own personal leadership traits. There are many different leadership styles and over the course of the many opportunities that I have to serve as a leader, I have not only developed, but formed my personal leadership style. In his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John Maxwell explores laws that include aspects of leadership such as laws that can be learned, laws that stand alone, and laws that carry consequences, but all are the foundations of leadership. As a past and present leader of a variety of
Maxwell explains to us the three ways to bring value and influence to any organization or position we may find ourselves in. The first of these is something Maxwell calls “leading up”. Leading up is the process of influencing those who are in leadership above us. This process includes lightening the load for those above us through being willing to do what others won’t, while knowing when to push forward and when to back off. The second of the three ways to bring value and influence is called “leading across”. Those who are in the middle of an organization are leaders of leaders. These leaders help peers achieve great results, let the best idea win, and garner mutual respect. These leaders must develop and maintain credibility, and continually exert influence. The third way we can bring value and influence to our organization is through “leading down”. Leaders at the top who lead down help people realize their potential, become a strong role model, and encourage others to become part of a higher purpose. This involves walking through the organization, casting the vision, and rewarding others for their
Leadership has been described as a “complex process having multiple dimensions” (Northouse, 2013). Over the past 60 years, scholars and practitioners have introduced a vast amount of leadership models and theories to explain this complex field and examine its many perspectives. Numerous leadership theories and models have attempted to define what makes a leader effective. From the early 1900s, the trait paradigm dominated leadership literature, focusing on inherited traits of leaders and suggesting that “leaders are born, not made”. However, during the 1950s, the trait approach lost enthusiasm as focus shifted to the behavior of leaders. Similar to the trait theory, the behavioral paradigm was based on general effective leadership behaviors
Currently, many articles, academic publications, and books have been written on issues relating to leadership. This trend is so widespread that it has become difficult to point out the global values or mannerisms linked to a truly efficient leader. However, some names speak for themselves, as the work they have done is significantly efficient and felt all over the world. Bill Gates of the Microsoft foundation is one of the best leaders and businesspersons of this century. Using the huge diversity in his personal traits and qualities in management, he has managed to portray in the workplace, he can be defined as a great leader. When a person embarks on the role of leading others, whether in parenting, social settings, sporting the world or even in the business sector, they strive to show characteristics and behaviors that go hand in hand with values and standards required to win people over. This having been said; it is rather unfortunate that there are few efficient leaders in the business world today. Most managers are not good or effective leaders. Leadership is everywhere and is a key path in daily life prevailing in every aspect of the society. Leadership is not a choice since, at one point; one is required to be a leader. The only choice lies on how we choose to execute leadership. Just as Bill Gates has done, leading efficiently involves engaging the followers in a common aim and pursuing compulsory vision known to all. For a successful career as a leader, one needs to have characteristics of tolerance, inclusion, patience, self-drive, ability to improve and most of all the ability to convince others around you to share in the dream and vision. Bill Gates key personal attributes include ability to interpret, analyze, and exh...
Leaders will no matter what have an influence on our world. They have missions, dreams and ambition, and with these things they are bound to go far. For leaders, what makes these dreams come true is having strong qualities such as leadership practices, values and strengths. If developed and learned how to use correctly, these are what take leaders to the next level and accomplish great things. In the following paper I will talk about leadership in our ever-changing world, explore my leadership practices, values and strengths as well as elaborate on the goals I have made to challenge myself as a leader.
“Leadership is the quality of behavior of individuals whereby they guide people or their activities in organising efforts” — Chester I. Barnard
Leaders of the future will be faced with many challenges. As the world changes, we must adapt the ways in which we face these challenges, and in turn grow as leaders. A leader is not merely someone which commands a group or organization. A good leader exhibits the ability to take an average team of individuals and achieve greatness. Leadership is not supervision or leading. It is the ability to inspire or influence others towards the end goal. As Barendsen and Gardner stated (2006), “the best leaders are individuals who, in their work, exhibit three distinct meanings of good: (1) an excellent technical and professional quality and competence, (2) an ethical orientation, and (3) a completely engaged sense of fulfillment and meaningfulness” (p. 266). Good leaders must utilize all of these traits in order to meet the challenges of the future. A few emerging challenges that future