Throughout history, there have been great leaders: civil rights leaders, business leaders, and spiritual leaders who have inspired millions. Leaders and visionaries such as John Lennon or Martin Luther King Jr. fought for unity, love, and made an impact on people through their speeches or songs. Watching these great men touch the hearts of millions has brought out a desire for me to become a C.E.O. and an important leader in the life of others. Not only do leaders have knowledge in politics, in emotional values, and spread a certain message or “vision” to their followers or co-workers, but they have certain special characteristics which make them great leaders or heroes. So, what makes these people different from you and me? Could it be that they are better looking? Perhaps they speak in parables or give great speeches? People have often said to me that a good leader is a person who guides both physically and mentally. Going to the job shadowing program has given me an opportunity to broaden my view on how efficient and effective a good leader can be in the work place. Something that has been shown to me in my many interviews with the board of directors has been that every leader must have the capability to have integrity, listen, a vision, and must be responsible.
Responsibility is a big key in being a great leader because it is both a curse and a gift. There is a difference between taking responsibility of something and giving responsibility. To be given responsibility of a certain thing is a privilege because it exposes a certain type of trust. Assuredly as a C.E.O., knowing the difference between the two could be a huge life saver; such as, giving responsibility to employees can increase productivity by letting t...
... middle of paper ...
...ublic, or anywhere at all. The power of deciding what to do influences both the person who is deciding and the people around that person. The power of deciding whether to become a good leader or a bad leader is all up to the person. Whether we choose to be a leader or a follower, to be ambitious or responsible, it always comes down to deciding what is right for yourself and others.
Works Cited
Colonel Ermer, D. P. (2010, May 26). Underneath the Power. (F. E. Tinajero, Interviewer)
"Martin Luther King%2C Jr.” BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2010. 28 May. 2010. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/martin_luther_king_jr.html
"John Lennon." BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2010. 28 May. 2010. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/john_lennon.html
“Che Guevara.” ThinkExist.com. 2010. 28 May. 2010
http://thinkexist.com/quotes/ernesto_'che'_guevara/2.html
Throughout 2016, many different people will claim they can lead America to greatness again just as they do each election year. This directs attention towards leadership, and most Americans simply trust that these potential candidates display leadership characteristics. Unfortunately, politicians don’t always exemplify leadership, and many Americans experience poor leaders daily such as dreadful bosses. Because of these commonplace experiences, leadership may not appear as a direct character trait. Adaptable communication, the ability to inspire, a clear passion, and professional attitudes all characterize a true leader.
Leaders are people who show confidence in themselves and their country, loyalty in the country they are leading, and intelligence in everyday life. Confidence is a key point in being a leader. Without confidence a leader cannot lead his country. He will not be able to lead the country and stand up for what is best for the country unless he has the confidence to do so. Loyalty in a country is also a big part of being a leader. A leader cannot be loyal only to himself. If he is only loyal to himself, the country will crumble under his reign. To be intelligent is to be able to outsmart any opponent. A leader must be intelligent enough to know what is going on in the country and beat anyone that endangers his country. Between Lady Macbeth and Macduff, both show they have the qualities of confidence, loyalty, and intelligence; however, in the end, Macduff is a better leader.
Leaders do not just appear out of thin air and automatically start making great things happen in the world. A leader must learn from prior leaders or role models that they are surrounded by that they look up to. Not everyone can be a leader, only some people have the correct characteristics it takes to lead others in the right direction. Those who do great things, for example volunteering at a homeless shelter, are not leaders. Many people mistake a “great person” as being a leader, which is completely incorrect (Kouzes and Posner, p. 3). While playing an active role in your community is a positive thing it does not make someone a leader of that community. All leaders have a group of people they have inspiration too and that is a good way of determining who your personal leaders are. My mother, brother, and grandfather are my leaders because I have always looked up to them and tried to mimic some of the great things that I have seen them do. My mother has always been an independent women with goals and an action plan to accomplish those set goals. Stephen, my elder brother, is outgoing and tends to have a leveled head when it comes to evaluating stressful situations. My grandfather is the most caring person I know and he is amazing at keeping situations under control in order to please everyone. These are all the qualities I want to combine into my own leadership style. I know I am not a efficient leader of these actions yet, but I plan on growing into this as I more on into my career, fulfill my set goals, and adjust to the curve-balls that life throws at me.
In order to become an effective leader it is necessary for a person to be conscious of mistakes and learning from it. Through experience, humans are more capable to learn as experience allows the individual the ability to permanently change his or her behavior according to the situation of that said experience. Successful leaders have always learned from their mistakes. No matter what can be said about their overwhelming power over their organization. They are still humans that share the conditions of humanity like everybody else and; like everyone else, mistakes will be made by them. The sooner an individual is able to recognize what the fault is and learn from it ...
In order for a leader to be a leader he/she must begin with the assumption that you are the one who matters most. As a leader you have to possess that level of confidence in yourself that you are capable of leading yourself “before you can lead others”. And when you develop this belief then you are better able of affirmative influence “on others”.
However, each and every one of us are different in our own way, bring unique assets and the ability to lead differently. (Yuchasz, 2015) Everyone has the capability to become a leader if they can motivate themselves to look deep into their personality and find their gifts, what makes them unique. An Individuals, gifts, skills, morals, and life experiences can be shaped to become an outstanding
As a growing debate, the question at hand is whether great leaders are born with specific leadership traits, or if one can be taught certain traits over time. According to (Wikipedia.com) the approach of listing leadership qualities, often termed "trait theory of leadership", assumes certain traits or characteristics will tend to lead to effective leadership. I believe that leadership traits such as honest, competent, initiative, inspiring, hardworking, intelligent, and the ability to lead the masses, are some of the leadership traits one should possess. Within this paper, I will examine the overall concept of leadership traits, while observing the traits that were, or can be associated with successful leaders.
“Transformational leaders focus on followers, motivating them to high levels of performance, and in the process, help followers develop their own leadership potential” (Ronald, 2009). There are several key component of the transformational styles: Idealized Influence, Inspirational motivation and Intellectual stimulation. There are more key components but for me the ones that I mentioned are the most important. A leader who idealized influence is the one that serves as an ideal role model for followers, the one who does the right thing and influence his followers. Inspirational motivation
to do to get to the next step. Once that is achieved, a person is promoted. There is not a set number of managers that the company has. Each person who achieves a goal will go to the next level.
Mitt Romney once said, “Leadership is about taking responsibility, not making excuses.” Responsibility is a quality everybody should have. Some people may not have to do much for themselves, or may have fewer responsibilities than others. On the other hand, some may have a great deal of responsibilities. I feel as I am one to have a great deal of responsibilities.
Personal Leadership Qualities Importance of Concern for Others for Effective Leadership Leadership is a social influence (Manning & Curtis 2015, p. 2). Leadership is the ability to motivate and inspire people. To positively motivate people leaders must show concern for others. A leader who is confident in themselves will treat their followers with dignity and respect. They will not look down on them.
Responsibility The price of greatness is responsibility. In order to achieve greatness one must become responsible. Responsibility is the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone. Being responsible or taking on responsibilities are on of the many aspects of leadership.
In the world, there are two types of people; the ones who lead, and the ones who follow. Whether or not a person is a sheep or a wolf is determined by characteristics inherited from the outside world. The wolf personality takes control of the pack and leads it. While the sheep sits and waits for the wolf to create the path for them. These two qualities are defined by a series of characteristics. Great leaders are those who display unbreakable confidence, indestructible focus, and exemplary empowerment.
Throughout my life I have encountered the chance to experience position of being a leader. Being part of groups in university for class presentations, being the organizing secretary of my campus fellowship, being a youth leader in my church and the church admin, also being part of a family. Leaders are charismatic, inspirational and trust worthy. I have gained some important qualities of being a good leader through these experiences. Most of the valuable leadership’s characteristics that I obtained and strengthened are: learn to become a better leader every day, how to be a team player, to be a better listener, to be an effective communicator, to have more patience, not afraid of constructive criticism, to be outspoken, and to be a problem solver. Even though I have gained a lot, I still have more things to learn to become a better leader such as being more assertive, being more disciplined, becoming a better public speaker, and learn how to be realistic and not too optimistic. You are a leader if someone else choses to follow you.
“Active members of this profession, in whatever arena, show that they have the commitment and the enthusiasm to lead libraries of the future” (Gordon, 2004, p. 52). “If you want to develop as a leader, participating in a committee is a good starting place” (Kern, p. 7). “A lot of leadership development happens through active participation on committees...” (p. 6). “We learn through our experiences. Being on a committee or chairing a committee only gets you so far as a leader” (p. 7). “Observation and reflection are one way to improve your own leadership skills” (p. 6). “Demonstrating love and respect for the cause is also an essential component of leadership. It conveys a sense of personal wholeness and adherence to standards of equity, justice, and truth” (McCombs, p. 219). In order for any changes to take place in an organization, there must be those who interact instead of react. In leadership, that can mean being on various committees, boards, and participate in associations. It takes a great leader to accomplish much. It takes even greater dedication to have success. Being focused, exercising power, showing initiative, and being persistent is only the beginning of leadership. You have to be open-minded, seek services, find simple solutions to benefit all, connect to the community, and develop partnerships that can expand the services of the organization. Being a leader is being a role model for those who are seeking to advance in this profession. Emphasizing teamwork and encouraging change can be enlighten through committees and associations geared towards improving the profession to be able to withstand a changing society; specially a society that it steadily moving to the technology fast-paced field. Being involved and beco...