On Tuesday, February 18, 2014, I got the honor to listen to John D. Zeglis. Zeglis shared his view on leadership and different principles he believes leadership is. He has extensive experience in the telecommunications industry and also has a legal background to help shape him into the person who he is today.
Zeglis has not always stayed in the same profession throughout his life. He began his professional career as an associate, and was a partner in the law firm. Starting January 1, 1984, he joined AT&T as corporate vice president. Zeglis was named AT&T's executive vice president 1986. While retaining that title he served in a series of executive assignments before being elected Vice Chairman in June 1997. Later that year, he was named President of AT&T. In December 1999, Zeglis was elected Chairman & CEO of the AT&T Wireless Group, until retiring in November 2004. Within his numerous roles at AT&T he served in various responsibilities, including focusing on law, regulation, government affairs, human resources, public relations, and strategy. He currently is the founder and owner of Fort Wayne Mad Ants NBA D-League basketball team.
He started his presentation by sharing with the class that there is no book or one role model you should look up to about becoming a leader. He suggested that you listen to other’s experiences on leadership then turn them into something of your own and make your own experience unique and different from the rest. When I heard this I found it to be extremely beneficial knowing there is not one exact rule I would have to follow if I wanted to become a good leader in the future.
John D. Zeglis broke up his presentations into two parts. He first highlighted five different components of...
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...the hardest principle is to learn to fail. I know for me this is extremely hard because I was want what is best and do not want to disappoint. I just have to remember know one is perfect and it is important to make mistakes. Zeglis also mentioned to skim the leadership books, but master the masters. Another important principle that he mentioned was to eat, sleep, breathe, and live the values. Do not just say you are going to do something make sure you do it. Finally his last principle of leadership advice is to remember who got you there. Our pasts are all different for a reason but in the end it has helped us all along the way.
With all this being said, I believe that John D. Zeglis is a very influential person. Hearing his principles of leadership really opened my eyes what leadership is all about. Several of the components were even related to my life.
Social change and charity have two different effects on the community in chapter one of Leadership for a Better World by Susan R. Komives. Chapter one discusses the differentiation in the ideas when one is more practical in a culture. Social change is defined as affecting the root of the social problem (Komives 11). An example of social change is the Civil Rights Movement, where Martin Luther King Jr. led groups of people to end segregation. King wasn’t just trying to help the problem of having sit in the back of the bus or drinking from different water fountains, his objective was to generate an equal society where racial segregation didn’t exist. Charity classification as donating food, money, and other kinds of goods is given to a community. An illustration of this is the local soup kitchen, where they provide food for the
The real person who has made an impact on not only myself, but a great deal of people in the community over quite a few years is Ms. Barbara Neiman of Brockton Avenue Elementary School. Working in different fields over the course of her life, Ms. Neiman has had to convert to various styles of leadership. Since she has had to alter the ways in which she leads, I selected pieces from three different practices that I believe best fit her: The Path-Goal Theory, Servant Leadership, and a little bit from the Behavioral Approach.
“On leadership” was written by John W. Gardner (The Free Press, New York, 1990). He used seventeen chapters to explain and describe essential components for the leadership should be in a successful organization. This book not only has significant influence now, but also for the future. Below are my understanding about this book, which was divided into two parts. For the first part, I will pick up some perspectives which influence me most from this book. For the second part, which is my comments and critique about this book.
Chapter 12.3 discusses approaches to leadership. The leadership theory of Leader-Member Exchange suggests that “leaders adopt different behaviors with individual subordinates and that the particular behavior pattern of the leader develops over time and depends, to a large extent, on the quality of the leader-subordinate relationship” (Landy & Conte, 2013, p. 494). In essence, this leadership theory references how close the leader is with the staff member. Is there a feeling of trust? Is the staff member one that holds expertise in their role that the leader can rely on? Building a relationship with a staff member doesn’t happen instantly. The relationship grows over time which can result in staff members being a close confidante to the
Modeling the way is described as a leader practicing what they preach (Kouzes and Posner 29). A leader should set the example of what they expect from those that follow them. When a leader inspires a shared vision they “envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities” and enlist others to join them by appealing to shared aspirations (22). Leaders know that in order to succeed they must experiment and take risks in order to challenge the process, build trust so that they may enable others to act, and “create a spirit of community” so that they can encourage the heart (17, 22). Along with reading The Student Leadership Challenge, student leaders can also find role models in various leaders throughout history, such as, Queen Elizabeth I, who exemplified the five practices of exemplary leadership because she was inspiring, took great risks, and encouraged her nation. Queen Elizabeth set a great example for the people of England in the 1500s and for the people of today—more than 400 years later.
I really enjoyed diving deep into Bennis’ mind of what it really means to have the qualities of a leader. Bennis strongest points relates a manager to a leader. It was an inspiring comparison that really opened my eyes on what I viewed a leader to be. I felt Bennis made his points clear and I never felt confused or unclear about his writing. In the world that I live in today, the meanings are tossed and turned everywhere leaving everyone confused on what it truly means to be a successful leader. After reading this, I feel encouraged to step up and actually make the most of situations that are tossed my direction. I feel this book gave me a whole new outlook on life and I feel rewarded I had the opportunity to read
It takes a long time to become an effective and respected leader but can evaporate very quickly with one misstep. It needs to be nurtured and cultivated every day. My personal leadership style is to observe and correct. As a junior member, one of my Chief told me, “I don’t care how long it takes you to do a job as long as you do it right the first time because if it is wrong you will be the one fixing it.” That resonated with me because it allowed me to take risks and learn from my mistakes making me a better technician. I firmly believe one of the best learning tools is failure. His statement let me know it was all right to fail but if you do you will be learning from it. Identifying weaknesses within my leadership abilities and striving to correct them will result in being consistently looked upon a leader within our
Leadership is strength. Though it is strength, what makes a leader? Is a leader someone who is in front of the line in the game ‘follow the leader’? Technically yes because that is their name in the game, but this essay isn’t about a game. It is about reality. Is a leader made up of a variety of skills, talents, morals, and values? Or perhaps a leader is someone who tells people what to do? Or maybe a leader is someone who can make a difference? To an extent, a leader is built up of all of those possibilities. A leader is someone with a variety of skills, talents, morals and values, and someone who knows how to make a difference, and someone who can guide people into doing what needs to happen. Leadership can’t just be broken up
Transformational leadership also integrates well with a biblical worldview because both advocate valuing followers as well as leaders, the importance of ethical behavior, the need to forgive and learn from mistakes, and the value of a high moral example. Kouzes and Posner advocate leaders having a “moral authority to lead” (2007, p. 41), practicing personal accountability and working to improve all aspects of their follower’s lives. This others-centered leadership approach fits well in the Christ centered atmosphere of a Christian school.
Before this course I had ample leadership experience starting from a young age with organized sports and most recently in military service, while I had a lot of time to hone a particular type of leadership style which was almost exclusively geared toward leading rough and tough young men. I soon learned that in this field that I would need to vary my leadership styles and methods because if I used my usual methods on a student
“In order to be a good leader, there are two things to remember. Lead from the Front and always set the Example. From these two leadership principles, everything else will fall into place.”
Kouzes, J., & Posner, B. (2008). The leadership challenge. 4th ed. San Francisco, CA Jossey-Bass. ISBN: 9780787984915
One of the topics in organizational development today is leadership. Leadership is what individuals do to mobilize other people in organizations and communities. According to Kouzes & Posner, there are five practices and ten commitments of exemplary leadership. The five practices of exemplary leadership include: Model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, and encourage the heart. In the Leadership Challenge, Kouzes and Posner found similar patterns and actions of leadership that created the essentials to achieve success. Utilizing the research conducted by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, I have created a leadership plan that would apply to the Admission Department at Texas Wesleyan University.
Leaders can have a powerful impact on the futures of many, and the way in which one approaches leadership is paramount to the type of impact one will have. Continual growth in the areas of knowledge I have and seek to acquire, as well as recognizing my leadership style and utilizing my personal strengths to the fullest, is vital to the successful implementation of my personal philosophy of leadership.
Lussier, R.N. & Achua, C.F. (2010). Leadership: Theory, application, skill development (5th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western.