How Great Leaders Inspire Action
I thought the video lecture from Simon Sinek and his personal perspectives and formula to lead and to motivate others was very interesting. Sinek presented a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership all starting with the question, “Why?” After watching this TED TV presentation, I wholeheartedly agree with what Simon Sinek has suggested and his assessment in the power of why and its beneficial uses in leadership. Furthermore, I though his examples of Apple, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Wright Brothers clearly illustrated the benefits in “starting with why”.
In my opinion, communicating to individuals, groups, teams, and organizations is always more effective if your audience understands “why”. As I reflected upon my own experiences, I detail my rationale into three segments: identification, organizational influence and leadership.
Identification
I believe that by telling people within an organization the “why” (i.e. vision, purpose, values, and beliefs) it motivates and aligns us to a common goal and understanding. Just as we connect with people of similar heritage, it is our ability to communicate our beliefs and values, which provide us with a common, thread each group member bonds. For me, a powerful example of identification is in non-profit charities. However, different individual members maybe they feel part of a community in that organization (i.e. American Cancer Society). In addition, I think through our connections and bonds we develop security in the fact that we are not alone in a situation. For example, as a member of the American Cancer Society I know this group of individuals who are currently or previously have gone through similar situations, which...
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...d other to join in her cause. Additionally, her purpose became the foundation of her organization, which has spread into 133 countries. In addition, we have witnessed throughout history, the power of inspiration because individuals understood the vision or purpose. For example, in his 1961 Inaugural address President John F. Kennedy shared his vision of space exploration, not in terms of results but why this cause was important to not only for himself but for everyone. Like Sinek suggest, with whom I agree, a leader, does not have to grand speeches or be the smartest in the room but most importantly they have a vision (the why). Because nothing happens until it happens in someone’s mind first. From that point all of the other details are filled in, which includes the strategies to fulfill the vision.
These are the reasons I think that we should start with Why.
Finding Your Voice: Learning to Lead…Anywhere You Want to Make a Difference, by Larraine R. Matusak is a book, which explains the proper way to incorporate leadership into one’s life. The author approaches the topic of Leadership with a quite passionate point of view. Matusak observes leadership through a very wide lens. In other words, she is a firm believer that there is more than one way to effectively carry out the act of leadership. The author is on a mission to bring out the natural leadership skillset in all people, and too encourage anyone and everyone to find a way to lead in life. The main focus of the book is the fact that one does not require any sort of title or major position of power to live out their passion and to customize leadership opportunities for their individual talents. This very concept was stressed constantly throughout this book, along with the idea of weaving a shared vision. Weaving a shared vision is a very important aspect of leadership because it involves shaping all minds involved in an organization to point them towards a common goal. Let’s take a look at some of the main points that Matusak states in her book.
To remind people in an organization why they belong takes continued focus on a common goal or common belief. By having one main function, a group is generally more effective than if everyone has different ideas and outlooks on specific topics. However, to keep everyone on the same page, the members of a group need to accurately know where they stand in reference to their goal. One way to do this is through social facilitation. This is the concern of self image through the presence of other people. It's a concept that allows members to know the acceptable opinions of the group. Someone who agrees to the ideas set out from the organization. "Group polarization is the concept of changing personal opinions to extremities after a group discussion.(Johnson 13)" This concept eliminates members who aren't sure what they think of the group's purpose. They decide that either they agree completely or they disagree completely. Either way it means they decide if they are in or out after the group discussion. A common goal is one way to distinguish and separate the devoted members from the questionable individuals in a group.
When being asked which Civil Rights activist of the movement was most effective, the answer is quite obvious. This movement originated due to what is called “Jim Crow” laws. These laws suggested that everyone is separate but equal. Otherwise became blindingly apparent when African Americans were subdued by whites in various ways. For example, the justice system always considered the case of white man over a black one. Also, an African American facility was certainly not comparable to the superior quality of White’s. Soon, organizations began to form in attempts to stop this unjust treatment. One man in particular stands out the most throughout this movement of change: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s form of protesting was the more effective than activist Malcolm X and was the reason for the majority of success during the Civil Rights movement. This is because Malcolm X’s cause would only slow progress during the movement, Martin Luther King Jr. had more authority, and he understood that peaceful protesting is the very genesis of redefining a nation.
Growing up in a rough neighborhood, positive role models were not present in my everyday life. Fortunately, I created a personal understanding of what it took to be a true leader when Marcelo Neveleff became my coach. Coach Marcelo was my club soccer coach throughout my teenage years, and Marcelo demonstrated three key tenets that made me realize what it took to be a great leader. From his guidance and inspiration, I have drawn that in order to become a successful leader, I must be goal oriented through determination within myself by leading from the front. This reflects that there is a specific goal that I, as a leader, must be willing to reach that will inspire others to do the same. To become a successful leader, I must also be empathetic
There are some basic principles of leadership that reveals her significant role in the well fair of an organization. They are the following:
Being an effective communicator is the key to success for a leader. Communication is defined by the authors in the text Organizations: Behavior, Structure, and Processes as transmitting information and understanding, usi...
A purposeful leader has a requirement where individuals must create within themselves something that other people desire to follow or be like. This is a very interesting comment that brings to mind a reality of behavior. For example, why did people follow Adolf Hitler? It was not for his looks or his personality; it was for his passion. Passion creates willingness in others to follow regardless if what they are pursuing is right or wrong. Initially, Adolf may have had some great ideas that people thought were of importance to them and society, but soon discernment disappeared and we see in history the results of Adolf Hitler’s leadership. Hitler’s passion was the core element to his success, and
Articulation of an organization’s governing ideas in the form of vision, mission, and belief statements, offer a framework for decision
The Civil Rights Movement in the United States took place mostly during the 1960s. This movement had many strong faces ready to lead a movement of African-Americans to get the rights that they deserved. However, it was two of the less-recognizable faces that helped shape the movement. Ella Baker, who wanted to put a change in the system, and Fannie Lou Hamer, who is well known for her actions on trying to gather support, were two women who helped change the way the Civil Rights Movement played out. The SNCC, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, was formed to prevent violence from younger blacks, and to try and settle the issue of segregation in a peaceful manner. Fannie Lou Hamer and Ella Baker both had ideas on how to change the unacknowledged racist policies of some states at the time, and their way to leadership roles within the African-American society is intriguing for both women.
Out past in leadership has been so different then our present. Our past with some of the most noteworthy issues and trends in the field of leadership development in the past 20 years under these two general headings 1) The proliferation of leadership development methods; 2) The importance of a leader’s emotional resonance with and impact on others (Broome/Hughes). These 2 are the most important things for leaders, especially like it’s been with us for 20 years now. In first heading, Proliferation of Leadership Development Methods gives us Classroom- type leadership, Development relationships, Action learning, and challenging job assignments. Each one explains to us what we have used in our past and the skills we have used.
Inspire a Shared Vision- leaders believe that they can make a difference in getting others excited and drafting them into their dream and the future possibilities.
Persuading others of your vision requires knowledge and a clear strategy (Business Dictionary). Leadership is a natural quality that comes up as responsibility in exchange of having followers with, in return, the followers creating a leader. Concluding that leadership in general cannot be taught, as per the Trait Theory, we argue that it is different characteristics in different situations that result in good leadership. The Trait Theory points out that there is a certain type of person making a good leader, with the decisive factor being: having or not having distinctive qualities of being a leader. Despite that, being an effective leader still can be trained. External and internal influences impact the effectiveness and must be considered in order to succeed. Which leads us to the Behavioural Theory, thinking of what a good leader actually does. Kurt Lewin developed three leadership types such as the autocratic leader who is a maker, someone who makes decisions without consultation with others. Contrasting, the democratic leader who consults with others (a team, for example) before making a decision. Laissez-faire leaders, as the name already indicates, occasionally lets other people make decisions, doesn’t
Inspire. Effective leaders inspire those around them. They achieve this by setting goals and aiming to achieve them as efficiently as possible. A leader's passion should be contagious, and their energy should affect others around them and should change their approach. A leader's dedication, commitment, and ability should motivate others not just to do as their leaders do but also to believe that what they’ve set out to achieve is within their reach. Effective leaders use themes, mottoes, and symbols to inspire the people around them to maintain their focus and complete all necessary tasks.
To become a truly effective leader, one must encapsulate the various behaviors related to the aforementioned course learnings in his/her persona and demonstrate such behaviors daily. This course has allowed me to identify four behaviors that all leaders must portray to be effective. The first of which is that a leader must be inspirational. To do so, a leader must set the appropriate vision and direction for the organization and provide a path to achieving defined goals. Additionally, a leader must induce the proper levels of motivation so that each employee has sufficient incentive to work towards the organization’s goals. As discussed in the class, motivation can be accomplished by factors such as rewarding hard work and providing the correct opportunities to employees. While these are motivating in that employees desire to be fairly compensated and to be doing work they deem valuable, inspiration comes more from organizational culture. A leader will be inspirational by setting a tone that appreciates each employee’s contribution, no matter how small in scale it is. Further, employees are inspired when they work collaboratively in a group setting and can capitalize on individual strengths to drive organizational goals.
What is a leader? When thinking of this question I feel like you have to really know what it means to be a leader. Becoming the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily; even if you had no title or position. –Brian Tracy. No one is born a leader, leaderships skills come from life experiences, education and employment. Everyone grows into a leader and then afterwards grow into a leadership style that will eventually begin to shape and inspire other leaders. Having a title or high above power does not make you a leader. Inspiring and providing great communication, confidence, advice, laughs, knowledge, honesty and reality. Those great skills help you become a great leader. Even with these great leadership skills, there are