Leadership

Everyone has probably played the game “Follow the Leader” back in elementary school. It is a game where the leader stands in front of the line. He or she can say or do anything, and her followers (standing in a straight line behind her) must repeat exactly the same thing he or she does or says. Whoever was picked to be the leader must have loved the experience because one had the freedom to do whatever they please, while others followed miserably or happily depending on what the leader is saying or doing. However, if one was the follower, one would wait anxiously to be the next chosen leader. At the same time, one must somehow express his or her self in a fashion that will make them stand out from the rest of the students. Whether he or she is perfectly imitating the leader or behaving really respectfully of others. Nonetheless, who determines who should be the leader? What kind of characteristics must a leader possessed? What makes a great leader (Robbins, 2005)? Is there only one kind leadership? These questions will be answered as you continue to read on. In addition, you will come across case studies, real life experiences, and my own observation on how leaders in my work setting exhibit leadership behavior and how followers respond to it.

Leadership is the capability to influence a person or a group to achieve many goals (Robbins, 2005). To elaborate, leadership is a complex process by which a person influences others to accomplish a mission, task, or objectives and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent by applying their leadership attributes such as values, ethics, knowledge, skills, and belief (Clark, 2000). Most importantly, not all leaders happen to be managers, and not all managers are leaders (Robbins, 2005). Even though one is positioned as a manager or a supervisor (he has the power to accomplish certain tasks within the organization) it does not necessarily mean he is a leader unless he makes people want to achieve high goals and objectives. He has the authority to tell his subordinates to do the task and they will do it just to complete it but is not interested in achieving higher goals. However, “leaders can emerge from within a group as well as being formally appointed [manager]” (Robbins, 2005).

What is great leadership? According to the trait theories, some personality traits may lead pe...

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... be technically proficient; one must know his job and the duties of his employees. A leader should always look for new ways to guild your organization to new heights. And if it does not work, re-evaluate, take corrective action and move on to the next challenge. However, do not look for someone to blame. A good leader is not an authoritarian leader. A good leader sets good examples (employees should also see and hear what they are expected to do) and work as a team. A good leader always look out for the well being of their people and always keep them informed. (Clark, 1999). Leadership is like an ART!

REFERENCE

Ballentine, k., George, A., and Hamburg, D. (1999). Preventing deadly conflict: the critical role of leadership. Archieves of General Psychiatry; 56, 971-976.

Clark, D. (2000). Big dog’s leadership page-concept of leadership. Retrieved on December 02, 2004 from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadcon.html.

In Brief; do women make better leaders? (2004). Harvard Mental Health Letter, pNA.

Pree, M.D (1992). Leadership jazz. New York: A Dell Trade Paperback.

Robbins, S. (2005). Essentials of organizational behavior. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.