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.
The Model the Way principle is the first and the most fundamental action that enables leaders gain and preserve credibility. In other words, leaders must do what they say they will do. There are two parts to this practice. First, you must be able to find your own voice to clarify your values. As a leader we must be able to effectively express our values to everyone we work within our organization. The values you express must be applied to represent what the whole institution and department can believe in. Next, as a leader you must apply actions that represent the values you want to express. Set the example by letting your actions affirm your beliefs. My actions will show my coworkers how committed you are to the institution and the vision for the future.
To apply this to the Admissions Office that I work in, I would begin by finding my voice as a leader. Based on the findings by Kouzes and Posner, the authors created the First Law of Leadership which states, “If you do not believe in the messeng...
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... other. Being able to take a break in a relaxing atmosphere will sustain productivity in the long run.
Leadership is a relationship that people have to be willing to commit to. As a leader we must become personally involved at building connections with our coworkers. Look for every opportunity you can to reinforce values and culture. Leadership is a set of skills that can be learned. Using the five practices and the ten commitments to leadership outlined in The Leadership Challenge can make all of us better leaders and enhance the department that we work for. Being able to have an impact on people within our community and organization represents the commitment to be the best leader you can be.
Works Cited
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2012). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary
things happen in organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Hughes, R. L., Ginnett, R. C., & Curphy, G. J. (2012). Leadership: Enhancing the lessons of experience. New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin
Ramsey, R. (2006). Lead follow or get out of the way: How to be a more effective leader in
Kouzes, James, and Barry Posner. The Student Leadership Challenge. San Francisco, CA: A Wiley Imprint, 2008. Print.
The first of the five principles of leadership is modeling. This is defined by Kouzes and Posner (2007) as doing what you say and doing it first. This involves personally clarifying the values and priorities for the organization, and then sharing, teaching, and modeling those values to others. In leadership, the first step is always to fully understand your vision and become personally transformed and inspired by it.
Mlls, D. Q. (2005). Leadership How to Lead, How to Live. Boston: Harvad Business School Press.
There are several ways to define leadership, but what sets effective leaders apart from commonplace managers are their extraordinary actions and the successes that result. In The Leadership Challenge, James Kouzes and Barry Posner claim leaders that employ The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership are much more effective than those who do not (2012, p. 25). This paper will be reviewing my assessment findings, exploring my strengths and weaknesses, examining my personal-best leadership story, and detailing a specific area of development.
Throughout The Truth About Leadership; The No-Fads, Heart-of-the-Matter Facts You Need to Know by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Poser, they discuss the ten truths in regards to leadership and how they impact an individual to become an effective leader. These truths are concepts that can be actively applied to current organizations. By applying these truths to an individual’s organization, it can improve the leadership quality from within and as a whole. Besides the application to an organization, the ten truths compiled by Kouzes and Poser can be used to improve yourself and your leadership skills, whether it be in your personal life or career.
“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.”
Although there are many outstanding, albeit necessary qualities of a good leader, it is the leader’s beliefs in which greatness is given its first breath, fostered by action, and spread throughout the institution. A great leader believes in encouraging, not destroying; in setting the precedence instead of yielding to prominence ; in collaboration, not division; in giving, not taking; and in having high standards and volunteering to be the first of many to be held to them. A great leader does not take advantage of the people being lead, but instead, creates an advantage for the people by giving them the opportunities to lead. Only when people take ownership of an institution will passion be cultivated, action be taken, and greatness be achieved.
There are many different things I think of when I think of what leadership means to me. My idea of leadership is to be able to inspire others, get them excited to do something, motivate them and set an example to others. I also think that showing respect to others is a key part of leadership. You don’t just need leadership qualities, but you need to be a successful leader. To me being a successful leader is being able to have people follow you and not disrespect you. If you are a great leader your followers start to respect you more. To be a leader you also need to have certain qualities like being sociable, intelligent, have patience to deal with situations. A leader needs to be motivated or they will be a failure. I think I show leader ship all the time inside and outside of school. “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way (John C. Maxwell).
The learning obtained from the Leadership and Organizational Behavior course has been valuable. From this course, I have learned that while someone can be a manager or a leader, it is better to be both. The various topics discussed throughout the eight week course have provided the unique insight necessary to be an effective leader. The insight gained allow for the identification of the behaviors that an effective leader must possess and continually develop. By identifying these behaviors, I am better able to shape my leadership style and goals so that I can achieve my full career potential as a leader within my organization. Ultimately, I realize that it is important to both do things right and do the right things in all my actions within an organization.
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...
Northouse, P. (2010). Leadership: Theory and practice (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Lussier, R.N. & Achua, C.F. (2010). Leadership: Theory, application, skill development (5th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western.
What is leadership? Leadership is defined as a process by which a individual will influence others to obtain goals. Leaders will guide, direct motivate, or inspire others. Leadership is defined by not only traits but actions as well. Leaders are inspirational, trustworthy and charismatic. Many people may think a manger is leader. Although leadership and management go hand in hand, they are not the same. Everyone has their own beliefs about what characteristics an effective leader should have. To me, communication skills, critical thinking skills, and having a vision are few characteristics of becoming an effective leader. A leader is not only born, but made. Some are born as leaders or some are made to be leaders.