Politics and Leadership Page 1
Article Analysis: Politics and Leadership
Politics and Leadership Page 2
Abstract
This paper will review an article in Newsweek (March 8, 2010) entitled “We The Problem” (Thomas, 2010) which presents a perspective of the appalling spectacle known as United States government. The focus of the article is that it is not ‘the system’ that is broken, but rather it is us. This article reviews several aspects of dysfunctional politics and how it affects our daily working and personal lives. Finally, it does present some ideas on how to manage through the debacle of health care, which is representative of the lack of functionality we are now experiencing.
Politics and Leadership Page 3
Section 1
This analysis asserts the opinion that the politics of government and the politics of business are not all that divergent. In fact, there are striking similarities. Well played politics in any arena can be contentious and is quite like tribal life. If one can accept that tribal life is the management of a collection of resources (land, water, acreage and services) and interests (values, ethics, rules, hierarchy and history), then is that not a fairly accurate description of politics? Further, in tribal life and in politics, it is natural for those who feel they are not getting their way to come to view disagreements as simply the result of the other sides’ ignorance (Meacham, 2010). For an example, we need look no further than the current debate (and disagreement) on health care. In business as in government, politics has significant impact on the distribution to the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’. Hence, if one plays well at politics, one will ‘have’ in governme...
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The concept of transformational leadership relies on appropriate leadership approaches for mission success. AFDD 1-1 describes three leadership competencies: person, people/team, organization Effective leaders (tactical level) need to build face-to-face and interpersonal relationships that directly influence behavior and values. Effective leaders (operational level) need to build team dynamics for small groups and squadrons. Effective leaders (strategic level) need to build strategy and provide direction in a broad spectrum.
This past summer, when I lived and worked in Washington, DC—first as a U.S. Senate Page and then as a Congressional Intern—I gained invaluable experience and insight to the American political system. It is amazing how much one can learn from simply overhearing the conversations of Members of Congress on a daily basis. Working on the floor of the Senate and then in the back rooms of a Congressional office were two entirely different experiences, each teaching me in a distinctive way about how our political system functions. While I most definitely became aware of how bureaucratic and slow our democratic system can be, I also discovered that with a commitment to unity and prosperity for the common good, great feats are attainable through government.
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In this paper, I will inform you about issues in globalization, power, followership and cultural change in the perspective of a health leader. I will identify three major health issues that are global but has the potential to affect the United States health care system. I will describe these global health issues influence health leaders. I will relate global leadership with transformational leadership. I will illuminate three elements of cultural and diversity within health care organizations. You will find a table of cultural attributes to be made aware of. I will categorize the differences in global leadership according to power, technology, and knowledge management and will explain two leadership approaches for implementing change.
listens to the various viewpoints in order to be able to develop a spirit of cooperation;
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In the history of our world, we have seen so much change, our civilization has always been on the process of changing, on the process of getting better. All these movements whether good or bad were all involved with great leadership. From the start of the Christian movement, we saw Jesus who was able to inspire fishermen to one-day die for their faith in Him; Rosa Park’s action was able to inspire the whole country to take action against racial segregation; Gandhi’s civil disobedient movement was able to force the United Kingdom to grant India their independence. All of them had many things in common, they were all willing to be radical in their own time, Jesus preached a very different message, Rosa Park ignored the social norm and fought
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Tom Rath explains in his book, StrenghtsFinder 2.0 (2007), that identifying and capitalizing on one’s strengths makes for a more fulfilled and effective employee, further benefitting the employing organization. Rath states that when in a position not utilizing our strengths, we are six times more likely to be disengaged in our work. Studies show that this disengagement or dissatisfaction carries over into our personal lives affecting our health and personal relationships.
Transformational leadership theory conceptualized in the late 1970’s, proposed that leaders could motivate followers through shared vision and mutual interest to uplift the entire organization to a higher morality (Burns, 1978). Morality was defined as leaders and followers working together to fulfill organizational goals and achieve higher performances within a context of change and innovation. Leaders would surpass their own self-interest, in order to, foresee, foster, and indoctrinate a new organizational vision to their followers. Bass operationalized Burns’ seminal work into a leadership model to better indentify transformational leadership characteristics. The model emphasized four dimensions such as idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration in order to achieve success.
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Certainly, an army would not be able to battle in the war without a commander who in charges of the whole strategy. Correspondingly, any organisations cannot function without leaders. Leader is the most substantial element of successful organizations. Becoming outstanding leaders, leadership skill is vital in order to drive the organizations forward. Several leadership principles are extensively used these days. Burns (1978) identified two types of leadership comprise of transactional and transformational leadership. Hence, leaders should be capable to indicate which theory should be applied in accordance with organization’s culture and objectives. This essay aims to evaluate the resemblances and the differences between transactional and transformational leadership as well as the feasibility to utilize a mixture of them by giving the definitions and examples followed by the supporting researches and studies.