Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Leadership and motivation psyc 305
14 Leadership Traits
14 Leadership Traits
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Leadership and motivation psyc 305
There are certain traits an officer in the Air Force must possess in order to be a successful leader. Among these are courage, composure, intellect, and discipline. The vast majority of the officers currently serving in the United States Air Force are endowed with these important leadership qualities, but in addition to those traits already stated, I believe I was born with two more unique traits that will allow me to be a successful officer. Passion is the first characteristic that I have and that I believe is important to not only being a respected officer, but a respected leader as well. The best teachers and coaches I have ever had in my twelve years of schooling have been the most passionate ones. When it is evident that the teacher or coach genuinely loves what he or she does, it is reflected by the performance of the students and …show more content…
This same principle applies to leaders in the military; when the commanding officer is genuinely passionate about his duty, the performance of the men and women whom he is leading will reflect that emotion. Having a passion for what you do is imperative in being successful at anything- especially when it comes to being responsible for the lives of other men and women. I am passionate about everything I am a part of at school, in both athletic and academic extracurriculars, and I believe that this trait along with my work ethic have driven my leadership abilities thus far. A strong work ethic is, in my opinion, one characteristic of a leader that is often overlooked. It is with a strong work ethic that a student lies awake long after the sun has set studying for an exam, or an athlete stays late after practice to turn their weaknesses into strengths. It is with a strong work ethic that a great leader leads by example by not cutting corners and doing what is right even when it is difficult. It is a strong work ethic that I pride
One may wonder exactly what it is that qualities a strong leader possesses. A strong leader is determined, and strong willed. They must be of good judgment, and without bias. They cannot easily be persuaded, and they are firm, yet at the same time, a good lead must also empathize with his subordinates, and have the best interest at heart for said subordinates, at all times. However, with that being said, a good leader cannot be afraid to discipline his subordinates when necessary. Unmistakably, being a leader is a very difficult feat – one which not everyone can accomplish. A leader must be an authority, a friend and a counsellor, all at once. They must be responsible, and always take into account the disadvantages of a situation. Not everyone is suitable to be a leader, whereas, just about anybody can be a good role model.
Natural born leaders are almost nonexistent in today’s military. Military members have to complete numerous leadership classes as you progress through the military ranks whether you are an enlisted or as an officer. There are many attributes that people would have to possess to be considered a great leader. Some of those attributes include honesty, respect, trustworthy, and enthusiasm just to name a few. There have been many leaders I have worked with or for over my past 19 years in the Army. One of the most important one would have to be honesty. Honesty is important because if the people that work for you cannot believe what you tell them, they will never trust you or support you. Employees can make or break their supervisor. If they do not like or trust the manager they will not respect them and they will only do the least amount possible. When your employees believe that, you value their opinion and their work ethic. Like you and trust, you they will do anything you ask of them. Whether the decision is right or wrong it is a decision, a leader never want to leave their subordinat...
“Military leadership qualities are formed in a progressive and sequential series of carefully planned training, educational, and experiential events—far more time-consuming and expensive than similar training in industry or government. Secondly, military leaders tend to hold high levels of responsibility and authority at low levels of our organizations. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, military leadership is based on a concept of duty, service, and self-sacrifice; we take an oath to that effect.”
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
However, it’s that ambiguity that allows different types of personalities to thrive as leaders. From soft-spoken to loud and booming, from conceptual thinkers to detailed planners, leaders have varied greatly in character and leadership styles.3 Today our Air Force has the most educated and skilled Airmen that its ever had. Technologically-advanced Millennials make up more of the Air Force today than any other generation and they are industrious, free-thinking, and keenly perceptive. It is essential that leaders be sincere with their subordinates as people can easily distinguish between genuine concern and manufactured emotion. As stated by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner who surveyed thousands of people on what they want in their leaders, the results were
Justice, judgement, decisiveness, integrity, dependability, tact, initiative, enthusiasm, bearing, unselfishness, courage, knowledge, loyalty and endurance – these 14 leadership traits serve as the foundation upon which every Marine will build themselves to be an astute and practical leader the Corps strives to cultivate. Developing these traits is a continuous process throughout our service. They serve as a guide through every situation, from the routine in garrison, to extensive and elaborate combat operations.
... in any organization if it is to grow. The Air Force Professional Development Guide listed many characteristics of leadership, among these were being tough and being sensitive. This may seem like an oxymoron, but all success in life is based balance. Being tough is very important even in open communication. When someone needs advice and or direction from a leader, the last thing they need to hear is brown nosing or “fluff”. They need to hear the truth, no matter if it is not desired but almost always it is the most effective. Being sensitive is also very much needed. The PDG speaks on this subject “listen to your people, communicate with them and be perceptive to their needs”. A person needs to know that their needs are listened to and recognized. As was mentioned before, this is a two way street, this should be utilized from an airman to NCO and from NCO to airman.
Leaders should lead by example. What a leader does and how they do it, serves as an example for others to follow. A leader’s behavior and actions are an important and effective way to influence the behavior of the people the lead. Leaders must treat other with dignity and respect. Leaders take responsibility for their actions, maintain their integrity by doing the right things and develop personable and commutative vision for their organizations. Leaders instill a sense of discipline; enforce organizational standards of the organization and do not turn a blind eye or overlook problems.
“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.”
Leaders do not just appear out of thin air and automatically start making great things happen in the world. A leader must learn from prior leaders or role models that they are surrounded by that they look up to. Not everyone can be a leader, only some people have the correct characteristics it takes to lead others in the right direction. Those who do great things, for example volunteering at a homeless shelter, are not leaders. Many people mistake a “great person” as being a leader, which is completely incorrect (Kouzes and Posner, p. 3). While playing an active role in your community is a positive thing it does not make someone a leader of that community. All leaders have a group of people they have inspiration too and that is a good way of determining who your personal leaders are. My mother, brother, and grandfather are my leaders because I have always looked up to them and tried to mimic some of the great things that I have seen them do. My mother has always been an independent women with goals and an action plan to accomplish those set goals. Stephen, my elder brother, is outgoing and tends to have a leveled head when it comes to evaluating stressful situations. My grandfather is the most caring person I know and he is amazing at keeping situations under control in order to please everyone. These are all the qualities I want to combine into my own leadership style. I know I am not a efficient leader of these actions yet, but I plan on growing into this as I more on into my career, fulfill my set goals, and adjust to the curve-balls that life throws at me.
...r whole effort into it and they give above and beyond because they want the result to be good for results matter. The leader generates work that meet commitment and generate results that surpass and go above and beyond the normal requirement (Lord & Maher, 1991).
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...
Perhaps the most important qualities of a leader are passion and motivation. Especially when leading a group for a particular cause, a leader must be personally attached to that cause. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., for example, is a legendary leader because he fought for a cause that directly affected him. had he not been pushing for a personal reason, his actions would not have been as passionate. This would have caused a lack in motivation, another essential leadership quality. A leader faces many roadblocks and opposition and thus, must be motivated to continue fighting and leading. A leader’s attitude and opinions are valued by the group and therefore, if a leader is motivated, the group will be, too. The continued actions and successes, no matter how small, which move the group closer to its goal also help its motivation and drive.
Finally, leaders are able to keep everything in perspective. They invest themselves fully but also are able to keep their priorities in order. As a child I never understood anything that my mother did or said but now that I am an adult I realize that my mother had a valid reason for everything she did. My entire childhood my mother has molded me to become a great leader and all the lessons that my mother has taught me I can spread the knowledge to my children. Successful leaders keep it all in perspective because they are able to separate the important from the urgent, and devote their time
I believe true leadership is a quality many aspire to have, and only a few truly obtain, because in order to become a leader you must first learn to follow.