Is a leader as defined in the Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, merely one who leads - synonymous with a boss? Or something more? I believe that a leader is much more than that and can be defined in any number of ways. In attempting to define a leader personally, I will use both myself and others as examples. For many years, I have been told by teachers, family, and friends that I am a good leader. Until fairly recently, I had never truly thought about what it means to be a good leader and just took it as a compliment. Leadership is an intangible concept which cannot be properly outlined in a dictionary, but one which must be formed and explained only through one’s own philosophies and experiences. 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. Other attributes of a leader are selflessness, knowledge, organization, humility, and trust. Perhaps the most difficult part of being a leader is knowing that each decision you make will h... ... middle of paper ... ...s being responsible for my world visions, I am responsible for my supporters as a leader. In order to lead successfully, one must have a strong group of supporters. The supporters will all believe in the goals of the leader. When leading, you are responsible for making sure the group is moving in the right direction to meet its goals. Your supporters will trust you to make proper decisions in the path forward. Knowing your power to radically change the world is a great responsibility, which at times can be almost frightening. In the end, though, it comes back to trust; trust of oneself and of others. When faced with roadblocks or difficult decisions as a leader, I know that I must remain confident and retain all the qualities outlined earlier as well as countless others. Only then will I be able to effectively take action and make change in my leadership role.
What does it mean to be a leader? Is it really just about leading people? Or is it something more? According to Daphne Mallory, "Leadership is the art of serving others by equipping them with training, tools and people as well as your time, energy and emotional intelligence so that they can realize their full potential, both personally and professionally."
The role of a leader is often inaccurately defined as an individual who is in a position to give orders. However, there are enormous differences in the attributes of an outstanding leader, and one of mediocrity. An outstanding leader, above all else, is a role model for their peers. In doing so, a leader of the highest caliber is trustworthy in both their peer’s trust for the leader as well as the leader’s trust of their peers. A leader must also display exceptional skill in communication which transcends speaking and, more importantly, includes listening and consideration to the ideas presented to them. Furthermore, a leader must be supportive of and willing to help their peers build their own strengths. The attributes listed above represent only a small subset of what makes an outstanding leader. Yet,
Leadership has been written about millions of times in the past, and heading in the future, it will be the topic of many debates, books and newspaper articles asking, and in some cases answering the question, “What is leadership?” According to Peter Drucker: “leadership is lifting a person’s vision, raising his performance and building personality”.
A good leader is courageous, able to make decisions without hesitation, and maintains integrity of word and deed. Dependability is also a key trait for a leader must always be there for their group. Sound judgment and sensibility are also features of a leader, with loyalty, enthusiasm, endurance, and initiative rounding out the ever expanding list. These characteristics manifest in a variety of presentations and situations, especially for project managers in process.
A leader is described as a person who guides others and has authority and influence over others. They work to influence others into meeting certain goals. There is no right or wrong definition of a leader and there is no recipe that ensures effective leadership. Successful leaders have a good balance of vision, influence, and power. Leaders gain their authority from their ability to influence others to get the work done; because of this, anyone has the potential to be a leader. (Finkelman. 2012, p15)
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.
What is a leader? Who are chosen to be leader, and why are they chosen? What set these certain individuals aside from everyone else? A leader is someone who can encourage even those with feeble hearts, insecure souls and self-doubting minds. A leader takes not only their vision but everyone’s vision and create one beautiful creation that is seen throughout the world. My experiences with leadership range from the worst to the best. Once holding a great leadership position myself, I can testify the benefits of great leadership and the disadvantages of horrible leadership. Through my experience with great leadership and the effects on the people, it seemed to the naked eye that everyone was thinking the same thing at the same time. In actually it was the leader uniting the members together on one common chord to produce a sound that would remain in the souls. A leader is someone who not only leads, but also encourages people to do their best, share a collectively common idea or passion with a group, and challenge the process of a traditional style.
As our text says, there is no one definitive definition that best encapsulates the true nature of what “leadership” really is. For me, I would define leadership as the ability to influence and share with others the understanding of how something is to be done in order to accomplish a particular goal, task, or objective. Leadership doesn’t necessarily mean “to lead”. As mentioned in our previous class, anyone can be a leader. You don’t have to be in a position of power to display active leadership. Leadership is an ability that we can learn, improve upon, and share as we grow as individuals. Leaders may not all share the same vision and purpose but they all have the power to influence others in the way they choose to act, behave, and make decisions. This is how I see leadership to be based on my own beliefs and experiences.
Leadership is the position in which a person or a group of people direct or instruct others. There are many kinds of leadership, ranging from a fast food manager to a CEO. A leader could be someone who steps up in a difficult situation. Being a leader is not something someone can make you; it’s something you make yourself by having courage, wisdom, and know-how.
The best characteristics for an effective leader are integrity, passion, patience, transparency, innovation, and a good listener (active listening). It is imperative that the leader possess these characteristics to provide competent/effective leadership. As noted earlier a leader influences (motivates) the team to
Leadership is the action of leading a group of people or an organization. In this day and age we as a world need more leaders. Leaders can be innovators, entrepreneurs, workers, and just normal everyday people. A leader doesn 't have to be the president of an organization, but has to have the ability to motivate and lead people to be their best selves. Leaders always have great qualities and they love helping those in need.
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).
Leaders will no matter what have an influence on our world. They have missions, dreams and ambition, and with these things they are bound to go far. For leaders, what makes these dreams come true is having strong qualities such as leadership practices, values and strengths. If developed and learned how to use correctly, these are what take leaders to the next level and accomplish great things. In the following paper I will talk about leadership in our ever-changing world, explore my leadership practices, values and strengths as well as elaborate on the goals I have made to challenge myself as a leader.
Leadership is trait that is extremely important in any society. Leadership is known as the way people attempting to make a difference in a situation. However, I believe that it is better said to be a way of influencing others actions. Leadership is usually connected to a great leader that affected his or her followers in a dynamic way. Throughout the semester for my leadership class, I have expanded the knowledge in numerous ways. I now have fully understanding of the purpose and process of leadership to a society. Being a leader one must maintain an image of being the role model. I believe that this is leader should be who is someone who has the ability to influence, encourage, listen, and nurture. They are able to inspire, stimulate, persuade, shape, and have an effect on others.
While anyone can be a good leader there are some traits that lend themselves especially well to building leadership skills. Commitment and honesty (Prive) are perhaps two of the most important skills for a leader because if the leader behaves unethically there will likely be little value placed on ethics in the group and its work. The environment a good leader should strive to create is one where the positivity, creativity, confidence, and inspiration (Prive) of the leader radiates out to all members of his team. Another trait a good leader must possess is the ability to communicate in a thorough and appropriate manner, as the leader is often the one in charge of communicating both inside and outside his group, whether delegating tasks within the group or updating outside individuals on the...