Introduction
Mark Sanborn (2006), the author of “You Don’t Need a Title to Be a Leader” explains within his pages, the six leadership principles of that which is needed in order to be an effective leader. Though they may share similarities, I am led to believe that some philosophies may have an even higher impact on the quality of leadership than that of others. There are many different characteristics pertaining to these principles, however, in order for anyone to fully understand that which is required of them to lead effective, one must first truly possess the skill of self-mastery.
“The hardest victory is over self"
¬¬¬¬¬-Aristotle
“Self-mastery is being in control of the internal thought processes that guides your emotions, habits, and
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It appeared as though, I always had the right answers even in the midst of chaos, however, my peers could not have been more incorrect about me. In fact, my struggles with impulsive behavior, proved antagonizing and frustrating for me at times. My persuasive ability, focus, power of giving, dealing with people, and execution seemed ideal, but not possessing power over self, kept for me from becoming an even better leader. As for example, some privates have this special gift of just saying “yes drill sergeant” even if they did not fully understand what was being taught. Furthermore, even after giving clear instructions followed by a hands on practical exercise; some would still approach the matter as if it had never been mentioned before. Indeed, this can be frustrating! And often times provoke an undesirable expression of discontent in the form of yelling. Therefore, having control of my life is essential in such a position, because disgruntlement is completely manageable. I want to say that this is similar to anger management, because control is considered as a coping skill, thus we have to be aware that there are matters we can control, but others we cannot. Accordingly, I should focus on the matters that I can change, the power of self-mastery when dealing with the mental aspects of that which is …show more content…
If a leader shows strength in avoiding impulsive and destructive behavior, he or she inspires followers to do likewise. Temptation, of course, is always the arch-enemy of willpower—but the more we fight temptation and show self-restraint, the more we make self-mastery an ingrained part of our DNA, and the closer we get to our goals” (Ethan, Hale. 2016). Having control over self exemplifies mastery not only over ourselves but reflects a higher level of intellectual management of persuasion, focus, performance, and
The topic of leadership has been explored and written about by thousands of authors who are considerably more qualified than I am to write about the subject. However, I’ve always maintained that developing, evolving and articulating one’s own leadership philosophy is an essential part of a professional’s growth. Through academics and experience, I’ve concluded that leadership is a “soft” skill, more art than science, and that leadership principles can be universally applied. As a topic of discussion, leadership can be ambiguous and seldom does everyone agree on a single definition. Organizations and the people they consist of crave leadership, even if not overtly. Undeniably, strong leadership is essential to achieving
Leadership is contagious throughout the world and most importantly in the Army. It is not just my view, but of all leaders, at all levels, that organizations are responsible for setting conditions that lead to long-term organizational success. As I reflect on my experiences, through experience and observation, I realize how my values, beliefs, and perspectives about leadership continuously evolve over time. Recognizing these changes over time helps me better understand that people in organizations have different perspectives in life. This leadership narrative serve as important guiding principles for how I will lead at the organizational level and represents my thought, values and beliefs.
Leadership at times can be a complex topic to delve into and may appear to be a simple and graspable concept for a certain few. Leadership skills are not simply acquired through position, seniority, pay scale, or the amount of titles an individual holds but is a characteristic acquired or is an innate trait for the fortunate few who possess it. Leadership can be misconstrued with management; a manager “manages” the daily operations of a company’s work while a leader envisions, influences, and empowers the individuals around them.
In my opinion, the trait approach is the defining leadership from the objective perspective rather than a physical or technical glance. It is the study of consistent patterns in thought, emotion, and behavior of an individual that are linked to effective leadership across various situations. Northouse’s five leadership traits are intelligence, integrity, sociability, determination and self-confidence. The trait approach provides a foundation to what a leader should look like due to it being backed back a century of research; however, there is no definite list of traits or take into account situational traits.
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.
The purpose of Learning Leadership book is to answer a fundamental question: How do people learn leadership and how they can learn to become leaders? James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner have written this book as an exclusive guide for leaders to become the best leader by practicing the five fundamentals of becoming an exemplary leader. The book provides a framework to help people of all levels and backgrounds to develop their leadership style and become the best leaders they can be. Kouzes and Posner provide leaders a practical series of actions and some coaching tips for developing their leadership process and helping them to create a context to grow. The larger purpose of this book is to help leaders
What is a leader? What is a boss? These are two similar words that mean two different things. A leader will inspire, drive, and uplift. A boss will speak, command, and yell. Our businesses and leaders should be more like a leader and less like a boss. The four points of leadership are kindness, positivity, generosity, and a higher sense of purpose. Business nowadays has strayed from these four points, they are chasing money and are out for themselves. Companies are outsourcing and are not looking out for their employees. My vision is for an America that will remember these four points and become great leaders. This generation of kids is losing the true leadership of the past. It is our job to bring it back.
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.
A leader needs to “believe” in oneself and have the confidence that whatever you say will excite and what you do can motivate others. You must be optimistic about what you do, do have some relevance for being in existence. Believe it or not, “leadership begins with you”.
This book has been very helpful and eyeopening to several things I have never thought of. Being in a servant leadership position I am very thankful for the opportunity to read this book and learn to apply this to my life. I will put this book on my read once a year shelf. Each area mentioned spoke to me and it was clearly understood the process, the story’s, the application. I was very pleased that Maxwell revised his book. He added more detailed explanations and almost all the different ways to apply it. He tells us about each law in a simple and understandable detail but doesn’t overwhelm me. During my observations each law stood out to me. They are all equally important as one can
When considering the term management, there has always been a common miss conception that this automatically makes an individual a leader. Leadership is only a single element of the management role. Many times managers are more comfortable utilizing a particular leadership style. While this may work well the majority of the time, certain employees or situations may require a different approach. Good leadership requires that the individual recognize the need for change to motivate their employees to accomplish the task at hand or to reach common goals. Understanding the importance of leadership is essential. However, the key element to focus on is what steps can be taken to improve one’s leadership capabilities. For many individuals this may be a difficult question to answer and may only be possible through self-assessment and reflection.
Leadership is defined as a process by which an individual influences others to obtain goals. There are three aspects that should be addressed when explaining leadership. One aspect is that leadership is a social influence process; leadership could not exist without a leader and one or more followers. Another leadership aspect is compliance; all of the leader’s directions must be complied with voluntarily. Compliance is what separates leadership from other influence-based formal authority. Finally, leadership results in the followers’ behavior, that is purposeful and goal-directed which must be in some organized setting (Leadership Theories and Studies, 2009).
As I reviewed several of my peers’ effective leaders’ principles, I decided to illuminate two main themes that were consistent throughout the principles to be an effective leader. The very first that theme is ‘security’, when a leader is emotionally healthy, secure in who they are, and confident in their abilities, it helps to provide a stable environment for everyone else. Several leaders, including Albert Einstein, expressed the importance of a leader’s character and security. Einstein’s states, ‘Most people say that intellect makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character’, meaning being a well-rounded individual makes for the best leaders.
Mastering one’s self is essential in reaching one’s full potential. In this paper I will attempt to articulate what it means to achieve personal mastery. I will first provide my own personal portrayal of personal mastery. Following, I will illustrate examples from my life, and what personal mastery means to me.
Mastering yourself is true power.” This quote sets forth the idea that mastering oneself can be obtained by two different ways, that is, by using either natural or learned skills. However, copying qualities that others learn to perfect, is not preferred. When one realizes his natural qualities within himself and molds them into perfection, then he becomes much more powerful. Utilizing natural talents result in better leadership because one is innovating and has a clear vison of what he is best successful in doing. Embracing one’s inter qualities promotes mental and emotional well-being by creating a positive perception on life in daily activities. Mastering ourselves by using one’s natural abilities creates personalized opportunities that are bounding to their life. In conclusion, mastery that develops through natural born skills is preferred because it results in better leadership, greater mental and emotional health, and a refined sense of vocation in