Undoubtedly, it is best to learn leadership from those who have been leading the longest. Accordingly, generals, who have lead the forces of mankind since the conception of war are the best examples when it comes to leadership. Generalship is the skill or practice of exercising military command. Good generalship, then, is vital for any leader because good generals can inspire feelings of trust and loyalty in their followers. Sun Tzu summed it up by saying, “Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys. Look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death!” Unfortunately, talent with people is often not enough. Thus, “He who wishes to fight must first count the cost. When …show more content…
Sun Tzu said: “If, however, you are indulgent, but unable to make your authority felt; kind-hearted, but unable to enforce your commands; and incapable, moreover, of quelling disorder: then your soldiers must be likened to spoilt children; they are useless for any practical purpose”. It is at this point where discipline comes into play. It is imperative that any general worth his salt to maintain discipline over both himself and his soldiers, at all times. This is further cemented with “Throw your soldiers into positions whence there is no escape, and they will prefer death to flight. If they will face death, there is nothing they may not achieve.” It is unlikely that he meant actual death. Rather, he is referring to difficulty level; when faced with a high stakes situation where the cost of failure is high, people will grow to fill the situation rather than fail. Therefore, it is clear discipline is very important to any general because without the improvement of soldier's what worth does a general have? Furthermore, if leadership is really based on the followers, how catastrophic would the consequences of not having discipline be? It is for this reason that all good generals maintain a high level of discipline among their soldiers, and it is also why any leader who wants to be worth their salt should do the
Part 1, The Basics of Leadership, Chapter 1 covers Fundamentals of Leadership while Roles and Relationships are covered in Chapter 2. This section describes and depicts levels of Leadership. We as a military are set apart from other non-military professions in that Soldiers must be prepared to use deadly force and have the courage required to close with and destroy the enemy. All leaders, from non-commissioned officers and warrant officers, to commissioned officers, inherently possess a great responsibility. The repercussions of decisions and actions impact the lives of Soldiers and their families. Additionally, these decisions affect the battlefield environment including enemy and non-combatants, both military and
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.
Social change and charity have two different effects on the community in chapter one of Leadership for a Better World by Susan R. Komives. Chapter one discusses the differentiation in the ideas when one is more practical in a culture. Social change is defined as affecting the root of the social problem (Komives 11). An example of social change is the Civil Rights Movement, where Martin Luther King Jr. led groups of people to end segregation. King wasn’t just trying to help the problem of having sit in the back of the bus or drinking from different water fountains, his objective was to generate an equal society where racial segregation didn’t exist. Charity classification as donating food, money, and other kinds of goods is given to a community. An illustration of this is the local soup kitchen, where they provide food for the
Military leadership is always an important factor in war. Good commanders will accomplish the goals of their side, while inferior generals will only hinder performance and fail their leader. However, not all great generals are victorious. Victories depend heavily on the availability of resources. Leadership does not relate to the supplies one has to draw from, but instead to the personal traits of the man himself.
The Army leader should have identifiable features that soldiers can benefit from. This is how an Army leader must be. He or she should have knowledge in tactics and techniques that show that they can manage resources and organize. All of this entails what an Army leader knows. And the actions that birth the feelings in other soldiers to want to operate in the same manner of that leader is the do.
What does it mean to be a leader? Leadership is a way in which a person can influences others to accomplish an objective. Leaders do this by applying their leadership qualities, such as beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge, and skill. Two really good leaders with their own way of thinking how a country should be ran. Lao-Tzu and Machiavelli both have the ability to run a good country. They have a lot of similarities but they also have a lot of differences that set them apart from each other. Our country needs someone who is loyal to the people and trusts them. A President is a leader and is someone who others will trust and rely on to make the right choices and decisions for his country. The American people should have a good relationship with the leader. I feel that Lao-Tzu would fit as a better President than Machiavelli because he puts his trust into the people and do what is best for them.
Many individuals in our military today have this notion that just because they earned their “stripes” that they automatically deserve respect, and that their subordinates should and will listen to them strictly because of what is on their chest. A true leader not only leads, develops, and mentors, but they embody and apply those leader competencies in their everyday life both on and off duty. Being a leader doesn’t mean you always have to be the mean guy. It means that you can successfully provide purpose, direction and motivation to make your Soldiers want to work for you to accomplish the mission. In this paper, I will discuss and give examples about the difference between Competent Leadership
Leadership is being able to direct or guide other people by either your own actions or by actually guiding them into the right direction (Acumen). Inspiration to be a leader might come from many different areas like your family, friends, peers, or even teachers. My inspiration didn’t really occur to me until I started attending college in August 2013. In all actuality I never even thought of how to be a leader until I was in Mrs. Moore’s Perspectives class. I now have a desire to be a great leader, and the inspiration has come from Mrs. Moore, and my family. I am the first to attend college out of my family, so in a away I have already started leading my siblings in the right direction. Being a leader means inspiring others to pursue their dreams, and aspirations and helping throughout the journey to success. Being a leader has nothing with authority or being able to tell other what, and how to do things, it’s about having people who look up to you and want to follow your example.
“On leadership” was written by John W. Gardner (The Free Press, New York, 1990). He used seventeen chapters to explain and describe essential components for the leadership should be in a successful organization. This book not only has significant influence now, but also for the future. Below are my understanding about this book, which was divided into two parts. For the first part, I will pick up some perspectives which influence me most from this book. For the second part, which is my comments and critique about this book.
When people think of leadership so many things rush through their heads. For example am I a leader, am I apart of a group that has a leader, and what does being a leader mean? A common definition of being a leader is a person who leads or guides a group of people. So now knowing the definition of a leader who pops into your head; Phil Jackson, Mike Krzyzewski, Martin Luther King Jr.? All of these people are great leaders, but the real question is why are they so great? One very important thing that all these men have in common is they have a philosophy of leadership. This philosophy is going to help guide these men during turbulent times, or when they need guidance themselves. Nobody is perfect and everyone needs direction no matter how wise or gifted you are. I am no different, which is why writing this philosophy of leadership is going to be a fruitful experience for years to come.
It is important that leaders are competent in their leadership. “Being competent doesn’t mean that a leader knows how to do everything, but rather that they know what to do and how to get it done” (Leadership Now, 2007, para. 2). Subordinates should be able to observe an educational leader’s competence by their actions. Socrates (cited in Leadership Now, 2007, p. 4) asserted that “one who clearly knows best what ought to be done will most easily gain the obedience of the others.” Competent leaders will gain the loyalty and trust of
As General Dempsey states in his White Paper, “Leader development is an investment required to maintain the Army as a profession and is a key source of combat power. Leadership entails the repetitive exercise of discretionary judgments, all highly moral in nature, and represents the core function of the Army professional’s military art, whether leading a patrol in combat or making a major policy or budget decision in the Pentagon.”
When some think of leadership the idea of the military is taken into account while others use the term to refer to executive management. These are few examples of different types of leaders there are. There are also different roles of leadership such as senior-level executives and middle managers. Motivated leaders who have charisma and high levels of emotional stability will be honest and have integrity in the manner in which they lead. An effective leader must be respected by the members of his or her group in order to perform effectively.
What is leadership, and how do we attain the best and most effective leaders? These are questions that are as old as civilization itself. Bass (1974) wrote that, “from its infancy, the study of history has been the study of leaders” (as cited in Wren, 1995, p. 50). Since the study of history in the West is commonly held to begin with Herodotus of ancient Athens, it is not surprising that we should examine the historical views of leadership through the eyes of two titans of Greek thought: Plato and Aristotle.
Leadership, without doubt, is a significantly important function of management. It helps to aggrandize efficiency and to fulfil an organization’s goals. Leadership is the ability of a manager to induce the subordinates to work with confidence, determination, courage and zeal. It is also defined as ability to influence a group towards the realization of a goal. Leaders should have the capability of developing future visions, and to drive the organizational members to want to attain the visions. This paper states my points in which I duly believe, justifies the importance of an outstanding leader in any organization.