Leader to a Leader, What do you have?

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"Leaders are made, they are not born”, Vince Lombardi. Simple quote, but is that true to be an effective leader. Everyone believes that they have the qualities to be an effective leader and run an organization and its people. Many leaders believe that they hold the right stuff as a leader and for the reason to their level and title. But do people really know? If people really knew then why do organizations let go of their leader, i.e. what Apple did to Steve Jobs in 1985? Also when a leader takes his control too far and creates situations that spiral out of control, i.e. Richard Nixon resignation from the presidency in 1974. In the text that will follow, I will expand upon the traits that I believe an effective leader process, take cues from failed leaders and use some real world examples of successful leaders. This list will not be extensive or definitive, but it will touch on the ones that I believe should be the cornerstone of a leader’s profile. Take note. After reading this you may realize you do not have the qualities of a leader or better yet, that you actually have all of them.

Are you prepared to trust in the items that I am about to write? If so, then you are recognizing the first trait of an effective leader. Trust is essentially the backbone to a leader. Without trust, then they would not be able to gain the confidence of loyal followers. “Trust is the base on which credibility is built. To earn and sustain credibility, leaders have to get to know their constituents and let their constituents get to know them” (Kouzes, 2011). In the book revised book Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It, James Kouzes writes about the important trait of trust and credibility that a leader must process and how...

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...s leaders I have witness and came in contact with. These traits are also some of the traits that I have that I believe have made me an effective leader and an effective leader in training. Ultimately, the hope is that with these traits, an effective leader can mold and create other effective leaders.

Works Cited

Gosling, J., & Mintzberg, H. (2003). The Five Minds of a Manager. Harvard Bsuiness Review, 54-63.

Kouzes, J., & Posner, B. (1993). Credibility. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley and Sons.

Kouzes, J., & Posner, B. (2011). Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley and Sons.

Morrison, E. (1994). Leadership skills: developing volunteers for organizational success. Da Capo Press.

O'Hair, D., Friedrich, G., & Dee Dixon, L. (2007). Strategic Communication in Business and the Professions. Pearson Education.

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