Leadership is a difficult word to define and according to the Miriam-Webster Dictionary leadership is the “office or position of a leader” (Miriam-Webster, 2010). This definition is definitely not one that I would ascribe to when discussing leadership. My definition of leadership is “the ability someone has to motivate and empower others to achieve a goal.” Some may add to this definition, others may discard it altogether and have a completely different definition. In the end, leadership takes on many different forms depending on who is doing the defining and we end up asking ourselves, what is leadership and why do we care? J. Thomas Wren (1995) put together a book to help leaders define leadership for themselves. The Leader’s …show more content…
As Gardner (1990) points out “Most men and women go through their lives using no more than a fraction – usually a rather small fraction – of the potentialities within them” (p. 7). I happen to agree with Gardner on this point. As a teacher you see numerous children who, with the proper training, could be very great, positive leaders; yet due to their home situation or lack of self-confidence these children grow up never knowing they have that possibility inside them. “We can do better. Much, much better” (Gardner, 1990 p. 7). Along with Gardner (1990) Wren introduces Burns (1978) who wrote The Crisis of Leadership. Initially, I thought a crisis in leadership was happening today because according to Burns (1978) “One of the most universal cravings of our time is a hunger for compelling and creative leadership” (p. 8). However, we need to keep in mind that Burns wrote about this in 1978. So leadership and those who lead have been having problems for a number of decades. “If we know all too much about our leader, we know far too little about leadership” (Burns, 1978 p. 9). What Burns was trying to bring to the forefront was the idea that we, as a public, know far too much about the personal lives of our leaders. The media has been able to bring personal situations into our homes that we would not otherwise be
The definition of "leadership" as defined in Wikipedia means "the ability of an individual to influence, motivate, and enable others."
In the Leadership Challenge, 4th edition, it is Kouzes & Posner (2007) intention to present a road map for individuals to follow on their leadership journey. The authors stress that “leadership is not a gene and it’s not an inheritance.” Leadership they assert is “an identifiable set of skills and abilities that are available to all of us” (p. 23). They make clear that the “great person” theory of leadership is “plain wrong.” Leaders are our everyday heroes who do extraordinary things on a regular basis (p. 23).
as two basic types of leadership and examines the concept of moral leadership by investigating
There are many definitions of leadership. Chemers (1997) describes it as: "A process of social influence in which one person can enlist the support of others in the accomplishment of a common task or aim"
At is in this way that I was invited to go to Bonstingl’s Leaders for the Future© event, also referred to as Enfield’s First Invitational Youth Leadership Summit. On the first day of the event, we made introductions and got to know the other teams, from both Enfield and Stafford. Then, Mr. Bonstingl introduced us to the “Qualities of Leadership.” Many of these describe the actions of Leaders, but there were a few that involved the mind and perception. These are what really make up Leaders; from here, a representative from the LEGO© corporation talked to us about the business world! We proceeded, then, to talk (in our groups) about our schools. We spoke of the good, the bad, and the ugly. Then, (you guessed it!) we talked about how to improve these. And how do you? In a school, you have the students, the faculty, and the property. It is fairly safe to say that the property and faculty aren’t the problem. They’ve been here, and will be here, for (hopefully) a long time. This then isolated the students. Again, it is pretty safe to say that it isn’t the physicalities of the students; this leaves the contaminant- their mindsets. If thought about, this unleashes a wealth of problems- you cannot easily change someone’s mindset. So, back to the drawing board. This is when this question is asked: “What differentiates a successful student from an underperforming or unsuccessful student?” The answer we came up with- Leadership. A
According to North house (2012), “for some people, leadership is a trait or an ability, for others it is a skill or a behavior, and for still others it is a relationship or process” (p. 7). What truly defines leadership is at times difficult to grasp, because many see leadership in various ways. Being a leader requires a mix of all of the complexities of leadership, and the views on which leadership qualities are important are shaped by personal experiences. The text suggests we think about
What defines a leader? Are there inherent differences between leaders and followers, e.g., genetic makeup, behavior, characteristics, intelligence, or another physiological, social, emotional, or cognitive capacity? Are leaders the product of nature or nurture, more specifically can leadership be taught? These fundamental questions about leadership form the basis of research on the traits, behaviors, relationship dynamics, and communication competency that encompass different leadership roles and styles. My paper will provide a synthesis of the reading from chapters 1, 2, and 9 of the textbook, “The Leadership Experience,” highlight novel leadership concepts, notions, and theories for me, as well as, any clarification or reinforcement of
Leadership is a valuable quality that is possessed by certain people. It is different from commanding and management. Commanding is ordering someone to carry out a job. For example, a military general commands their personnel what to do and where to go. Management is controlling or organizing a group of people to perform tasks. An example is how a boss manages his employees. However, leadership doesn't necessarily imply a position of authority; it means that a person has the ability to lead other individuals and positively influence them to come to a specific goal. A guiding parent influences their children as they grow up, so they will become wholesome citizens.
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
M.D Arnold once said, “ A good leader leads the people from above them. A great leader leads the people from within them.” And in today’s finely sculpted society we have been compelled to believe the preconceived notion that the character of leadership can be only obtained by the extraordinary; rather than the ordinary. Drew Dudley continually acknowledges the inaccuracy of this belief throughout his presentation on Everyday Leadership. According to Dudley the “lollipop moments” in life, when we unknowingly impact somebody's life in a positive way, are when the true characteristic of leadership can be recognized. I strongly agree that the
Study chapters of study guide (11 elements) Dilemmas of Leadership textbook Leaders We Deserve [Blackboard] Assignment 1 (Personal Assignment)
What is the stimulus that encourages the emergence of a great leader? Robert Greenleaf’s theory of Servant Leadership places emphases on the individual, who is instinctively a servant.
Chaos. Uncertainty. Unpredictability. Constant change. These are all characteristics of the world in which we now live, and all indications are that the world of the future will be even more chaotic, more uncertain, more unpredictable, and in even greater states of constant and unprecedented change and flux. Such circumstances desperately call for new leaders. Indeed, “if there was ever a moment in history when a comprehensive strategic view of leadership was needed,... this is certainly it.” For almost a century, writers have attempted to describe leadership, and researchers have attempted to identify the defining characteristics of leaders. The outcome has been one very clear conclusion: “Leadership is one of the most observed and least understood phenomena on earth” It is multidimensional and multifaceted—a universal human phenomenon that many know when they see it, but few can define clearly.
I see the preception of great leadership as a combination of inate skills coupled with the timing when these skills were most needed and a successful outcome . Many great political leaders are unknowed percisely because of their inherent skills and abilities. Through focused planning and forsight, these leaders avoide challenging issues and consequently, they receive little credit. However, the opposite extreem is also true. There are many leaders who, when faced with great challenges, are unprepared or lack the inherent skills and abilities to navigate successfully through these situations. Consequently, these leaders are often percieved as weak and seldom viewed as great leaders.
What exactly is meant by leadership? There are literally hundreds of definitions about who a leader is and what is considered as leadership. Each definition may vary from one individual to another and may change from one situation to the other. For example we might call an individual a leader because of the persons’ election to the presidency of an institution. Other times we say he/she is not a leader because he/she does not exhibit leadership behaviors expected of the of a leader. In other words, we expected leadership from the legitimate