What is Leadership? Essay Servant Leadership Essay Essay on Effective Leadership Being a Good Leader Essay Effective Leadership Essay A Great Leader Essay What Is A Leader? Essay

1. What is Leadership? Essay
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
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2. Servant Leadership Essay
Servant Leadership
What is it? The phrase "Servant Leadership" was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in The Servant as
a Leader, an essay he first published in 1970 ("What is servant," ). The servant leader serves first,
while aspiring to lead second. The servant leader serves the people that he or she leads, implying
employees are an end in themselves rather than a means to organizational purpose or bottom–line.
Servant leadership is meant to replace a command and control, top–down, model of management.
Servant leadership encourages collaboration, trust, foresight, listening, and the ethical use of power
and empowerment. A few famous examples of servant leaders are George Washington, Gandi and
Caesar Chavez.
Key Principles In a...show more content...
8.Stewardship
Greenleaf's view of all institutions was one in which CEO's, staff, directors and trustees all play
significant roles in holding institutions in trust for the greater good of society.
9.Commitment to the Growth of People
Leaders believe people have an intrinsic value beyond tangible contributions as workers. As a result,
genuine interest in the spiritual, professional and personal growth of all employees is demonstrated.
10.Building Community
Leaders seek to identify a means for building a sense of community among those who work in a
given institution.
Differences from Other Styles In the approach on general leadership characteristics, the
fundamental difference is authentic leaderships strive to be "real", whereas servant leaders strive
to be "right." Servant leadership is a style that lays down a set of characteristics that all leaders are
supposed to emulate to attain success, and tries to shape the character and personality of the leader.
On the other hand, authentic leaders tend to rely on their own unique set of experiences and style
that has been learned and developed throughout their career. The main difference between servant
and authentic styles, when applying into practice, is the serving of others. One of the primary
applications is to give priority to the interest of others. Servant leaders exercise their duty
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3. Essay on Effective Leadership
Effective Leadership A successful leader is most importantly a mentor. This person grooms his or
her staff to take his or her place, by teaching, inspiring and helping one to reach personal goals as
well as the goals of the organization. Sam Adams, one of the leaders of the Boston Tea Party, was
quoted as saying: "Outstanding leaders go out of the way to boost the self–esteem of their personnel.
If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish (Government Leaders, 2011)."
Someone with a Successful Leadership Style I had the privilege of working with a successful leader
who embodied the belief of Sam Adams. Her name was Lucy Parkin and I worked with her early in
my career. This working relationship has had a...show more content...
She not only believed in her staff, but in the company we worked for. It has been close to 20
years since I worked with Lucy, but I still remember her leadership style and it has had lasting
effects on the way I lead. Communication skills are extremely important in an effective leader. A
strong leader is able listen to her staff and communicates where they need to go to meet the goals of
the organization. This requires listening but also speaking in a way that can be easily understood, so
that everyone on the team knows what the goals are and how to meet them. She took the time to
know us as individuals and took an interest in our personal lives. People want to know that they
matter and that they have an opportunity to express that value in their work and actions
(Porter–O'Grady & Malloch, 2007). We knew that she cared and it motivated us to do our best.
Morale was very high in her department because of these attributes.
Comparing My Leadership Style I have had the opportunity to lead and use these traits of a
successful leader. The opportunities have been both in paid positions and also in volunteer work.
When my mentor and leader, Lucy Parkin, left the organization, I was chosen to lead the
department. I followed in her footsteps and used many of the examples that she had given me. I
believed in my team and knew their strengths and their weaknesses. I developed strong
communications skills that allowed me to listen to my team and know their
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4. Being a Good Leader Essay
Leadership is a term on which no one can develop a mutual consensus as it carries a different
meaning for ach individual. Some people may consider a person as their leader who is capable of
taking them away from hardships, some people may consider the one as their leader who is quite
charismatic and can show them dreams of a bright future or some people may consider that man
as a leader who can make them progress by devising wise strategies for them etc. There is,
somehow, something very common in all the perspectives that are the philosophy behind the
definition, which is related to choosing a best of the best person as their leader. Nobody wants to
have a person as his leader who doesn't have knowledge of the needs and aspirations of his...show
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No one can get success without having the trust of people on his capabilities because without that
he won't be able to gain enough confidence to take desired actions without the fear of being
rejected. Lastly, he must take some steps in order to prove him a leader and also to make him
realize his very own potential (Jim Murray). So, from the above definitions we may draw a
difference between leaders and managers as leaders do have a vision, goal and objective, which he
tries to make effective and purposeful. On the contrary, the managers only have to maintain their
efficiency on day–to–day basis. In other words administration is the task of managers but
innovation is the characteristic of leaders and there is a possibility of a manager becoming a
leader by setting high standards and goals for his people. It is not the task of this paper to present
a difference between both but it is important to present it only because of its being necessary to
clear the concept of a leader. So, a good leader is a person who can look high into the horizons
when the people are looking down in the bottom line. This makes other people follow their
footsteps as everyone wants to move towards horizon to explore new dimensions of practicality.
So, first and foremost quality of a leader is not only to see at high things but also make the people
see and strive for the same thing. For this purpose, they have to monitor even minor things by
making people feel valued and inspired. A good
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5. Effective Leadership Essay
In today's competitive world, leadership skills are crucial for both personal and professional
development. Leadership is an important function of management which helps an individual or a
business to maximize efficiency and to achieve goals. Leadership has different meanings to various
authors.Most commonly, leadership is defined as influence, that is, the art of influencing people so
that they will strive willingly and enthusiastically toward the achievement of group goals. (Koontz).
Leadership is the process of influencing the activities of either formal or informal group in the task
of goal setting and goal achievement. A leader is one whose magnetic personality innervates people
for some cause. Not by words, but by their actions is...show more content...
People requires good leadership skills at personal, professional and social level. Personal
leadership helps us to determine our desires, strengths and abilities. It means Knowing what we
want out of life; knowing what success is for us; what are our goals and how to achieve those
goals regardless of what other people think, say, or do. Personal leadership helps us to make our
present better and shape a good future. Good leadership is also important to run a business. Usually,
in companies, management stresses more on decision– making skills. They believe a timely and
smart decision will help their company to succeed. They forget that implementation of those
decisions are as important as making those decision. Without a proper implementation , there will
be no results. Like there is a saying that, it's easier to said than done. Similarly, making a decision
will change nothing, its how to get things done in a timely and an effective way will help an
organization to accomplish their goals. Leadership is crucial in implementing decisions correctly
and successfully. Each of us understand importance of leadership when it comes to our country. We
all try to vote for the best person in elections because it matters who is in office. President make
decisions concerning our lives, country, and the world. As a nation, we place no greater
responsibility on any one individual than we do on the president. Therefore, leadership
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6. A Great Leader Essay
This paper will address my personal feelings of what is leadership. It will then discuss the
characteristics that go into making up a great leader. Next, I will evaluate my strengths and
weaknesses as an effective leader in relation to my list of great leadership characteristics. As a final
point, I will finish with a plan on how I will improve myself as a leader.
Leadership is a difficult word to define. There are so many different meanings that leadership has
meant over the centuries. My personal definition is, "Leadership is a positive process that helps
followers to move in the right direction so they can eventually achieve their goals."
1. Visionary– All great leaders have the ability to visualize a future for their company and are...show
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They also are driven by a need for achievement instead of external rewards." (Hicks, 2008) Capable
leaders have the most influence on their employees in the work environment during the improvement
of their products and services. Furthermore, one of the most important contributions a leader can
make to his company is the creation of a team atmosphere within the company culture. This is done
with the correct amount of encouragement, criticism, and motivation to maintain a balance that will
drive employees with the spirit to succeed.
3. Integrity– Integrity is the combination of inner core values and a person's external actions. An
individual with high integrity will act the same externally as they feel on the inside. This type of
person is trusted by employees because they do not waver from their core value system, even if
at times it may be easier to do so. Special Agent D. Day who is currently a researcher at the
Advanced Operational Art Studies, School of Advanced Military Studies feels that, "Good leaders
have solid integrity to trust in their abilities, as well as those of their employees, to take
ownership of a situation or problem regardless of how small, and to foster a team attitude. People
can quickly point out when they have worked for a good leader." (Day, 2009) Integrity is essential
for successful leadership to take
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7. What Is A Leader? Essay
What is a leader? When thinking about this question I feel like you have to really know what it
means to be a leader. Webster Dictionary definition is: a time when a person holds the position of
a leader. No one is born a leader, leaderships skills comes from life experiences, education and
employment. Everyone grows into a leader and then afterwards grow into a leadership style that will
eventually begin to shape and inspire other leaders. Having a title or high above power does not
make you a leader. Inspiring and providing great communication, confidence, advice, laughs,
knowledge, honesty and reality. Those great skills help you become a great leader. Even with these
great leadership skills, there are many different kinds of leadership styles.
"Becoming the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily; even if you had no title or
position." –Brian Tracy
Are you a participative leader? Participative leaders or better known as democratic leaders include
team members and others, but making the final decision is up to the participative leader.
Participative leaders build confidence and knowledge within team members because their inputs
matter within decision making. It helps team members think their opinions, help with decisions. If
there is a change that needs to be implemented a participative leader helps team members
understand the change in a positive way. I would definitely consider myself a participative leader
because I love gathering as many
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