Leadership Essays

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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Leadership Traits Essay example
Leadership Traits
As a growing debate, the question at hand is whether great leaders are born with specific leadership
traits, or if one can be taught certain traits over time. According to (Wikipedia.com) the approach of
listing leadership qualities, often termed "trait theory of leadership", assumes certain traits or
characteristics will tend to lead to effective leadership. I believe that leadership traits such as honest,
competent, initiative, inspiring, hardworking, intelligent, and the ability to lead the masses, are
some of the leadership traits one should possess. Within this paper, I will examine the overall
concept of leadership traits, while observing the traits that were, or can be associated with successful
leaders....show more content...
Leadership is an action not a position. With the proper personality, a leader can accomplish many
things like knowledge of the organization. Being able to handle all type of situations shows great
leadership traits. According to (Hughes, Ginnett, and Curphy) the adjustment dimension of the Five
Factor Model of Personality "is concerned with how people react to stress, failure, or personal
criticism" and it is important for leaders to develop their response to this dimension. Leader trait
research examined the physical, mental, and social characteristics of individuals. In general, these
studies simply looked for significant associations between individual traits and measures of
leadership effectiveness. Physical traits such as height, mental traits such as intelligence, and social
traits such as personality attributes were all subjects of empirical research. (LEADERSHIP
THEORIES AND STUDIES)
When reflecting throughout America's history, two people in particular exemplified the essence of
true leadership traits, Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela. While others displayed a vast
variety of traits, Martin Luther King Jr. as well as Nelson Mandela displayed traits of leadership
that stood the test of time, and while today, their traits still influence, as well as affect people in
today's society. Throughout his time as political activist, as well as South Africa's first African
President, Nelson Mandela's

Essay on Effective Team Leadership
Effective Team Leadership
The area of team leadership attracts a lot of attention in the modern world because of the need to
assemble and deploy diverse teams for the completion of projects. The future of many corporations
relies more and more on the kind of team leadership they have for their projects. This paper explores
a number of facets that constitute effective team leadership.
There are certain essential elements that constitute the definition of leadership. It may refer to the
totality of an organization's top direction–giving functionaries, or the actions applied in providing
direction that enables the organization or team to move forward towards a goal. In reality, there are
very diverse definitions of leadership depending on...show more content...
This vision attracts would–be followers to join in the effort to alleviate the challenge. Thirdly, it is
characteristic of leadership to possess the skills required to harness the resources that a group brings
together and to apply those resources in alleviating the challenge in order to deliver the vision.
Without leadership, a team lacks direction and cohesion. Leadership is there to solve challenges
associated with teamwork and to insure the attainment of the main objective of the team effort.
Leadership reduces the risks associated with a project. This happens because the person or team
providing direction for the project do not get involved in detailed implementation freeing them to
see the big picture from which they identify and reduce or eliminate risks. Leadership increasingly
means the difference between a successful project and a failed one despite the availability of
resources. This is because of the role leadership plays in the effective allocation of resources to
achieve the projects objectives.
On organization is the legacy of its past leaders. This means that all decisions a leader made while in
charge live on through the systems he established, the opportunities he seized, and the mistakes he
made. In team leadership, the outcome of the team effort depends on the skill the leader possesses
empowering

Management And Leadership Essay example
Management and Leadership
Management and leadership, two words that are considered synonymous and are often used in the
same context, yet they do not mean the same thing and they describe two different concepts.
According to the dictionary, management is 1) The act, manner or practice of managing;
handling, supervision, or control; 2) The person or persons who control or direct a business or other
enterprise; 3) Skill in managing; executive ability; where as leadership is 1) The position or office of
a leader; 2) Capacity or ability to lead; 3) A group of leaders; 4) Guidance; direction. In many
organizations, management is a job description; leadership is a positive trait. Managers tend to think
incrementally, while leaders think...show more content...
Management normally consists of people, who are experienced in their field, and have worked
their way up the company. A manager knows how each layer of the system works and may also
possess a good technical knowledge. Managers are "principally administrators В¬В– they write
business plans, set budgets and monitor progress." Additional tasks handled by managers are
problem–solving and facilitating meetings. Managers usually achieve their position through
experience and understanding, and obtain authority through time and loyalty.
In business, leadership is "the ability to influence employees to voluntarily pursue organizational
goals." Leadership is one of the many assets a successful manager should possess. While
management is considered a position, leadership is considered a relationship. Thus, leadership is the
connection between the leader and their subordinates that makes management successful. This
connection can strengthen an organization and make the work more focused and effective.
Leadership is the ability to get people to willingly follow. A person who exhibits the traits of
leadership is called a leader. The role of a leader is to ensure that the desired tasks and guidelines are
implemented throughtout the team. Since managers can not be everywhere at the same time, leaders
are put into place to bridge the gap while echoing managements requirements. Because leaders are
the link between the

What Makes a Leader? Essay
To me, leadership is more than a title. It is more than just being in charge. Leadership is honestly,
learning, listening, and most importantly application. Leadership means going the extra mile or two,
doing the right thing no matter who's looking, staying encouraged and encouraging other even when
times are hard and you have every reason to quit. Leadership doesn't mean you're rich, well known,
liked, or respected but it does mean you are a passionate, caring, and authentic. Leadership means
you care about something so much you are willing to risk everything you have for this belief or
idea. Leadership is doing whatever you can in your power to make things better for those around you.
Although, that is the definition of leadership is...show more content...
You don't have to be sure of every single action but you can't fear the future or change because in
order to accomplish your goal change is often necessary. A bold attitude is a definite must.
Leaders will always come against someone or something that opposes what they believe,
boldness will give them the strength to keep going even when the people they lead have start to
disappear or they have grown weak. At the first that you are ready to give up they will abandon
ship as the leader it must be a part of your character to be bold and keep going no matter how hard
things may seem. This characteristics tie in with the earlier trait of inspiration. When other see how
bold you are they will realize that just maybe if you're willing to put this much on the line, face the
probability of being ridiculed and disowned by your and the rest of society just maybe you stand for
something that is right and maybe they should too.
These characteristics are all great but to have the ability to truly lead you need conviction.
Conviction to keep going you going when your boldness has eliminated your friends, when your
yourself needs inspiration, when you don't want to be genuine, when you want to give up and take
the easy way out. Conviction is that thing that keeps us going, it helps us stay true to our task no
matter where you go or what you do. Our conviction are our roots, they keep us grounded and
prevent us from

Motivation and Leadership Essay
Motivation and Leadership are intrinsically linked in the fact that one allows an easement in the
process of the other. Without the ability to use the mutual relationship of leadership to influence
the motivators of followers, leaders stagnate and are limited by their own inability to accomplish
all that must be for real change to occur. In less Rostonian terms (that is, based on Rost (1993)),
without a motivated group of followers leaders are stranded and not achieving to a level of
excellence. This paper will discuss some areas of importance for motivation in leadership as well as
an application to leadership theory and a discussion on personal motivators. Motivation is the reason
or purpose behind action, or what causes one to act in...show more content...
Osland, et al. (2007) provide a good introduction to three basic motivational content theories. The
first theory is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs that proposes man is motivated by a lack in the one or
more of the five common needs. The needs that Maslow identifies are physiological, safety, social
belonging, self–esteem, and self–actualization. Maslow believed that one fills needs from the most
basic (like food and water) to the highest level (self–actualization). Maslow's ideas are easy to relate
to and attempt to provide an all–inclusive approach to the concept of motivation; however, there is
little evidence to support the idea that man cannot have self–actualization without the other more
basic needs first satisfied. The second content theory Osland, et al. discuss is McCelland's learned
needs. McCelland states that man is motivated by one of three things: achievement, power, or
affiliation – or a mixture of the three. Each of these needs can possess a negative or positive
connotation or implementation, but it is argued that people motivated by affiliation make better
leaders. The third theory presented is McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y. McGregor asserts that
Theory X people or employees are inherently lazy and must be controlled and forced to act, whereas
Theory Y people are self–controlled, motivated, and ambitious. Steers, et al. (1996) identify an
additional theory of motivation, which builds on Maslow's

Leadership Essay
Running head: LEADERSHIP ESSAY Leadership Essay Sharon Golston Grand Canyon University
Theories of Leadership CHL–520 P Clifford Eason December 12, 2011 Leadership Essay Thousands
of definitions have been written to identify characteristics that effective leaders should possess;
however it is impossible for leaders to be effective if they are unable to understand that true
leaders are called by Christ, are servants to Christ, and must seek the vision of Christ. Through
Christ, leaders recognize and address the needs of their followers by elevating and empowering
them, and will inevitably fail if they allow themselves to simply rule and not consider the moral and
ethical implication of their work (Burns, 2003). This essay will examine...show more content...
Overcoming ever–changing technology and managing diverse work forces. Leaders complain that
cutting–edge communication technology often takes away time needed to think and reflect on
decisions. At the touch of a finger questions and answers can be sent, reports can be generated and
one–on–one communication can be established virtually anywhere in the world. Perhaps what
these leaders are really saying is that they are resisting change. Technology is here to stay and
leaders have to get on board and become proficient in it's use because many of the people that are
being led are very proficient in the latest I pads, IPods, cell phones, email, Skype, and many other
forms of communication. If a leader is being pounded with so many messages that the thought
process is being impaired, I suggest turning off your I Pad and taking time out to speak with Jesus,
lest we allow anything or anybody to separate us from hearing and understanding what Jesus
intends for us to do. Taylor Cox suggests that the core of modern organizational leadership is
managing diversity (Blackaby & Blackaby, 2001). No longer can leaders expect that their
entire team will share their cultural values, worldviews, or perspectives. This problem is not specific
to secular organizations but is emerging in the

Definition Essay Leadership
Domenick Caruso
November 14th 2010
Personal Essay
What is Leadership?
Leadership is defined as the position of a leader, the ability to lead. I assure you it is much more then
that. Being a leader is not easy, I have learned from personal experience. Being a captain of a
football team is hard work. It takes guts to stand up and be a leader. Leadership is respect. Respect by
others. You can't force people to respect you; you've got to earn it. A good leader earns respect
from his, or her, peers. They know he is their leader and when he tells them to do something, they
do it, and they respect his position. A captain deserves respect from his teammates. The respect your
team has for you helps drive your team to do their...show more content...
When he yells, he strikes fear into his comrades. Along with leading by example, a captain should
be able to speak up. When a teammate is harming the team he should speak up and let them know
to stop what they are doing or to leave. A leader shouldn't be quite and expect people to listen and
follow them, he needs to speak up and take action.
Finally, Leadership is work. A leader works harder than anyone else and they know they need to
do so. A captain knows that he has to push himself to work above everyone else. He should run
faster, hit harder, and block better than anyone else on the team. If a captain works harder than
anyone else, then everything comes together. He earns respect; he takes responsibility, and leads
by example. Believe me, being a leader is not an easy job. If you can accomplish all these things
then you can be a true leader. From my own experience, being a captain is not easy. Even I
struggle with these qualities. The pressure of being a leader of is overwhelming, and takes hard
work to accomplish. "Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is
the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile," by Vince

The Role Of A Leader Essay
The role of a leader is often seen as to lead. However, there are many ways and styles that can be
adopted by a leader, Until recently a manager was seen as a leader, but there is an increasing
differentiation made in the commercial world between a manager and a leader. Therefore, in this
paper there will be the aim of defining what a leader is, how they may be effective and how skills
may be developed by a potential leader. Webster's English Dictionary defines a leader as "One
who, or that which, leads or conducts; a guide; a conductor. Especially: (a) One who goes first. (b)
One having authority to direct; a chief; a commander" (Dictionary.com). This gives us the insight
into how leaders are seen today. In the past a leader and a manager were one and the same thing,
with the advent of scientific management and the development of the theories of Frederick Winslow
Taylor the job of the manager or leader was to gain the greatest value from the employees. In many
easy, this is still the role of the leader. However, the methods and perceptions regarding the way in
which this is achieved have changed greatly. The industrial revolution that embodies scientific
management saw standardisation in the use of procedures and tools, with the one best method being
dictated to the most suitable employee, who was expected to perform the task in their machine like
manner. The tasks were broken down into the smallest components which would acquire the issues
give or training. John Child

What Leadership Means to Me Essay
My idea of leadership is being able to inspire others, motivate, set a vision, communicate, respect
others, and of course, lead by example. A leader must have an honest understanding of who they
are, what they know, and what they are capable of. To be a successful leader, you have to be able to
convince your followers, not just yourself or your superiors, that you are worthy of being
followed. In my opinion, this can build confidence in their followers to have faith in you, in order to
be able to lead. I strongly believe that good leaders are made rather, and not born. If you have the
desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader. Good leaders are developed through a
never ending process of self–study, education, training, and...show more content...
The way in which I communicate either builds or can harm the relationship between my soldier
and I. When an important moment of discussion arises, I am always prepared to appropriately
handle the situation at hand. More than anything else, I believe as a leader it is always important
to have great social skills in order to be communicative with clarity and objectiveness, and to have
a good relationship with the ones I lead. As a leader, I understand the meaning of recognition and
praise when one is doing a good job, which too is significantly important. A leader is not always
the first to have an idea, but should be the one who is always seeking out new solutions. One way
of being a productive leader is discovering new ways to accomplish a set of tasks while
maintaining a positive attitude. If a soldier is demonstrating a bad attitude because he feels that
he can not accomplish a task then my job as a leader, would be to steadily encourage that soldier
to work at being all that he can be. A leader to me, does not need to always know the answer, but
believes it to be important to have the initiative to make an answer appear. One form of bad
leadership would be an NCO performing or demonstrating a task that he knows nothing about in
front of his soldiers. In the result of the NCO not performing or demonstrating the task at hand
correctly, the soldiers then become incapable of knowing the proper ways of that task. However, if
that NCO had

Leadership Diversity Essay
1.How does leadership diversity relates to innovation?
A leader must first of all be able to model the techniques and processes that they want their teachers
to employ with the students. For this reason leaders should use an effective board spectrum of
educational tools to help teachers reach students of the 21st century. One of the great tools being
used today is the increase in the amount of technology used in the classroom. From iPad to chromo
books to cellphones teachers are using these forms of technology to enhance and deliver grade level
curriculum (Korach, Agans 2011 216–233).
Diversity allows you to do more. Explain.
Within education teachers come in contact with a large population of culturally diverse individuals
(students,

Clinical Leadership Essay
Leadership is certainly one of the most important fields that influence successfulness or
unsuccessfulness of a particular organization (Kvas & Seljak, 2013). In the clinical faculty,
leadership can be demonstrated by the conscious decision of being a role model to other nurses. As
professional nurses, providing leadership in the clinical nursing role is an intentional choice to
serve as a role model for other nurses. There are many opportunities for leadership by role modeling
for instance by teaching professional responsibilities such as work behaviors, ways of interacting
with patients and staff members, ethical behaviors, and advocacy, among others (Kvas & Seljak,
2013).
The professional nurse as a leader indicates a transition from hierarchical

Importance of Leadership Essay
LEADERSHIP1
LEADERSHIP 2
Abstract
What comes to mind when the words leader or leadership are heard? Usually a president, a
teacher, a C.E.O, a work supervisor or a prime minister comes to mind. Well these are people who
are considered to be leaders because they work to achieve a positive change for a particular
organization or community.Leadership is the process in which a particular individual influences
others to achieve an objective or a common goal. This paper will explain what the term leadership
means, the key factors that make up a true leader and the impact as well as the importance that
leadership has in...show more content...
A leader is not someone who dictates or makes up rules; a true leader is someone that is on a
never ending process of self study, education, and training to become a better person and help
others achieve a common goal. Developing good leadership skills does take practice and a great deal
of time, it does not just happen from one day to another. Good leaders are continually working and
studying to improve their leadership skills. It is good to be a leader, but it's even better to be a
leader everybody wants to follow and admire.
A leader usually has influence on the team members to work hard, but most importantly to be
committed to their goals. There are two types of leaders: task oriented and person oriented
LEADERSHIP4 leaders. The task oriented leaders are more focused in training, and in
performance, while the person oriented leaders are more interested in the interpersonal
relationships with the team. Another very crucial characteristic a leader must possess is trust.
Trust is the basis for all the relationships in our lives. Without trust we have nothing, and that
makes it almost impossible to create a healthy relationship as well as a nice work environment
with others The leadership process is not about things is about people. The characteristics of a
leader come to light in our day to day interactions with the people who are around us. A true leader
is the one who really has a great relationship with

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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