Leadership Essay

Concept of Leadership
Concept of Leadership
Leadership – what is it? Many definitions have been offered, cultural stereotypes abound, numerous
programs focus on leadership development, but the question remains. In fact, leadership is many
different things to different people in different circumstances. When we think of leadership, we often
think first of famous individuals. We may think of great political leaders: Washington, Churchill,
Roosevelt. We may think of the leaders of social movements: Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Caesar
Chavez. We may think of spiritual leaders: Jesus, Mohammed, Mother Theresa. Do we also include
in our definition some of the infamous leaders such as Hitler, Stalin, or David Koresh? Obviously,
leadership is not always or...show more content...
In Leadership Is an Art (1989), De Pree asserts that "the first responsibility of a leader is to define
reality". Bennis (1990) writes that leaders "manage the dream" . Vision is defined as "the force
which molds meaning for the people of an organization" by Manasse (1986).
According to Manasse, this aspect of leadership is "visionary leadership" and includes four
different types of vision: organization, future, personal, and strategic. Organizational vision
involves having a complete picture of a system's components as well as an understanding of their
interrelationships. "Future vision is a comprehensive picture of how an organization will look at
some point in the future, including how it will be positioned in its environment and how it will
function internally" (Manasse, 1986). Personal vision includes the leader's personal aspirations for
the organization and acts as the impetus for the leader's actions that will link organizational and
future vision. "Strategic vision involves connecting the reality of the present (organizational vision)
to the possibilities of the future (future vision) in a unique way (personal vision) that is appropriate
for the organization and its leader" (Manasse, 1986). A leader's vision needs to be shared by those
who will be involved in the realization of the vision.
Shared Vision.
An important
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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

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

Leadership Essay
Leadership In the changing business environment, leaders of all organisations may face
unprecedented uncertainty, especially the technology advancement and changes among the
employees. To survive and succeed, leaders should have some necessary attributes. Meanwhile,
some changes for leadership skills have to be made to confront the challenges. Two reports(
Ladkin & Weber 2011; Cappelli et al. 2010) and a reflection (Useem 2010) discuss current
business leadership issues in a global business environment . While in the article "Leadership Issues
and Challenges in the Tourism Industry: A Hong Kong Perspective", which focuses on Hong Kong
business leaders, the author Ladkin & Weber have a different overall position compared to the
...show more content...
argue that the leader should have ability to cope with uncertainty' , ' to persistently improvise around
obstacles' (P.97). All the writers take the similar viewpoint that the leaders should have the ability to
communicate with employees effectively so that they will be able to guide and inspire subordinates.
Capelli et al. point out 'empowering through communication' (P.95) and give the example of Indian
companies. They believe human capital is the motivation of the business companies. And the other
specific ways are 'creating a sense of mission' (P.94), 'Engaging through transparency and
accountability' (P.94), 'Investing in training' (P.95). Similarly, Useem states that the leaders should
empower employees by giving them more responsibility, also 'Convey strategic intention' (P.77) tell
them what to do but now how. In contrast, Ladkin & Weber do not discuss empowerment, rather
inspiring them through passion. He also states that the communication between employees and
customers is important. All three articles discuss mission and vision of leaders. Ladkin &
Weber claimed leaders need training and communication, they need long–term view for objective
and 'company vision' (P.278). By contrast, Useem

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

Leadership Essay
Leadership New Aspects of Leadership A significant part of effective leadership is the close
connection between the leader and the follower, which often determines the success of the leader's
mission. Unfortunately, this leader–follower relationship cannot be created according to some
simple formula. Without inspiration, involvement, and encouragement from both participants, the
relationship suffers. Leaders, in particular, must give an extra effort to reach out to followers in
order to initiate and develop this alliance that is so critical to the achievement of goals. Young
leaders of today face special challenges as they try to communicate and interact with their followers
and potential followers. As a result of the changes that...show more content...
Therefore, the leaders prove their respect and sincere desire in learning more about that person,
thereby starting a relationship and forming a foundation for the achievement of their goal. In
addition, they can learn how the countries and cultures of the world work together. By continually
exposing themselves to other cultures, young leaders can thoroughly develop this global perspective
and devote themselves to making connections with the entire world. On a more individual level,
openness to human diversity plays a role in adjusting to the changes of the future. Similar to the
spread of a more global perspective, people are realizing that each one of us throughout this world is
different. Although this concept of uniqueness is not really new, its reality has not been as apparent
until the recent breakthroughs in technology and communication. People are discovering that even
within cultures, individuals come from diverse backgrounds, have different personalities, and prefer
different ways of life. In addition, people have become more diverse in their particular values and
perspectives as they are introduced to new situations and events. While these differences may create
conflicts, they are not always a disadvantage. Instead, diversity makes life more interesting and gives
new insights into thinking and living. Young leaders can build a stronger relationship with their

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

Leadership Experience Essay examples
Iana Lukina
What did I learn from my leadership class?
There are lots examples of organizations in which everything seems to be done right, but
something is still missing. They have no soul. There is nothing that can breathe life into the
administrative system. They exist without faith, love, and hope. They are doomed to such a gray
existence, unless there is a person or a team of associates who discover the essence and meaning in
this frozen system. Such a person is called a leader and a role in which he operates – leadership. How
do people become leaders? With experience, with age or from birth?
In order to rise to the top, you need to have everything to climb. A person, who has the courage to
go forward or up, needs two things. He...show more content...
The second thing is to organize and motivate yourself. I understand how to give myself the best
chance to flourish. We can make leaders from ourselves. But the main thing here is that by
changing myself, I must always stay myself. You do not need necessary to wear a mask of who
you want to be, even if you really want it. It will not lead to good results; you will only inflate
your cheeks instead of an objective assessment of your capabilities. We need to use the full power of
all the energy, talents and abilities that are given to us.
There is no need to wait for the results from reading popular psychological literature with the
promising titles like "Leader for the Week", "How quickly to become a millionaire" and etc.,
biographies of "famous and successful." Moreover it will not be useful to visit courses, where
self–styled psychologists, of course, for a large fee, are teaching people how to become successful.
Objective assessment of yourselves, your capabilities, coupled with self–development and a clear
statement of purpose – that is what is needed.
In order to analyze my drawbacks, to accept them (which is itself a step forward) and to uproot it, I
find out the following methods: * Talk with my own inside critic. We need to listen to his comments
on others and ourselves and objectively contradict him. And even better to have a notebook in which
to write down everything he tells you. I should step back and look

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

Leadership and Change Essay
Change is when a person does not follow their everyday routine. They may want to try something
different, or be forced to. Change can be for the good and the bad. Places can deal with change
ranging from the weather, to the animals present, or the seasons changing. Also, objects can deal
with change too. Objects like an iceberg can start to melt, or a forest fire can kill many trees in an
area. As a human, we are the ones deciding on change. We are in a position to make big decisions
and possibly even become a leader in order for change to happen. If one person starts to change,
others will follow and hopefully, the change benefits all. Change affects us in the work place,
participating on a team, and in society....show more content...
If a leader took initiative to show others the seriousness of global warming, we could save animals
lives. The penguins from the book Our Iceberg is Melting, had a mixture of emotions while
dealing with change. Some embraced the change of moving icebergs while others tried to
convince the others moving was a bad idea. The penguins embraced change by having Fred
discover their iceberg was in danger. He then told Alice, who is a penguin with higher authority
and they formed a bigger team of penguins. "None of those with whom Alice spoke showed any
enthusiasm about the idea of swimming into a big dark cave" (Our Iceberg pg 20). The team of
penguins brought the idea of changing icebergs to the colonies attention and had their scouts
search for a new home. After searching, the scouts found a new iceberg which was safer for the
penguins and in the end, most of the penguins adapted to their new home and made new
traditions. The move was a success and some of the penguins who were originally against the
change are happier with the new iceberg. This past year the Stockton Softball team hired a new
coach to add our staff. The hitting coach was new to all the returning players because we had never
had a coach specifically for hitting and a new addition to the staff. The whole team and I had to
adapt to change because the new coach had new rules, expectations, and

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

The Art of Leadership Essay
The Art of Leadership
What is leadership? Leadership is having the ability to give guidance to those that will follow.
Those that follow will help to complete the mission. Leadership is an immature science and the
body of knowledge in the field has developed through a series of fits and starts. Leadership is a soft
science, just as anthropology, sociology and psychology. It cannot be proven exactly what it is.
Leadership is an art; the skillful application of leadership behaviors beyond techniques is much
the same as the skillful application of brushstrokes by a master painter. Leadership is both rational
and emotional. Some people take several years and even several classes and still can't quite be a
good leader. I even took a test,...show more content...
What is management? Management is a position of authority. Management says what needs to get
done and supplies the material to get it done. Management tends to be the more educated than the
experienced. Managers can be trained to hold a position. Management is a position of leadership.
Can leadership and management be the same? Leadership and management are not the same.
Anyone can be a manager and not have any followers. A manager should always know the aspects
of any mission. A leader knows the aspects, has the knowledge and the skills to accomplish the
mission. But leadership and management work hand in hand with each other. Leadership is a
human relationship process. No scientific method can be used for testing leadership. Managers
are not only interested in status quo, but also production, expansion and growth. Management
was a system to control machines. Leadership can never be controlled. To be a good manager one
must look at views from different perspectives. As situations change, leadership relations change.
Leadership cannot be transactional. It can only work if both parties keep their agreements. A
survey was held to compare leaders to managers. The overall opinion was that they are similar in
many ways. A leader and a manager can be one in the same. The difference between a leader and a
manager is that a manager directs and a leader motivates. When both are doing their jobs, they are
performing their leadership roles. If

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

Leadership Essay

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