Jim's Blog

A good leader is able to figure people out and how they operate because they will be able to get the best out of their group this way. When a leader incorporates a dominant voice that breaks through others when needed, this is a powerful trait.

Leadership:
A leader should be able to understand his group or employees and what makes them "tick" so they are always getting maximum productivity. Having a strong voice when things get out of hand and the ability to get the rest of the group back on track is really important. Using it and abusing it are two different things how ever, you don't want to always have to be yelling at the top of your lungs to restore order in your group.

Leaders are often harsh and very critical. The best ones are critical and still know how to operate a group. The Harsh boss who is always on you to do something is often just hurting himself because by pushing a single worker, he isn't able to keep an eye on the rest and by expending all of his energy into one, he won't have any energy to get through the day. From the worker stand point, they wont want to come to work. With a demanding boss who is always in your face, I wouldn't want to go either so I wouldn't blame them.

Leadership:
The best leader hold high expectations of the group while still having fun with it. They are able to make the employees or group member want to come to work instead of having to come. These are the most efficient leaders because they will have the best group morale and will be able to accomplish more than any one else.

When it comes to leading a group and surrounding yourself with other members, you want to make sure you take their strengths into consideration. My 5 strengths are Adaptability, Activator, Futuristic, Competition, Ideation. I feel that these are accurate and when I go to form a group around me if I am picking a team for a particular job or project then I will go and try to find someone to fill the holes in my leadership.

Leadership:
A good leader is able to get the strengths out of every member in the group regardless of time and or day. They are also able to know that they are not perfect and are able to fill the gaps in their own leadership style to make the group a well rounded unit.

My definition of leadership has changed since i started this course. This class has also made me realize the different styles of leadership and ways to obtain the same common goal of the group. We had 2 Navy SEALs come into speak to our team a couple of nights ago and what they told us, was priceless. They told us how they put their life and confidence in the guy next to them. When they are in battle, the leader of the group has to be able to trust their squad and if they can't, then there are the makings for disaster.

My definition of leadership on 8/15 after hearing them speak and reading our readings is:

A leader must lead a group to a common goal or purpose with full confidence in his/her group. Regardless of gender, ethnicity, and race. There has to be loyalty between the leader and his followers and between the followers and the leader. With this, there will be success.

I heard the definition of leadership defined by one of my good friends that I look up to as, The ability to do your job and having confidence in everyone around you that they will do theirs.

I go back a few weeks when we discussed if a team member is lacking in effort that the rest of the group had to make up the work, and with this part, there would be none of that. Everyone would be doing their own job worried about themselves and it would be fine and dandy.

This being said, my definition of Leadership on August 8th is..

The ability to lead a group of followers not only through good times, but times of adversity to reach a common ground or a common goal of success. An easier way to reach this goal is to have everyone involve be held accountable for their actions and their duties.

Leadership in this week is defined by how one gets through a permanent crisis. A permanent crisis like this economy is an example for one. How are we able to pull put of this slump and get back to the Strong America we were before?

A leader is able to lead his followers through a time of hardship. When the group faces adversity, the leader stays cool, calm, and collected to get through the problem with the least resistance from the group.

My definition of leadership to this point now is:
"The ability to lead a group of people, both big and small, to success. Having followers who look up to, and seek advice from you. While holding true to your core values and strengths throughout the journey."

In these past couple of weeks, we have been discussing core values and strengths and how they help our leadership abilities and skills. Holding firm to the core values of an individual can make someone who they are.
Lee and King stated that you have to hold firm to the values you believe in because they will help with your strengths.
I have many values that I have grown up with and my family have helped me discover them and hold true to them.

Leadership:
Being a leader when your core values are challenged and holding firm to what you believe in, even if you are the only one to stand up. Being able to not give in to the group and being influenced by what the rest of them say is a big necessity for a strong leader.

Everybody leads at some point in your life. Whether you realize it or not. Tom Rath gives a great example of leading in a board room, a discussion, or even in your family life. Growing up as an athlete, and being captain of many of those teams, I had to find the right way to motivate each individual. I had to not only lead by telling, but also by example. As a leader, I feel that leading by example is my strong suit.

Leadership: Leading a group of individuals and not always knowing it. Being able to take charge and show them the way to success.

Here is my first ever blog post of my life. I am not skilled when it comes to computers and/or technology. I am an athlete here at the U and i love spending time with my family. I am a big outdoors guy who loves to fish and hunt.

This is my first online class of my career and I am interested to see how it goes!