Leadership is the ability to cast away fear at times when your passion moves you to lead. A leader must keep his values close and not be afraid of what others may think of him/her because of them. If it is to be, whatever motion a leader starts, followers will come. Its the ability to listen, understand, and change for the better that divides great leaders from others.

There were not readings this week, so I really wrote out what I'm comfortable at leaving my leadership definition at for this class. Leadership takes passion, understanding, and so many other things. I'm very comfortable with leaving my leadership definition as this. I changed the definition so it had more of an all encompassing meaning. Being this is the last definition I will write in this class, I thought it would be wise to end the definition on what I believe it takes to be a leader. I thought about all the readings and actives we've had in class over this past semester and I really think that before this class, my definition of leadership would look nothing like what it does now. Taking the time to get to know our classmates and doing several activities with them have helped me to understand a lot more about how many different roles leadership can take on. Also, it showed my how many different styles of leading there are, and unique everyones strengths are. Getting to know oneself better is the key to forming who we want to be and what it will take for us to grow into the leaders we want to be in the future.

Leadership is the ability to garner followers that believe in moving in a certain direction. They must NOT be immune to change for the betterment of the group and their cause. Being able to accept all forms of people and working with and understanding followers will make getting something done much easier.

I really like the reading this week because it ties in a much broader concept to it than it details. Immunity to change can be tied in to the racism reading we had in week 11 and many many more things that can prevent businesses, or whatever it may be from becoming a better form of itself. The ability to change for the betterment of, whatever it may be, is crucial to moving forward. Leaders cannot let themselves get in the way of their cause. I lot of this can be prevented, I feel like, by stepping out onto the balcony and seeing what needs to happen in order to make good changes. So I've really had a very similar reason for my definition before, so that's really funny this reading came up because I actually put some of my reasoning from my definition, into the actual definition. Most of my definition stayed the same this week because I feel like it always helps to be accepting and understanding of all sorts of people, will just add to the possibilities of that leaders group.

Leadership is the ability to garner followers that all believe in a certain cause. They must have the ability to see the wants and needs of the followers to know how to best go about leading. All the while not disparaging against different races of people.

This week I transformed my definition a little more than maybe I originally intended. I really liked the reading for this week. "Defining Racism: Can we talk?"* Although I both agreed and disagreed with some of the points, I took a lot from it. I've never been asked so direct the questions that we were asked to answer in class before. It was extremely awkward but also a decently relevant conversation to have especially because of the diversity of our class. It made me realize that these problems really are out there, and that in order to be a good leader you cannot discriminate against one another or we will never truly have equality. "Prejudice is one of the inescapable consequences of living in a racist society"* Although I do not think prejudices are quite as bad as this article portrays them, I really believe that some still does, and until we can fix that and all get a long, we will always have people that are divided from one another.

*Tatum, B. D. (1997). "Defining Racism: Can we talk?" Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? (pp. 3 - 17). New York: Basic Books.

Leadership is the ability to create a movement, or change for the betterment of a group of people. Followers should not be so quick to get behind a leader however. It is the followers responsibility to see leaders for what they truly are and stand for. Leaders can come in many deceptive forms and may not hold true to their values, for the sake of winning.

This week I decided to change a couple of things because of the reading *The Warren Harding Error. I think this error happens even more then we think it does. I really feel like followers often times follow a leader blindly because they do not know exactly what they stand for or others around them are doing. *"Thin Slicing" can lead to very bad outcomes. I also changed the last part a little bit because I also feel like a lot of people are willing to sacrifice what they stand for in order to obtain the power of a position. As far as what I kept the same, I still think that in order to be a leader you should create a movement or change for the betterment of a group of people. Even if things are running smoothly there are always things that can be done to keep improving and getting better.

* Gladwell, M. (2005). "The Warren Harding Error: Why we fall for tall, dark, and handsome men." Blink: The power of thinking without thinking (pp. 72 - 98). New York: Pushkin Enterprises.

Leadership is the ability to create a movement, or change for the good. A leader must have followers that understand the reason behind what is happening. A leader most hold his values close and not forgot who they are.

This week I kept the first part of my definition because I really do think that the whole point of leading should be for a good cause. Yes people can follow blindly or for the wrong reasons, and it can result in some pretty bad things. If the leader that does not have followers that understand what he/she is trying to accomplish, the movement probably won't get very far. I changed the last part of my definition because of the cultural detective packet that we've been working out of. Personal values are a big part of who we are. If we loose sight of them, we might lose our path in leadership as well.

Leadership is the ability to create a movement, or change for the good. A leader must be able to have followers fully understand why change is needed and lead in a manner that plays to their strengths. Leaders must have the ability to learn and see followers more then just a group, but as individuals and understand what they are wanting to get out of a situation.

My definition of leadership changed a little bit this week because of the reading, The Real reason people won't change. (<-- That's Italicized) The article states, "You need to figure out what's getting in the way of change."* That's why I changed the first part of my definition this week. I do believe leaders must have their followers understand why it is important to create a movement or create change. Without full understanding it my hinder the amount of followers because they do not understand the reason behind what's going on. I kept that leaders must have the ability to learn about and see followers as individuals, rather than a group. By doing this I believe a leaders will have a much better understanding of what is happening, and will be able to deal with it much easier individually, rather than just having people conform to something they may be uncomfortable with.

*Kegan, R. & Lahey, L. L. (2002). The Real reason people won't change. Harvard Business Review, 79(10), 85-92.

Leadership is the ability to lead whoever your followers are into a situation they know they are willing to get into. The way leaders lead can be different depending on their strengths and weakness pertaining to a situation. Leaders must have the ability to learn and see followers more then just a group, but as individuals and understand what they are wanting to get out of a situation.

I liked the reading for this week on why people have an immunity to change. "When the ITC process is used it is important to consider the desired outcomes."* This quote stuck out to me because I feel like a lot of people follow just because their friends or other people around them are. Without your followers know what they are getting into and what the group is trying to accomplish is essential to reaching the full potential of a movement. So that was my biggest change this week. I kept that there are better leaders for different situations depending on what their strengths are. I think that this is true because I've experienced many situations where people try lead but have no clue about what is going on, this to me is very inefficient when trying to get something done.

*Kegan, R., & Lahey, L. L. (2001). The Real reason people won't change. Harvard Business Review, 79(10), 85-­‐92.

Leadership is the drive of certain people that have the ability to step up in certain situations that may or may not play to their strengths. Everyone leads differently but to truly have an understanding of the big picture one must be able to step back and look at what's really going on in situations and be able to make the best decisions for not only you but the followers you have gained along the way.

This week I shortened my definition of leadership because I feel after reading, "Get On The Balcony" I could better sum up some of the mumbo jumbo I wrote in week 5. When the story talks about how the band was playing and everyone was dancing, it used this specific line, "But if you had gone up to the balcony and looked down on the dance floor, you might have seen a very different picture. You would have noticed all sorts of patterns."* This line really spoke to me. I definitely feel like in order to be good leader you must take a step back to see what is really going on, not just what you yourself are wrapped up in. It's hard to find the balance between doing what you're wrapped up in, and having the ability to also see what everyone else is thinking/doing as well. So that was the big change in this weeks definition. The thing I kept the same was that I still do believe that some people are meant to lead and some people like to follow and there's nothing wrong with that.

* Heifetz, R.A., & Linsky, M. (2002). "Get on the balcony."

Leadership is the ability of certain people, whether in a group or individuals, that have the ability to lead people. The people or groups of specific people that lead in all situations can differ depending on what their strengths are in comparison to the situation. In order to be a leader and gain followers, one must not let the fear of failure or judgement keep them from stepping up into the role. Not all people have the ability to lead however, and are more comfortable with being a follower.

I really liked my definition from week four, making it hard for me to determine what tweaks were necessary. So I had to dig deeper and try get more specific within certain parts of my theories that form my definition. I kept that leadership is an ability of select people/groups and also that different people can lead, depending on their strengths and the situation. I really took an in depth look at, and tried to get to the root of a phrase I've used several times; "Certain people and groups that have the ability to lead in different situations." I found the need to tried to clarify what this means in relation to the actualization that not everyone can/wants to lead. I had to hone in on other peoples perceived boundaries or want to remain autonomous when leadership opportunities present themselves. Discomfort in front of large groups of people, unwanted pressures, and the notion that judgements are being rendered on behalf of peers can all be hinderances that scare people away from leadership roles. Leaders need followers in order to be relevant anyways, making followers just as essential in the in the scheme of leadership.

Leadership is the ability of certain people, whether in a group or individuals, that have the ability to lead people. The people around you and individual or group strengths and weaknesses will determine who the leader will be and who will follow. I don't think all leadership is the same, rather it presents itself in different situations for different kinds of leaders.

This week the differences in incorporated in my definition was to take the group level out and think deeper into what that meant. I feel like although there may be a common leader, it may not be the right leader in certain situations. If people are willing to step up into a leadership role, where they can utilize there strengths in a situation, it could be beneficial for all. The main thing I kept the same this week was that there still has to be an ability to lead in order to step into leadership roles, where followers or groups of people are involved in a situation.

Leadership is the ability of one, or some that has the ability take charge of situation, with accordance to a particular situation. It can depend on what stage you are in with the people you are leading, and what the decisions to be made are. Without the support of the group/people you are leading (no followers) you can not be a leader.

So this week I decided to go back to saying that one or more people could lead. I feel like it's not always just up to one person unless he is seen as an expert member. So that's one difference. In the reading for this week I thought it was very interesting to read about the different types of groups, and different stages groups could be in. I also thought it was interesting how the had an individual type of person within that group as well. In the chapter summary when the reading states, "groups are the building blocks of community of practice."* It made me think more about how groups are cannot only be the building blocks of communities of practice but they can also be the building blocks to form a leader, as you grow throughout the stages. Again a similarity I have is having followers, especially after reading this article, you can how a group can produce a leader or also tear down a perceived one.

*Komives,S.R, Lucas, N., & Mcmahon, T.R. (1998). "Interacting in Teams and Groups." Exploring leadership: For college students who want to make a difference (pp.165-194). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Leadership is the ability of one, to portray himself to all, or most, as the person that is right for a task at hand. However, with no followers, there are no leaders.

So I'm not exactly sure why I just about completely changed what the definition of leadership is to me this week. At least in a "writing it out sense", in two to three concise sentences. There's really nothing similar between the two. I feel like the video clip we watched in class made the difference on how it effected my view of leadership, in overall terms. Although there can be many definitions of leadership I think this is the part that I sided with after seeing the video. I'd never thought about a leader in those terms before. I guess in sense it made me have a deeper understating of the term, then just the things you see on the surface.

So because this is my first weeks definition of leadership, I really don't have much to incorporate around why this is my definition. It's basically just my personal perception of what I think leadership is. Because of my experiences i've always felt that a leader can be a person or more than one person depending on the circumstances, and without be able to appropriately analyze situations you're not going to get very far in that leadership position.