September 2011 Archives

Last week's definition:

Today, leadership is the ability to solve problems and organize plans amongst people using a variety of leadership styles according to the situation by both listening well to followers, analyzing the situation as well as considering their ethics and being resourceful in making a clear and coherent blueprint of tasks at hand.

In one of the articles that I read, "Understanding Why People Follow," I really liked the line, "The most extraordinary leaders do not see personal success as an end in itself. They realize that their impact on this world rests in the hands of those who follow" (Rath 94). The article deeply explored the common characteristics that people see their most ideal leader having so as to explore the reason why followers follow their leaders. After all, it's the existence and loyalty of the followers that make the "village nut" a leader. I agree with the article's study results, in that people's ideal leaders have the characteristics, Trust, Compassion, Stability and Hope in common. All in all, followers want to believe that their leaders can take care of them and to make them feel comfortable with being their followers. Notable leaders, in turn, inspire entire networks of other leaders, essentially making differences in a wide variety of people's lives by leading according to theirs and their followers' strengths.

This week, leadership is the ability to inspire followers to become leaders themselves, to solve problems and organize plans amongst people using a variety of leadership styles according to the situation by both listening well to followers, analyzing the situation as well as considering their ethics and being resourceful in making a clear and coherent blueprint of tasks at hand.

Reference:

Rath, T. & Conchie B. (2009). Strength Based Leadership. In T. Rath & B. Conchie (Eds.), Part Three: Understanding Why People Follow (78-95). New York: Gallup Press.

Last week's definition:

Today leadership is the ability to solve problems and organize plans amongst a group of people by both listening well to followers as well as being resourceful in organizing ideas to make a clear and coherent blueprint of tasks at hand.

In rereading last week's assigned articles, I was particularly drawn to The Leadership Repetoire, particularly the line, "Typically, the best, most effective leaders act according to one or more of six distinct approaches to leadership and skillfully switch between the various styles depending on the situation" (Goleman, 53). This obviously emphasizes the strategical aspect of successful leaders, denouncing the notion that there are set types of leaders that remain constant in style. It essentially encourages aspiring leaders to adapt to a variety of situations where a certain style works best, enlarging their ideal "leading environment" and increasing the range of personality types they can work with.

I was also touched by one of this week's articles, "How Good People Make Tough Decisions," particularly its attempt to tackle the often retarding "right vs. right" decision situations. There are a variety of logical approaches a leader can take in analyzing such a situation, but in the end, only the leader's personal ethics can factor into aiding the leader to pick a side. Whether or not the decision turned out to be good in the end, only time can tell.

This week, leadership is the ability to solve problems and organize plans amongst people using a variety of leadership styles according to the situation by both listening well to followers, analyzing the situation as well as considering their ethics and being resourceful in making a clear and coherent blueprint of tasks at hand.

References:

Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. & McKee, A. (2002). The Leadership Repetoire. In D. Goleman, R. Boyatzis & A. McKee (Eds.), The Importance of Emotional Intelligence (53-69). Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing.

Kidder, R.M. (1995). Overview: The Ethics of Right vs. Right. In R. Kidder (Ed.), How Good People Make Tough Decisions (13-29). New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Today leadership is the ability to solve problems and organize plans amongst a group of people by both listening well to followers as well as being resourceful in organizing ideas to make a clear and coherent blueprint of tasks at hand.