Last Week's Definition
Leadership is the way in which an individual acts to influence others around him or her to produce results. Effective leaders should be able to match their personal vision to their actions (Lee & King, 2001) and utilize different leadership styles in different situations. Effective leaders are ethical people and understand that there isn't always a single right answer and are able to make decisions based on their personal values.
This Week's Definition
Leadership is the way in which an individual acts to influence others around him or her to produce results. Effective leaders should be able to match their personal vision to their actions and utilize different leadership styles in different situations. Leaders are ethical people and understand that there isn't always a single right answer and are able to make decisions based on their personal values. Leaders should be unbiased and should not quickly judge people based solely on their physical appearance (Gladwell).
Analysis of Differences
I think that the readings this week about racism and sexism discussed good values for leaders to have but they are not things I would include in a high level definition of leadership. On the other hand, the Warren Harding Error is an important concept because of the idea of not prejudging people based on their appearances alone. I feel this concept does a good job of summing up all three readings into a single broad, yet concise point. Good leaders should be unbiased and accepting of all people's opinions and input, regardless of what they look like.
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.
