Free Essays on Leadership

Effective leadership is comprised of several components and qualifications. Although no one is perfect, our society teaches that we have an insatiable need for self-improvement. Maslov’s hierarchy of needs shows that self-actualization is the highest, yet least achieved level. In my personal need for self-improvement, I, along with my colleague Rasheed Vanpatten, have chosen three aspects of my leadership abilities that are in need of improvement. I CALL MY GROUP COMMUNITY OR ORGANIZATION TO ACT OUT OF VALUES THAT TRANSCEND THE DAY TO DAY. I have come to realize that I quite frequently criticize those who do not act out of admirable values, yet I do not actively encourage change. For example, in instances of a lack of neighborhood pride, I personally do not litter on the street, but I never speak out when I see others that I do not know littering. More often than not, it is because of the concern that public opinions are not always given a warm welcome. I realize that true and effective leaders take a stance to make positive changes despite any possible repercussions. Over the next six months, I plan to improve on this flaw by becoming more involved in my community and my department at work. If a true leader leads by example, then I must do so by providing positive images for them to follow. I HAVE A HEALTHY SENSE OF HUMOR. I LAUGH AT MYSELF AND KEEP CYNICISM AND SARCASM IN REIN. I do not take criticism well. Constructive or otherwise. I realize that I often allow other people’s opinions of me affect my own self-confidence. Effective leaders can accept constructive criticism and utilize it to strengthen their leadership attributes. I am also told that I can be condescending and sarcastic. I think that this comes from my lack of patience. Over time I plan to increase my level of patience and consideration for others feelings by attending an anger management course. By doing so I think that I will become more... Free Essays on Leadership Free Essays on Leadership LEADERSHIP Leadership is a complex process by which a person influences other to accomplish a mission, task, or objectives and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. Managers who recognize the importance of emotional intelligence and how it effects decisions will be successful. True leaders are able to break through culture barriers and motivate employees to willingly contribute to the success of the organization. Managers should learn to utilize several different management styles to enable them to handle various situations appropriately and productively. Becoming an effective leader, first starts with thinking like a leader. Managers must initially assess the work environment and the accompanying processes. Leaders gather data to identify issues and analyze the events that they affect. Management can then pinpoint the root causes and implement different process improvement cycles to resolve the issues. The possible solutions are taken into account to come up with the biggest bang for the buck. Performance measurements for follow-up need to be put into place, so feedback can be analyzed to verify that the new processes are successful. Creating a vision that encompasses the ultimate goal of the organization gives direction to the purpose, processes, and employees. Through communicating this vision, the leaders are able to tie in the vision to the work processes, constructing a solid structure to bring focus to the organization’s goals. A clear vision creates an environment of support from lower management and as well as their subordinates. Leadership can be broken down into formal versus informal leaders. Formal leaders have legitimate power of position; that is, they have authority within an organization to influence others to work for the organization objectives. And the Informal leaders usually have no such authority and may or may not exert those influences in support of the organizat... Free Essays on Leadership Effective leadership is comprised of several components and qualifications. Although no one is perfect, our society teaches that we have an insatiable need for self-improvement. Maslov’s hierarchy of needs shows that self-actualization is the highest, yet least achieved level. In my personal need for self-improvement, I, along with my colleague Rasheed Vanpatten, have chosen three aspects of my leadership abilities that are in need of improvement. I CALL MY GROUP COMMUNITY OR ORGANIZATION TO ACT OUT OF VALUES THAT TRANSCEND THE DAY TO DAY. I have come to realize that I quite frequently criticize those who do not act out of admirable values, yet I do not actively encourage change. For example, in instances of a lack of neighborhood pride, I personally do not litter on the street, but I never speak out when I see others that I do not know littering. More often than not, it is because of the concern that public opinions are not always given a warm welcome. I realize that true and effective leaders take a stance to make positive changes despite any possible repercussions. Over the next six months, I plan to improve on this flaw by becoming more involved in my community and my department at work. If a true leader leads by example, then I must do so by providing positive images for them to follow. I HAVE A HEALTHY SENSE OF HUMOR. I LAUGH AT MYSELF AND KEEP CYNICISM AND SARCASM IN REIN. I do not take criticism well. Constructive or otherwise. I realize that I often allow other people’s opinions of me affect my own self-confidence. Effective leaders can accept constructive criticism and utilize it to strengthen their leadership attributes. I am also told that I can be condescending and sarcastic. I think that this comes from my lack of patience. Over time I plan to increase my level of patience and consideration for others feelings by attending an anger management course. By doing so I think that I will become more... Free Essays on Leadership How would you Describe a Leader and 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. Young leaders of today face special challenges as they try to communicate and interact with their followers and potential followers. By exploring global perspectives, human diversity, and ethics, young leaders can take yet another step forward in their development and preparation for twenty-first century leadership. Globalization has many implications for leadership today and in the future. Global perspectives are being spread to the farthest points in the world and to the most isolated people. People of different cultures come to the United States daily to live, travel, or engage in business. Leaders must respond to this challenge of globalization so they can effectively reach out to as many people as possible. Opening themselves to the world’s changes allows leaders to compare and contrast their culture with the arts, language, beliefs, customs, philosophies, and ways of living of other people. By observing and questioning another culture, leaders can understand the origin of an individual’s viewpoints and become more sensitive to the cultural needs of that individual. 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. People are discovering that even within cultures, individuals come from diverse backgrounds, have different personalities, and prefer different ways of life. Young leaders can build a stronger relationship with their followers as they enhance their own appreciation ... Free Essays on Leadership How do human beings make decisions? What triggers a person to take action at any given point? These are all questions that I will attempt to answer with my theoretical research into Leon Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance, as well as many of the other related theories. We often do not realize the psychological events that take place in our everyday lives. It is important to take notice of theories, such as the balance theory, the congruency theory and the cognitive dissonance theory so that one’s self-persuasion occurs knowingly. As psychologist and theorist gain a better understanding of Festinger’s cognitive dissonance theory manipulation could occur more easily than it already does in today’s society. Leon Festinger’s cognitive dissonance theory is very closely related to many of the consistency theories. The first of the major consistency theories, the balance theory, was proposed by Fritz Heider (1946, 1958) and was later revised by Theodore Newcomb (1953). Heider and Newcomb’s theory was mostly looking at the interaction between two people (interpersonally) and the conflicts that arose between them. When two people have conflicting opinions or tension is felt between another person, it is more likely persuasion will occur. Because if no tension was felt between the two parties, or there were no conflicting opinions there would be no need to persuade each other. If you think about it, persuasion occurs only because there is tension between two facts, ideas or people. Charles Larson writes in his book, Persuasion, Reception and Responsibility, â€Å"another approach to the consistency theory is congruency theory, by Charles Osgood and Percy Tennenbaum (1955)† (p.82). This theory suggests that we want to have balance in our lives and there is a systematic way to numerica lly figure it out. When two attitudes collide, we must strive to strike a balance between the two attitudes. The balance varies depending on ... Free Essays on Leadership A fundamental, but far reaching, role of organisational performance and achievement could take as its starting point the identification and development of leadership. A series of questions and concerns dealing with leadership in groups, organisations and the wider community has led to the growth of numerous different schools of thought in relation to leadership. This essay is an examination of the major schools of thought on leadership theory. But more importantly, it is designed to identify and draw conclusions about the main theme underpinning the various leadership theories and what constitutes leaders and leadership. Leadership is principally concerned with the ability of an individual to influence others. This is typically accomplished through the use of the communication process towards achieving set goals, which contribute to a purpose. (Robbins, Millet, Cacioppe and Waters-Marsh pp 394 1998) However, a more comprehensive definition of leadership is provided by Bass, (in Vecchio pp 17 1997), who states that: "Leadership has been conceived as the focus of group processes, as a matter of personality, as a matter of inducing compliance, as the exercise of influence, as particular behaviors, as a form of persuasion, as a power relation, as an instrument to achieve goals, as an effect of interaction, as differentiated role, as initiation of structure, and as many combinations of these definitions." Nevertheless, many schools of thought have evolved to explain the rationales and assumptions in relation to the concept of leadership, and more importantly, to explain what it is that constitutes a lea der. Indeed, the first theories of leadership attempt to identify the traits and/or inherent attributes of leaders, regardless of the leader’s situation or circumstances. (Nelson and Quick, 1997) Initial studies of leadership considered leaders as individuals endowed with certain personality traits, which constitute their abilit... Free Essays on Leadership Dead Poets Society 1. What changes did you see in the group and in the characteristics of individuals? At the beginning of the film after the ceremony, the students are going through a forming stage where they are sharing polite conversation and are trying to know each other. Even on this stage Neil and Todd are already emerging as playing prominent roles in the movie.  · John Keating is the English professor who is introduced during the opening ceremony and has unconventional ways of teaching. He teaches his students to write poetry to express their feelings and to think for themselves. His passion was language and ideas, he believes in individuality and freedom. His character does not seem to change much during the movie, he is firm to his believes and use all kind of unorthodox methods to show the students not to conform even, to strive to be themselves even when other will disapprove.  · Neil Perry is a very popular student, bright and high achieving, he has a passion for acting but seems afraid of his overbearing father. He starts changing his priorities and getting more courage after Keating start teaching him on the importance of after discovering Keating’s senior annual and learning about the â€Å"Dead Poets Society† and take the initiative to form their own society. His character changes and he dares to disobey his father and take acting. Neil’s death can be seen as an act of a not so strong person or a way to defy his father one more time and show him that at the end he is his own person and do what he wants.  · Todd Anderson feels pressured for being the brother of a gifted person, he acts shy at first and is very insecure of his own skills. He gets transformed after Neil’s death and realizes the importance of being his own person and to think for himself.  · Richard Cameron is serious and loyal to the school and has trouble with the ideas that Keating is teaching. His loyalty is to the school and his characte... Free Essays on Leadership 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. Young leaders of today face special challenges as they try to communicate and interact with their followers and potential followers. By exploring global perspectives, human diversity, and ethics, young leaders can take yet another step forward in their development and preparation for twenty-first century leadership. Globalization has many implications for leadership today and in the future. Global perspectives are being spread to the farthest points in the world and to the most isolated people. People of different cultures come to the United States daily to live, travel, or engage in business. Leaders must respond to this challenge of globalization so they can effectively reach out to as many people as possible. Opening themselves to the world’s changes allows leaders to compare and contrast their culture with the arts, language, beliefs, customs, philosophies, and ways of living of other people. By observing and questioning another culture, leaders can understand the origin of an individual’s viewpoints and become more sensitive to the cultural needs of that individual. 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 (Pierce, 2002, p 287). On a more individual level, openness to human diversity plays a role in adjusting to the changes of the future. People are discovering that even within cultures, individuals come from diverse backgrounds, have different personalities, and prefer different ways of life. Young leaders can build a stronger relationship with their followers as they enhance their own appreciation for... Free Essays on Leadership The Japanese Approach U.S. scholars have paid attention to Japanese management systems and contrasts in leadership styles for several decades. This interest has increased along with the exceptional success of Japanese industry and highly visible advantages gained by those companies in quality production. The Japanese system is widely known for its lifetime employment guarantee, a seniority system that rewards loyalty and commitment to organizational harmony. In fact, Japanese management success has rested on three pillars: developing employee loyalty, improving productivity, and pursuing continuous quality improvement. Within this broad outline, several characteristics of Japanese companies emerge. First, employees, once hired, rarely leave for jobs at other companies even though they always have that choice. Second, because of Japan’s insular character, it has retained a homogeneous population that maintains cultural and linguistic integrity; in effect, it is a closed social system of relationships among companies, groups, and political interests. Third, Japan developed a so-called bottom-up decision-making environment that relies on active participation by all employees. The name of this management approach, ringi-sei (or ringi), literally means â€Å"reverential inquiryâ⠂¬  Japan’s approach to leadership is difficult to understand apart from its industrial history, beginning with the Meiji Restoration in 1868. At that time, growth depended heavily on the strength and private fortunes of feudal families. These social institutions amounted to military clans with strong internal networks of political and merchant relationships. As they began to establish Japan’s industrial base, they created family-dominated holding companies that began competing with on another in commerce much as they had in war. Known as zaibatsu, these conglomerates competed by establishing huge trading companies to reach beyond Japan for technology and ... Free Essays on Leadership The Japanese Approach U.S. scholars have paid attention to Japanese management systems and contrasts in leadership styles for several decades. This interest has increased along with the exceptional success of Japanese industry and highly visible advantages gained by those companies in quality production. The Japanese system is widely known for its lifetime employment guarantee, a seniority system that rewards loyalty and commitment to organizational harmony. In fact, Japanese management success has rested on three pillars: developing employee loyalty, improving productivity, and pursuing continuous quality improvement. Within this broad outline, several characteristics of Japanese companies emerge. First, employees, once hired, rarely leave for jobs at other companies even though they always have that choice. Second, because of Japan’s insular character, it has retained a homogeneous population that maintains cultural and linguistic integrity; in effect, it is a closed social system of relationships among companies, groups, and political interests. Third, Japan developed a so-called bottom-up decision-making environment that relies on active participation by all employees. The name of this management approach, ringi-sei (or ringi), literally means â€Å"reverential inquiryâ⠂¬  Japan’s approach to leadership is difficult to understand apart from its industrial history, beginning with the Meiji Restoration in 1868. At that time, growth depended heavily on the strength and private fortunes of feudal families. These social institutions amounted to military clans with strong internal networks of political and merchant relationships. As they began to establish Japan’s industrial base, they created family-dominated holding companies that began competing with on another in commerce much as they had in war. Known as zaibatsu, these conglomerates competed by establishing huge trading companies to reach beyond Japan for technology and ... Free Essays on Leadership Team leaders What is leadership? â€Å"Leadership is the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of goals† page 131 Robbins. Leaders can emerge from anywhere, and they do not necessarily have to be assigned the role of a leader to become one. There are two theories that support what makes an effective leader. The first theory that will be discussed is the trait theory. When researching what traits make up a good leader the researchers always seemed to be coming up short. They could not identify certain traits that would separate a leader from a follower, or an effective leader from an ineffective. Researchers were able to come up with six traits normally identified with a leader. The â€Å"six traits on which leaders differ from nonleaders include 1) drive and ambition, 2) the desire to lead and influence others, 3) honesty and integrity, 4) self-confidence, 5) intelligence, and 6) in-depth technical knowledge related to there area of responsibility† page 132 Robbins. The trait theory has many holes in it because it takes more than just traits to make a person a good leader. Traits are definitely a factor that determines how well leader will lead, but how a leader can handle and adapt to situational factors is another big factor. Other researches did not really accept the trait theory, and set them off looking for another theory to answer the question what makes a good leader. The birth of the behavioral theory started after the conclusion of the trait theory. What separate the behavioral theory between the trait theory are the underlying assumptions. The behavioral theory states that if there were certain behaviors that make up a leader, that you would be able to teach those to others. The trait theory implies that either you were born with what it takes or you were not. Ohio State University and Michigan University both did research on the behavioral theory. Ohio State came up with two dimensions called i... Free Essays on Leadership One of the standards of the National Honors Society is that of leadership. Members are expected not only to strive to improve their social environment, but act as a role model, and influence his or her peers in a positive and responsible manner. Students must also balance assertiveness with a compassionate heart. Through my experiences as an editor on the newspaper and captain of the {ENTER SPORTS TEAM HERE], I believe that I demonstrate the NHS ideal of leadership. As editor of {POSITION} for the school newspaper, I have learned to handle my position with authority while gaining the respect of the staff. Every month, the editors of the newspaper are expected to put out a newspaper for the student body that meets the high standards set by past editors. Needless to say, there is little room for error during the process and it is up to us to show the staff initiative and a no-nonsense attitude. Recently, I was put in the position of demonstrating authority with one of my peers when a very important article on Founders’ Park was chosen for the front page. The writer of the piece had to be pushed and prodded and it was my responsibility as an editor to not only help her with the article, but keep her from skipping out of class when she should be working on the story. Through my experiences with the school newspa- per, I have learned that leadership, one of the ideals of NHS, means getting the job done successfully and in a responsible manner. There is also another side of leadership that is often overlooked, yet I came across it while captain of the {SPORTS TEAM] We had the potential and talent to have a wonderful season, but inner conflicts and personal problems got in the way. Finally, I realized that it was time to take the initiative and show my teammates that we were not only a team, but a family and would always be there for each other. I held a meeting one day after school and my ... Free Essays on Leadership Leadership Essay written by: Jake Leadership comes in many different forms but they all are heading toward the same goal; and that is to communicate with people. Some people are silent leaders and lead by example some are more vocal. Nevertheless, whatever type of leader you are, there are certain criteria that must be met. For example being a good role model, being dependable, being trust worthy, these are all things that a true leader must possess. However, all leaders have their strengths and weakness and these are a few areas in which men and woman striving to become leaders often have trouble dealing with. All to often leaders become over defensive and it beings to tear away at the seams of a cohesive unit. A little defensiveness is healthy self-protection...like your immune system. Excessive defensiveness will prevent you from learning from your mistakes after all, why do anything different, if all your mistakes are someone else's fault? Feeling angry because of changes imposed from above? Attack the stupidity of your bosses and you will feel better! This move can be self-defeating if it stops you from understanding their rationale and coming to terms with your own resistance to change. If you have healthy self-esteem, you should be able to admit your mistakes if you have low self-esteem you will either be too hard on yourself for even small mistakes, or you will overreact and defensively never admit them! When you anticipate the failure of one of your projects, do you start telling people why it will fail? You are setting up your defenses in advance so you will not have to create the m after the fact. Advance defensiveness can even facilitate failure. Some people will even sabotage their own projects, when they start to think they will fail, if they can do so in a way that ensures their getting off the hook. Recognizing and avoiding your own excessive defensiveness is not easy if you have developed a pattern of protecting a...