Dylan Higgins as One of my Best Leaders: Personal and Organizational Goals - Essay Example

 Introduction Many leaders offer inspiration and assistance to those around them,to enable them to achieve their goals. One of such leaders is Dylan Higgins- the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Kopo Kopo, Inc. I have interacted with Dylan on many occasions, and we have worked together in some projects. He has technological background besides being an attorney in United States. Similarly, Dylan has proved to be a promising leader because of his attributes and commitments towards the people he works with. His company has many employees based in the US and foreign nations. Dylan coordinates all the organizational operations and collaborates with different investors, which is a show of his commitment and leadership qualities. Big-Five Personality Dimensions People are created with different attributes, which distinguish them from one another. Some of the major causes of the difference are the personality traits that one has, as well as physical characteristics which varies across individuals. For instance, psychologists believe that an individual’s personality falls within the Big Five Personality Dimension namely; Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism (OCEAN) (Peters, 2010). These personality dimensions make individual differences and determine how they represent and conduct themselves in any given situation. They also determine how an individual perceives and interacts with the environment, as well as other activities where they are. Dylan is a different leader because he shares the big five personality dimensions. For instance, he possesses the openness dimension because he is creative, imaginative, eccentric, and is open to new opportunities within the environment he lives. This was evident when he found a business opportunity in the Silicon Valley and took the idea to the less developed nations in Africa. He showed creativity by implementing the idea to give new solutions to payment problems. Values and Attitudes Values and attitudes determine and influence the way individuals behave and whether thier behavior is within the accepted standard within the community. Different people assume different values, attitudes, and distinct themselves from others. For instance, attitudes determine how an individual treats others or approaches different situations (Draft, 2011). Values signify what an individual considers important (Draft, 2011). Some of the values include; career success, family, wealth, happiness; thus, attitudes include peer pressure, respect, convenience, and professionalism. Dylan’s values and attitudes determine how he relates to people. Dylan values family very much because he motivates his employees with families and encourages them to care for one another. He also counsels his employees on marriage and relationship and has a dream to excel in his career, making him often read. Similarly, Dylan respects people without considering social background, which is an indication of his positive attitude. Charismatic leadership Charismatic leadership is one that motivates and inspire its followers (Caldwell, C., et al., 2012). It brings all followers on board and shows them the right direction to follow and meet individual and organizational goals. Similarly, charismatic leaders respect followers and do things they think the benefit the followers; thus, not selfish and look for the collective gain rather than individual. Dylan is one of the charismatic leaders I know. He is a motivator because he encourages people around him to work hard and succeed. In some instances, he offers social support to those in need, to help empower them for their wellbeing. Because of these qualities, I believe Dylan is a leader who inspires followers and looks for their well being in the society and at workplace. Independent Thinking and Open- Mindedness Independent thinkers are people who can think for themselves and make a conclusion that benefit everyone. They also engage a lot of critical thinking to make sound decisions, which can help, bring a solution to the problem. Similarly, independent thinkers are people who look at problems from different dimensions, and they are open to many options (Draft, 2011). They do not consider one angle or solution to the problem, but employ other creative ways to ensure the goals are achieved. Dylan is an independent thinker because he employs different ways to make his organization compete effectively and gain market share. Kopo Kopo faces competition, but Dylan can overcome and increase the company's profit margins every time. Similarly, he is open to employees and understands their problems, and without hesitation offers assistance. Moreover, he often makes sound decisions regarding the business operations. Leading with Love versus Leading with Fear It entails working with individuals and having passion about them in every undertaking. The leader does not have fear when leading followers and whatever he or she does, is welcomed by the team. Leading with love also entails making friendship and consulting the subjects in different ways to give their contribution (Caldwell, Hayes, & Long, 2010). Dylan leads with love because, he creates a conducive environment for the people he works with. Similarly, he shows leadership with love through the way he interacts with the employees, which removes fear from them and accept him as a leader. Moral Leadership and Moral Courage Moral leading is the act of exercising power over others by observing their ethical values and attitudes (Caldwell, Hayes, & Long, 2010). It also includes leading people by observing moral principles and placed guidelines. Moral courage entails doing the right thing through embracing what one believes is right and ethical. Most successful leaders offer moral leadership because they respect their employees and followers. Dylan practices moral leadership because he respects his followers and follows the guidelines and principles of the organization. He is also observant of the laws and regulations placed by statutory bodies to enhance moral leadership, which is essential for employees. Stewardship or Servant Leadership Servant leadership entails a philosophy and practices which a leader employs for their followers in any setup (Draft, 2011). It also entails sharing power and putting the needs of the people first by assisting them to develop and perform to their best (Caldwell, Hayes, & Long, 2010). Servant leaders work or lead towards fulfilling the needs of the people and considers them as the ultimate goal. Similarly, they respect followers and include them in every decision to be passed. Dylan is a servant leader because he leads to benefit others, and works to ensure that his employees meets their goals. Dylan is committed towards his employees and to fulfilling his promise to clients by delivering the best he can. More so, he gives incentives to his employees, which encourages them to give their best towards fulfilling organizational goals. Leader's Role in Developing Effective Followers Leaders have a duty of guiding their followers towards achieving the best outcome. It requires dedication of leaders in order to deliver promises and to govern with integrity, and to develop followers (Peters, 2010). Dylan is a leader who develops effective followers. He nurtures people working around him and teaches them on ways to succeed in the corporate world, and generally in life. Conclusion Good leaders are ones who work with followers and motivate them in one way or the other to achieve personal and organizational goals. Similarly, they are different from the rest of the people because they have good character and distinct personality which suits their performance. One of my best leaders is Dylan Higgins. He inspires people around him and leads by serving others rather than himself. References Caldwell, C., et al. (Aug 2012). Transformative Leadship: Achieving Unparalleled Excellence. Journal of Business Ethics 109, 175-187 Caldwell, C., Hayes, L.A., & Long, D. T. (Nov 2010). Leadership, Trustworthiness, and Ethical Stewarship. Journal of Business Ethics, 96(4), 497-512 Draft, R. L. (2011). The Leadership Experience, (5th ed. ). Mason, Ohio:Thomson South- Western. Peters, R. (Nov 2010). The Riddle of Charisma. Society, 47(6),516-520 Read More