Developing Leadership and Leadership Ideas - Term Paper Example

? Developing Leadership Developing Leadership Leadership development encompasses the activities that enhance an individual’s leadership qualities within an organization or in an individual capacity (Conger, 1993). Leadership development has traditionally focused on developing an individual’s attitudes and leadership abilities. However, it is worth noting that just like not everybody is born an athlete, footballer or singer, individuals are not all born with the ability to lead. Certain characteristics and inborn personal traits can enhance or hinder an individual’s effective leadership. This means that training is necessary in developing leadership competencies (Conger, 1993). Every individual has the capacity to develop their own leadership skills. However, achieving this is not rosy and requires one to be focused, practical and persistent. These are illustrated using the leadership ideas and traits discussed hereunder. Leadership Ideas A good leader must have leadership ideas for an organization or business to succeed. This calls for responsibility which sometimes calls for one to piss people off according to Powell. Powell asserts that good leadership entails being responsible for the general welfare of the team. This means that not everybody will be pleased by all the decisions and actions of a leader. Sometimes, people get furious and angry with the leader for the decisions that they make (Powell, n.d.). In this respect, a leader should learn to act honorably. Powell compares getting everyone to like the leader’s stand with mediocrity. This means that, as a leader, one will have to face tough decisions, avoid confrontation with people who are supposed to be confronted, and refrain from giving rewards based on performance since some workers may get upset. When a leader tries to impress everyone, he/she ends up annoying individuals who are the most creative and productive in the organization. Therefore, as a leader, one must sometimes piss people off under his leadership for the organization to succeed. Powell also cautions leaders to be wary of those under their leadership who stop engaging them in decision making or reporting problems. He notes that this is a sign of leadership failure (Powell, n.d.). As such, it is necessary for leaders to give room for communication and consultations by removing barrier that may hinder juniors from airing out their views. He goes ahead to assert that real leaders make themselves available and accessible. They also recognize the efforts and problems facing underlings since even they demand high standards. Powell notes that creating a barrier in an organization does no good and leads to the organization’s failure. Therefore, a good leader should create an atmosphere where problem analysis overrides blame. Powell reveals that leaders should never be buffaloed by elites and experts (Powell, n.d.). This is because experts tend to posses more knowledge than judgment. Elites, on the other hand, become congenital to an extent that they create hemophiliacs that vanish with time. Therefore, an organization can perform well whether or not there are elites and experts in it. What matters is that, as a leader, one needs to be vigilant and proactive (Powell, n.d.). The other leadership idea found from Powell is that leaders should never be afraid of challenging the pros, even in their own backyard (Powell, n.d.). He notes that as a leader one needs to learn from those who support them, keenly monitor them, and seek them out as advisers and partners. He, however, cautions that even the pros may have leveled out in terms of their skills and learning. This means that leadership is not just being built on blind obedience to everyone, but good leadership promotes everyone’s evolution. Good leaders never ignore details. This means that they must remain vigilant all the times. In this regard, a good leader should ensure that all the activities of an organization are executed at the right time and in the precise way. Powel notes that good leadership also entails delegation of duties and empowering others liberally without forgetting to remain vigilant to details daily (Powell, n.d.). This encourages those working under their leadership to challenge the process with vigor and agility. Building Leadership Ideas/Traits When an individual becomes a business proprietor, he also becomes a leader. This comes automatically. This is so because the business owner is charged with the responsibility of leading his team – contractors, employees, business partners and employees. Describing what leadership is a challenging task to many. Napoleon Hill, however, did a great job in trying to explain the attributes of an effective leader. He identifies some of the major leadership traits that one needs to have in order to manage the business or organization effectively. The traits are described hereunder: Self-Control: A good leader must be able to control himself/herself. According to Hill, a man who cannot control himself cannot control others (Abel, 2012). This is due to the fact that self-control serves as an example, to the rest of the followers, which needs to be copied. Therefore, a good leader should be able to control his/her temper even if something has not gone according to expectations. Instead, the leaders should take their time and find out the best way of solving the issue. Definiteness of Plans: A good leader must be a good planner (Abel, 2012). This entails planning the work to be done and working the plan. Good leaders would never even think of going out on a journey without making a plan. They would have to envision how to reach the destination, the time it would take to get there, the best means of getting there, insurance, and luggage, among others. They do not operate on guesswork, instead relying on definite plans and are pragmatic. It is worth noting that the best plan also requires reassessment and adjustment. Sympathy and Understanding: A successful leader is one who is able to listen and understand the problems facing his followers (Abel, 2012). He must also be able to sympathize with them. This creates a cordial and conducive working environment where every follower feels cared for. This, in turn, motivates them to work even better leading to organizational success. Cooperation: Good and successful leaders are those who understand and apply cooperative effort and are able to rally their followers to adopt the same. Hill asserts that leadership calls for power, and power calls for cooperation (Abel, 2012). Cooperation in his case minimizes wrangles within an organization, thus creating a good working environment. Pleasing Personality: Successful leaders are not careless. Instead, they are well organized in their work and are respectful (Abel, 2012). This is due to the fact that followers in most cases respect leaders who do not grade high with regard to pleasing personality factors. Other traits identified by Hill that leaders need to acquire include mastery of details, willingness to assume full responsibility, keen sense of justice, definiteness of decisions, habit of doing more that being paid for and having an unwavering courage upon one’s occupation, and knowledge of self (Abel, 2012). Leadership ideas and issues in the US Army There are a number of issues that require strong leadership traits. The issues mainly involve defense and internal management of the military camp. Therefore, commanders are required to be more strategic and decisive with regard to the strategies needed to combat the enemy. The leadership ideas needed here include being vigilant at all times. This means that no detail is supposed to be ignored. Leadership also requires a lot of planning and knowledge of how to manage a team. This involves trust on the overall battalion that one leads (Army Times, 2012). Furthermore, in the US army, decisions tend to be black and white, team work is the order of the day, overall goals and mission are clearly defined, and there is no runner up in operation as everyone is equal and has a responsibility to play. Generally, authoritative leadership applies more in military as followers have to obey their leader’s commands without question or waver. Brief comparison of Military leadership versus that of Civilian/private sector leadership traits Certain leadership trait exhibited in the military are the same as those of the civilian/private sectors while others are different. For instance, both cases require good planning skills which is key to success (Puryear, 2000). Similarly, both cases require the cooperation of leaders and followers. However, the difference is evident with regard to decision making whereby in military, decisions tend to be more black and white as opposed to private or civilian leadership. Moreover, under military leadership everyone is treated equally as there is no runner up. This may not be the case with civilian leadership. Yet again, military leadership is more oriented toward authoritarian command even as civilian leadership tends to be situational. Conclusion The ideas gathered in this research regarding leadership development are of immense importance to me as a person. This is because the ideas will help me become a successful leader anywhere I work or live. This is because I have learnt that being a successful leader requires certain traits. The traits include being a definite planner, good decision maker, cooperative, sympathetic, and understanding among many others. By putting all these ideas into practice, I believe I will succeed in various leadership capacities. References Abel, E. (2012). Leadership according to Napoleon Hill. Retrieved from http://www.evancarmichael.com/Small-Business-Consulting/992/Leadership-According Army Times (2012, June 4). Army Times. Retrieved from http://www.armytimes.com/ Conger, J. A. (1993). Developing Leadership capability: What’s inside the black Box? Academy of Management Executive, 18(3): 136-139. Powell, C. (n.d). A Leadership Premier. Department of the Army (USA). Puryear, E. (2000). American Generalship: Character is everything. The Art of Command, 1-374. Read More