Who is Capable of Leading - Essay Example

Running head: WHO IS CAPABLE OF LEADING? Who is Capable of Leading? of Who is Capable of Leading? Before replying to the question that who is capable of leadership one must know that leadership is the procedure by which a leader, by influence, persuades followers to track their objectives for the team. In simpler words, leadership is an act of influencing the activities of an organized group in its efforts toward goal setting and goal achievement or a specialized form of social interaction … in which cooperating individuals are permitted to influence and motivate others to promote the attainment of group and individual goals. From each of these perceptions, leadership engages a course of influence whereby the leader has an impact on others by inducing them to behave in a certain manner. (Lussier, 2004) These descriptions have in general their stress on the analysis that leadership is associated to the aptitude to shape the behavior of those within ones group, organization, or society. So one with the before mentioned qualities is capable of leading. In addition, leadership engages more than being able to obtain changes in behavior that flow from coercion linked to the possession of power or enticement linked to the ability to reward. Leadership involves the possession of qualities that lead others to want to follow the leaders directives, either because they feel obligated to do so, or because they desire to do so In other words, leadership is a characteristic that is voluntarily conferred upon a person by others and involves the ability of a person to engage the active and willing cooperation of followers. Leadership is, therefore, a process of influence that depends more on persuasion than on coercion. The ability to motivate group members, while clearly a key function of leadership, is not all that leadership involves. (Lussier, 2004) Leadership is also linked to the ability to set goals for the group that is vision; goals whose attainment facilitates the continued success of the group. In addition, leadership involves being able to structure the organization so that it can effectively attain those goals that is implementation. Additionally, the several theories of leadership that have developed since the earliest history of organized societies articulate a wide variety of other criteria of leadership, making any simple definition of leadership incomplete. Leaders come in each size, figure, and temperament -- short, tall, neat, sloppy, young, old, male, and female. However, they all seem to have some, if not all, of the subsequent constituents: • The first fundamental constituent of leadership is a guiding vision. The leader has a clear idea of what one desires to get professionally and personally and the strength to persist in the face of setbacks, even failures. If not one knows where one is going, and why, one cannot possibly get there. • The second fundamental constituent of leadership is passion -- the underlying passion for the promises of life, combined with a very particular passion for a vocation, a profession, a course of action. The leader loves what he does and loves doing it. Tolstoy said that hopes are the dreams of the waking man. Without hope, we cannot survive, much less progress. The leader who communicates passion gives hope and inspiration to other people. • The next fundamental constituent of leadership is integrity. There are three essential parts of integrity: self-knowledge, candor, and maturity. (Leadership Qualities, 2005) ‘Know thyself,’ is the most complicated task any of us faces. Although until one truly know oneself, strengths and weaknesses, know what one want to do and why one want to do it, one cannot succeed in any but the most superficial sense of the word. The leader never lies to himself, especially about himself, knows his flaws as well as his assets, and deals with them directly. One is one’s own raw material. When one knows what one consists of and what one want to make of it, then one can invent oneself. Candor is the key to self-knowledge. Candor is based in honesty of thought and action, a steadfast devotion to principle, and a fundamental soundness and wholeness. An architect who designs a Bauhaus glass box with a Victorian cupola lacks professional integrity, as does any person who trims his principles -- or even his ideas -- to please. Maturity is important to a leader because leading is not simply showing the way or issuing orders. Every leader needs to have experienced and grown through following -- learning to be dedicated, observant, capable of working with and learning from others, never servile, always truthful. Having located these qualities in himself, he can encourage them in others. • Integrity is the basis of trust, which is not as much a constituent of leadership as it is a product. It is the one quality that cannot be acquired, but must be earned. Co-workers and followers give it, and without it, the leader cannot function. (Covey, 1989) • Two more fundamental constituents of leadership are curiosity and daring. The leader wonders about everything, wants to learn as much as he can, is willing to take risks, experiment, try new things. He does not worry about failure, but embraces errors, knowing he will learn from them. Even though writer talks about fundamental constituents, writer is not talking about traits that one is born with and cant change. As countless deposed kings and hapless heirs to great fortunes can attest, true leaders are not born, but made, and usually self-made. Leaders invent themselves. They are not, by the way, made in a single weekend seminar, as many of the leadership -theory spokesmen claim. Billions of dollars are spent annually by and on would-be leaders. Many major corporations offer leadership development courses. And corporate America has nevertheless lost its lead in the world market. More leaders have been made by accident, circumstance, sheer grit, or will than have been made by all the leadership courses put together. Leadership courses can only teach skills. They cant teach character or vision -- and indeed they dont even try. Developing character and vision is the way leaders invent themselves. Leaders have nothing but themselves to work with. It is one of the paradoxes of life that good leaders rise to the top in spite of their weakness, while bad leaders rise because of their weakness. Abraham Lincoln was subject to fits of serious depression, yet he was perhaps this countrys best president, guiding this country through its most severe crisis. On the other hand, Hitler imposed his psychosis on the German people, leading them through delusions of grandeur into the vilest madness and most horrific slaughter the world has ever known. References Covey R. Stephen, (1989), The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Restoring the Character Ethic, Simon and Schuster Books, ISBN: 0671663984. Leadership Qualities, What makes a good leader? Retrieved on December 12, 2005 from http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/leadership-qualities.html Lussier, R.N., & Achua, C.F. (2004). Leadership: Theory, Application, Skill, Development, (2nd ed.). Eagan, MN: Thomsen Southwestern. Read More