Personal Philosophy of Leadership - Essay Example

Title Author Institution Personal Philosophy of Leadership Abstract In this paper, I will major on the certain philosophies which address my leadership principles of vision, beliefs, team building, ethics, and adaptability to change among others (Gardner, 1990). A very good place from where I have gained by leadership philosophies, core values and assumptions has been my classes. I was part of the group presentation on the topic Leadership Competencies during the student personal service classes. At the end of the program, I found that the information I used in the presentation was very useful and critical as pertains how I approach leadership. In my classes and in practice as well, I often apply the following leadership philosophies (Warrick, 1981). The Autocratic philosophy of leadership- As a leader, I have to set clear expectations about what should happen in the group am leading, how it should happen and when it has to happen. I have to take responsibility over decisions made and have to control the performance of my team. The Democratic leadership philosophy-Depending on the type of group, for instance where high levels of motivation, creativity and innovation are required, I have to use this philosophy where the entire group is involved in decision making either wholly or partly (Choi, 2007). Delegative leadership philosophy-I apply this philosopher in a group where the team has experience and expertise in different areas and in cases where combined knowledge and expertise is necessary. The servant leadership philosophy-In cases where there are no needs of making quick decisions or there is no need of tight deadlines, I use this type of leadership. I allow my team’s service to be superior and the whole team has to be involved in the decision making process in one way or another. For instance, a cleaner has to prepare his timetable instead of waiting for the top executive to make on his service. The charismatic leadership of philosophy-In this style, passion drives me as a leader and an excellent motivator. I motivate others to work and spur them into action as well as expanding the group into the market place. The situational leadership philosophy-This philosophy articulates the leadership principle of adaptability for change. I apply this style when I need to change my procedures. The innovative leadership philosophy-I apply this in environments where creative thinking, innovation and problem solving processes are required. A lot of thinking is required from the team The constant improvement philosophy of leadership-This requires high standards of performance to be set for both the followers and I as the leader. I apply this in cases where the followers are highly motivated, skilled and are able to work at quick pace. Introduction Passion is what guides everything in life. It is what motivates someone whether spiritually, politically, socially, economically or individually. A leader is a person who directs and leads a particular group. Leadership refers to doing the right things. My understanding of leadership is that leadership is a process of influencing, assisting and supporting others towards the accomplishment of common task. Leadership is based ones attributes. Leadership is personal and every leader is special and different. The only similar thing in leadership is that every true leader has to understand, express and constantly improve their leadership philosophy. Leadership is different from management. As a leader, I lead people and manage things like materials, budgets, projects, programs etc (Komives, Lucas, & McMahon, 2007). Articulating my leadership philosophies will help me set goals to be a better leader and to continue my personal and professional growth. In addition, it helps me set expectations for the team I am leading and how I would want them to behave towards improving efficiency. Setting up my leadership philosophy will help me make better decisions more rapidly because I have an already and established set of principles for how I would want my team to behave (Pless,& Maak, 2004). Personal leadership philosophies helps me define what I expect, what I value and how I act as well as letting others know what to expect from me as their leader. There are many leadership philosophies practiced in today’s life. Since not every philosophy can yield favorable results with every group, only the philosophies that benefit me are discussed in the paper. Importance of Leadership In any group setting, effective leadership is necessary for the achievement of the group goals. As a leader, I must be able to inspire, motivate and clear direction for the group. Effective leadership is much beneficial and assists any group or organization to achieve stability and success. Lack of leadership may cause any group to lose direction and competitive advantage especially in the field of commerce and business. As a leader, one must set a clear vision and communicate it to the entire group and this provides the members or employees with a general overview of the group’s goals. The members can thus understand their responsibilities. (Pless,& Maak, 2004). Leadership helps to inspire and motivate. Personally as a leader, I have to set a good example, by being committed and enthusiastic and this helps to motivate the entire group to perform at a higher level. Through leadership, one can generate a plan that will help execute the course of action towards meeting the group’s goals. A leader also has the responsibility defining well defined objectives Good leadership helps in crisis management at times when crisis occur. As a leader, I have to ensure that the group remains focused at times of crisis by ensuring that I remind the team members about their achievements and also persuade them to set achievable goals in the short run. A leader brings new ideas through encouraging the team members to contribute and discuss creative ideas (Jackins, 1987). Leadership Core Values Values refer to the guiding standards in our personal and group lives. Leadership takes place within the framework of core values. As a leader, I have to major on various core values that enable me to effectively lead. These core values include: Respect-Personally I am a leader who respects the team members of the group I am leading irrespective of any differences; treating them with compassion, sympathy and dignity and able to earn the respect of the whole team (Maxwell, 2014). Integrity- I have the ability to keep promises and fulfill expectations as a leader. Authenticity-This is expressed by transparency and consistency in values, actions and beliefs and integrating all those values to contribute to the growth of the team members (Avolio, & Gardner, 2005). Courage-As a leader, I possess the strength to act and stand in the face of hardship and acting courageously in support of the common goal of the group. Making a difference- As a leader, I have to ensure that I put on personal efforts to impact on the personal and group lives of the team members or affecting outcomes positively. Innovation and creativity-In every group, I tend to try and create something unique in terms of working towards achieving goals. In other words, it is about leaving what others have done in the past and try doing it in a different manner (Jackins, 1987). Leadership Assumptions Leadership, both positive and negative has to put in action certain leadership assumptions (Komives, Lucas, & McMahon, 2007). Through my experience at the time of the group presentation on the topic Leadership Competencies during the student personal service classes, I learnt of several assumptions on leadership which I have used in other cases of leadership. As a student’s leader in my school, I applied the following core leadership assumptions: Competencies in leadership are learned and developed- People say that people are born leaders but in my experiences as a leader, I have learnt a lot of leadership skills. We express leadership in different manners depending on one’s experience and expertise in the field of being a leader Leadership development is perpetual and can be a lifelong process-In my experience; I have attended several leadership seminars and workshops and have gained wild experience. Leadership growth is a process and it has to continue throughout my lifetime. Leadership does not necessarily require a formal job position-I have learnt that leadership is much of a practical thing than a theoretical process. It is not a particular title, role or position. Leadership is inclusive-In all my experiences in leadership, I have learnt to involve the participation of other group members through the use of democratic leadership philosophy (Komives, Lucas, & McMahon, 2007). Leadership growth and development is based on the awareness of strengths. Personal Leadership Beliefs Through my experience in leadership, I have applied several beliefs in different situations. Leadership is not tangible and no one can physically touch it. Leadership is only felt once you experience it either good or bad leadership. Actions are seen stemming from a leader’s beliefs or activities. My leadership has been shaped by the surrounding external environment though the main reason and source of leadership emanates from within. As a leader, I always ensure that I touch, inspire and move someone so as to consider myself successful a leader. As a leader, I must weed out those beliefs that impede the process of creating relationships that help the team members of any group to contribute their best. As a leader, I have to address several issues about leadership to help in building leadership beliefs. One’s source of leadership has to be examined so as to help determine ones leadership beliefs. Socrates, a renowned sociologist once asserted that the life that has not been examined is not worth living. As a leader, I advocate for the examination of the sources of leadership which may be done in the following ways: Trust in people- Trust is very essential in leadership. Personally I believe that if the people you are leading don’t trust you, then the level of leadership to that particular group will be limited. View of people-To come up with personal leadership beliefs, several questions arise among them: Does one need to be controlled? Will people do what is expected of them most of the time? The conclusions that I make about the team members of the group I am leading will shape how I perceive them and their actions. It is hard to evaluate our personal beliefs. We only believe that the conclusions we make are always true. Capability to connect people- The question that arises here is; can I connect people to do excellent work together? As a leader, am I in a position to see connections between the group member’s talents? This brings the leadership belief that there is power in team work for any group or organization. As a leader, I can step up results, success and passion if at all I know the group’s talents (Maxwell, 2014). A leader doesn’t look away-As a leader, am I driven to deal with injustice? I have to leave the group touched and inspired thus I don’t have to look away when problems arise during my leadership tenure. Commitment- As a leader, I have to commit myself to ensure that cases of mediocrity are minimal and there is always success. Commitment is being dedicated to a particular cause, belief or group and the willingness to get involved in the same. As a leader, I have to commit myself; I generate greater momentum so as to get the job well done towards achieving the group’s goals and objectives (Gardner, 1990). As a leader, I have to build the credibility of other group members. Through this, they look at me as a reliable resource for information as well as decision making. Credibility translates into improved group performance, respect from the whole group by showing strong and positive attributes. In order to gain credibility from with the group, I have to possess several qualities and attributes among them competence, staying focused, honesty, accountability, trust and loyalty. Conclusion Leadership is the most important factor in any group’s success. A leader is supposed to lead others, and to be a good role model from where they can copy. As a leader, I have to motivate the group members to keep them working towards the achievement of a common goal. Through this, members are committed and thus success is inevitable (Jackins, 1987). It is important to remember that there is no correct philosophy of leadership. It all depends on an individual and the work environment and the situation in consideration. Not every other individual is capable of adopting every philosophy. It depends on what one values and their personality. My experiences in leadership have shaped my leadership philosophy and I will continue practicing them. I have learnt from classes and even from practice about the things that matter to me and those that do not (Gardner, 1990). The book ‘The 21 irrefutable laws of leadership by John C. Maxwell’ has greatly helped me to gain most of my philosophy in leadership. When the people you lead respect you as just a person, they admire you. When it comes to respecting you as a friend, they will love you but if they respect you as their leader, they will definitely follow you (Maxwell, 2014). References Avolio, B. & Gardner, W. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly 16, 315 – 338 Briles, J. (2004). Changing from Peer to Boss has its Challenges. The Denver Business Journal. Choi, S. (2007). Democratic Leadership: The Lessons of Exemplary Models for Democratic Governance. International Journal of Leadership Studies 2(3), 243-262 Gardner, J. (1990). On Leadership. New York, NY: The Free Press. Harley, F., H. & Ruggero, Ed. (2005). The Leader’s Compass: A personal Leadership Philosophy Is Your Key to Success. Academy Leadership. Jackins, H. (1987). The Enjoyment of Leadership. Seattle, WA: Rational Island Publishers. Komives, S. R., Lucas, N., & McMahon, T. R. (2007). Exploring Leadership: For College Students who want to make a Difference. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Maxwell, J. C. (2014). The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadeship: Follow them and People Will Follow You (10th Anniversary Edition). New York: Thomas Nelson Publishers. Pless, N. & Maak, T. (2004). Building an Inclusive Diversity Culture: Principles, Processes and Practice. Journal of Business Ethics 54, 129–147 Warrick, D. (1981). Leadership Styles and Their Consequences. Journal of Experiential Learning and Simulation 3-4: 155-172 Read More

Leadership is personal and every leader is special and different. The only similar thing in leadership is that every true leader has to understand, express and constantly improve their leadership philosophy. Leadership is different from management. As a leader, I lead people and manage things like materials, budgets, projects, programs etc (Komives, Lucas, & McMahon, 2007). Articulating my leadership philosophies will help me set goals to be a better leader and to continue my personal and professional growth.

In addition, it helps me set expectations for the team I am leading and how I would want them to behave towards improving efficiency. Setting up my leadership philosophy will help me make better decisions more rapidly because I have an already and established set of principles for how I would want my team to behave (Pless,& Maak, 2004). Personal leadership philosophies helps me define what I expect, what I value and how I act as well as letting others know what to expect from me as their leader.

There are many leadership philosophies practiced in today’s life. Since not every philosophy can yield favorable results with every group, only the philosophies that benefit me are discussed in the paper. Importance of Leadership In any group setting, effective leadership is necessary for the achievement of the group goals. As a leader, I must be able to inspire, motivate and clear direction for the group. Effective leadership is much beneficial and assists any group or organization to achieve stability and success.

Lack of leadership may cause any group to lose direction and competitive advantage especially in the field of commerce and business. As a leader, one must set a clear vision and communicate it to the entire group and this provides the members or employees with a general overview of the group’s goals. The members can thus understand their responsibilities. (Pless,& Maak, 2004). Leadership helps to inspire and motivate. Personally as a leader, I have to set a good example, by being committed and enthusiastic and this helps to motivate the entire group to perform at a higher level.

Through leadership, one can generate a plan that will help execute the course of action towards meeting the group’s goals. A leader also has the responsibility defining well defined objectives Good leadership helps in crisis management at times when crisis occur. As a leader, I have to ensure that the group remains focused at times of crisis by ensuring that I remind the team members about their achievements and also persuade them to set achievable goals in the short run. A leader brings new ideas through encouraging the team members to contribute and discuss creative ideas (Jackins, 1987).

Leadership Core Values Values refer to the guiding standards in our personal and group lives. Leadership takes place within the framework of core values. As a leader, I have to major on various core values that enable me to effectively lead. These core values include: Respect-Personally I am a leader who respects the team members of the group I am leading irrespective of any differences; treating them with compassion, sympathy and dignity and able to earn the respect of the whole team (Maxwell, 2014).

Integrity- I have the ability to keep promises and fulfill expectations as a leader. Authenticity-This is expressed by transparency and consistency in values, actions and beliefs and integrating all those values to contribute to the growth of the team members (Avolio, & Gardner, 2005). Courage-As a leader, I possess the strength to act and stand in the face of hardship and acting courageously in support of the common goal of the group. Making a difference- As a leader, I have to ensure that I put on personal efforts to impact on the personal and group lives of the team members or affecting outcomes positively.

Innovation and creativity-In every group, I tend to try and create something unique in terms of working towards achieving goals. In other words, it is about leaving what others have done in the past and try doing it in a different manner (Jackins, 1987).

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