Reading Reflection - Essay Example

Reading reflection John Hailey and Rick James in their article “Trees Die From the Top International Perspectives on NGOLeadership Development pay attention to the role that the personal evolution of leaders of organizations is able to have on its future performance. Following the above mentioned say, they argue that leaders should be regarded as an important assent and they should be invested into in case the company would like to advance further and ultimately become a successful one. The authors name several qualities and characteristics that the leaders are encouraged to develop.

First of all, it is noted that personal integrity is the basis of effective performance of a leader. There is no doubt that in the corporate world integrity is what allows people to make sure that their goals are achieved and loyalties maintained. While this should be seen as an important quality for every employee, leaders should develop it to the maximum as they often serve as role models for other people.Secondly, the authors argue that political acumen is something that is able to help a person to become an effective leader.

Indeed, in spite of the fact that various spheres of social life such as politics and economics are thought to operate independents, the reality shows that they are often interconnected. That is why it is virtually impossible to become a helpful and productive leader without understanding the current political climate. As this leads to the understanding that business is no longer about generating profit and maximizing the return on investment, but engages many other areas of social life. Thirdly, the article points out that one of the direct responsibilities of the contemporary leaders of NGOs is to manage the competing pressures that these organizations experience.

There are several sources where this pressure comes from: the people who are employed, those who donate money, the local community, the global community and many others. As a result, an organization may be torn apart by the colliding interests. That is why the leaders are expected to find a way that would be acceptable to all the parties that are involved in the interaction.Finally, it is also suggested that in the contemporary society, leaders of NGOs are also expected to be able to response to various global challenges.

In other words, it is important for them to operate on a large scale than the local one make sure that they are able to develop a proper vision of the issue, taking into account various points of view and evidence. This means that there are virtually no limits on the range of responsibilities of a good leader which urges one to be able to step out of the traditional boundaries that mark one’s position.Another important element of the article is the time frame that is set: the authors hold that the next twenty years will be crucial for this kind of organizations.

Keeping in mind that the text was written 10 years ago, one might assess the validity of the claims which were made.