Provide your personal definition of leadership used in Unit 1 as a base and describe what changes you are making and why

Leadership

Richard K. Hairston

GM502: Leadership Theory and Practice I

Kaplan University

Dr. Patricia Wolf

3/7/2017

A leader is someone who has a responsibility of guiding the rest of those below him/her to reach a specific outcome, objective or destination. In order to achieve this, the leader should be inspiring and motivating to others. There have been leaders since time in memorial and even in religious books. There are leaders in different fields such as political, religious or even organizational leaders. Regardless of the field that such leaders lead, they should have desirable qualities and this makes them good leaders.

When a leader possesses some bad elements such as dictatorship, no matter their success, they will not be regarded as good and admirable leaders. A leader should not be seen as to presiding from the top and giving directives while just observing the progress. A leader should try as much as possible to take part in activities with those whom he/she leads. When a leader is representative of others, he should represent the general view of those he represents. A leader operates at different levels with some at lower levels and others in higher levels. The most important thing is that whichever the level they are, they should be able to effectively guide others to the expected goals.

Given that leaders operate at different levels and in different aspects of life, different leaders will therefore have different functions. For instance, as a family leader, a parent has the responsibility of guiding their children into a better future. A parent should ensure that children are able to receive the best care and protect them from external negative influences. For religious leaders, they have the responsibility of guiding their followers. They act as role models to the believers and should therefore have adorable qualities that can be adopted by the followers.

Religious leaders are tasked in ensuring that there is morality in the society according to the principles set by the religion. Political leaders on the other hand are elected or chosen to represent the interests of the electorates. They are expected to advocate for the demands of those they represent. In the top-level political leadership, as a representative of the country, a leader is supposed to represent fellow countrymen in global arena. While speaking, a leader of a country is seen to be representing the country of a whole. People will not see the leader’s utterances as personal but rather the opinion held by the general public.

A leader in general is supposed to perform a number of actions. The first duty that a leader is supposed to do is setting the destination or goals to be met. It is the responsibility of any leader to come up with goals which those under them will work to attain (Blanchard, 2007). The success of a leader will therefore be evaluated with their ability to meet the set goals. The other important function of leaders is organization of those below them. Whether political, executive, religious or any kind of leader, they have to assign roles to those below them accordingly in order to achieve their goals.

A president for instance is supposed to have an executive consisting or ministers leading different departments. A leader cannot be able to perform all the duties in different areas and therefore needs to split it to others but remains at the apex. For one to be seen as a leader, he should be able to initiate actions. These actions should be of interest to the individuals they lead. He may not appear to be a leader if every the ideas come from those below him. A leader is usually seen to be someone who is creative and can come up with new ideas any time.

Co-ordination is another important function of a leader. A leader is tasked with reconciling interests of different parties (Montgomery, 2012). In an organization for instance, there are interests by the employees on one hand and the organization on the other hand. As a leader, there should be a strike of balance between the different interests. They therefore have the responsibility of ensuring there is co-operation in order to reach the set objectives. A leader will also be judged by their ability to give directions.

A good leader is the one who is able to show the direction that will lead to achievement of the goals. In addition to giving direction, a leader should instill confidence among people that they will reach the destination. Communication is another important responsibility of leaders. Leaders are supposed to make frequent communication with others so that they can succeed. By communicating with others, a leader will be able to pass messages to others and also receive the concerns.

For one to be a good leader, they have to possess certain qualities, these qualities are usually desirable. A leader should be of good personality, this is of great importance because a leader interacts with different people and others may not even agree with them. With a good personality, a leader will be able to handle different people appropriately. Decision making is a critical function of a leader, they are supposed to come up with solutions in different situations.

A leader has to be decisive and make appropriate decisions when needed to do so. The decision should not create more harm than good to others. It is even more desirable that the decision should leave all parties happy. For one to lead, they should be able to be empathetic to others. It is by having empathy that a leader can represent the view of others very well. Good leaders should be honest and they are supposed to do as they say. An honest leader will be trusted by others and will believe that they can trust their issues with the leader.

Optimism is a significant trait for a leader and should always remain positive even during challenging situations. The followers will desire to know that they can do it even when it is tough. Having a pessimistic leader will demotivate others and will be difficult to reach the desired goal. A leader has to be accountable always and should take responsibility for his actions and even those below him (Pringle, 2007). If a leader fails, he should take the blame and work out a plan on reversing the situation.

A leader should be courageous and confident, this will create a positive picture among their followers. A courageous leader will be able to face others without shying off and will even be respected. Passion is important as a leadership trait, a leader should do their activities whole-heartedly and should not be seen as if they are being pushed to perform the responsibilities. A leader should express a lot of patience since success and goals are not usually reached in an instance.

An example of a leader to me is former U.S president Barrack Obama. He meets most of the qualities and characteristics of a good leader. Obama commanded a lot of following not only from the Americans but all over the world. His excellent communication and oration was so persuasive and could easily convince anyone that indeed he was a good leader. He displayed that he is a good leader throughout his tenure as a president. He represented the interests of Americans well and made good relations with other countries. He had his passion for the interests of Americans when he established such programs as Obamacare. His decisiveness was seen when he fought terrorists and even became successful in killing Osama Bin Laden. He became an inspiration to many because of the fact that he was the first black president in U.S. During his tenure, he displayed integrity and he was never associated with any form of corruption or dishonesty.

References

Baptiste, T. (2009). Being a leader and making decisions. New York: Chelsea House.

Blanchard, K. H. (2007). The heart of a leader: Insights on the art of influence. Colorado Springs, CO : David C. Cook

Montgomery, L. (2012). What is a leader?: Profiles in leadership for the modern era. Issaquah, WA : AudioInk Publishing.

Pringle, P. (2007). Top 10 qualities of a great leader. Tulsa, Okla: Harrison House.