Leadership Development In today’s business world, organizations will tell you there are numerous factors that contribute to the overall success of the company. These factors include great people, great culture, great leadership, great operations, and a great vision for the organization. In my opinion, great leaders are the ones who inspire and motivate the employees to be the best they can be. We have all heard the saying that “leaders are born not made”, but I would argue great leadership takes a heavy dose of self-reflection and discipline, along with consistent and constant educational and mentoring experiences. Having been in leadership roles for over 22 years of my life, I can assure you I am not the same leader today, that I was 20 years ago. The key for organizational success is to have people that want to be developed while developing others. Great leaders typically breed great leaders, and these successors are the future leadership of one’s organization or the next. Dubrin (2016) stated that leadership development programs are widely practiced in a variety of ways across a variety of organizations. My research proved him right when comparing leadership programs from the healthcare, fire, and education industries. In this paper, I will explain how leaders develop through self-awareness and self-discipline. In addition, I will also discuss how leaders develop through education, experience, and mentoring, along classifying the nature of these leadership
Today’s potential leaders who have enhanced there skill with education in leadership, believe in the elements that they 've learned. The rational, technical reducible in today 's marketplace could be ill-equipped without the proper motivation and mentoring because motivation of followers isn 't created out of thin air. It’s accomplished by aligning individuals and members who take pride in their contributions and have an understanding of shared goals and values.
According to Showry and Manasa, the heart of human behavior in management is being self-aware. A manager must be aware of self, experiences and people’s impact on self. A good leader must understand his or hers own values, beliefs and interior/external motivations. Self-awareness makes a person in a leadership position look at their developmental needs realistically. An effective manager must have an internal sense of self and must be in touch with their values, characteristics, traits, strengths and weaknesses. Finally, to be a good leader one must have determination to shape their life by setting goals and building a team to accomplish these goals over time. Those who do not follow or are tentative about this process remain directionless and an ineffective manager and leader. Leaders should also have a
An effective leader must have a plan for success. This includes a personal plan of growth as well as a professional plan for improvement. This paper will attempt to highlight my personal strengths and weaknesses as leader, identify the areas needed for improvement, and identify the leadership skills and practices that I will use to become an effective leader. This paper will also give an outline of the goals that I consider a priority and a timeline for this development. The overall result will be an inclusive leadership plan of development that I will use to grow myself as well as any organization that I work for in the future.
For centuries leaders have been analyzed in order to determine what the traits and characteristics of a successful leader are. Leadership, as defined by Koontz and Weihrich (2008) is “the art or a process of influencing people so that they will strive willingly and enthusiastically toward the achievement of group goals” (p. 311). Leadership plays an important role in employee’s participation, creativity, recruitment to an organization, their commitment to the organization, and productivity levels. Over the years, there have been a number of theories surrounding leadership such as the “Great Man” theory, which, according to Riaz and Haider (2010), “assumes that leaders are born and have innate qualities, therefore, leaders
Leadership is the elaboration of group inspiration. One person entrusted as leader can implore the aid, and support of supporters in the accomplishment of a common mission. According to Gurdjian, Halbeisen, and Lane “Becoming a more effective leader often requires changing behavior. But although most companies recognize that this also means adjusting underlying mind-sets, too often these organizations are reluctant to address the root causes of why leaders act the way they do” (Gurdjian, Halbeisen, and Lane, 2014) However, today abundant businesses engross importance on the improvement of leaders. Some of the ultimate leaders were formerly followers, such as in instructive businesses. One aspect as leaders many have to contemplate in striving
Leadership is a concept that many probably think is a clear-cut subject that is well understood and extremely recognizable. Many would picture an all-powerful individual in a leadership postion, such as a chief execuative officer (CEO) of a company or a leader of a country. These individuals, most people would identify as obvious examples of people who have qualties, skills, or traits that have set themsleves apart from “the common man” and propelled them into the positions they now hold. It would surpirse many to find out that leadership is not as obvious concept as commonly precieved. In fact, as these indiviuals begin to study the numerous theories and studies on leadership, a picture obscure and non-sensical would emerge leaving the individual feeling like they are no closer to understanding what a “leader” is then when they had started. This relatively unknown truth about the absract concept of leadership is best demonstrated by an analyses of two individuals with two unique views of leadership.
In modern day business, leadership has become an issue that is given far more attention and investment than ever before. Leadership involves establishing a clear vision, sharing that vision with others so that they will follow willingly, providing the information, knowledge and methods to realise that vision, and coordinating and balancing the conflicting interests of all members and stakeholder. This essay will discuss whether leaders are born not made, with varies of theories being compared and contrasted and the strengths and limitations of leaders itself. Further this essay will analyse the future aspects of theories which would establish whether a leader was born with leadership qualities or made into a successful leader.
Throughout this study we have identified that leadership develops through size different stages that go from awareness to implementation. Since every person is different there the impact of each of these stages can affect the views towards themselves and also others. The process within each stage engaged developing self with group influences, which in turn influenced the changing view of self with others from dependence to interdependence and shaped the broadening view of leadership, shifting from an external view of leadership to leadership as a process (Komives, Owen, Longerbeam, Mainella,
Leadership development is a process that is continuously ongoing, starting with tools gathered from parents, family, teachers, coaches, and with people who we encounter every day. Leadership is simply one’s ability to lead work, family, and in life. At work a leader has an obligation to the people in their charge and those above them to meet and exceed expectations for the good of the organization or group. Results from the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) 360 list: shows others how their long-term interests can be realized by enlisting in common vision, finds ways to celebrate accomplishments, supports the decisions that people make on their own. The leadership approach that comes natural to me is “Take care of your People”, Taking care of your people is something that I feel strongly about. “Leading by Example” says that I will not ask my crew to do anything that I would not do. “Be fair” is something that has been instilled in me throughout my upbringing and a leadership trait that I carry with me today. Leadership Influences from upbringing, life interactions, and work can help define the meaning for each person.
The question how organization can better enable leadership at all levels is an ongoing process of change within my organization. It is widely known that without leadership development, the bench strength of an organization becomes weak and leadership pipelines are truncated –putting the company at significant risk (Leadership: The One Skill Needed at All Levels of Your Organization, 2015). More organizations are realizing the importance of investing in their leadership development programs. As baby-boomers start to retire or move into less demanding positions, professionals in their 30s and 40s are eager/ambitious to take the lead (Developing Leaders at All Levels: The Competitive Advantage, 2011). Management
In order to be a successful leader, leaders need to be a risk taker as well as an innovator of original content, but those qualities are only a part of a leader’s traits. A leader needs to create his own personality and leadership style, for a leader is not taught but cultivated through experience and personal epiphanies. Managers are often characterized as a leader, but there are distinct differences, as outlined in Bennis’ (1989, 2003) Understanding the Basics; managers follow the set guidelines and control the situation, whereas leaders cultivate and innovate the structure and builds trust within the organization. If the leader is driven and focused, the organization will follow, striving to accomplish the ambition of the leader. The great leaders of each generation have a commonality, they’ve created and shaped their own identity; great leaders have been the innovation of themselves first and foremost, before they’ve led organizations, institutions, and or governments.
Although many will say that leaders are born, it is my opinion an experience that leaders are cultivated into great leader. I have observed that many people were only leaders in the title. In my experience many lacked the leadership skills to unify and development departments. This made it impossible for the teams to truly be successful. I have found that successful departments were lead by exceptional Individuals that not only look at the weakness and the strength of their team but also look at their own weakness and strengths. This was made clear when management would share the tools they used to re-develop themselves to become better leaders. By being transparent, seeking out feedback and becoming an active listener this information, allowed some staff members to change their weaknesses into strength.
The importance of developing good leaders in today’s global economy is one of the most important factors for any corporation whether they are a non-profit or for-profit endeavor. Study after study has shown that solid leaders are a critical necessity to not only be able to compete globally, but to build companies that can be sustained. According to Kouzes and Posner (2007) leaders not only need to put numbers on the board (profits) they must have a focus on the longer-term development of people and institutions in order to prepare for change, adapt to market conditions, and prosper and grow. Additionally, they go on to describe five key practices of exemplary leadership as: modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, enabling others to act, and encouraging from the heart.
LEADERS ARE BORN NOT MADE There have been an age long debate, and humans since beginning of time, have tried to come up with an answer to this question – Are Leaders born or are they made?. This question has generated an age long debate, which in turn has resulted in various school of thoughts, some believe that leaders are born, while others think otherwise. My contribution to this lifelong debate will serve as a pointer to my position on this issue. I strongly believe that leaders are born and not made. Who is a Leader? - “A leader is a person who guides others toward a common goal, showing the way by example, and creating an environment in which other team members feel actively involved in the entire process. A leader is not the boss of
The word ‘leadership’ often times triggers a preconceived image of an ideal leader—typically accompanied by the aura that the effective leader should be at the top of the hierarchy, ready to produce the solutions to complex problems. However, this is not true of leadership, given that effective leadership is not achieved by position but rather through style and situational awareness. Examining leadership requires the consideration of the catalysts for different types of leaders. Popular leader development theories tend to focus on the natural servitude of the leader, his or her capability to manage, and leader behavior.