This is something I wrote for a college class. I would love to hear your thoughts.
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Ronald Reagan
says it pretty clearly; "The greatest leader is not necessarily the one
who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the
greatest things." All people crave leadership. What makes up leadership,
and how can it be defined. How does leadership effect your organization and
life? When I speak of the organization, it could mean family, community,
workplace or anywhere that people interact.
Every organization benefits from strong, thoughtful leadership. To
understand leadership, we must first define leadership. Once leadership is
defined, we will determine the qualities of a leader. Finally we will discuss
what leadership is not. Leadership is the foundation for success, from
leadership great things happen, and without it so much can go wrong.
Leadership can
easily be defined as influence (Maxwell 6). The ability to influence others
to accomplish the mission, whatever
that me be at the time. There is a time for everyone to step up and lead,
whether in the work place, at home, or in their communities. Why do so few
people take that step forward to lead? To become a leader, you must be willing
to endure some level of discomfort. Leaders put themselves out in front of
those around them, and this requires courage . When a person steps to the
front, they put themselves in the unenviable position to receive criticism and
ridicule. Leaders look for opportunities
to improve the conditions for others, even when no personal gain is to be made
for themselves (Viscuso 25). Too often,
people do not recognize that leadership can happen from anywhere in the
organization, not just the top. The fortunate senior person has many leaders
working toward the goals of the organization, not leaders working against them
(Crosby). Yes, if allowed to occur, there will be leaders in the group whom are
attempting to lead people away from the goals. This comes from not having a
strong mission statement for the organization.
“Firefighters
are a special breed. Any person who is willing to run into a burning building,
even a follower, is still exhibiting an essential leadership quality-the
ability to put the needs of others ahead of one’s own” (Viscuso 7). Are leaders
born with those innate abilities to get others to follow, or are leaders developed
through a life of experience? So many people have written leadership books,
speak on leadership and still people have a burning desire to learn more. So
what are the qualities that make up great leadership, and how do they influence
the leader. The first and maybe the most important is that to be a good leader,
you must first be a follower (Lasky, 77). A follower is someone who is engaged
and understands the direction that must be taken, and from that engagement can
lead the group. “A leader’s job is to look into the future and see his or her
organization, not as it is, but as it will be” (Viscuso 17). Leaders are
assertive and let everyone know what the expectations are, and why those
expectations are important. Leaders are enthusiastic about what they are doing,
because they know that they are accomplishing things for the benefit of others,
which leads to selflessness. Selflessness comes from seeing that others and the
mission are succeeding and not seeking the recognition for themselves. Leaders
are tough yet empathetic. Leaders hold the standard, and still have an
understanding for the limitations and emotions of the people around them (Nieuwhof).
Those qualities are learned and nurtured from experiences and encouragement
from all those around the individuals throughout their lives. Being a great
leader is not just about those qualities or attributes, they are the foundation
that starts first and foremost with character (Wooden 74).
Warren G. Bennis
is famous for make this statement, “Managers do things right. Leaders do the
right thing.” The fortunate organization
is one that has a leader/manager. The leader/manager not only can see that the
day to day operations are being handled, but can look to the future with a
vision of where the group needs to go for future growth and success. Some
managers drive the organization through manipulation. The most common emotional
button that seasoned manipulators push is fear. These include: Fear for safety,
Fear for security, Fear of harm, Fear of loss, Fear of punishment (Ross). A
leader uses influence to encourage people to move forward and make changes that
will benefit the whole of the organization not fear. Change can create fear,
the leader does the right things to show why the changes are necessary instead of
the “do it or else” mentality. Without leadership, the organization wanders
aimlessly stuck in the status quo. A leader can see the future and works to
change the status quo and seeks continuous improvement. A leader looks for ways
to improve the things that can go wrong and seeks optimum performance, while
the manager waits for mistakes to occur and dishes out punishment.
Great leadership
takes an organization to new levels. Leaders seek opportunities to put others
interests ahead of their own. They do not seek to take the glory for
themselves. “The leader recognizes that
the star of the team is the team” (Wooden 130)
Works
cited:
Crosby,
Frank. "The Real Meaning of Brotherhood." Fire Engineering. PennWell,
1 July 2007. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.
Lasky,
Rick. Pride & Ownership: A Firefighter's Love of the Job. Tulsa, Okla.:
PennWell, 2006. Print.
Maxwell,
John C. Developing the leader within you. Thomas Nelson Inc., 1993.
Nieuwhof,
Carey. "21 Things You'll Never Regret As a Leader - Carey Nieuwhof."
Carey Nieuwhof. 6 Aug. 2015. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.
Ross, Sandra. "The Unquintessential
Leader Trait of Manipulation." The Quintessential Leader. 14 Oct. 2015.
Web. 25 Oct. 2015.
Viscuso,
Frank. Step up and Lead. Tulsa, Okla.: PennWell, 2013. Print.
Wooden,
John, and Steve Jamison. Wooden on Leadership. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005.
Print.
