Myths That Lie in the Meaning of Leadership, Essay Example

Leadership can come in many different forms. In fact, leadership is not always used for positive situations. Some of the most remarkable forms of leadership throughout history were attributed to negative situations. Take for example General Cornwallis or Adolph Hitler. These were two of the most effective leaders of their time. Not only were they great leaders, they were intelligent war strategists. Their interests however, involved violations of basic human rights such as freedom and the choice to practice different religions. Yet, their main job fitted the definition of what it means to be a leader, which is to create the conditions in order for the team to be effective.

Leadership has been a subject of both research and discussion for decades. Up until the around the 1930’s, it was mainly the person that was of interest and not what that person or group of persons did that mattered.  Throughout this given time period, interpretations of what constitutes proactive leadership have emerged as an observation of organization in life as well as broader trends in socialism.  As business continues to progress into the 21^st century, an era that is heavy on innovation, management models and theories have begun to associate leadership explicitly to the capability of initiating and managing change.  This growth has happened for favorable reasoning as the modern era has directed in exceptional degrees of complexity and exhilaration in both personal and organizational relationships. It may be that no discipline has been through higher levels of cataclysm than in technology and in science. Consider the reports that technological products go through principal redesigns every six to twelve months. These short-lived life spans of products are typical of what several economists regard as the era of innovation. In maintaining this perspective, it has been suggested by other economists that creativity now plays a more substantial role in the work environment, communities, and the overall economy.

There are myths that lie in the meaning of leadership. Good leadership is not all just common sense, though most leaders do carry a sharp mentality for common sense. Leadership requires a great deal of strategic thinking. Most successful strategists will try to throw other leaders they are in competition with off of their game plan. This simply means that competitive leaders will try to trick each other in order to gain the advantage. A smart leader must understand that common sense does not always lead to a correct decision. In business, it might seem like common sense to ignore the interests of stake holders and simply focus on the maximization of profits. However, an effective leader knows that the stake holders are just as important as the stock holders. Although common sense is an imperative value for a leader to have, it is not always the most accurate concept in strategic thinking.

The process of becoming a leader requires many factors including personal experience and influenced behavior. Learning from experience creates the most effective leaders. This is because they know what decisions work and what decisions don’t work. They understand the effects of such decisions because they have made them themselves. Being able to pass on such knowledge to a team is an important and required characteristic of an effective leader.

Effective leadership must always be assessed in the context of the leader, their team of followers, and the situation they are in. Leaders may need to respond to different followers in different situations, all depending on the factors and circumstances. In some scenarios, two different leaders may have two different responses to the same team and situation. This does not necessarily mean that either leader is right or wrong. This simply demonstrates that there are different approaches to leadership styles and that some leaders find certain styles more effective than others.

It is important for leaders to be able to listen to their team. In order for a leader to be effective, they must first understand that not everybody is like them. If a leader assumes the role of a dictator with absolute power, then as history has shown, the followers will eventually grow tired of the dictator and over turn them. In the business or political sector, a leader can easily be reassigned, voted out, or vetoed out of their position. A leader must understand their team so that they know exactly what they are working with. When an effective leader understands their perspectives of their team, then they will understand the full ability which they are capable of. Having such valuable knowledge is crucial in strategic planning for a business venture. The approach a leader can take towards having an effective group of followers is making clear the common interests and goals that they share. Presenting such information will have everybody, the leaders and the followers, on the same pace. This will make for an easy flowing work environment with minimal error, because everybody will understand their duties.

The development of self-awareness is another characteristic an effective leader should carry. Being able to formulate a comprehensive and consistent set of values is a must. However, such sets of values will vary depending on the type of followers a leader is presented with as well as the present situation. An effective leader will understand how to formulate their values in such a way that conforms to specific followers and situations.

Based on my own personal experience in being a leader, I understand that creativity plays a significant role in leadership. The role of creativity has always served as the foundation for leadership in business management. There are certain connections that can be made between practice and theory. However, up until recently it has not been listed as the top priority of the business management agenda. By definition, creativity is the capability of making something artistic and pertinent. Creativity is fundamental to the entrepreneurialism that gets new business ventures embarked and that preserves the greatest companies after they have extended to a global scale. But feasibly since creativity was regarded as not manageable, too volatile, and intangible to adhere—or because focusing on it yielded a less instantaneous pay off than bettering execution— it has not been the primary concentration of most managers’ agenda.

I understand that with the characteristics of an effective leader, comes the necessary elements of fortitude and innovation. I have demonstrated such elements in previous works in my life that are also relevant to leadership and management in a sense. One major event in my work life I can recall which exemplifies both of these values is an information technology (IT) project I did with my team of associates. Now, this was my first IT project I had ever leaded, so I was nervous but excited at the same time. I spent a great deal studying the concepts and computer code to keep up with the high pace of the project schedule. My associates selected me to head this project, so I generously accepted the role as I saw this as an opportunity to apply my profound elements of leadership and gain experience in a leadership role.

I had a great deal of work experience in the field of IT, but as I started studying the requirements and goals for this project I realized that this was different from any other IT project I had previously experienced. I later learned that this was because this specific IT project was something new even to me. The concept of how the computer code was used was based on a new algorithm that my IT department had developed for a new software program we were working on. Along with the mathematical components of the IT project came the laws and regulations imposed on the business that we had to maintain for the duration of the project to prevent any breach in information security.

The IT project was based on selecting the algorithm that would best suit the new software program. It required much hypothesis testing, trial and error, and analysis. I knew from a previous business course that there were three types of leadership approaches I could take. I had a choice between autocratic, democratic, and free reign styles of leadership. Considering that all of my team project members were equally smart, competent, and reliable, I chose to take the free reign approach of leadership. I did not feel that I needed to micro-manage my team members, nor did have any desire to. Worrying to much about my other team members would only impair my own commitment to the project.

After deciding on the algorithms we would evaluate, I then delegated specific roles and tasks to each of the team project members, including myself. This way, each member would know their assigned task, and I would be able to focus on my own task as I could rely on the other team members to get their part done without me pestering them. Once all of our tasks were complete, we put all of it together to make up the software program comprising of the most efficient code and algorithms.

In other scenarios where my team mates may not have been as reliable, I would have taken the democratic or even the autocratic approaches to leadership. Deciding which leadership approach to take all depends on the situation, the project at hand, and the circumstances. I am able to execute all approaches as well as combinations of approaches to leadership.

I have obtained many strengths as a leader over the years including creativity, communication, planning, and strategic thinking. A weakness that I feel I may have as a leader is in my cooperation. I have a tendency to make decisions too quickly without understanding the consequences that come with them. Unfortunately, this weakness had been the cause of unfavorable outcomes in past business decisions. I need to learn to cooperate with others instead of acting on my own.

From the teachings of this class, I have realized that my primary strength in terms of leadership is not being burdened with the fear of failure. I have used all of my failures as lessons and know what not to repeat. Being a leader in management requires risk taking and this is a strength I feel confident with. I plan to carry this strength with me in my future work and hopefully will pass it on to other future leaders as well as followers.

I realize however, that my weakness in cooperation must be addressed if I hope to improve my skills as an effective leader. I must understand that behind every management decision is a consequence, so I must learn to better cooperate with my team mates and associates instead of doing whatever I want. It is up to my own analysis, assessment, and calculations based on the circumstances and risks that are present. I feel that an effective way to fix this weakness I carry is to get assistance from my followers or team. I must take the democratic approach and thoroughly discuss all decisions and options that are present, so that I can get their input and recommendations. I must understand that just because I am a leader, it does not necessarily mean that I am the smartest person in the room. My followers are just as smart, if not smarter than myself, especially when they all think and discuss options as a team. A team of critical thinking minds will always beat my own mind alone. I can practice this approach in my next IT project. I will use it as an opportunity to assess my leadership weakness in decision making. Taking the democratic approach will allow me to better collaborate with my followers before I make such quick decisions on anything. This practice will surely improve my leadership skills for the management world.  The free reign approach was good for my IT project I described, but it does not allow for much collaboration. It shows that I do not cooperate well with others and I rather that we all just work by ourselves most of the time. I must take the opposite approach and cooperate with others most of the time.

Most leaders who talk about management in the contemporary environment almost always start off their explanations with some regard to the unexpected rates of change. Typically, the reference to such increased rates of change is given as a passive statement. Often, lack of explanation is provided, as the leader more than likely assumes that their audience is fully aware of such increased levels of change through their own regular experiences in life. Some trends show regard to the claimed increase in change, as well as data that exists to clearly present that business is constantly changing at a quickly fluctuating rate.