Personal Leadership : My Personal Philosophy Of Leadership

Leadership is the ability to inspire and focus members on a common goal, whether short term or long term and have the same vision. Leadership is more than telling or ordering, but having members believe and want to follow the same path as you. It’s a commitment to your people built on trust and respect. Many leaders shaped my personal leadership philosophy, to include several negative and positive experiences. Negative experiences from poor leaders and lessons learned on my part have uniquely shaped this vision. Difficult to be a good follower when your leader lacks competency, integrity, and your trust. If a leader takes credit for work other than their own, or forces and ideology onto others, but does not follow it themselves; these negative influences damage the trust and respect required by all leaders. However, positive experiences can also have a career lasting impact. A leader who inspires through personal actions and convictions can change how an entire unit operates without ever saying a word.

Those who show good leadership share qualities such as strong integrity, consideration of others, and the ability to lead by example. A good leader will know what’s wrong and what’s right. When leading others, they choose the option that is morally acceptable. A good leader has been taught what is right and wrong and doesn’t choose to do what’s wrong when leading others. A good leader thinks of others when making their decisions. They consider what will be best for the group when

My personal leadership philosophy is simple, lead by example and be authentic in everything you do. I always model the way with my staff. I make sure that if I request for them to be at work on time, I am on time. I make sure that if I set an appointment or promise something, I honor it. This is the only way to build rapport and gain respect from my team. I have learned through trials and tribulations that subordinates are always watching, even when we think they aren’t. Visibly spending time on what’s important shows that you’re putting your money where your mouth is (Kouzes & Posner, 2012). I take time with my staff to ensure they see that I value a good work ethic.

As a graduate student approaching her final semester in school, thoughts regarding my leadership abilities in the soon-to-be “real world” have occupied my mind lately. To further explore and develop my ideas about leadership, I decided to develop my personal leadership theory. So, I asked myself the following questions: What makes a successful leader? How do you recognize a leader when you meet one?, and lastly, what is my theory of leadership? With this last question I thought about what leadership meant to me personally and how I personified it in a role of authority. While I had given thought to how I led, I had rarely taken the time to fully understand what my personal leadership theory entailed. Throughout the length of this paper I will analyze how my leadership skills, traits, values and elements from both Authentic Transformational theories help me to shape my leadership philosophy. In doing so I hope to define the leadership values that influence the way I view and practice leadership.

Dreher, in the text: The Tao of Personal Leadership, does just as the title states; demonstrates personal leadership. The text is broken up into two parts, divided into eighteen sections, covering approximately two hundred and sixty pages, from cover to cover. With part one being an introduction of finding the inner Yin (good), and section two is describing the yang (bad) of leadership. The five sections at the heart of the text, in order, are: Zanshin, Centering, Presence and Process, Timing, Respect, Yohaku, Joy, Building Community, Vision, Empowerment and Growth, Communication, Conflict, Transcending Ego, Creating Harmony. A quick summary of each section will

Through identification and ongoing assessment of her leadership style and ability this leader is able to develop and understand her own strengths and limitations in order to grow and develop into a more effective leader. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of servant leadership, contingency, path-goal styles leadership to gain an understanding of current leadership models, identify this author’s style of leadership and explore why leadership is important to organizations, society and this author.

The text will cover a number of different aspects of leadership. We will consider my personal understanding of leadership and it relates to certain leadership theories. In my philosophy of leadership, I will address what role I believe a health care leader should play, what leadership theory they should follow, and why leaders should follow that theory. It will describe my current sphere of influence and how it has shaped my understanding of leadership. I will explain how I am a leader in my current position and how I apply my leadership philosophy within my position. Then I will provide how I see the use of informal, formal, positive and negative power as it applies to my personal philosophy of leadership.

"Where there is no community, trust, respect, ethical behavior, it is difficult for the young to learn and from the old to maintain" (Sendjaya and Sarros, 2002, p. 68). The founder of servant leadership, Robert K Greenleaf; believes that every person ought to own values that could support and guide others. Greenleaf 's theory "the servant leader is a servant first; it begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve" (Dierendonck & Patterson, 2010). In order to serve, people must comprehend values, which are a person 's ethics of behavior shaping his or her vision. In addition, values could be distinct from taking the survey created by Milton Rokeach; which consists of the most important morals and beliefs and how it influences people, organizations, and society (Johnston, 1995). Furthermore, servant leaders have personal models of leadership; which are the advancement of personal growth and values. My personal model of leadership reflects and creates a purpose on my values and belief, which are trust, responsibility, equality and loving; demonstrating how it impacts an individual, interpersonal, organizational and societal. In conclusion, once people comprehend their value and decide their personal model it will define them as a servant leader because it does not matter if it is today or tomorrow, the values will then have the same principles (Lee, Fabish & McGaw, 2005).

My father once told me that, “everything we do— be it in academia, at work, social or family life—we are guided by principles, beliefs and values that collectively form our ideology of life.” I believe that every leader, to a certain extent, is shaped through her individual personal experience. Although in some cases, we may not realize to what extent our personal assumptions and beliefs shape our ability to lead or be led.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, leadership is the power or ability to lead other people, the act or instance of leading. I believe that Leadership is an art, the art to get others to follow and accomplish a common goal or task in a harmonic manner. A leader can be shown in all kinds of shapes and forms. To be a great leader many people believe it consists of modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, enabling others to act, and encouraging the heart. Over the course of me learning how to become a better leader and being in leadership roles, I’ve learned that all these are very necessary to be a great leader.

My personal leadership philosophy is “Leadership through personal example and ownership”. Throughout my career I have served with several leaders that inspired me and solidified this philosophy in me. LCDR Fritz Kuebler was one of those mentors and continues to be a source of inspiration. He could always be looked to for how to handle difficult situations. When faced with adversity or a leadership challenge he could be seen taking a few brief moments to internally analyze and then issue a decision for a team to follow. While many did not see this brief pause, as an aspiring leader I could observe this habit. As his Command Chief I had unprecedented access to him and often asked about certain issues that were facing the command. I asked him about these moments prior to his decisions and he revealed the true nature of this process. During the few seconds before his orders he quickly analyzed three things. How will his decision affect the mission, how will it impact those who follow his orders, and how can he own failures should they present themselves.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a great leader? I am going to evaluate my strengths and weaknesses as a leader by sharing my online leadership assessment results, review what my philosophy of leadership is, and discuss the characteristics that I believe make a great leader. I am also going to show how I will execute my plan to become the best leader I can be.

Artisans all have tools they proudly weld in the pursuit of their craft. Musicians have their instruments of wood, brass, string and voice. Sculptors and painters have their materials of metals, clays, pigments and canvas while dancers use their bodies and costumes. These items are all used as tools of personal expression for the artist. Many artists appear to be born with natural talents for their art or are drawn to one medium of expression over another, but none excel at their craft without dedication and deliberate practice.

From research we see that there are many qualities that people value in leaders. Some of these qualities include: having high standards, supportive, inquisitive, involved, honest and having integrity. When I think about leadership I think of a person who is self-aware and always striving for improvement. To be a good leader you need to know how your personal biases may impact decision making in various situations. Bias or values can effect how you interact with those you come in contact with on a daily basis. A good leader can set the tone for students, staff, and parents by being consistent and clear in thoughts and in actions. The leader is the foundation of the building.

Participating in the course Foundations of Organizational Leadership presented many opportunities to enhance and enrich my perspective on leadership as well as develop my own unique leadership philosophy. By observing the theories, models and cases presented in Northouse, Kouzes and Posner textbooks, I was able to learn through the experience of others what a true leader should represent. While considering the strengths and weaknesses of each theory, I am able to implement a leadership style with an effective approach tailored to many different types of learners. In addition, witnessing both the triumphs and failures of various businesses and leadership styles, helped me confirm my personal stance and aspirations towards becoming a leader. By implementing what I have learned from the course and textbooks, I will address in this paper what specific leadership theories, styles and models have contributed to forming my own leadership philosophy. In addition, I will also define the values, qualities, strengths and weaknesses and ethical considerations that pertain to my stance on leadership. By integrating a faith based approach as the foundation of my leadership style, I hope to implement my new philosophy into my current and future career path.