The chapter next looks at the different structures in which leadership development can take place. There are three major types: individual skill development, socialization of organization values, and strategic leadership initiatives. When I think about leadership development I think essentially about individual skills because these are the areas in which we can improve on our strengths and weaknesses. By developing our skills we can then use these skills in different leadership positions such as groups or organizations. On the other hand, being a part of an organization can be a great experience to help develop your leadership skills. I do not think it is good enough to work on some leadership qualities such as communication, if you don't actually try to use them in leadership situations. So applying these skills in socialized environments can help you develop as a leader.
There were also many studies that were talked about in terms of leadership development. The study about twins shows that 30% can be traced to genetics in terms of leadership traits. This means that research still finds that nurture is the major reason for how leaders develop today, but 30% showing nature is a large reason is very interesting. I am a twin myself, and I know first hand how similar my brother is to me. We have been involved in many similar and different leadership organizations and the experiences we learned from these different experiences definitely played the biggest reason in how we are different types of leaders today. I can relate more to the AT&T study well. I would agree that leadership motivation is one of the most important things for leaders to be successful. If you aren't motivated to do something or the people you are leading are not motivated, you are already starting on a rough beginning.
What are some outside factors that you can think of that affect leadership? How have you developed as a different leader than your friends? Family members? Twin??
My definintion of leadership is someone who not only leads but allows others to lead as well. You need to be able the motivate you and your followers as well as take control of difficult situations. Some key pharses that come to mind are resonsibility, fairness, and support. These I feel are all things that leaders need to take into account when leading.
ReplyDeleteI feel I have developed into a different leader than my friends. I have a need to take others feelings into account and have harmony. Where some of my friends would take a more harsh stance when it comes to leading. I also like to make sure that in my leadership activities such as leading my cheer sqaud that I also let my fellow athletes take the position of leader.
The enviornmental context is an outside factor that can affect leadership. What is happening around your enviornment can affect the leaders methods of solving problems as well as may affect the way the followers act. For example if you are leading an organization and your organization is failing that would affect the way the leader would motivate followers. I truely believe that everything is situational and that needs to be taken into account when someone is leading.
I know that there is no exact definition of "leadership" or any to be more right then another. However, some important factors that I believe to be true to describe a leader are being able to be productive in an individual and group setting. Also as you stated, another important factor that stands out to me is the extent in which a leader can motivate. I think that motivation is a big part of leadership because without it a leader would not be able to get anything done or be productive.
ReplyDeleteI believe that an important factor of leadership that should be mentioned more is experiences. The more life experiences that a person has will put them a step ahead of somebody who has lived inside a box. The experiences that a leader has had in their life would benefit them as a leader because they will have more insight on strategies that work and dont work that would benefit them to be a more reputable leader.
I think that I have developed as a different leader through the life experiences that I have had that some of my friends may have not. The way I grew up and had to learn independence differently than many people in the same situation as myself is another reason in which would put me in a different category of leader than many people.
My definition of leadership not only involves a leader but followers as well. If a leader is not respected or liked by others I cannot imagine that they would make a very successful leader. A leader needs to be understanding as well as accepting of others.
DeleteI think that leadership can most certainly be learned. People who are said to have "natural" leadership most likely were put into situations were they chose to or had to play a leadership role. Some people may have less of an option when it comes to leadership situations. An example of this would be a older sister of 7 kids may not have a choice but to help out with the family compared to a only child. The events throughout a persons life not only affect the type of person a person becomes but also the type of leader that they are.
In my life i have had leadership roles starting in high school. While I think of myself as a leader I do not feel the need to always lead. I have learned that in some situations more than one person can equally lead a group. As well as the fact that sometimes depending upon the context of the situation one person may better suit the leader position than another.
My definition of leadership development would be one who achieves his/her goals at the end of the day. I do not believe that leadership development always needs to deal with long term goals, but can successfully finish daily tasks that he/she desires. In the end, I believe a good leader is one who creates a vision and has the drive, commitment, and skills to achieve their goal. I also believe a leader should contain a high level of confidence and is not afraid to take chances towards accomplishing their goal. I need my leader to create a positive environment for his/her followers and motivate everyone towards success.
ReplyDeleteSome important outside factors that I feel affects a person's leadership would definitely be family and friends. My family raised me to believe that the male is the one who is in charge of the family. My dad is the only one who can truly make a decision; the women must ask him. This would affect my leadership skills because I might allow myself to be pushed over by men and allow them to take over or push my ideas aside. I also think that the people we hang out with affects our leadership style because I believe that we tend to act more and more like our friends; allowing their leadership styles to rub off on one another.
I have developed differently from my family members and friends because I have had many different experiences than they have; and vise versa. Through my experiences as an individual and not with a group, I was able to realize who I was and what I preferred as a leadership style. I do not have to be like my friends and family members because there are several different kinds of leaders who are able to achieve their goals using their own style.
The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear the word leadership is long-term. I believe that leadership has a long-term outlook. Leaders decisions impact not only the present day of an organization, but their decisions affect the future of an organization. Secondly, leadership s a process' it is difficult for it to occur overnight. I have noticed this in myself, it takes a long time to polish skills so they are good enough where people will view and be confident in you as a leader. Lastly, leadership involves goal attainment. Aiming for a goal is a mainstay in the idea of leadership.
ReplyDeleteDeveloping these aspects of leadership takes time, they do not occur overnight. This is an important idea in leadership, that it takes a significant amount of time to be a leader.
My definition of leadership development is when someone not only leads a group but also works within the group to guide others to make them better leaders. To become a good leader is takes time. Good leadership is something that someone builds up overtime while gathering information to help them succeed.
ReplyDeleteSome outside factors that affect leadership are knowledge, guidance, and like clay said, goals. I believe that knowledge is a factor because for someone to become a good leader, they must understand what they are trying to achieve and what goals they are trying to attain. In order to attain goals one should follow guidance by other leaders.
I have developed as a different leader than my friends by looking up to my own parents for guidance. My mother is the CEO/President of a publishing company and she has taught me how to become a leader. I have learned a lot from her over the years and others have not.
I initially thought of leadership as one who leads a group or organization to a common goal or task at hand. After taking some leadership classes, including LEAD 200, LEAD 360, and this class, I have developed a clearer understanding of leadership. My view now is that anyone can develop into a leader, and that it is much more than just leading a group to accomplish a task. One must have the correct personality and be able to have charisma with the followers. One must have a strong sense of confidence as well. There are many more characteristics and skills of a leader, but one I think the most important of aspect of a leader is to identify the situation/task/organization at hand and make a difference. Whether it be in the lives of someone, in the community, in a situation, etc. I think it is important for a difference to be made and something to be done.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that some outside factors that affect leadership include how one is brought up, how they are raised, and what they experience while growing up. The outside experience will ultimately reflect how a person will be as a leader. They may have different goals, opinions, and skills.
Because I was brought up with a family business, I believe my mindset has always been to be my own boss, and lead a company. I think I have more of a business leader mindset than most people, and strive to someday take that mindset and create a successful business.
When I think of leadership development I think of a journey of learning. Whenever you are trying to develop something there are always going to be up and downs, achievements and mistakes. This is true when I think of leadership development. When you develop as a leader you are on a journey to learn from your mistakes. It is a constant journey that will never end. Being a leader means you have to lead in all different types of situations, some you succeed and some you falter. But when you are on a journey you don’t stop, you learn from those mistakes and get better.
ReplyDeleteThe key word that comes to mind when I think of leadership development is constant learning. As a leader you are always learning where you can come better. I also think of strength when I think of leadership development. You need to be a strong willed to develop as a leader, someone who is not going to give up and someone who can stare adversity in the eye and overcome it.
I believe family and friends are the most important factors that influence you as a leader. Growing up your family instills in you the family culture. What is acceptable and what is not. I believe my family has made me into the leader I am today. Growing up my mother and father taught me how to act and how to respect others. I have developed differently as a leader from my siblings and my friends because of sports, playing college football and being a captain has really made me realize how much I enjoy influencing others through leadership
I believe the most crucial element to being a leader is having a vision. With a vision you can create purpose, expectations, and goals. These are all important to successful leadership. More importantly it is an initial step in overall leadership development.
ReplyDeleteI believe outside factors are more than likely opportunity that can enhance your leadership ability. In any experience when someone do something to dedicate their time and effort to contribute to something they at some point can exercise leadership skills. This can happen when someone becomes a part of a group, a person, organization, or some other life changing event. The thing that makes this leadership what the persons ability to gain and exercise leadership assets that further their leadership abilities.
Leadership development is ultimately a process of learning, growth, trial and error, and finding what "fits" you best. Your peer groups are going to have a significant impact on you and your attitudes, beliefs, likes, and dislikes. What you're exposed to has a lot to do with the kinds of things you are able to adapt do, which explains why family members can be so different in leadership styles because, at the prime point of leadership opportunity, we've become fairly established on our peer groups and identified as such. You can differ from your friends in leadership in the same way because of the impact your family has on you and your leadership skills. Humans are really versatile creatures, so while peer groups can make you a different leader than your family is many ways, your family can influence you as a leader in different aspects.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of leadership development I think of becoming a leader over time. Being a leader is not easy and one thing that I think all great leaders have in common is failure. I truly believe that be a great leader there is going to be some obstacles that are hard to overcome. A true leader responds to the failure and uses it as motivation. I think a lot of great leaders use their past failures as motivations to be great. I think it is important to have failure because if you never do then you won't know how to respond during times of adversity.
ReplyDeleteI think becoming a leader has to deal a lot with experiences and support while growing up. Like Melissa said she has learned a lot from her mom. She is lucky enough to have the support and guidance from her mother. A lot of people may not have this opportunity. I would also say in my case I learned a lot about being a leader from my parents. They have both helped me in different ways and have helped me grow in my leadership journey.
The biggest way that I think I have developed as a leader differently then my friends is that I have gained more and more confidence. I feel as if every leadership opportunity I have makes me feel more and more confident going into the next role.
ReplyDeleteI also think that the people around us who mentor us shape us a lot as well. I can easily imagine two people developing differently if they have different mentors to look up to. Or if one has no mentor to look up to.
I believe leadership development is when an individual grows and changes their way of leadership through their experiences. A leader knows when to lead, and when to listen. Earning respect is also importing. Leadership is an ongoing process.
ReplyDeleteWhile learning about the studies on twins, I automatically thought of my twin brothers. While experiences and environment/nurture play a major role, I also see where personality plays a role too. One of them has more leadership qualities than the other twin. They were both raised in the same environment and participated in the same activties, but one is much more outgoing than the other. I guess this is normal, but I was a little surprised that nurture played such a big role in the studies.
There are factors that affect leadership. The situation plays a major role in how leadership is used. In a serious situation, a leader may exhibit more power or authority compared to a laid-back situation such as a leader of a group project. Another factor is if the leader is respected. If they can accurately communicate and also listen, they are more likely to be respected and gain people's attention.
I think that leadership development can’t be defined in one way (just as you pointed out). I think it does involve inspiring the growth of those you lead, as well as yourself. I would also include the notion that there are different ways of achieving a particular outcome and part of being a good leader is to develop a comfortable environment for the team to grow.
ReplyDeleteI do feel that the way my life has played out thus far has affected my leadership, and has made me a far different leader than my friends. I have been put in situations that both directly and indirectly forced me to be a leader. I have also had formal leadership training for a few different jobs I have had. Lastly, the fact that I grew up with 7 siblings and am the oldest girl in my family has also greatly influenced my life and leadership.