Leadership Philosophy

This class has altered, shaped, and added to my definition of leadership in many aspects. Leadership is, in fact, the ability to lead a group; however, that does not even begin to cover it. The leadership skillset includes communication skills, used to delegate the group; honesty, to live up to the standards the group members set for one; openness, in which they listen to the ideas within the group; passion, used to complete their tasks to their fullest ability in every aspect; and finally, the ability to inspire others. I feel that the ability to inspire may be the single most important skill in leadership. A leader is the individual in which members of the group turn to. The leader has the power to stimulate passion within the group. When the leader ignites drive, and passion, within the group, it creates motivation, and enthusiasm, about the projects in which the group is participating. In a group that lacks motivation, and enthusiasm, there is lack of desire to complete any project. A leader takes on the role that involves igniting the members’ participation, and ensures completion of the project to its highest aptitude. Without this ability, the group will not have the ability to perform to its fullest ability. The leader must also be appreciative of the “followers”. Followers are the working force behind a group. A leader who neglects his followers, had no group to lead. I found a quote that states, “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” I feel this quote illustrates the importance of the group members, or followers, quite evidently. The quote says that the best leader is barely there. This leader allows his group members to flourish on their own. The group members are crucial to the completion of a project, the operation of a group, and the power of the leader. This class has shown me the importance of the followers within a group. I believe that the followers, in any group setting, are more crucial to success than the leader. Although the leader is still very important, without the followers, the leader will have nothing to lead. 

Our "Crippling" Culture

There have been many instances in which my classmates’ comments have changed my opinion, or view, on leadership. There have been many different experiences, and roles, shared about leadership in class. These stories have opened my eyes to an entirely different side of leadership. However, one conversation that we had in class has seemed to stick with me. We were discussing ethnicity, I believe. Sandeep was sharing his experience in moving to the United States of America from the United Kingdom. He shared that if he had continued to only seek people of his ethnicity as companions, it would be “crippling”. This statement made a lot of sense to me, seeing as how his ethnicity is a minority in our country, our campus, and etc. However, when he made the statement, I reflected upon my own life, and the relationships in my life. Coming from a small town, I had not been exposed to a variety of ethnicities, cultures, or even a variety of people. All of the people I knew from my hometown had basically the same interests, values, and beliefs. Everyone from my hometown loves sports, puts a warning label on large cities, and works in an average town. The doctors, and CEOs, drive the same vehicles, and live in the same homes, as the teachers and factory workers. I have always been drawn to the kind of people that express the same personalities as the people in my hometown for obvious reasons. Coming to Ohio State was quite the culture shock for me. Although, I am not intentionally limiting myself to the middle class, Caucasians on campus, I have noticed that those of the people I have developed relationships with. Sandeep’s comment about “crippling” himself by not exposing himself, or even opening himself, to other cultures would be very difficult for him to find companions. Since the middle class, Caucasians are not a minority, it may be easier for me to surround myself with those sorts of people. Sandeep’s comment made me feel that I have been “crippling” my life by not exposing myself to other groups of people. Although this conversation may not directly affect leadership, I believe that having these experiences with people of other cultures are crucial in a leadership role. I believe that a leader must be willing, and able, to cross the barrier between cultures. The language barrier between two cultures is experienced daily. Many of us would rather avoid the conflict, than struggle with communicating with the people of other cultures. I believe that this kind of attitude is lethal to a leader. A leader must be open, a communicator, and many other things. A leader must not only be open to ideas, and communicate between members, but they must be open to other cultures, and willing to communicate with members of the group that may not be such an easy task. 

How are values critical to leadership - and what are my own personal values

I believe that there are a few distinct values that are critical to leadership. This values include honesty, responsibility, integrity, and open. I believe that these values are the most important to leadership because, without them, the leader would not be able to promote change. Honesty is key because, a successful leader must have the ability to share his complete, and honest, thoughts with the group. The leader must take responsibility for the group’s, and members of the group, actions. A leader must also have the integrity. The leader is granted trust, and it is necessary that the leader honor the trust of the group members. A leader must also be open. A leader is the driving force behind the group. However, the leader must be willing to listen to the ideas, feelings, etc., of the members of the group. The leader is not a power in control, but much like mediator, driver, and obviously a leader. A leader is a combination of a variety of traits. These traits also vary depending on the situation. A leader of a large company, such as a CEO, may have a different set of values versus a leader of a small, non-profit, organization. A CEO needs different values in order to keep his company afloat. He must set rules, restrictions, and many other protocols in order to keep his company at its prime. The leader of a non-profit organization is responsible for bringing members together, setting an agenda, and guiding members in their events. As a leader, I have been placed in many different leaderships roles; therefore, my necessary values have changed. My values have changed greatly; however, I have always kept many of the same values. I have kept the responsibility value very thorough. In my leadership roles, I have been responsible for a team of softball players, and their actions on and off of the softball field. I have been responsible for a committee of students on the student council board. I had to make sure that each of these people lived up to their expectations, as well as completed their given tasks. I have also been required to keep the virtue of honesty on shorthand as well. In the positions that I have held, I was required to lead by example. This requirement makes it necessary that I remain honest to my values, and to my team members. I have also been required to hold integrity very dear. The members of my groups have relied on me over many situations. They have trusted in me, and I have been responsible for upholding their trust, and not violating it. All of these values work together in order to build a full leader. A reliable leader must have a variety of values; however, they must have a set order of distinct values in order to be a successful leader.

What I hope to get out of ESHEA 2570

In the beginning, I picked up this class in order to fulfill full time requirements. However, after attending class, I am very interested in the meaning of leadership. My leadership roles have seemed very broad to me in the past; however, now I feel like my experiences as a leader are very condensed. I feel picking up this class will help me to sharpen, and build upon my leadership skills. I have been placed in leadership roles my entire life, and I hope to be the absolute best leader I can while in those roles. I feel that this class will help me broaden my idea of a leader, as well as ways to be the leader. A leader varies based on situations, and I feel that this class will help me broaden my ability to take on those roles and fulfill them accordingly. Along with leadership comes the role of the followers. The follower role is also very important in a leadership situation. The followers are the ones who support the leader, follow suit with the leader, as well as produce much of the work behind the leader. If the followers are not there to support the leader, the leader has nothing to lead. The followers are necessary, and under glorified in most situations. However, in many situations, the leader is a very necessary part as well. I hope to learn the balance between the two, while participating in this class. After learning the different types of leadership, such as behavioral or reciprocal, I hope to learn the key way to become a successful leader. Whether it is a combination of a few or a single type, I hope to understand the special ways to deal with every situation ideally. I hope to fulfill each role I am placed in. I hope to learn how to ideally be lead, and in turn lead. I hope to learn how to be an open leader, and to take my followers opinions, wants, and needs into consideration. I feel like this class will help me in my future career. I hope to be a nurse. In this field, I will be required to lead by example, and in a verbal sense. I will be forced to take charge of workers, as well as be taken charge of by a leader who resides in a position above me. This class will help me broaden my abilities in the work field, in the classroom, and in activities outside of the classroom.