Leadership

Leadership

Webster’s Dictionary defines leadership as the position or function of a leader, a person who guides or a directs a group. Some say that being a leader is just telling people what to do. Other people would define being a leader as the person who shapes and molds their subordinates to be better people. A great many people have said that leaders are born, not made. Bill Bradley once said “Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better.” To be a true leader means much much more.
Leadership has been described as one of the hardest concepts to understand because of where it comes from. Leadership, while never officially confirmed, dates back to the beginning of man. It is present in all cultures and even species. Every civilization has some form of governing that requires leadership. The ancient mayan culture had leaders in the form of kings on a government of hierarchy. These leaders had almost absolute power over their kingdoms. Today our leaders are seen as politicians, CEOs, and in the military noncommissioned officers and officers alike. Leadership is constantly changing and ever evolving.
The styles of leadership are numerous. Theoretically there is an infinite amount of ways to be a leader. Engagement is a strong type of leadership in which the person or group of people are always involved in what their subordinates are doing. Autocratic or more commonly known as authoritarian, is a style in which the leader makes or has all of the decision making powers. Participative or democratic style of leadership consists of leaders listening to the masses and letting them decide on what actions are best to take. Laissez-faire or a free-rein style is used when the person in charge leaves the group to make decisions on the methods they use and policies they make, which in turn promotes motivation and creativity. A task-oriented leader has primarily the task or mission’s goal in mind. They will still care about the subordinate, but the mission will come...

Similar Essays