Leadership

Leadership, Myself, and Others

I have always had a certain perspective of what a leader “should be,” and I often times found myself thinking that “a leader is born not made.” What I did not realize until LEAD 325 is that I have always thought of a leader as a more “heroic” person. I never really recognized the other models of leadership and the extent to which they are developed.

One very useful piece of information that I have acquired from class is the importance of Emotional Intelligence in leadership. Becoming more emotionally aware results in “being more reflective, seeking and incorporating input from a variety of individuals and sources , and being flexible enough to adjust to the needs of participants”(Roberts 68-72). Knowing how emotions work and what triggers certain emotions I believe can greatly improve the way that you lead. My understanding of leadership has greatly improved knowing about Emotional Intelligence theory, because I do believe that it is very important and useful to understand.

The best leaders exhibit both their values and their morals in their leadership. I believe that a lack of trust is a problem when it comes to following a leader. If leaders never identified their values the possibility of mistrust is very great. People don't know what they can expect. If leaders identify and share their values, and live their values daily, people will create trust. Living your values is one of the most powerful tools available to you to help you lead and influence others. Values influence how we see the world and relate to others. Our values ultimately decide how others behave around us. Without morality in leadership a powerful figure could turn disastrous.

The importance of morality for leaders is self-evident in light of the far-reaching effects of leaders' actions or inaction on other people. More than likely when working with a group of people you will have different morals and values, and as a leader you must work to...