The idea of leadership is one that is broad, complex and philosophical. Many define it as influence, others define it as a behavior or a relationship, yet all agree that it is an integral part of allowing for growth and success in today’s world. No matter how it is defined, leadership means something different to each and every one of us and although there are many different outlooks on this complex subject, we can all use it as a tool to better ourselves.
Over the course of my journey at Virginia Tech I have built upon my own personal philosophy of leadership and have developed an understanding for the relationship that leadership allows us to have with those that surround us each and everyday. For me, leadership is a relationship that involves a two way interaction between the leader and the follower. It’s said that “this approach emphasizes that leadership is not a linear one-way event, but rather an interactive event” (Northouse, 2012, p. 5). The relationship that we have with those that we lead is an extremely important component of the model of leadership that most people hope to emulate. In developing my own theory and philosophy on leadership I have come to define leadership as the ability to get other people to do what you want them to do, because they want to do it.
Leadership obviously involves a process by which a group or individual hopes to achieve something and when we can allow our followers to be happy and enthusiastic about achieving more for the good of the group then that’s when we have succeeded as a leader. This conclusion has come about through my readings and analysis of many different philosophies and my own personal experience as a leader in different groups throughout like FFA, church, young farmers and work groups in school. Understanding thoughts of successful leaders, motivators and philosophers such as Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela as well as many others, I have come to the realization that leadership is primarily about that relationship that we hold with our followers and the ability that we have to connect with those that we hope to motivate.
The idea of leadership as a relationship involves many different components that allow leaders to engage with followers in a proactive way. According to James MacGregor Burns “Leadership is an aspect of power, but it is also a separate and vital process in itself” (Kellerman, 2010, p. 95). The idea of power is an important one when in conjunction with relationship that we create through leadership. Through the study of Burns and other highly-acclaimed philosophers of the last century I’ve come to realize the important role that the idea of power plays in developing successful leaders. Power is often times a tool used to aid in leading others, but I believe that power should be a tool used after you have earned the respect and ability to lead others. To me, power is a part of the relationship that we hold with those that we lead, and is something that should be used in order to further the group, not further one person or one person’s cause. As I reflect on the opportunities that I have had to work with great leaders over the past few years I have begun to notice what makes these individuals great. Each of these individuals earn the respect and power through the relationships that they create, and then use the power that is generated to serve others as well as the group.
A large part of the process of leadership is in the hands of the followers and the role that followers play in creating leaders and furthering the process of growth and development. Most people can agree that the followers should have an active role in furthering the group and that both leaders and followers are in a sense “both following the invisible leader- the common purpose” (Kellerman, 2010, p. 94). This idea is so important but the question is how do we get followers to want to join in and become an active and integral part of furthering the abilities of the team? The answer to this question lies in a few different places. First it lies in the understanding of who people are, where they come from, and what motivates them. There are many different views on the behavior of humans and the behaviors that followers tend to show. I personally believe that given the proper environment and atmosphere the average person will accept responsibility and seek to better the team. However, the key part of this idea is “the proper environment and atmosphere.” This environment and atmosphere involves the people that they are surrounded by, the type of work needed to be done, the attitudes of the leader, the mission and goals of the group and so much more. This positive environment and atmosphere again is created through my overarching philosophy of leadership and the key component that I think defines a successful leader; relationships.
Our ability as leaders to create an environment conducive to learning, sharing, openness and enthusiasm is something that is so important as a leader and is the avenue by which we can achieve growth and success. When I reflect on my own personal experiences and the atmosphere that I have been a part of as a follower and the environment that I have created as a leader, I can see the impact of our actions, attitudes, goals and beliefs on those around us. As a leader of a 4-H club in my hometown throughout high school, I always tried to take an active role in getting our club to be active in service, fundraising and other opportunities that would develop the members of our club. Coming into office as president at a time where the club was really struggling, it was my responsibility to get the club back on track. When I look at what it took to get members to come to meetings, get our club involved with our community and participate in contests and activities, it was all about the atmosphere. It was creating a relationship between myself and members of the club, the community, the club as a whole and a relationship with the role that I was put in. Looking back on that year, I realize the role that it has played in creating my own idea of leadership and the significance of creating strong bonds between leaders and followers in order to dive deep into the true purpose of why we are here and what we want to accomplish.
Looking forward, it’s these thoughts, ideas, and experiences that will create me into the leader and person that I want to become. This leadership and social change minor hasn’t shaped my view of leadership but has allowed me to associate a collection of philosophies, thoughts and ideas with my own experiences, to better understand my philosophy of leadership. Through my time at Virginia Tech, I have chosen a path of transformational and servant leadership for myself in which I hope to be a role model and servant to those around me while transforming myself and others into something greater. It is the solid understanding of what I believe and what I feel is important that is going to form me into the successful servant leader in the leadership roles that I hope to partake in, in the future. Although I am among a large group of people, all having different backgrounds, thoughts, evidence and philosophies on what leadership truly is, I have created a definition by which I want to live my life and a definition that is going to drive me into the future as a successful leader and servant.
Over the course of my journey at Virginia Tech I have built upon my own personal philosophy of leadership and have developed an understanding for the relationship that leadership allows us to have with those that surround us each and everyday. For me, leadership is a relationship that involves a two way interaction between the leader and the follower. It’s said that “this approach emphasizes that leadership is not a linear one-way event, but rather an interactive event” (Northouse, 2012, p. 5). The relationship that we have with those that we lead is an extremely important component of the model of leadership that most people hope to emulate. In developing my own theory and philosophy on leadership I have come to define leadership as the ability to get other people to do what you want them to do, because they want to do it.
Leadership obviously involves a process by which a group or individual hopes to achieve something and when we can allow our followers to be happy and enthusiastic about achieving more for the good of the group then that’s when we have succeeded as a leader. This conclusion has come about through my readings and analysis of many different philosophies and my own personal experience as a leader in different groups throughout like FFA, church, young farmers and work groups in school. Understanding thoughts of successful leaders, motivators and philosophers such as Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela as well as many others, I have come to the realization that leadership is primarily about that relationship that we hold with our followers and the ability that we have to connect with those that we hope to motivate.
The idea of leadership as a relationship involves many different components that allow leaders to engage with followers in a proactive way. According to James MacGregor Burns “Leadership is an aspect of power, but it is also a separate and vital process in itself” (Kellerman, 2010, p. 95). The idea of power is an important one when in conjunction with relationship that we create through leadership. Through the study of Burns and other highly-acclaimed philosophers of the last century I’ve come to realize the important role that the idea of power plays in developing successful leaders. Power is often times a tool used to aid in leading others, but I believe that power should be a tool used after you have earned the respect and ability to lead others. To me, power is a part of the relationship that we hold with those that we lead, and is something that should be used in order to further the group, not further one person or one person’s cause. As I reflect on the opportunities that I have had to work with great leaders over the past few years I have begun to notice what makes these individuals great. Each of these individuals earn the respect and power through the relationships that they create, and then use the power that is generated to serve others as well as the group.
A large part of the process of leadership is in the hands of the followers and the role that followers play in creating leaders and furthering the process of growth and development. Most people can agree that the followers should have an active role in furthering the group and that both leaders and followers are in a sense “both following the invisible leader- the common purpose” (Kellerman, 2010, p. 94). This idea is so important but the question is how do we get followers to want to join in and become an active and integral part of furthering the abilities of the team? The answer to this question lies in a few different places. First it lies in the understanding of who people are, where they come from, and what motivates them. There are many different views on the behavior of humans and the behaviors that followers tend to show. I personally believe that given the proper environment and atmosphere the average person will accept responsibility and seek to better the team. However, the key part of this idea is “the proper environment and atmosphere.” This environment and atmosphere involves the people that they are surrounded by, the type of work needed to be done, the attitudes of the leader, the mission and goals of the group and so much more. This positive environment and atmosphere again is created through my overarching philosophy of leadership and the key component that I think defines a successful leader; relationships.
Our ability as leaders to create an environment conducive to learning, sharing, openness and enthusiasm is something that is so important as a leader and is the avenue by which we can achieve growth and success. When I reflect on my own personal experiences and the atmosphere that I have been a part of as a follower and the environment that I have created as a leader, I can see the impact of our actions, attitudes, goals and beliefs on those around us. As a leader of a 4-H club in my hometown throughout high school, I always tried to take an active role in getting our club to be active in service, fundraising and other opportunities that would develop the members of our club. Coming into office as president at a time where the club was really struggling, it was my responsibility to get the club back on track. When I look at what it took to get members to come to meetings, get our club involved with our community and participate in contests and activities, it was all about the atmosphere. It was creating a relationship between myself and members of the club, the community, the club as a whole and a relationship with the role that I was put in. Looking back on that year, I realize the role that it has played in creating my own idea of leadership and the significance of creating strong bonds between leaders and followers in order to dive deep into the true purpose of why we are here and what we want to accomplish.
Looking forward, it’s these thoughts, ideas, and experiences that will create me into the leader and person that I want to become. This leadership and social change minor hasn’t shaped my view of leadership but has allowed me to associate a collection of philosophies, thoughts and ideas with my own experiences, to better understand my philosophy of leadership. Through my time at Virginia Tech, I have chosen a path of transformational and servant leadership for myself in which I hope to be a role model and servant to those around me while transforming myself and others into something greater. It is the solid understanding of what I believe and what I feel is important that is going to form me into the successful servant leader in the leadership roles that I hope to partake in, in the future. Although I am among a large group of people, all having different backgrounds, thoughts, evidence and philosophies on what leadership truly is, I have created a definition by which I want to live my life and a definition that is going to drive me into the future as a successful leader and servant.