leadership

This topic was created in the Aquarius forum by CallMeAlienRobotOrWhatever on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 and has 4 replies.
One of the first observations made in this rather short-read is that nobody forced you into your leadership role. Each individual made that choice for himself/herself...and, conversely, you are free to leave that role at any time.
A second concept revealed was the difference between leadership/leaders and management/manager. ?You manage things, you lead people? . Leadership was also defined as ?The skill of influencing people to work enthusiastically toward goals identified as being for the common good.? Breaking this definition into its parts means understanding the words skill and influence.
A skill is a learned or acquired ability. Therefore, leadership is a ?skill that can be learned and developed by anyone with the appropriate desire coupled with the appropriate actions?. The second part of this definition to understand is the concept of influence...and ?to better understand how one develops this type of influence, it is crucial to understand the difference between power and authority? . Power was defined as ?The ability to force or coerce someone to do your will, even if they would choose not to, because of your position or your might.?
Authority was defined as ?The skill of getting people to willingly do your will because of your personal influence.? These are two vastly different thoughts, authority is about getting people to do your will simply because they were asked (not directed or demanded to do so)...also, note that power is defined as an ?ability? while authority is defined as a ?skill? (meaning that it can be learned).
So, what are the traits of a good leader? The ten traits established by the group were:
? Honesty, Trustworthiness
? Good Role Model
? Caring
? Committed
? Good Listener
? Hold People Accountable
? Treat People with Respect
? Provide People with Encouragement
? Positive & Enthusiastic Attitude
? Appreciate People
The next logical question is how many of these traits/qualities are we born with. The answer is all of them, in various and differing degrees in each individual. However, since they are all behaviors, each of these character traits/qualities can be improved upon. ?The challenge for the leader is to pick the character traits that need work....Challenge ourselves to change our habits, change our character, change our nature?.
details
Next, having realized that leadership traits are behaviors...and then knowing that behaviors can be modified (if the person chooses to do so)...it follows that influencing people to do something is based upon how well these traits are modified or utilized to build a relationship in order to a accomplish a task for the positive good of all. Therefore, ?when working with and getting things done through people, there will always be two dynamics involved?the task and the relationship. It is easy for leaders to lose their balance by focusing on only one of these dynamics at the expense of the other?
If a leader focuses on the task, they become known as a slave-driver or taskmaster. If a leader focuses on the relationships, that ?may be good baby-sitting? (page 41), but it certainly is not productive. Thus, one of the keys to leadership ?is accomplishing the tasks at hand while building relationships?
Furthermore, relationships do not simply exist within the organization...they also exist outside the organization?with clientele, suppliers, etc. This means that the needs of the people within the organization as well as the needs of the people outside the organization must be met. If the needs of clientele are not being met, they will simply utilize another group/organization/company that will identify and meet their needs. So, ?if relationships are so important in organizations and in life....what, is the most important ingredient in a successful relationship?... And the answer is simple: trust. Without trust, it is difficult if not impossible to maintain a good relationship?
If the role of a leader is to identify and meet the needs of people within the organization as well as the needs of people outside the organization in order to have positive and productive relationships, ?then we should constantly be asking ourselves, What are the needs of the people I lead?...And if you get stuck on what the people need, then just ask yourself, What needs do I have? That should get you going again? .But, remember a need and a want are not the same thing...?A want is simply a wish or desire without any regard for the physical or psychological consequences. A need, on the other hand, is a legitimate physical or psychological requirement for the well-being of a human being? .Another way of viewing relationships or need is to develop the philosophy or behavior that ?we should never treat people differently from the way we would want to be treated
details
Treating people as we would like to be treated is a very old and traditional concept that is simply forgotten by many people. Caring, serving, and sacrifice for other people is simply a model for life that was expounded by Jesus (remember the Golden Rule...Do unto others as you would have them do unto you) that also works quite effectively in leadership. According to page 79, ?Jesus said influence, leadership, is built upon service.? Or to put it another way, ?we build authority any time we serve and sacrifice for others. Remember, the role of leadership is to serve, that is, to identify and meet legitimate needs. In the process of meeting needs, we will often be called upon to make sacrifices for those we serve? . Or to put it even another way, ?It?s simply the Law of the Harvest?what any farmer knows. You reap what you sow. You serve me, I?ll serve you. You go to the wall for me, I?ll go to the wall for you? .
Treating people as we would like to be treated involves more than words, it must involve actions. Remember, the old saying, actions speak louder than words. Page 88 states it this way:

?INTENTIONS ? ACTIONS = SQUAT?

Of course this simply means that our intentions are not very meaningful if they do not line up with our actions.
In summary, leadership is about behaviors that can be learned and modified...which provide the ability to influence people with authority (not power)...and authority is derived from caring/service/sacrifice...and caring/service/sacrifice are about actions (not simply intentions)...which is ?about identifying and meeting the legitimate needs, not wants, of those we lead. When we meet the needs of others we will, by definition, be called upon to serve and even sacrifice. When we serve and sacrifice for others we build authority or influence...and when we build authority with people, then we have earned the right to be called a leader?

I got it from this book : The Servent: A Simple Story About The True Essence of Leadership
details
so....which signs would have a big chance to be a good leader, based on those ten traits of a good leader?
? Honesty, Trustworthiness
? Good Role Model
? Caring (water signs)
? Committed
? Good Listener
? Hold People Accountable
? Treat People with Respect
? Provide People with Encouragement
? Positive & Enthusiastic Attitude
? Appreciate People
details
Home Astrology Comments Forums Search

©1997-2025 dxpnet.com. All Rights Reserved.
Advertising Contact Terms of Use Privacy Policy