A SUCCESSFUL LEADER
It is undoubtedly a fact
that not everyone was born to be a leader, but anyone can have a significant impact
on their organizations. It is good to note that an individual can develop
the ability to lead through interacting with different people in organizations. One
can even learn how to execute some responsibilities delegated to positions of
leadership from other people who may be considered excellent leaders in such
disciplines. That said, hosting leadership workshops to shed light
on the aspects of good leadership, as it shall first be highlighted in this
paper, is very crucial in impacting excellent leadership skills.
In my talk on
leadership, I will be referring to different aspects of leadership, as
portrayed by some of the renowned individuals like Martin Luther King Jr’s
styles of leadership or traits being the Cornerstone of my arguments. I will
also, at some point, incorporate my imagination of what being a leader is like
since everyone in the whole world has a different understanding of the concept
of leadership. On top of this, and most importantly, is the quality of integrity
in leadership. It will be of paramount importance to enlighten the participants
in the workshop on the essence of being a person of integrity while in
leadership because it is one of the essential building blocks of good leaders.
Looking at the example
of John F. Kennedy, I will urge them not to always agree with the advice from
the so-called experts. It is evident that despite being an expert in any field,
one cannot be right all through. As a leader, there is always a need to be
inquisitive on some of the probable sources of problems regarding a particular
course of action as advised by people. In questioning some of the critical
areas that may require further clarification, you offer the advisers different
viewpoints from theirs, and that allows them to reconsider their takes on the
issues (Griffith et al., 2015). The ultimate result of this action is further
research and, consequently, more appealing resolutions that will warrant better
results in a particular course.
Another clear example of
a successful leader is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He is well known and
remembered for his intelligence in how he led the black American civil rights
movement. He agitated for the respect of human rights and especially the
respect for black life, and in all his initiatives, he advocated for peaceful
demonstrations. This choice set him distinctively from all the other activists,
and up to date, he serves as an example of those people who used peace in their
call for respect for black life and emerged victorious (Reddick, 2018). The
point to note in this example is that there is a need to be willing to learn
either from individuals, seminars that may be organized within workplaces, or
even take various courses that will direct our mastery towards becoming better
leaders.
Being self-aware is critical for one to succeed in interacting with people of different backgrounds. In most cases, leaders are fond of reacting harshly and expressing their anger once some of their subjects act defiantly. The example of Abraham Lincoln, as presented by Kearns Goodwin, will serve to inform the participants that there is always a need to understand how they can react towards particular issues. He is also an excellent example from which anyone aspiring to become a leader can learn from as it regards the ability to make friends easily with people who initially opposed them (Galli, 2017).
Everyone would agree that certain aspects of life cannot be marched with being a leader but maybe for some specific fields of specialization. To understand this proposition better, I shall refer them to the challenges faced by Lt. Jimmy Cross in his role as a leader in O’Brien’s book. According to the article, “The Things They Carry,” Cross was a weak leader. The above argument is supported by the fact that his training bewildered him such that he could not comprehend his roles as it regards the then prevailing conditions in his immediate environment.
In my use of Lt. Cross as an example to learn from, I will emphasize that despite being in a workshop to learn how to work towards becoming better leaders, sometimes the underlying issues outside the seminar may require different approaches that may never have been discovered anywhere in a class. They will be required to use their ability to think critically and creatively so that they can take the best course of action. Regarding the issues that cannot be matched with leadership in most cases, love affairs are one of them. Even if one is married, once they get to their role or duty, issues of love and marriage are set aside, and they concentrate on executing them (O’Briens, 2009). They should learn from Lt. Cross, who held onto a lover, and sometimes that made him lose battles of war an act that made him a loser in his leadership.
Besides the above examples, people like Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama will serve as good examples of leaders who led great nations to great significance. Nelson Mandela, for example, is remembered for his unparalleled love for his country to the point of going to prison for the quest for independence. After release from prison, he became the first president of South Africa and later handed over power deliberately, unlike the majority of the freedom fighters of his time. Despite being the man to mention for the achievement of some status in an organization, there is always a need to accept to share the credit. Barack Obama, as well as being an intelligent man, he leading one of the greatest nations in the world victoriously. His love for unity and respect for one another, as well as believing in his vision, is a distinct aspect for the participants to learn from.
Being a great leader is equivalent to having a great personality. Personality is built by character, and thus I would urge the participants to aspire to be of unquestionable integrity. That will win them a great deal of success as everyone will trust them, and every move that they propose will be welcomed with compliance, which will resultantly lead to their success. It is thus essential for them to understand leadership is a process and that they should be patient enough to learn and finally execute as leaders in different capacities.