Applied Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Applied Leadership - Essay Example Overall, this review highlights the importance for a leader to be flexible to the situation and context in which they find themselves making decisions and taking action. It appears that there is no one set formula to be an effective leader, instead professional and personal development must be made lifelong learning goals. Professional development may take the form of training courses, or getting back to the 'ground floor' of the organization. Personal development for the leader requires critical reflection on one's outcomes, to bring awareness of one's strengths and weaknesses, as well as what makes one unique. It is anticipated that this paper will provide a concise collection of leadership definitions that can contribute to student learning of leadership, and the qualities that are necessary to motivate others to be led by them. Leadership is a role that requires valuable skills as well as a reliance on innate personal characteristics. Effective leadership is highly demanded in the product and service industries. The act of leadership is complex and is determined by the credibility of the leader; importantly the leader must be able to exhibit commitment to a clear set of values (Kouzes & Posner, 2003). Characteristics of a good leader are often identified as being: honesty, competency, a good communicator, inspiring and forward-thinking (Kouzes & Posner, 2002). Definitions of a Leader My Definition My personal definition of leadership is, a person who is able to act in an ethical manner and so keeps in mind the rights and dignity of other person's they interact with. Complementary to this, is transparency of decision and actions, as well as demonstrating accountability for decision and action outcomes. Also, leadership is cultivated through the practice of reflective thinking, as when a person critically considers their decisions and actions in light of the outcomes. I see leadership as a flexible behavior, which adapts itself to the context of the situation, whilst remaining aligned with the leader's temperament. An example of flexible leadership is when socio-cultural, political, economic and/or another's personal characteristics are included in how a decision is arrived at, or a solution implemented. Finally, leadership is the embodied in the skill of communication, the leader being able to empathize with others, listen to their needs and expectations, and can learn what mo tivates and empowers others to try, persist, achieve, and to adapt to unsuccessful outcomes and focus on solutions. Five Other Definitions Using email, five friends were contacted to ask them who they determined was a good leader. Their responses are outlined below: R ---- suggests that the Prime Minister of the UK, Tony Blair as the embodiment of good leadership. With the modification of the National Health System, beginning in 1997, Blair's