Introduction
This article is a reaction to ten articles on leadership. The reaction is carried out individually on each article. Important points are brought out and remarks are made on how the points are discussed in the article.
Getting More Women in Leadership
Kristof (2013) examines the reasons that draw women back from succeeding in leadership as discussed in a forthcoming book by Sheryl Sandberg and also adds some of her own insights. I feel she does good analysis and one point I find very interesting in her article is that choosing a spouse is the most significant decision a woman makes concerning her career life. The implication here is that husbands significantly affect the leadership of their wives.
Unfortunately, she does not support this assertion strongly. All her arguments seem to be pointing to household chores as the reason that hinders women’s potential in leadership. She quotes Rosabeth Kanter, of Harvard Business School, associating laundry work as among the factors that hinder women from advancing their leadership. I find this argument very weak. The actual argument here is that women spend a lot of time on household chores.
I am not convinced that this is the correct way of arguing. Probably men spend more time watching soccer. More time might be even wasted by women in watching soap operas. Time is not really such a significant factor in leadership. If you have time, it does not automatically mean then you become a leader. Managing time is part of leadership and if women leaders can manage their time and probably with the help of nannies, they can advance their leadership (Kristof, 2013).
The Six Steps of Leadership (Plus Coverage)
Bryant (2013) makes a number of significant remarks concerning leadership. He points out that he has always taken control of situations. I feel that taking control of a situation is the ultimate objective of a leader. He explains the six steps of leadership and adds that courage has to surround all the steps. In essence, the six steps plus courage help a leader to take control of a situation. Another idea that I find so strong is being a leader who knows and lives what your juniors go through every day. Having this knowledge is significant for a leader. It helps the leader to identify with the followers and know how far is far for the followers.
Understanding the situation on the ground is the only way to come up with relevant policies. Without the touch at the ground, leaders will become irrelevant. I feel this is why leaders like Adolf Hitler were able to pull crowds. They knew the situation on the ground and sort to address it. Some references are also made to his past about attending an affluent school while his father was just a cop. He seems to link his leadership to this beginning when he had to do so many things to be like the other kids. Maybe he is right, but I feel that you cannot develop into a leader because of having done so much school work when you were a kid, instead, you should become a professor (Bryant, 2013).
Rand Paul’s filibuster highlights split in GOP ranks; defense hawks not amused
I like this article. It shows how dilemmatic leadership can be. The stakes in question are high and both sides are having a point to prove. While one side feels that the nation needs to loosen its grips on issues touching on security, the other side presents the opposite views. National leadership unlike other types of leadership comes with unique challenges. A mistake in the formation of policies may cost a nation. Unfortunately, more often than not leaders make decisions based on the political aura. Sen. John McCain presents the same views concerning Sen. Rand Paul. He argues that Sen. Rand Paul is simply pulling political stunts.
On the other hand, Sen. Rand Paul is vehemently arguing that the continued use of drones will continue to undermine the bill of rights. Politics and leadership present a paradoxical situation in this case. Sometimes it is hard to identify when politics is being played and when leadership is practiced. What is required in such a case is honesty and sincerity to practice leadership. At least the fact that the stakes involved in making national decisions are usually high should be an encouragement for senators not to play politics in making decisions (McLaughlin, 2013).
Leadership is Everybody’s Business
This article carried out a beautiful analysis of how leadership should be viewed. The view in this article is that leadership is the interaction that occurs when a leader interacts with his or her followers. The action of interaction therefore is what defines leadership. By defining leadership in this manner, it is then possible to assume every person can be a leader. The article expounds on how L.E.A.D. the framework can be used in developing leadership in every person.
It presents leadership as a way of behaving towards each other as opposed to governing. In this sense, it becomes possible to display leadership even when there are only two persons involved. I feel defining leadership in this aspect will greatly make the work of those who occupy the positions of leaders as an occupation quite easy. With every person displaying leadership towards each other, internal wrangles and the need for a leader figure is dissipated. The L.E.A.D. the framework makes it easy for a person to learn the qualities and adopt them at a personal level for application when interacting with other people. This is an important approach and should be embraced to create differences in society and in places of work (Goulet, Jefferson, & Szwed, 2012).
A Leader’s Grief: T.E. Lawrence, Leadership, and PTSD
This article examines the struggle that a specific class of leaders undergoes. Military leaders particularly those who have served during wartime are subject to a lot of grieve. This article discusses one such leader who is said to have gone through such grieve. The article makes strong arguments that greatly appeal to logic. It is pointed out that while soldiers are often treated for Post Traumatic Stress Disorders, military leaders are left out.
It is assumed that they are heroes and therefore they tend to be silent instead of showing signs of weaknesses. However, inwardly these leaders often undergo hard times. I like the insights in this article concerning the trouble that leaders undergo. It is a call to view leaders as human beings and expect them to breakdown into some situations. It is also hinted that the past of a person determines the type of leader he or she makes.
I like the analysis made in the article as it shows how leadership has evolved since World War I to the current status. The role of education and training in guiding leaders and developing their skills is well brought out in this article (Schneider, 2012).
Effective Leadership in a Virtual Workforce
This is a very timely article that comes at a time when there is so much work being outsourced. Technology is advancing linking the world and the need to operate from a physical office is being reduced. However, the need for leadership even with virtual offices does not reduce. The virtual work stations need directions and leadership. The suggestions made in this article on leading virtual workforces advocate for communication, team building, and protocols.
The suggestions are well discussed. The importance of leadership in a virtual workforce is well brought. The challenges that are associated with virtual workforces are broken down and presented in a manner that shows why virtual leadership is important. The article however makes some blanket statements that may not apply in some situations. Among the assumptions made is that job satisfaction decreases up to 80% as the virtual distance increases.
If a worker does at home what he or she does at the office, then he or she is likely to be more satisfied with his or her work. This is because there is a lot of comfort working from home. Besides that, a lot of time is saved thus a worker can actually do more than what he or she accomplishes when commuting to the actual physical office (Dennis, Meola, & Hall, 2013).
Leadership in Time of Crisis
Leadership can be best described in times of crisis. This speech is clear, simple, and straight forward. It outlines three virtues that need to be demonstrated by leaders especially in times of crisis. These virtues are simple and yet very important. As it is argued in the speech, demonstrating discipline is vital if a leader is to remain resolute in achieving his objectives. The illustrations made in this article are very clear and simple to understand.
The speech is based on the leadership of Abraham Lincoln. There are very specific incidents picked from the life and leadership of Abraham Lincoln which are inspiring and which make this argument in the speech convincing. The other two virtues examined are denouncing division and deepening devotion. This speech is exemplary especially for national leaders who need to balance so many interests and avoid unnecessary confrontations with subordinates. The virtues will help any leader to focus his or her energy on the correct course and avoid being disrupted. There are many sacrifices that have to be made for a leader to remain focused and hence the need to remain disciplined, denounce divisions, and be deeply devoted (Caldwell, 2009).
Can drone murder be condoned?
This is a very interesting article that shows how complicated leadership can be. The article shows the prudence of acting in accordance with the law. It also shows the dilemma that leaders at lower levels can be in when they are threatened to be sued due to undertaking actions which they were probably directed to undertake by their seniors. The article also shows how leadership is linked internationally as an action in one country may trigger a corresponding action in another country.
In this article, it becomes easy to understand why leadership is all rounded. A leader cannot work in isolation; he or she needs other professionals. This is especially the case when the level of leadership goes higher. National leaders and those in charge of making very important decisions on behalf of corporate bodies should always work in unison with other specialists to avoid costly oversights. Accountants, lawyers among others should be consulted by leaders to ensure that there are no mistakes made in making sensitive decisions. In general, leaders are called to embrace consultation and accept the fact that they may not understand everything. This calls for the need to consult whenever making decisions (Hentoff, 2013).
Local Government
This article examines leadership from a wide perspective. The angle approached here is a very exciting one because it shows the need for leaders at various positions to do what is right for the best to be achieved on a large scale. Though the article is focusing on an underlying problem in the governance of local governments in South Africa, the point which comes out is that one voice cannot solve a problem comprehensively.
It is clear that for leadership to be effective, leaders need to speak with one voice. If one leader does his or her part in solving a problem without the other leaders the following suit then it becomes hard to achieve any results. This is especially the case when there is a problem to be solved. Leaders, therefore, need to be sensitive to what other leaders are trying to push for and join them in order to achieve the expected objectives. This kind of unity is especially important for government officials. This article shows that leaders need to lobby for support from other leaders in order to be effective in their leadership and more specifically to achieve the objectives that are intended to be achieved (Terblanche, 2013).
Japan Re-thinks its Energy Future. Nuclear Power Risks “too intense”
This article shows the need for leaders to learn from what happens outside their spheres but which directly relate to them. This article covers the reaction of different nations in regard to the nuclear reactor accident in Japan. Different nations have downgraded their plans to tap energy by nuclear reactors. Leadership in Japan is contemplating taking Japan off nuclear power dependence. This is a bold step and a timely one especially after witnessing the disastrous effects of a nuclear reactor accident. Leadership calls for such bold steps. Leaders around the world are also following suit.
It is known that nuclear energy has many advantages but the risks are also too great. Though the leaders are making a good judgment by planning to reduce reliance on nuclear energy, it can be argued that they are acting out of fear. It might be argued that it is fear which is pushing the leaders into planning to take their nations off nuclear power. Consequently, it might further be argued that great leadership does not have to wait for accidents or incidents to take place in order to make the right decisions. Nevertheless, after incidences leadership needs to take measures to ensure that such incidences are taken care of in the future (Ann, 2011).
Conclusion
Leadership is a wide discipline and leading people requires one to poses diverse skills. What has come out of this article is that leadership gets more complicated as you go up the ladder. Discipline, determination, and being focused came out as some of the fundamental virtues that leaders need to embrace. Consultation should also be always carried out by a leader.
References
Ann, C. (2011). Japan Re-thinks its Energy Future. Nuclear Power Risks “too intense”. Industry leaders. Web.
Bryant, A. (2013). The Six Steps of Leadership (Plus Courage). New York Times. Web.
Caldwell IV, W. B. (2009). Leadership in a Time of Crisis. Vital Speeches of the Day, 75(5), 214-218.
Dennis, D. J., Meola, D., & Hall, M. J. (2013). Effective Leadership in a Virtual Workforce. T+D, 67(2), 46-51.
Goulet, L., Jefferson, J., & Szwed, P. (2012). Leadership Is Everybody’s Business. T+D, 66(8), 48-53.
Hentoff, N. (2013). Can drone murder be condemned? Leadership Online. Web.
Kristof, N. (2013). Getting More Women in Leadership. New York Times. Web.
McLaughlin, S. (2013). Rand Paul’s filibuster highlights split in GOP ranks; defence hawks not amused. Washington Times. Web.
Schneider, J. J. (2012). A Leader’s Grief T.E. Lawrence, Leadership, and PTSD. Military Review, 92(1), 75-80.
Terblanche, S. (2013). Local Government: Does weak link in NDP get the attention it needs? Leadership Online. Web.