Introduction
The history of our world is written by leaders who contributed to the evolution of our society greatly. The question of leadership has been an ongoing issue for generations of people who tried to investigate its nature and determine its impact on individuals, groups, and communities. The first leaders appeared at the dawn of our civilization and conditioned the further formation of the institution.
The investigation of the ancient history evidences the overwhelming role this institution played in ancient times and the impact it had on the further evolution of our society. The attitude towards leadership has changed significantly over time. The alteration of the traditional image of a leader was impacted by the number of factors that appeared in various epochs. Besides, at the modern stage of its evolution, leadership, and a leader still play a crucial role in the functioning of all essential aspects of social life.
Accepting the fact that the modern approach to leadership is different from the ancient one, it is vital to understand the background that promotes the alteration of the perception of a leader and the role he/she should play.
The past epochs could be characterized by rather complicated conditions that conditioned the survival of the most powerful members of society. For this reason, a leader had to manage a community in an authoritarian way, ignoring the needs of individuals to attain success and guarantee prosperity. However, the shift of priorities and growth of the importance of numerous humanistic values aimed at the creation of a positive environment determined the reconsideration of the image of a leader and his/her main duties. The end of the 20th century also impacted the issue greatly, triggering its precise investigation and exploration of its major concerns. Under these conditions, the modern state of the question is characterized by great significance and solid knowledge basis.
Definition and statement of personal beliefs about leadership
Delving into the investigation of the question, leadership could be defined as the set of personal skills and qualities which condition the ability of an individual to lead other people, communities, and organizations (Bennis & Thomas, 2002).
Being rather general, the definition still reflects the main idea of the phenomenon. Moreover, despite the existence of various perspectives on the question, the definition remains almost the same as it includes the main peculiarities of a leader and the core aspects of the institution (Ayman & Korabik, 2010). One also realizes the fact that the acquisition of the ability to govern is conditioned by the unique combination of personal and professional qualities that impact the development of a personality and result in the increase of his/her authority and power. Additionally, the term leadership also implies several concerns related to the mutual dependence of individuals within the collective and their cooperation to achieve some goal.
Furthermore, despite the existence of the general definition of the term, the nature of the phenomenon promotes the existence of several personal beliefs related to the issue. This assemblage also impacts the further evolution of the idea of leadership as it reflects the changes in the peoples mentality and values. Besides, speaking about these beliefs, the most important of them could be highlighted.
First, I accept the great responsibility that goes along with the ability of a person to manage individuals and govern them. A leaders decisions could have a crucial impact on the further evolution of the community. That is why all solutions should rest on the detailed analysis of the existing needs and contribute to the development of individuals. The great responsibility conditions the need for the constant development of a leader to be able to meet the modern requirements and overcome numerous challenges.
Yet, responsibility is not the only trait needed to become a good leader. As mentioned above, the personal qualities of a leader are also extremely vital and serve as the basis for his/her power to govern individuals. That is why I believe that a good leader should combine several traits that might promote his/her growth and improvement of his/her significance. Determination goes first as a good leader should be able to accept risky decisions to attain success and guarantee the evolution of a community. Creative thinking is the next crucial quality that conditions the unique character of the approaches suggested by a leader and promotes their efficiency.
Unconventional approaches might be the major concern that contributes to the achievement of a certain goal. It is obvious that there are several other qualities needed for a good leader, and I believe that he/she should never stop his/her personal development.
Additionally, I accept the great significance of the issue and its contribution to the success of any issue. Several modern researchers have sought to determine the role a leader plays in a certain organization or team (Jensen, n.d.). Besides, investigations prove that a team characterized by the presence of a strong leader has much better results than a team that lacks a person with strong leadership qualities (Johansson, 2004).
This experiment evidences the effect leaders have on the environment and how they might promote its evolution. Furthermore, our history provides several examples related to the individuals who managed to govern nations and change the world. Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Napoleon, etc. turned the course of history and left a mark that proved their outstanding leadership qualities. It follows from these cogitations that the institution of leadership is an integral part of our society and determines its evolution.
Finally, leadership could also be taken as one of the moving forces that contribute to the appearance of new ideas, concepts, and approaches. I believe that it impacts all spheres of human activity and triggers the process of the reconsideration of the existing approaches. For instance, a scientist leader conditions the evolution of the whole brunch and creates the basis for its further development.
The whole science depends on the ideas provided by leaders greatly, and these very ideas reflect the modern needs and highlight the immediate prospects. These facts also evidence that leadership extends beyond the sphere of management and governing. It is also related to the development of the scientific thought of a person and his/her cognition. Personally I sure that leaders are the main contributors to the formation of our society and its further growth.
Examples of early influences
A person obtains the first ideas about the institution in his/her early childhood. A childs relations with the parents could be taken as the model that demonstrates the functioning of leadership. A family is a micro community that depends on the decisions of a leader. According to the classical perspective, a father is traditionally taken as the head of the family (Goleman, 2013). That is why a child accepts his leading role.
In due course, an individual recognizes his/her belonging to various social groups, collectives, and communities. The phenomenon of leadership is demonstrated as early as childhood when an individual attends kindergarten or school. The child community is not homogeneous, and it is divided into several groups headed by a person who demonstrates leadership qualities. Being a part of this group, a child experiences the influence of a leader and acquires his/her first knowledge related to the issue (Bloom, Lemos, & Van Reen, 2014).
Examples from personal experience
It follows from these cogitations that every person has his/her own personal experience that demonstrates the significance of the phenomenon and its role in the life of an individual. Resting on my knowledge, I could suggest several situations related to the issue that conditioned my personal approach to leadership.
The first one is obviously connected with the school years and the relations with their counterparts. One realizes the fact that children are cruel, and they could easily be influenced by an individual with strong leadership qualities. In other words, the behavior of children belonging to a certain group might be modified by a groups leader. Trying not to be excluded, all members follow the behavioral patterns accepted within the community and a child who adheres to some other rules might suffer from bullying. In this regard, situations of this sort promote a better understanding of the impact a leader has on the community and condition the appearance of the desire to cultivate leadership qualities.
Moreover, further recognition of the importance of the issue comes along with the development of an individual and his/her involvement in various communities and activities (Fairhurst & Connaughton, 2014).
The sophistication of the relations with the other members and of the performed activities result in the increase of the role of leadership. Resting on my own experience, the educational sphere also depends on leadership greatly. Studying at the college or university, a person recognizes the great impact his/her leadership skills might have on the community and final results. Statistics show that socially active students who are described as strong leaders are more successful and have better grades (Zaccaro, 2007). It might result from the great level of the self-discipline of a leader and the ability to organize the study process in the most efficient way to guarantee the best outcomes. For this reason, the attempt to develop leadership skills might result in the improvement of his/her life and results.
Finally, if to speak about the personal examples that defined my approach to leadership, it is also essential to mention the importance of the issue in terms of the working environment. The modern approach to management states that the creation of a positive atmosphere within the collective is one of the major concerns that conditions the further success of the project and results in a significant increase in the level of performance (George, 2015).
At the same time, the establishment of a positive atmosphere is one of the main leaders tasks. His/her ability to organize the working process, outline the desired goals and fasten the collective are the most important factors in terms of the functioning of any organization. In this regard, I believe that leadership quality is crucial for any professional who is focused on his/her professional development and career as they will help to create a competitive advantage that might promote a persons blistering career development.
Constraints on leadership
However, cogitating about the benefits of the phenomenon and the positive impact it might have on the development of a person, community or organization, it is crucial to highlight the constraints related to leadership. The fact is that being a powerful tool might also pose a great threat to the security of an individual and his/her personal and professional development. Very often this danger results from the incorrect or unethical character of the actions performed by a leader (Nobel, 2015). That is why the existence of certain constraints is completely feasible.
First of all, a leader should act in accordance with a person’s preferences and values. In other words, he should not make a person perform some kind of activity if this individual is not sure whether he/she needs it or not. Even if a leader is sure that these actions could contribute to personal development, a person should accept the decision by his/her own. The voluntary character of the adherence to a leaders ideas emphasizes the importance of the issue and introduces the necessity of persuasion to assure community or a person that all leader’s actions have a positive effect (Sucher & Wnterberg, 2015).
Additionally, the lack of skills could also serve as a serious constraint limiting the efficiency of a leader and deteriorating his/her image (Lynch, 2009). It has already been stated above, that a leader is not able to stop his/her development to face the majority of the modern challenges. Yet, in case a person is not competent and does not possess knowledge in a certain sphere, his/her leadership qualities could be doubted. The lack of competence could also promote the deterioration of the authority and image that could result in the shift of priorities of a community and decrease of the final performance.
For this reason, constant development is one of the major concerns related to the issue. Especially topical it becomes in terms of blistering development of technologies and giant streams of information impacting a common person (Sides, 2010). That is why I believe that the lack of practical knowledge is the most important concern limiting my own ability to use the kind of leadership. However, the hard work might help to improve the situation and acquire the information needed to manage people in the most efficient way.
Furthermore, a good leader should also care about the personal and professional growths of dependants and promote the development of their leadership skills. It is one of the main aspects that guarantee the succession of leaders within a collective and its further evolution.
Besides, it could be taken as a challenging task that demands a great level of skills from a person as he should identify the areas which should be altered and create the tasks that could contribute to the development of all members of a certain community. I recognize it as one of the most complicated aspects of the functioning of a good leader. To determine the change areas a person should obviously have a deep understanding of the needs of every member of a collective. For this reason, I accept the complexity of this task and try to develop the ability to understand personal needs.
The last constraint is related to the core principles of leadership. A leader should be able to govern a community without visible hesitations for its members to believe in the correctness of his/her decisions. It demands great determination and self-possession (Kearney & Gebert, 2009). Moreover, a leader should also be sure that his/her plan is the only possible variant that will contribute to the development of a certain project. I found it challenging as such determination should be based not only on knowledge; however, a leader should have a great experience related to the situation of this sort. However, I am sure that the further investigation of the issue will promote my better understanding of the most important concerns and help me to overcome these difficulties.
Literature
There are also many sources that tend to analyze the key elements of the issue and explain them to readers for them to become good leaders. The significant number of research works evidence the scale of the problem and its topicality. To prove it, Fullan (n.d.) states that there is no distinct line between management and leadership under modern conditions. That is why any company depends on the issue greatly and promote its further development. Moreover, it often places a leader in an untenable position and decreases his/her efficiency. For this reason, the investigation of the nature of leadership is vital in terms of the modern market environment.
Furthermore, Ackerman and Mackenzie (2006) emphasize the necessity of the creation of the educational system that is focused on the development of leadership qualities. Admitting the fact that the new generation of teacher leaders is available, they insist on the alteration of the traditional approach to studying to guarantee the development of leaders. This assumption evidences the significant scale of the question as the need for managers is great nowadays, and the request should be fulfilled with the help of the modern educational system that will contribute to the creation of the positive environment and elimination of the majority of constraints limiting potential leaders in their development.
Finally, modern leadership theory also implies the importance of such factors as behavior, charisma, values, etc. Boje (2003) is sure that if to take all these factors into account, a leader is able to improve his image and govern people. The importance of all these factors is proved by a number of researchers and experiences obtained in the course of the investigation of the issue. With this in mind, a leader should work on his personal qualities to be able to impact the environment. Boje (2003) is also sure that modern leadership constantly changes, and it is crucial to trace the slightest alterations to remain informed and be able to face new challenges.
Conclusion
To summarise, leadership has always been one of the major concerns of our society. Nowadays it determines the success ratio of a certain project and contributes to the evolution of a certain community. A great number of various approaches to leadership evidence the great significance of the question and promote the further development of the issue. Moreover, modern conditions determine the growth of the popularity of the concept and condition the reconsideration of some outdated approaches.
References
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