Leadership

Webster's defines leadership as : "1. the office of position of a leader, 2. capacity to lead, 3. the act of instance of leading, 4. LEADERS." Dale Carnegie, founder of the Dale Carnegie Institute and teacher of leadership skills, defines leadership as a mixture of traits and skills that can be learned and honed. John C. Maxwell, founder of INJOY and professional speaker on leadership, agrees with Carnegie, but further states that there are five levels of leadership with the highest level being attained by only a few people.

So what really determines leadership? Does the position or office determine the leader or is it the capacity to lead? Just because a person holds a certain position in a company or in government does not necessarily mean they can be a leader. We can look at out previous President and see that the office does not make the leader. Because a certain individual has been promoted to a leadership position with a company, does that make the person a leader? They are expected to be able to lead, but what truly makes a person a leader? Is it a skill that can be learned, practiced, and enhanced by qualities that we are born with?

Leadership is a combination of traits, qualities, and skills that not only learned and practiced, but are not necessarily inherent qualities that a person is born with. To develop leadership we must become students of human relations. The we can become goon communicators and listeners, offer genuine appreciation and praise to others, and show others the respect they deserve. WE then must learn not to be overly critical, to harness enthusiasm, give people a good reputation to live up to, and keep a sense of fun and balance in out lives. These are all good qualities that one must strive to obtain to become a leader of people. Not only will they then reap the rewards of being a leader, but they will also begin to develop others into leaders, thus expanding their influence as well as building up the organization they are associated with. Not only is that a trait of a good leader but also that is a responsibility the leader must live up to if they wish to become a great leader. In his book, "Developing the Leader Within You," John C. Maxwell lists the five levels of leadership as:

1. Position ? the lowest level of leadership, based solely on title and position.

2. Permission ? as relationships are developed with others, they give permission to the leader to be led beyond the limits of his/hers job description.

3. Production ? as the group becomes more productive together, leadership is advanced.

4. People Development ? developing people and assisting them to reach their potential.

5. Personhood ? this requires a lifetime of developing others to their highest potential.

As we can see, the development of people into leaders is level four and wen a leader reaches this level, they indeed have become a great leader.

Why would anyone want to become a leader and exactly who can be seen as a leader? The obvious answers would be a boss, a pastor, a government official, a coach, and a corporate executive. There is another more important position that most people overlook when asked to list people that are leaders and that is teachers. Teachers should strive to reach level five more than anyone because due to their position they have the opportunity to influence the future of our country by influencing the minds of our children. Parents should also strive to become the best leaders they can so that they can positively influence their children and help to make our country, perhaps even our world, a better place as an end result. The latter definitely have been lacking in their duties as leaders for many years as can be seen by observing Generation Xers as they pass through our institutions of higher learning and ultimately into the work force of today. Most of these individuals have never been exposed to quality leadership in the home or at school; as a result, they not only lack the understanding of how important leadership qualities are, but fail to ever grasp the concept of leadership.

As parents and teachers we must develop the leaders without ourselves so that we can develop the leaders within our children and make a more positive impact on the lives of others and hopefully turn the situation we are now in around. WE have a responsibility, nay a duty, not only to our children, but also to our country and to the world we live in to do this. We must read the proper books written by quality leaders so that we can learn how to develop ourselves and "lead by example." When we ourselves learn what makes good leaders and practice these learned traits, we will find that in the end not only have we become better people for it, but we have helped our children to become better people as well.

Gary Glasscock provides qualtiy copywriting services to marketers and companies on an as needed basis. If you are in need of copywriting services, visit his website at http://www.gc-copywriting.com or contact Gary at gary@gc-copywriting.com

---

Creating Unlimited Belief for Success!

What's holding your team back from experiencing "breakout performance"?It may... Read More

Five Steps Towards Greater Self Confidence

We watch the star athlete calmly make the final shot,... Read More

The Ten Commandments of Leadership

A poem hangs on the wall at Mother Theresa's orphanage... Read More

Strengthening Leadership Development with Employees

Within every business lies a network of people who are... Read More

Coaching a Leader

One of my favorite memories growing up as a child... Read More

Recommended Books on Leadership and Team Building

The single most important thing a leader can do is... Read More

To be, or Not to be (Average)?

When is hate OK? When it's the feeling you have... Read More

None of Us Arrived with an Owners Manual: A Fresh Perspective on the Drive to Lead (part 2)

Why didn't I get an Owner's ManualAfter a little while... Read More

In Leadership, Dreams Are The Stuff That Great Results Are Made Of

Leadership is motivational or it's stumbling in the dark. The... Read More

BIG-3 Leadership!

"Do what you do so well that they will want... Read More

5 Human Capital Asset Enrichment Strategies for Leaders!

Here's a really simple way to think about the ins... Read More

Ten Steps To Effective Leadership

Many people end up in a supervisory position or SOHO... Read More

Birth Order - Understand How It Affects Your Personality

"Know thyself" is a powerful principle that leaders, managers and... Read More

What Makes A Good Leader? Ask Uncle Sam

What do the major generals who are leading the war... Read More

3 Dynamic Techniques To Boost Your Executive Leadership!

Here's a really simple way to measure the strength of... Read More

Transformational Leadership

"What is leadership?" When this question is asked most of... Read More

Embracing Adversity for Achievement

"Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I'll... Read More

Lead People...Manage Things

Master The Five Key Facets of High Performance LeadershipMany people... Read More

You Make The Difference

What do you think makes your company successful? Your newest... Read More

The SAMMER Test: Leading People To Get The Right Results At the Right Time In The Right Way

As a leader, you do nothing more important than get... Read More

To Be An Effective Leader, Do A Check-up From The Neck Up

Before we can effectively lead anyone, we must take an... Read More

Top 25 Leadership Quotations

Ponder what it takes to be a true leader with... Read More

E=MC - Is It In Me?

How many times have you seen the E = MC2... Read More

How to Become a Great Leader & Improve Your Leadership Skills

A great leader is able to inspire his/her workers to... Read More

Supervisor Training: Helpful Tips to Lead Your Pack

A new supervisor is hired to anchor a gardening project... Read More

How To Party Like Leonardo Da Vinci

After studying scores of great thinkers like Leonardo Da Vinci,... Read More

Are You A Leader in the Chrysalis?

Let's get this straight at the outset?Leadership skills can be... Read More

Precious Moments

There is too much learning out there that we earn... Read More

Leadership and Followership in a Team Setting

Many solopreneurs work in a team environment either with their... Read More

Leading In The Face Of Disaster

The date was Saturday, April 11, 1970, the time 13:13... Read More

Who Is Randy Gage and Why Is He One of My Mentors and Heroes?

Who is Randy Gage? I first read about him in... Read More

The Best Ways To Multiply The Extraordinary Leadership in Your Organization

Extraordinary Leaders are those who understand that in order for... Read More

Why You Should Ignore This Advice

Doesn't make too much sense does it? Am I really... Read More