Leaders: What to Look For “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” ~ John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams’ quote incites some thought. There are undoubtedly high expectations from people placed in positions of authority. A leader has many responsibilities placed on his shoulders. The most important characteristics to look for in a leader are impossible to determine; however, three virtues have been defined to watch for when looking for a leader: integrity, initiative, and inspiration. Integrity is the most crucial characteristic of a leader or any person hoping to one day secure a position of authority. It is the foundation for any form of success. Integrity is based on …show more content…
An individual with this trait does not complain when he is asked to do any specific task; he recognizes that the job needs to be done, and this sets him up for opportunities in the future. A successful leader takes pride in his work, but is not boastful about it. He values the success of the team over his individual accomplishments—he gives up what he could be for what the team could be. This comes from total loyalty to the team. When the individual sees something that could help the team, he does it, no questions asked. The leader that has this trait has a vision for the future and a goal for the team he is leading. Given these points, I show initiative in my schoolwork. I plan ahead and do homework well ahead of the due date, if it is assigned early. I try to be prepared for anything that comes my way, but sometimes life gets the best of us. When things need to be done around the house, I try to do them without being asked. This does not always happen, but I still try to help …show more content…
A leader must encourage his team to be the best people they can be, and then show them how to use their strengths to help the team, if he wants to be successful. He must believe that the people on his team can be better and push the members toward that. Sometimes this will involve “tough love”. Success is about the leader pushing people to be the best version of themselves, and if the leader finds that “tough love” is the most effective, then that is what he is going to use. Being a leader is about being for the whole team, but urging each member to being for the team as well. I do not spend a lot of time being “inspirational,” but people do ask me for advice, and I have given a few pep talks. I always try to encourage the person so that the individual will feel better about himself or herself and the situation after talking to
Peter Drucker once said “Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes”(BrainyQuote). Indeed, many leaders enjoy being popular. But popularity is not the most important trait in a leader; people should look at a leader’s results rather than his/her ability to speak. In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, many characters have the potential to be leaders. Yet, judging from his characteristics, Piggy would be the best candidate for leadership.
Integrity is defined as the quality of having, living by, keeping, and defending one’s firm moral principles in all circumstances. Men throughout history have exhibited this trait. Martin Luther King, Jr., portrayed this quality when he led the African-American Civil Rights Movement. Integrity was also ubiquitous throughout the Bible. Joseph, a Biblical character, displayed this quality throughout his life of slavery in Egypt.
“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way,” as said by John C. Maxwell. This reminds people about what it takes to be a great leader and has raised many controversies as to what a great leader is. Qualities like decisiveness, confidence, focus, and consistency are necessary to make a leader. Virtue, which is a behavior showing high moral standards , is not one of the necessary qualities. By analyzing literature and history, a person can still be a good and effective leader without virtue because they are consistent, credible, and have a vision of their goals.
There are many qualities that good leaders must possess in order to be able to maintain a group united and working together, whether it is a sports or any academic team or club. For example; football/volleyball, U.I.L/ National Honor Society, or even Spanish/Interact club. Leaders must be willing to pass on a positive influence and know when to take charge. They must begin to be role models to those they associate with on a daily basis.
To begin, I am Delancy Elizabeth Anderson and I am more than honored to potentially have the opportunity to become a member of the Yazoo County High School Chapter of the National Honor Society. Moreover, it shows me that I have academically, mentally and spiritually excelled through my years of high school to be a part of something bigger than myself -- National Honor Society. Seeking membership into National Honor Society will not only solidify that I am a diligent student, but the renowned program will shape myself into a greater me. To declare, I am a noteworthy candidate for National Honor Society because I withhold the four standard-the program strives to exhibit -- scholarship, service, leadership, and character.
As someone involved in marching band I know of discipline of staying up for long periods of time and I think a good leader must have this as a trait to be a responsible leader. Another qualities a leader must have is others must look up to them and do as they say. Jack, being
Integrity is one of the fundamental values that employers seek in the employees they hire (Heathfield, 2017). It is the hallmark of a person who demonstrates sound moral and ethical principles at work. Integrity is the foundation on which coworkers build relationships, trust in each other, and effective interpersonal communication. Any definition of integrity will emphasize these factors. Integrity is important to anyone that upholds the values, and apply to any job at hand or while working on any project.
These leaders are in constant motion. They stimulate ideas and creativity, and encourage wise experimentation, and are critical about results and discipline. They do not rely on luck or circumstances to determine their success, but they analyse their situation, and react according to it. When they face bad luck, they learn from it and make any necessary changes, and when they face good luck they continue to follow their principles. Leaders work with the expectation that what they are working for, will become great and will remain great even after they leave their leadership position.
But first, you should have clarity of your own identity and knowledge. Once you have your own foundation with being a leader, I think that as a leader you can transition and understand the behavior of others that may be on your team. When acknowledging others on the team, I think that it is important to identify strengths and weaknesses of others and the team. As you can see, I have outlined what I believe makes a great and effective leader.
There are five practices of effective leaders. The first practice of an effective leader is to be able to model great character for the team members. Leaders should be transparent and open to the team members. Great leaders should be able to show through his or her own actions character. Another practice is making sure everyone shares the same vision.
Integrity is a term used to describe a person 's level of honesty, moral commitments, and willingness to do what 's right. Choosing what is right over what is fun, fast or easy, and choosing to practice our values rather than simply professing them. Given the real definition of integrity, we recognize that it is actually extremely difficult to be in integrity 100% of the time. We aspire to be in integrity with what we believe but sometimes, we mess up. Sometimes, our emotions get the best of us and we are unable to manage our behavior and actions.
One goal is common among all of humanity and that is a longing for success. Success is only achieved through leadership in some form. Whether a person becomes a public leader in his church, in his country, or simply a leader in his own life, it takes a leader to put in the effort to achieve one's hopes and dreams. Leadership allows a person to acquire the means necessary to meet a personal goal and ultimately reach this idea of success. However, possessing these leadership skills is virtually impossible without integrity.
The need for integrity today is perhaps as great as it has even been, and it is an absolutely essential for anyone who desires to become a person of influence. But we need to ask ourselves, what is integrity? According to Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, integrity is “adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character and honesty. Integrity is the foundation upon which many other qualities are built such as respect, dignity, and trust.” Integrity is not determined by circumstance because your circumstances are not responsible for your character just as a mirror, for your looks.
In life there will always be challenging things that you will have to face. If someone is able to overcome these harsh times, then they are strong enough to be a effective leader. A example of someone who has to overcome obstacles is a Chief in the military. Chiefs have to work hard to make sure that their soldiers are prepared for any obstacles that they will have to face. So the Chief to the soldiers is their effective leader and role model.
"The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader" by Dr.John Maxwell pulls readers in through challenges that gets them seeing leadership from various lenses.. Dr. Maxwell writes "Great leaders see the need, seize the opportunity, and serve without expecting anything in return," In essence that captures the overall theme of the book. At the heart of leadership is the desire to serve other people. Practical matters such as focusing on results and living disciplined life are included under this umbrella. Leadership qualities are interesting phenomena, which can be replenished to an infinite degree. However, John Maxwell managed to highlight those qualities that are truly crucial toward leadership that will appeal to all categories of followers.