...Jason Chen Mr. Hampstead English 124 003 14 February 2014 Leaders of Yesterday Running an empire compared to a city-state is not that much different depending on who is in power. Some characteristics seem to be prevalent in history and carried over to modern times. Marco Polo conducts much analysis on the many regions of the worlds he visits but he has a specific goal in discussing leadership. Does he believe that a leader should be a moral character or more of a political ideologist? Is it better to be a smart leader or a good person? The main focus of Polo was Kaan, but his discussions of other leaders, such as the Old Man of the mountain and Lord Prester, gives insight to other leaders of the past. The Old Man of the mountain was a deceptive leader who tricked people into being his followers because they claimed he controlled a place of paradise. He trained a group called Ashishin or assassins. The Old Man would take a man from the paradise and ask him from where he came; the man would reply, “that he came from Paradise!” (Polo book 1 Chapter 24) The Old Man used this illusion to motivate men to do his bidding. The selected men were driven to do his work based solely on the desire to return to paradise. The Old Man of the mountain was a commander of deception. Even though he used an illusion he was able to secure his kingdom, making him an effective leader. He did not seem interested in invading other areas, but to maintain the system he had created. The Old Man’s...
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...To be an effective leader, I believe you must be able to put yourself in a position that sets you up for success and be able to motivate others to work towards a common goal. To do this, it is important to use the strengths that you have a high propensity to do well. You must also learn from past experiences of success and apply what worked well and avoid those that did not. Just as a kitten born in a stove oven does not make it a biscuit, a child born of a leader does not make him a leader. We must learn to lead, and to do so requires us to develop a leadership style that encourages success. When we began the Leadership I Seminar, we learned about our strengths using the Strengths Finder 2.0 assessment. According to the assessment, my greatest strength is Communication. That has not always been the case. Until I got into college, I was a very shy and soft spoken kid who was terrified to talk in class or to stand out in any way. I preferred to fit in and chose not to draw attention to myself. I was not alone – the number one fear people have is public speaking; followed closely by a fear of dying. (So I guess more people would rather be in the casket than to have to give the Eulogy?) In college, I took a business communication class which required I read several books about how individuals have succeeded. The individuals highlighted in these books explained that the single greatest strength they possessed was their ability to effectively deal with people...
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...Q1. Understanding human behavior is critical to organizations – discuss the benefits of self evaluation/self assessment as it relates to leaders today. Understanding human behavior is critical to managers at all levels inside any organization. Individual managers within the organization can especially benefit from conducting self-evaluations. It is essential for managers to be self -ware and understand how their own behavior and personality can give them a better perspective while working with others. Being self-aware allows one to recognize and improve their strengths and weaknesses in order to maximize their leadership potential. In Organizational Behavior, Robins & Judge (13th Edition) tell us that organizational behavior is the knowledge gained about individuals, groups and the effect of structure on behavior in order to make organizations work more effectively. A major goal for any organization should be to work more effectively and to continuously make improvements, this is summarized by the Japanese Philosophy of Kaizen. For an organization to strive to continuously improve the leadership and management must adapt and learn. There are many ways in which a manager can strive to improve and one of those is through self-evaluation. What is a self-assessment or evaluation? Daniel Goleman (2000. Page 80) tells us that an accurate self-assessment is a “realistic evaluation of your strengths and limitations”...
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...Leadership Truths Leadership Today is an international consulting firm that is struggling right now with low morale and decreasing market shares. There are many causes to the decline in the company such as lack of employee appreciation and mid-level managers not having the freedom to make decisions in a timely manner. There is a way to turn this ship around if the decision makers for Leadership Today can learn and apply the 10 enduring truths about leadership. One of the first steps Leadership Today must do is be passionate about what they do for a living. If a manager or leader is there just to punch the clock and collect a paycheck then they are not going to have their heart into what they do. A leader must be show passion about their job which will then rub off on their employees. If employees are motivated and have pride in their work then morale will be up as well as productivity. Managers or leaders must also believe in themselves. They must have the self-confidence that they can make a difference as employees can see when a leader is unsure of themselves or seconds guess every decision that they make. This can also be tied into values as a leader must let their employees know what they stand for or believe in. A leader also must know what their employee’s values are and then must align the two so that everybody is on the same page. Leadership Today can easily correct the low morale issue they are currently facing. Leaders need to recognize employees for...
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...Worship Leader 1: Good morning and happy Sabbath everyone! Worship Leader 2: Let’s see how glad and ready you are to meet God today. Let me hear your voices say, Happy Sabbath! (Wait for congregation to say Happy Sabbath) Worship Leader 3: Alright! I can say that we all are glad and ready to meet God today. Let’s also shake the hands of our seatmates and greet them happy Sabbath. (Shake the hands of co-Worship Leaders and greet them) Worship Leader 1: Welcome to our Sabbath school program. It’s always great to start this day with a big smile on our faces, right? (create eye contact with co-Worship Leaders) Worship Leader 2: Ofcourse! There’s no reason for us to be sad because God is with us today. Worship Leader 3: Yes! We were able to set aside our other tasks and duties and we can all have that peace of mind because it’s Sabbath. Worship Leader 2: Here’s a quote that we can ponder on today. This reminds us how to use our senses properly. It goes like this, “God has given us eyes not to insult but to look beyond situations, lips not to criticize but to speak for the truth, hands not to punish sinners but to give a helping hand and ears not to be insensitive but to hear voice in pain.” Worship Leader 1: Thank you so much for that quote. That means everything has its own purpose. We should be very, very careful in using it well. Worship Leader 3: For our announcements, the first is become a Sabbath school class member. Just approach any of our Sabbath school teachers or...
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...their strength. ISIS and al-Qaeda divorced in February 2014. "Over the years, there have been many signs that the relationship between al Qaeda Central (AQC) and the group's strongest, most unruly franchise was strained," Barack Mendelsohn, a political scientist at Haverford College, writes. Their relationship "had always been more a matter of mutual interests than of shared ideology." According to Mendelsohn, Syria pushed that relationship to the breaking point. ISIS claimed that it controlled Jabhat al-Nusra, the official al-Qaeda splinter in Syria, and defied orders from al-Qaeda's leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, to back off. "This was the first time a leader of an al-Qaeda franchise had publicly disobeyed" a movement leader, he says. ISIS also defied repeated orders to kill fewer civilians in Syria, and the tensions led to al-Qaeda disavowing any connection with ISIS in a February communiqué. Today, ISIS and al-Qaeda compete for influence over Islamist extremist groups around the world. Some experts believe ISIS may overtake al-Qaeda as the most influential group in this area globally. 1. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) used to have a different name: al Qaeda in Iraq. US troops and allied Sunni militias defeated al Qaeda in Iraq during the post-2006 "surge" — but it didn't destroy them. The US commander in Iraq, General Ray Odierno, described the group in 2010 as down but...
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...peak-performance levels (United Air Lines, 2009). Healthy Work Culture United Airlines exerts tremendous amounts of time and energy working and negotiating with, unions and labor-management task forces negotiating with workers seeking to recoup bankruptcy concessions there is some cause for concern in the area of bankruptcy. The relations between United Airlines and labor-management have intensified as talks regarding contracts become sober in a time of financial loss for the airline. The recession forced United Airlines, along with many others to ground planes to cut costs (USA Today, 2009). United Airlines is at present the third largest air carrier in the world regardless, discussions are ongoing about the possibility of merging with other airlines such as Continental or US Airways. American Airlines, which is the number two airline, talks frequently with the unions, even though a contract agreement was reached (USA Today, 2009)....
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...Contemporary Leadership Theories RECORDED ON Jun 02, 2014 SPEAKER Scott, Diane, Candice Shehorn Scott: Hey everyone, welcome to the podcast where we talk in detail about management and business principles that YOU need for success. Scott: And today we have a great discussion planned about leadership theories. Diane: That's right, and there are quite a few to dive into. Today there are four main views regarding leadership: leader-member exchange, charismatic-visionary leadership... Scott: And team leadership and transformational-transactional leadership. Diane: Now, it is important to realize at the outset that these are theories, and while they are the most widely accepted leadership theories today, that isn't necessarily a commentary on how good or effective one leadership theory is over another. Like anything else, a myriad of factors are in play that determine what sort of leadership theory will be the most effective in a given situation. Scott: And I think a prime example of that, Diane, would be the leader-member exchange, or LMX, theory. This is a theory that anyone who has ever worked a day in their life has probably encountered at one point in time or another. This theory posits that leaders have two groups of people underneath them: in's and out's. It doesn't take a lot to figure out that, much like picking teams in kickball in grade school, we're talking about playing favorites. Diane: It is, but that isn't always a bad thing. While people who are...
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...The Challenges of Leadership Desire, determination, effectiveness, passion, management skills, being able to inspire, positive attitude, knowing who you are, what to do or not; these are all characteristics of a leader . “Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent.” (Concept of Leadership, 2010). In this 21st century world we are living in and with all the complex changes happening and the many ways businesses are being conducted and operated, leadership skills are definitely needed but are becoming more and more challenging to obtain because leadership is a process which is put in place in order to influence a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. This is achieved by pertaining leadership, knowledge and skills. In the paragraphs that will follow, we will touch base on the leadership challenges of today, what it takes to be a good leader in today’s world and the importance of being a good leader in order to have a blooming business. First, there are four key factors of leadership: leader, followers, communication and situation. “Leader: entails knowing and having a clear understanding of the type of person that you are, your knowledge, and what you are able to do. Followers; we each have and require different types of leadership which is why it is imperative to have a good understanding of the human nature, such as needs, emotions, motivation...
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...year’s time, he admits that he simply needed a job! He started at American Family as a Claims Adjuster and was soon promoted to Claims Manager. He later moved to the Southern Region as a Consultant before being selected for his current role as Regional Manager. When asked about his career success, Leon advises that he was always the guy with his hand raised. He volunteered for every opportunity that came along, more so out of a desire to learn and gain new experiences than it was to get himself noticed. He stresses that the best way to stand out, at American Family or in any organization, is by doing a great job at whatever it is that you’re currently doing. This is still true for Leon today. He states that he strives to be the most effective, most collaborative, and most results-driven leader that he can be. A defining moment of Leon’s career was when he began his first leadership role as a Claims Manager. It was then that he realized that it wasn’t about him and what he could do. What really mattered was how he could influence his team and bring about results through others. He...
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...Inside Jonestown The tragedy that occurred in Jonestown in 1978 may seem impossible to happen today but when many of the things that happened prior to massacre are looked at, it begins to seem plausible. The Peoples Temple had beginnings that were fairly similar to that of the early Catholic Church. It had common factors that would even appeal to people now. However, it ultimately proved to take a turn for the worst and head in a much different direction than the Catholic Church. One extremely important factor that is important in establishing a church or major organization such as the People’s Temple and the Catholic Church is a strong leader. In the early Catholic Church these leaders were the apostles, especially Peter, and in the People’s Temple it was Jim Jones. They were both very persuasive and passionate about what they believed, which they showed through preaching. However, the positions of these leaders and how they thought of themselves is very different. The Apostles saw themselves as servants of God and Jesus, which can be seen in in Paul’s 1st Letter to the Corinthians when he states “Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God……We who know Christ should view ourselves as His servants and our aim should be to be faithful...
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...Some changes leaders face today are employee engagement, lack of communication and no clear measurable goals for the company. Communication and engagement go hand in hand with one another. When leaders have effective communication they can keep their employees engaged as well as motivated. People always want to be in the know, when they have transparency with their leaders they have more certainty and feel more secure within their job and company. If they feel they are not being informed of what is going on in their company they may feel like they can't be engaged and become uncertain of the future. Uncertainty leads to rash decisions that feel appropriate out of distress. When employees do not have clear measureable goals how can they succeed in the company. There will be constant miscommunication because the leader can measure them on something they interpreted from the goal however the employee had a different interpretation. All of the above mentioned challenges can be responded to by constant, clear communication. All employees want to have clear attainable goals and want to be informed of what is going on in the company. Leaders often make the mistake of not having the time for others do to the demanding tasks they must complete constantly. This causes a lack of communication between employees and a disconnect between the leaders and the employees. Employees often become disengaged leading to unhappy employees who proceed to leave the company. Employees do not need know...
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...Greatest Leader Introduction There have been many great leaders in our time that had a great impact on America, but today there is one person I would like to acknowledge, and that is Martin Luther King Jr. MLKJ have done so much in his lifetime to shape up this country. Just take a minute to think, what if MLKJ would’ve gave up. Ask yourself how would the world be today? That’s why MLKJ is the perfect example of a leader because he never threw in the towel and gave up. He fought to the end. Body Martin Luther king Jr. was born on January 15, 1929. Many of us should be familiar with this well-known day, January 15, known as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. King was born in Atlanta, Ga to the parents of Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta King. As King grew older he Married Coretta Scott King and had four children. King was a well-known leader in the Civil Rights Movement. King was also known in various parts of the country for really pushing the Civil Rights. Aside from being a Civil Rights leader, King was a American Clergy leader, activist, as well as a minister. King was the youngest man to receive the Nobel Peace Prize at age thirty-five. When King was notified he was selected he donated all the prize money of $54,123 to the civil rights movement. For many of us when we hear Martin Luther King Jr.’s name the first thing that comes to mind is his “I Have A Dream” speech. King delivered this speech in front of thousands of Americans on August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial...
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...VOLUNTEERING MAKES BETTER LEADER What’s actually the criteria that makes up a great, awe-inspiring, renowned and outstanding leader for legion of people? Douglas MacArthur once quoted “ A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent”. These impeccable qualities of a leader highlighted are truly the values people today are yearning for. Yet, from my point of view, in today’s fast paced world, I strongly think that we already have an abundance of intellectual brilliant brains with extraordinary credibility which people will simply and oftenly appointed them as a leader of an organization ,community and as well as to lead a country. Therefore, I firmly agree that transformation should be applied in choosing the arising leaders responsible in ruling either an institution or even the half of the world. How? I do believe that this could be done through volunteering. Today, we have seen a lot of leaders which rise and be on top without even we know for even an inch whether they are willing and sincere to do so or not. However, if we pick a sovereign which sincerely volunteers himself/herself to lead the organization, we should worry less then as we have already a chosen a leader who is willingly offering his ‘brain’ to contribute for the betterment of the organization itself...
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...presenting ways to apply a model of leadership to Leadership Today, which is an international consulting firm based in Singapore. I would also like to present advice to this company on how to turn the company around by changing its leadership practices. First, Leadership Today has been loosing shares in the market to their competitors due to an efficiently poor leadership. The mid-level managers complain they do not have time to make proper decisions and the employees complain that their hard work is not acknowledged, but any mistake is brought to their attention immediately. According to Robbins and Judge (2011), leadership is the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or set of goals. It can be determined that Leadership Today is not able provide this influence. In order for this company to achieve success it must change the way it is being lead. Thus, in order to this Kouzes and Posner (2010) consider that a number of 10 enduring truths about leadership will help the company or the leader to think, decide, and also to act more effectively. The first truth is about inspiring or making the leader to think that he posses skills through which he can have a positive impact on other, believe in him self and in his ability to make a difference. The next one is called “credibility is the foundation of leadership” and refers to the fact that the others need to have trust in the leader as well in order to make things flow. The third truth is called...
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