.svg)
OrderThe concept of leadership has gained great deal of attention in recent past years. In the business world, in the community or even at academic institutions, large amounts of money and time have been devoted to the developing of effective future leaders. These areas have used many ways to motivate and inspire the leaders to be. A person’s style of leadership is influenced by ones core values, beliefs and assumptions. Learning from those around you is the most effective way of learning leadership. You can use leadership styles of those around you to deal with different people and to solve upcoming situations. A good leader will have many desirable positive traits that will define them, their leadership and their philosophy. Philosophy uses rational arguments to solve problems and involve the study of knowledge, existence, values, mind, reason and language.
A personal leadership philosophy will focus on ones way of life and his or her frame of mind that sets his perspective on everything in life. Ones principals and life values will play a major role for others’ to look at him or her as a true leader and will greatly affect how a leader makes decisions and what factors he will consider before making the final decision.
Aim and objective
The aim of this paper is to help me:
1. Develop a personal definition of leadership that is to incorporate contemporary leadership studies.
2. Identify the core principles that influence my actions and belief systems.
3. Create a self-portrait (including personal goals and values) that will offer guidance to me when faced with any tough leadership decision.
Articulation of the core principles, values, and goals that influence my behavior and decision making
My main values in life are teamwork, friendliness to people around me, flexibility in mind to new situations; I respect other people and love honesty and diversity. These values will help me achieve my goals of helping people with no food and shelter, steering the development of organizations I will work for and also help me keep the fight for human rights and needs to enhance humanity. I have strong attachment to my goals through my life values and principals and with time am sure I will be able to achieve all my goals in life and maybe surpass them.
My personal leadership style
Can't complete your paper?
Need a quick, creative solution?
Never too late to get it done by our pros
Write My PaperI believe in listening to people. A leader should express people’s wishes and desires, and should use these wishes to give the correct direction to his people. As a leader, I am the servant to my people and not the other way round. Their priorities will always come before any of my personal desires and will dedicate both my self and resources to ensure that their dreams are achieved.
When do you take risks?
Leaders should not take risks in any thing they do that will negatively affect their people. I have to keenly study any situation that comes up to know the best way out of it. If necessary I will discuss with the people the best way forward and even ask for advices from other leaders that have been in such a situation before. Will ask them what enable them to make it through and what should not be options in such situations. However, if taking a risk will mean possible great benefits to my people, I will then with their consent take the risk as a means to try enhancing their lives. These should be done with at most care as any miscalculation may mean a whole new problem.
When do you share your vision?
Sharing my vision will depend on who and when. To other leaders, I will share my visions with them only if am convinced that they are not malicious and that they will not try suppressing in order to kill ma dreams. Sharing visions with like minded leaders will give you a great boost with new in ideas and ways to realize your vision and also give you more motivation. Like minded leaders will help you drive your goals to success which will be a special thing to your people and humanity as whole.
A leader should share his vision with his people regularly as this will encourage them and help you win their support towards achieving their visions. At times of difficulties it is also important to accurately spell your way forward for them and how you intend to achieve it. You should also tell them any support you may require in the realization of that vision and how long it may take for the process to be a success. I will also get their views on my vision and consider amendments to it if they feel it is necessary.
How much compromise do you make and in what areas?
Situations may come when I will need to make compromises on behalf of my people to achieve their goals. Fighting for rights and needs of people may involve brushing shoulder with the ruling elite. For these people who benefit in depriving people their rights in order to help them attain their life targets will do anything to achieve their targets. Crossing on their ways have proved to be an end of the journey to many human rights activists like Martin Luther Jnr. Accepting to be a leader means that you will be ready to compromised the joys of life and pursue goals that, like Mandela, might lead to imprisonment. You should be able to give your time and resources to your course and remain focused to your goals.
A leader should never compromise his people for his own good (Koestenbaum2002). Other leaders will be ready to buy you out there but you should remain strong for your people no matter how good the deal might sound. Always I will remember that am there where I am not for myself and my own good but for my people and their good only.
Under what circumstances might you lie?
Lying is a vice. Being in the leading position will simple mean I will not be associated with any lie as this goes against my one of my core values which is honesty. Honesty to the people will help me have their trust throughout the time I am their leader. Any dishonesty to the people will not only mean the leader is going against leading ethics but will also mean breaching of professional code of conduct and also the constitution of that particular country. A leader is propelled with honesty to everyone no matter the result. This means under no circumstance should a leader lie and there is no good enough reason to make a leader do so.
How do your religion and religious views dictate your leadership philosophy?
Being a religious person who believes in God, my religion has a lot of influence on my philosophy. My values of love for other, honesty and respect are the main teaching my religion is based on. Love for others means visualizing your self on another persons shoes and doing to him thing you would have loved to be done to you. This means striving to my best to make their lives tolerable and satisfying. My religion is strongly against dishonesty. Dishonesty is considered a sin and any simple aspect of it is discouraged. One is also required to respect not only God but also other people around him whether young or old. Respect for life is also upheld and treating someone badly is not condoned by my religion which teaches equality among everyone regardless of your position.
What kinds of personal principles must be inviolate?
Personal principles like my respect to people, love for honesty, love for other people and diversity are inviolate. These are who I am and my leadership is founded on them. Violating them, just like destroying the foundation of any house, will mean destruction of myself as a leader and betrayal to everyone that looks up on me for their well being and for their motivation. I will always remain strong and faithful to my values and principles. A leader is known by the sacrifices he makes rather than how he bows down to his self desires and throws aside his values. Remaining strong is the core to leadership and the only way your people will prove that you are really dedicated to both your goals as a leader and their goals as your people. Violating your principles will make you lose all the trust your of your people you originally had and it is a never done thing as a leader.
How do you make decisions? On what grounds? In what time frames?
Making of decision will depend on many factors. My ways of making decisions will be influenced by the magnitude of the situation, its urgency, the decisions other leaders had made on similar situations and also the view of my people. Before making decisions on very important issues I will always compare advices from different recognized leaders and also from the peoples themselves. Urgent issues will not give me enough time for consultation and thus will require me to use my skills as a leader plus my values and my people in mind to decide on the right way forward. I will be ready to take any responsibility for the decisions made and will always make sure that none can harm my people. All the decision will be documented for future referral and improvement.
When are you to base decisions on evidence? And when do you follow intuition?
Every decision should be based on evidence (Hoggokinson 1985). Making decisions with no base is like gambling. People will be happy to look onto your decisions and the evidence you have made it from. This will help them understand better. A situation where by there is no evidence available I will be forced to make decisions following intuition.
When do you share information?
I will share any information that is not delicate with my people as soon as I have confirmed that it is true. I will make sure the information is well explained and that it reaches everyone.
What are the short and long term effects that you can weigh?
The decisions I make will not only focus solving the current situation but must also help prevent a similar problem in future. I will consider what effects the decisions will have on peoples living conditions, health, food security, job opportunities and also education to their children and their retirement plans. I will always ensure that the effects are positive and long lasting.
What decisions need to be made collectively? By whom?
Decisions concerning health, employment, education and the way people are to be lead are critical decisions that are to be made collectively (Koestenbaum2002). These may involve help from experts in the fields, other leaders and also delegates elected by the people to represent them and pass on the people’s views.
What decisions can (or should) be made individually?
Some decisions will however require me do make alone. These may be sensitive matters that involvement of the collective decision may lead to decision among the people and weaken your vision. Decisions like how much people are going to earn, as for managers can not be debated up on. The managers will usually do that alone considering the effects division over payment may cause to a company.
When is consultation needed, but individual decision-making authority retained?
For leaders such as presidents and king, appointments to the key positions will require that you do a lot of consultation with people around you like other leaders and friends, but still uphold the individual decision-making authority. Consultation will help one to know if actually the person in mind will do the work properly and any shortcoming they may have judging from their past experiences in various position they have held and if this will be a correct move. These decisions are those done to help maintain the balance, and avoid dictatorship of the majority over the minority and ensure regional balance on representations. These decisions should be made with care as it can lead to your destruction as a leader and also create a lot of criticism and fallouts by those opposed to the idea. Remember your decisions can either make or destroy.
Conclusion
My personal philosophy of leadership will go along way to help me remain focused as I battle many challenges that come with being a leader and also help me finally achieve my goals. I will remain firmly attached to my values and ensure that I use them to enhance the lives of others and not for my personal gains. My aim will be to portray true leadership and to live long on the hearts of the people I serve.
