'Being A Leader'

What does it mean to you??

Leader: a person who leads : as a : GUIDE, CONDUCTOR b (1) : a person who directs a military force or unit (2) : a person who has commanding authority or influence c (1) : the principal officer of a British political party (2) : a party member chosen to manage party activities in a legislative body (3) : such a party member presiding over the whole legislative body when the party constitutes a majority d (1) : CONDUCTOR c (2) : a first or principal performer of a group

Is this it? Is this all it is?

I was asked to write a page about Leadership and maybe a "How To" on teaching it. I thought about a class I had at my corps and liked the idea for you folks...so here it is. If you have to write a speech or a class for your corps, I'd like to have it here. It can be anonymous if you like.

The point, you ask...I will tell you what I told my cadets; each leader will do things their own way and have their own idea about what leadership is, but if you look at each one...they all agree.

 PM Foxtrot with your thoughts!

And so you have PM'd me!! Here are a few of the entries I have received!

Cpl_corner - Elizabeth Corner
A good leader is someone who takes authority over their group.
A good leader takes responsibility for themselves and their cadets.
A good leader listens to their cadets and values there opinions.

A bad leader doesn’t take responsibility for what they or their cadets do.
A bad leader doesn’t listen to their cadets or value what they say (I have a story to back that up).

Drillman9 - Scott Southern
A good place to start when talking about leadership is this:

Leadership is making ordinary people do extraordinary things.

PO Loretta - Loretta Coste

She sent me the whole essay, it is quite good. I have a link to it if you would like to read the whole essay. For the sake of this page, I have taken only exerpts from it. Thanks Loretta!

Always remember that leadership skills are very important attribute to possess in the ever-advancing world of today.

To be a leader is to have the ability to influence the thoughts and activities (behaviour) of a group or organization in the direction of a desired goal.
Being a leader doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be good at something, it can simply be that you are more capable of achieving an outcome than someone else.

It is imperative that you distinguish the difference between Authority, Power and Leadership;

Many people assume that when they exercise authority they are automatically exercising leadership, but this isn’t necessarily the case. People may reject a leader but still follow his orders through fear of the power of the organization he represents. Their actions are not motivated by his ‘leadership’ but by their fear of the consequence of disobedience.

Thus, although an appointed rank structure may give a person authority, this will not necessarily make them an effective leader. For leadership to be exercised it is important that the leader be respected by his followers. This respect may depend on the leader’s physical, intellectual and emotional qualities.

After a few initial failures to get his leadership accepted, an inexperienced leader may fall back on the authority of his rank and cling to it on subsequent occasions with attempting to lead.

When a person occupies a position of authority his subordinates look automatically to him for leadership. If he fails to provide it they turn elsewhere, and when they do, it may be someone in opposition to authority.

Authority and Responsibility (accountability) must be given in balanced proportions if they are to be effective. To little authority delegated leads to constant reference to higher authority, with a constant lack of initiative at the lower level. Too much authority delegated results in higher authority avoiding their responsibility for decision making. It also encourages the holder to act more arbitrarily without adequate consideration for the effect of his actions/orders on his subordinates.

In other words, if one is held responsible for the actions of a group of people, it is only fair that one be given the authority to control them and vice versa.
Delegated authority is a privilege rather than a right, and can be withdrawn if abused or misused. Misuse or abuse of authority often occurs when a person attempts to ‘throw their weight around’ or ‘pull rank’, or use authority given to them to personal advantage, rather than for the groups benefit or to achieve the task for which the authority was delegated.

Rights are guaranteed entitlements, which cannot be removed except, by legal change, eg the right to vote and the right to free speech.

Privileges, however, can be removed at any time. Along with privileges come responsibilities. Privileges can be removed when they are abused, or when responsibilities are unfulfilled.

Authority and responsibility, rights and privileges are all major points that come with leadership, and must be maintained effectively to keep the leadership position, which you possess.

Common Traits Possessed by Leaders

In any group of people there is nearly always someone who stands out as the ‘natural’ leader regardless of whether there exists an appointed rank structure.

The following is a list identified by British Researcher, Tead, and identifies what can make a good leader:
- Physical and nervous energy
- Sense of purpose and direction
- Enthusiasm
- Friendliness and affection
- Integrity
- Technical mastery
- Decisiveness
- Intelligence
- Teaching skills and,
- Faith.

Leadership is in the eye of the people being led.

Entire Leadership Essay

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