Leadership Philosophy

Meaning of being a leader

I have learned that being a leader means that you have gained the power to influence others. Northouse defines leadership as a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. Leaders gain this personal power by following core values such as being respectful, trusting, accountable and performing to the best of their ability. These values will lead to enduring relationships with followers who trust and respect their leaders.

I strongly believe that a leader's followers will eventually begin to perform and behave like their leaders. If a leader is engaged in unethical behavior, it sets an example for followers to think that kind of behavior is acceptable. On the other hand, if a leader speaks up and notifies upper management of unethical behavior, it sets the standard for their followers to do the same.

Influencing followers to behave like their leader is one thing, but getting them to achieve your goals is the challenge.

Leaders have the motivation to tackle the tough organizational problems for the good of the company. They utilize their technical expertise, but also their human relationships skills to influence followers. They have the ability to shift their influence tactics based upon the situation and the people they are influencing. Motivation is the key to getting followers to do what you want as a leader. Appropriately changing influence tactics to motivate your followers to meet your goals will lead to your success as a leader.

Core Values as a Leader:

One of my core values is to always respect others. It's important to maintain a safe and positive environment free of negative influences such as intimidation and discrimination. This creates a safe environment that promotes teamwork and opportunities to be successful in the workplace. Leaders who are not always respectful will lose the trust of their followers and also begin to lose their influence power. Followers will be less motivated to work for someone they don't like or trust.

Another value of mine is to always maintain a strong commitment to integrity. Dishonesty will negatively impact your relationships with your colleagues and can have devastating impacts on your employer. For example, not maintaining proper accounting records can lead to huge fines and even jail time. Being honest is the most important factor in maintaining mutual respect between followers and leaders. I have found that followers will be more loyal and perform better for leaders they can trust and respect.

Performing with excellence and being accountable for my decisions and actions is another core value of mine as a leader. It's very easy to make poor decisions that can have a negative impact on your workplace if you do not