 Chapter 1 Introduction to Leadership: Getting It Done
I want to start with a clear statement: leadership is an art which defies precise definitions. It, like beauty, is often determined by the eye of the beholder. It is a recognition, a privilege which is earned by actions, by strength of character and not by position. What is leadership? Is it a specific act or several actions? Is it the result of one individual or several? Is it the property of a person or a group? The answer seems to be yes to any of these depending upon whom you read or listen to. Unfortunately, there are about as many definitions of leadership as there are writers about the subject. The most common books on leadership found on the shelves of the local book stores attempt to show that their formula will somehow, perhaps by magic, make the reader into an effective leader. And, indeed, most of these formulas, if followed, do provide useful skills and insights. The other less-common books are more academic (you can often translate that into wordy) and analyze either the process of leadership or the traits of leaders. The Leadership Education: A Source Book, 1996-1997 is the best single compilation of books courses, net sites, etc. on leadership (Center for Creative Leadership). I know what I say in this book will not make me a fortune, but developing leadership skills and leadership are both just plain hard work. There is no magic, no instant cure, no quick fix for understanding the complex task of leadership or in developing leadership skills. Taking one or more courses in oral or written communications, in group organization or in leadership will not make you a leader. But all of them are important steps along the way to becoming a leader. Let us begin the journey. In this discussion, I will give my observations on leadership, but remember they are just that, my views. Granted, I have obtained those views through forty years of hard experience, careful reading of the literature on leadership, teaching a course on leadership for many years and watching and listening to many successful and some-not-successful leaders. I firmly believe that leadership skills can be learned by almost anyone. I have seen quiet, even shy, stereotypical housewives become outspoken and effective leaders and advocates for causes usually when something directed effected them. Granted these are not common, but they do occur. Just tell her that a large mobile home park is going to be constructed near her new and expensive home and watch what happens. It is best to stand at a distance when doing this. I do not believe there are "born" leaders. "Born" leaders just got an earlier start than most of the rest of us, before we became acquainted with them. Yes, I know that there are many proud parents who firmly believe that their "precocious" child shows leadership traits at age two, but…. (If those parents really believe it is true, act as though it is true, it has a better than even chance of becoming true - a self-fulfilling prophecy.)
I sometimes use myself as an example. I started out as an almost shy boy from the farm and a one-room school with very few communications skills. I have added enough to be moderately successful in a career as a professor in a large university, a departmental chair for ten years, a community leader for more than a decade including being a Columbia City Council person and mayor pro tem, and an officer in several organizations. If I can go from those very modest beginning to where I am today, I strongly believe that most other people can do at least as good, if not better and become leaders in their worlds. In other words, you can become an active participant and, indeed, a "shaper" rather than a "couch potato" of your community and the world. Only a thorough understanding of the process and much hard work will make an effective leader and group participant out of most of us. Again, let me emphasize, anyone of us can greatly improve our skills and knowledge, all of which are essential for effective leadership. These same skills, often relating to communications, will often benefit each of us in many other aspects of our life - from our family to our careers. Leadership is, to me, the actions of ordinary people such as you or I take to work with others to achieve a common goal. In that process, you or I as a leader perform a variety of tasks that influence, motivate and facilitate others to work together to reach the desired goal(s). Leadership is, usually, a journey of a thousand or more small steps or actions that produce changes in a desired direction. Very seldom do these actions include ringing speeches or brave and bold actions. The white knight image of leadership so beloved by writers of books on leadership has little meaning in reality. Leadership is just plain hard effective work – work that usually goes on for months or years! Leaders and leadership actions are complicated, complex and hard to understand. For those reasons, the principles of leadership in voluntary setting and organizations are divided into two major sections: Leadership Principles and Leaders' Principles. The Leadership Principles describe the process while the Leaders' Principles focus on the individual. There is considerable overlap between the two categories and it is sometimes impossible to separate the Principles entirely into two somewhat arbitrary divisions. At the end of the Leaders' Principles, I address the knotty problem of distinguishing between management and leadership. The next chapter discusses the characteristics or Traits of Effective Leaders. What does it take to be an effective leader? Good listening is very much a part of being an effective leader. How to be a good listener is discussed in Chapter 4. Everyone starts out as being a follower. I make the argument in Chapter 5 that a person must be a good follower to be a good leader, that many of the same characteristics are involved in each. Finally, the community development process that is a somewhat unique type of leadership is briefly examined.
[next page] [back] [rex campbell]
copyright © University of Missouri |
I believe that you and I have the capacity to be
leaders. I believe it is important that you as leaders of
today and tomorrow understand the diversity of activities
and skills that go to make up leadership in the world
today.