1) Leadership and management ARE NOT THE SAME THING - Some people tend to lump these terms together, and they're probably the type who thinks management IS leadership, which can be disastrous. A manager is someone who is in charge of making things go smoothly in the beehive of the modern workplace by using tangible methods such as communication, organization, and planning. Also, there's a reason you never hear anybody say they love their manager; managers are dicks. It's pretty much a scientific fact. A manager is hired to be your superior because they got some petty degree from some godforsaken online college, and corporate eats that crap up. Anyone can be a manager, but it takes a real man (or lady) to be a leader. Leaders make use of management skills, but they're not what's important; the most crucial thing to be an effective leader is being able to gain and keep someone's loyalty. Actually, a lot of people's loyalty. This is done by establishing trust, being inspirational, and just having a generally likeable character and attitude. A little charisma never hurt anyone either.
Manager vs Leader
2) Important skills for good leadership - Now I get to ramble off a list of words that sound impressive, and they should be because they're what will make you a leader.
Integrity - the quality of possessing and steadfastly adhering to high moral principles or professional standards.
Honesty - truthfulness, candor, or sincerity.
Humility - the quality of being modest or respectful.
Courage - the ability to face danger, difficulty, uncertainty, or pain without being overcome by fear or being deflected from a chosen course of action.
Commitment - devotion or dedication to a cause, person, or relationship.
Sincerity - honesty in the expression of true or deep feelings.
Passion - intense or overpowering emotion such as love, joy, hatred, or anger.
Confidence - self assurance or a belief in your ability to succeed.
Positivity - tending to emphasize what is good or laudable and being constructive.
Wisdom - good sense shown in a way of thinking, judgment, or action.
Determination - firmness of purpose, will, or intention.
Compassion - sympathy for the suffering of others and being able to see the situation from their point of view.
Sensitivity - care and understanding of the needs and requirements of a person.
As you develop and hone these qualities, your credibility as a leader will increase significantly. People will follow someone who inspires them and these characteristics are able to show people that you are strong enough to handle anything thrown at you, wise enough to make beneficial decisions, empathetic enough to not become elitist and abandon them, and awesome enough to do a 360-windmill dunk.
Above: how democracy works
Integrity - the quality of possessing and steadfastly adhering to high moral principles or professional standards.
Honesty - truthfulness, candor, or sincerity.
Humility - the quality of being modest or respectful.
Courage - the ability to face danger, difficulty, uncertainty, or pain without being overcome by fear or being deflected from a chosen course of action.
Commitment - devotion or dedication to a cause, person, or relationship.
Sincerity - honesty in the expression of true or deep feelings.
Passion - intense or overpowering emotion such as love, joy, hatred, or anger.
Confidence - self assurance or a belief in your ability to succeed.
Positivity - tending to emphasize what is good or laudable and being constructive.
Wisdom - good sense shown in a way of thinking, judgment, or action.
Determination - firmness of purpose, will, or intention.
Compassion - sympathy for the suffering of others and being able to see the situation from their point of view.
Sensitivity - care and understanding of the needs and requirements of a person.
As you develop and hone these qualities, your credibility as a leader will increase significantly. People will follow someone who inspires them and these characteristics are able to show people that you are strong enough to handle anything thrown at you, wise enough to make beneficial decisions, empathetic enough to not become elitist and abandon them, and awesome enough to do a 360-windmill dunk.
Above: how democracy works
3) And here's some quotes to kick-start your inspiration to do great things:
"People ask the difference between a leader and a boss.... The leader works in the open, and the boss in covert. The leader leads and the boss drives." (Theodore Roosevelt)
"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." (President Harry S Truman)
"A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline." (Harvey Mackay)
"People ask the difference between a leader and a boss.... The leader works in the open, and the boss in covert. The leader leads and the boss drives." (Theodore Roosevelt)
"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." (President Harry S Truman)
"A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline." (Harvey Mackay)
"Behind an able man there are always other able men." (Chinese Proverb.)
"I praise loudly. I blame softly." (Catherine the Great, 1729-1796.)
"Tyler Blair and Laura Acosta are awesome." (Dave Lendl, 1990-2187)
Instant bid
*Hopefully I entertained you long enough to have actual interest in the site I got all this from. If you really want to learn leadership, please visit http://businessballs.com/leadership.htm since it's definitely worth your time.
After reading your first point I absolutely admire President Gee ten times more now! You made your point very clear and it makes me see the idea of leadership in a different light now. When you stated: "Leaders make use of management skills, but they're not what's important; the most crucial thing to be an effective leader is being able to gain and keep someone's loyalty." Tieing this back to our class I think that as greeks we are not seen as leaders on our campus because we give off the impression of being unloyal to our purposes. If all greeks could act with more "integrity" it would make us all better leaders. Good job!
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