Lead as You Wish to be Led

Leadership is an idea which may not be easily defined. Having delved into the topic more in-depth the past seven weeks has proven the idea that one definition is incapable of encompassing every leadership role. However, there is a set of ideals that are needed to transfer between each leadership role. With this being said, I love how the book proposes the topic as a philosophy, and one which should be unique to the individual.  So, what is leadership? For me, it's never leading in a way in which you yourself wouldn't want to be led. I always expect leaders to be moral, centered around the good of others, and possessing superior communication skills.

Ethics is the central concept to how I live my life, and in turn my leadership style. Having dealt with people possessing corrupt values gave me a sense of distrust. There is the old adage, "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me," which relates to my idea of unethical leadership. Once I realized how inefficient and untrustworthy an unethical leader was, I vowed to never follow one again and surely not be one myself.  Being corrupt is one way to get to the top, but it also provides a faster way to fall down to the bottom.  Centering yourself around others is another way to lead morally.  Anytime an individual is in a group, whether it be in a position or as a follower, they should be concerned with the good of the group.  

Communication is an idea which the classroom lacked at points throughout the course. It's a hard topic to address and overcome being that everyone has their own personalities. Undoubtedly, there are always people whom like to out-talk others, while other individuals are more quiet. Communication is less about talking in leadership, however, and centered more towards listening. When you're in charge of leading others, it is your job to get their voices and opinions heard which can only be accomplished through listening. While this idea is far from new to me, it stood out as a result of the class not communicating effectively with one another.

Leadership evolves through a person's life experiences creating specific emphasis on different values. If you asked me in middle school what being a leader means my answer would have been a vague list of traits. However, thanks to both positive and negative experiences over the past years I've fine tuned this list to a precise set of values. The greatest change ESHESA 2570 has made on my thoughts toward leadership is the idea of inclusiveness. In the past, I would've never concerned myself with the diversity of a group. However, class has opened my eyes to how varying opinions can be. For a leader to assist a group effectively, they must first understand the diversity present amongst the members. Overall, while ESHESA has been beneficial in building my views toward leadership, I know my opinions on the topic will continue to grow with my life experiences.