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Exploring the Qualities of a Leader

Page history last edited by Boda 13 years, 6 months ago


exploration via definitional argumentation

What Qualities Make Up a Good Leader?

1st Paragraph

Introduction of ideas

     Vision

     Integrity

     Dedication

     Assertiveness

If someone were to ask what qualities make up a good leader, what qualities would come to mind? A lot of people would say a Caucasian male, some would say smart and good looking, and still others would say tall and well dressed. These qualities may make up most of the cookie cutter ideas of a leader but they have little to nothing to do with leadership. Contrary to popular belief, leadership is not about skin tone, has nothing to do with looks or gender, and is definitely not about height. Leaders rather have a vision, great communication skills, integrity and determination that stems from their dedication to successfully reaching their vision. (a bit generalized.  perhaps use a specific anecdote of what 'most' folks think is a leader followed by definition of a leadership authority)

 

2nd Paragraph

Vision

     Ex: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dream


Leadership begins first with a vision. A leader has to have a vision that they would like to achieve. Within this vision they have to know what they want and know how to get there. It is important to have a vision because it enables a the leader to have a goal to achieve, much like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow sort of thing. Once the vision is available, a the leader must then devise a plan to achieve the goal put into place. They have to be able to plan the "play by play" more or less of their every move making sure to address every obstacle or situation they can forsee on the journey to their success. Every leader has had a vision, from Mahatma Gandhi's passive resistance to Martin Luther King Jr's famous dream of racial equality; every leader had and a plan. (I like the examples of Gandhi and MLK Jr.  You seem to be detailing a recipe for leadership.  Is this based on personal experience, something you read or saw, or something else?  State where your ideas come from to help strengthen your ideas.)

 

After having a vision and creating a plan to achieve the that vision, a leader then has to be bold enough to act upon it. The leader has to enlist the help of others to aid in the success of the goal that is trying to be achieved. This is where the their communication skills come in. The A leader cannot simply go and tell a group of people we they are going to stop drinking water for instance, and expect them to follow a group of to followers if any. A leader has to be able to persuade their audience in a way that convinces them to believe in the beiliefs being portrayed and involve themselves in the plan as followed by the leader. In other words, the leader has to be able to portray reasons that would convince their audience why drinking water is so bad. One such leader that did this was comes to mind is Adolf Hitler. Adolf Hitler had exceptional communication skills. He was able to communicate to thousands of Germans that a dominant German nation had to be an Aryan race of Christians that were both blonde hair and blue eyed. Hitler was able to convince his followers that all others who did not fit into his idea were inferior and had to be “cleansed” before entering his society. Of course later on, it was found that there was no kind of “cleansing” going on, but rather the countless Jews that were annexed and executed were being set up for execution. Hitler’s communications skills blinded his followers so much that they could not realize that the dark haired brown eyed Hitler himself didn’t fit into the dominant German nation he was trying to achieve.  Anybody who can convince the masses that a certain type of people is what the world should look like is both a testimony to their good communication skills and their high integrity foreseen by their followers (you don't speak to the integrity issue until the concluding sentence so it doesn't seem to fit - I might drop it or expand on it earlier in the paragraph). (Strong example of a leader's communication skills.  Since Hitler is very negative, consider also including a positive leader who was strong in communication.)

 

3th Paragraph

Integrity

     Build credibility; followers have to be able to trust Leader


This brings us to the next trait of a leader, integrity. Integrity may be the most important characteristic a leader can possess. Integrity deals has to deal with the credibility of a the leader the followers have with the leader and how honest a the leader is or may seem to the people. A lot like in a good writing, a the leader has to establish ethos - the character and credibility of a speaker that can influence an audience to consider him/her to be believable (Webster) - to be able to prove their integrity and gain the continual trust of their followers.  As a leader, Followers are always watching every move that a leader makes is made. This means that the inner values of a the leader have to reflect the outter values of the leader at all times. Followers put a lot of power into their leader's hand by deciding to work towards the same vision. So it is easy to see why they expect to be able to trust their leader to steer them in the right direction. They expect their leader to stick with their beliefs through thick and thin,  and rain or shine because they trust their leader to have has a plan to get over any obstacle. because After all, “There is magic in experience, as well as wisdom.”(Bennis) A leader becomes both stronger and wiser by having experienced some obstacles and overcoming them. These experiences not only reassure a the leader's capabilities of the leader to their followers, but also make the leader wiser for future tribulations. This reassurance also let's a the leader know that they he or she is are capable of surpassing any obstacle and strengthens their self confidence. With all that this centered on integrity, it is easy to see why a quality so simple can be such an essential characteristic for a leader to possess. (You do well to define integrity.  An example or anecdote would go very far to strengthen your point - like you did with communication skills above.  Not sure why the paragraph was in italics, Times New Roman font - I didn't change it, but I'd put it into the same font as the rest of the essay). 

4th Paragraph

Dedication

     Martin Luther king Jr.’s assassination


Dedication is also another trait that is found in a leaders.  A leader must has to be truly dedicated; they spending all their energy and every waking moment to accomplish the task at hand. This show of dedication not only helps to further accomplish the task at hand, but also serves as a way of inspiring followers to work hard, if not harder, than they were accustomed to. After all, leaders do lead by example.  So what better way to show their dedication how dedicated to a vision you are than rolling up their your sleeves and getting their your hands dirty, so to speak, to get the job done. As a matter of fact, many leaders are so dedicated to achieving their vision that they commit their very lives to it; sometimes to the point where they actually put their own life in danger. Countless leaders have died in such strong dedication to reach their vision such as from Martin Luther King Jr. to  That's not to say that death is a normal part of the journey to a leader’s vision, but rather to show how strong dedication can lead to the inevitable success. for some leaders because For some, dedication means it doesn’t get more dedicated than putting your very life in danger.

 

5th Paragraph

     Assertiveness not aggressiveness

          Ex: Boston Tea Party


Although confusing as it may be, assertiveness is another trait for a all leader to possess. Assertiveness is usually confused with aggressiveness which is not the same. A leaders has have to be assertive to get their desired results. This means that they have to have the ability to clearly state what they expect so that there will be no misunderstandings; this goes back to one of the previously mentioned trait, communication. A leaders has have to be careful to show the right amount of assertiveness. If they are too strict, followers will begin to question their loyalty and even opt out of being a part of the movement towards the leader’s vision. This usually leads to angry followers and results in revolts.  For example during the Boston Tea Party, in which Americans became angry because of the British government’s aggressive move to tax tea. (Brinkley) but On the other hand, if a leader is too passive, followers will disrespect them and run all over them.  Perhaps even taking removing a the leader out of their position for a more stronger candidate. For example, the infamous substitute teacher in high school that all the kids disrespect and pay little attention to because the students figure the assertiveness is not there that they are used to seeing in their regularly assigned teacher. (I don't follow this example of removing a poor leader for a better one.) A leader has to be able to find that equilibrium between passive and aggressive assertiveness.  Because without effective assertiveness skills, a leader simply cannot manage people.

 

Caleb - overall, a good essay.  My edits are in blue and bold.  Here are my thoughts for improvements.  Work on transitions between your paragraphs.  Try to tie vision into integrity, integrity into dedication, ect.  You make several definitive statements about what a leader is/does.  Can you strengthen your statements with personal experience, a mentor, someone in authority, a manual on leadership, etc?  You don't have a conclusion paragraph. This would create a more satisfying ending to your writing.  I liked the pictures you included in your essay.  Each tied the points together.  I changed a lot of "the"s to "a"s for continuity.  Normally, when you say "a leader..." you carry through the essay with the same usage.  Same with singular and plural usage of leader/leaders.  I edited to keep everything singular.  I look forward to seeing your essay progress.  Cheers. ~ Jay Boda

 

Definition arguments: nested definitions. a sequence for exploration.

 

Duanes real page

 

 

Comments (3)

duane said

at 1:00 am on Sep 9, 2010

Looks like your spending alot of time talking about MLK Jr. which is a great example of a leader. There are many different leadership styles and it would be cool if you spend some time talking about which ways leaders have the best effect on you personally.

Caleb Francois said

at 11:51 am on Sep 9, 2010

my writing to explore relies heavily on the status of definition

ShareRiff said

at 4:50 pm on Sep 9, 2010

stasis of definition

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