This
section of A Leader’s Legacy helped stress the importance of relationships
within a leadership position. One cannot lead if they are on their own since,
“Leadership is a relationship between those who aspire to lead and those who
choose to follow” (52). Without this give and take relationship, people would have
no idea who is truly in control, leaving no need for leaders at all. Yet, it is
not just that need for a leader to step forward but the need for someone who
cares about their team members and works with them to ensure the best for the
organization as well as earning the team members' trust. Trust is extremely
important, and one aspect of trust highlighted within the text that I feel is
extremely important is, trust is not something that just forms and is then
there forever. People have to constantly work to both gain, then build and
secure a sense of trust, it is not something that is easily obtained.
To go off of trust, leaders should also want to be liked by their team members.
If your team members loathe you or feel as though you have no interest in their
concerns, they will have both a harder time trusting you, as well as working
with and for you. Sure, I could quote this book to death, but it won’t have as
much impact as it would if I instead allowed you to place yourself in a
scenario. So, how about this, you are working on a group project in two of your
classes. In one class, the leader is uninterested in the project as well as the
group members and just wants the project to get done, whether it is of good
quality or not is besides the point to him or her, and the amount of work
required of you is still unknown. Yet, in your other class, the group leader
tries to actively involve each member in the discussions to try and gain both
knowledge and new, unique viewpoints from each member, while setting goals and
trying their best to distribute the work evenly with check-in deadlines to make
sure everyone is carrying their load. Which leader would you prefer? Hard
decision right? Well, I feel this is what this chapter is discussing, when it
talks about the need for successful leader relationships. Everyone would prefer
to feel part of the group and included in decisions being made, instead of
being treated like they did not even matter, and that is part of a
successful leader's job.
No matter the environment or scenario: positive, stable, trusting relationships
are necessary for any affirmative progress to be made. It is not as if
relationships are only present in leadership positions, they are present
everywhere, and are an important part of life, that people should strive to
work on and excel at. Whether it be a quick smile and wave walking across
campus, a first impression at a job interview, or gaining clients and team
members’ trust in a leadership position, always keep in mind just how important
it is to have that positive relational base.
These
are a few quotes, said by both past political and literary leaders that I feel
greatly represent the message presented within this section of A
Leader's Legacy.
"You do not lead by hitting people over the head —
that's assault, not leadership."
— Dwight D. Eisenhower
"The most important single ingredient in the formula
of success is knowing how to get along with people."
— Theodore Roosevelt
"Trust men and they will be true to
you: treat them greatly and they will show themselves great."
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
No comments:
Post a Comment