Is leadership just a position? Is it a role? Or, is it an act? As our technology and society change at alarming rates, is our society redefining leadership for the 21st century? Should it be?Mitch McCrimmon, a freelance writer, states, "The meaning of leadership has always entailed occupying a static position at the head of a group. Today, we need to see that leadership is an occasional act, not a role."
(Read more at Suite101: 21st Century Leadership: The Changing Meaning of Leadership http://businessmanagement.suite101.com/article.cfm/21st_century_leadership#ixzz0i6rO5Pey)
In addition, Melissa Vokoun states, " Leaders can no longer rely on historic values and judgments. We have evolved into a day where individuals are valued and appreciated for the characteristics that are intrinsic to them and their uniqueness. An effective leader has to embrace these differences and find creative ways to build an organization from a group of individuals." (Read more athttp://ezinearticles.com/?Redefining-Leadership-for-the-21st-Century&id=582642)
Do you agree with these statements?
Using authors you respect, find one or two quotes, post them and then argue if leadership is changing or if it should change. Focus on if there are leadership principles that stand the test of time or if leadership all together will be an evolving entity, changing with the changing times. Use a quote or two to help defend your position.
I agree with the statements because as the article hints at, leaders are no longer allowed to beat their employees or coeworkers. In the work place it is expected to have respectable versitle workers.
ReplyDelete"Leadership is influencing people to get things done to a standard and quality above their norm. And doing it willingly."
As an element in social interaction, leadership is a complex activity involving:
a process of influence
actors who are both leaders and followers
a range of possible outcomes – the achievement of goals, but also the commitment of individuals to such goals, the enhancement of group cohesion and the reinforcement of change of organizational culture.
Both of these quotes indicate development, influence, and working to attain something together. I believe that leadership will be ever evolving to change with the different goals of each idividual and group needing leadership.
I don't really agree with first quote. I don't think leadership "has always entailed occupying a static position at the head of a group." I would also say that leadership is a continuous thing rather than occasional. I did agree with some of the points in the article, though. It was just more focused on leadership in the business world.
ReplyDeleteI sort of agree with the second quote and think that it's important to be able to "embrace these differences and find creative ways to build an organization from a group of individuals." But I do think that there leadership values that should always stand regardless of the time we live in.
"Divorced from ethics, leadership is reduced to management and politics to mere technique.
This quote is just saying you need to have values to be a leader.
I don't agree with the first quote. I feel that leaders don't just occupy the head of the group they need to come down and be apart of the group. The article does have some good points to it. They did tend to be more business focused but we can find ways to apply them to our leadership now and later in life. I'm not really sure how I feel about the second quote, but it doesn't mean that we can't learn from the past that we have been apart of we just need to not make the same mistake if one was made.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with the first quote either. To me being a leader isn't a act. It's who you are and just what you are doing to help out others and the world.
ReplyDeleteI definitely don't agree with the first qote. Leadership is about working together as a team. Being a leader isn't an act and shouldn't really be a job either. It's helping out as Shae said and pushing others towards their goals.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with the first statement, because we can base our decisions from history. An example would be Napoleon having his soldiers in summer uniforms occupy Russia in its harsh winter. Many of Napoleon's troops died and a few decades later Hitler did the same mistake and got the same result. I agree with the second statement because I believe what makes you different makes you great. I agree with the third statement as well because the leader would be bringing all of the people's skills to reach a common goal.
ReplyDeleteI also agree leadership isnt defined by a job or positon it is defined by actions when a big desision needs to be made the leader is the one to answer it and never regreat it.
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