Ethan's Leadership Philosophy

To successfully lead people in a group, class or team, one must implement their leadership philosophy. Throughout this semester I have learned the necessary skills of leading a group and how every aspect of a group must be addressed for it to run smoothly. The philosophy that I have become accustomed to using requires positivity, listening, planning, team building, and self-knowledge.

1. Positive Enforcement

During my freshman year, I was on the volleyball team. There was an A and B team and the coaching styles between the two coaches had an enormous difference. My coach had a calm attitude and was patient while we adapted to new forms and positions. The other coach had an incredibly reactive attitude, and instead of having a fear of losing, the players developed a fear of messing up and facing the coach's wrath. GBN lost a match after winning the first game because they completely fell apart. The coach's anger was expressed by breaking a clipboard and screaming at all of the players. My team played directly after the loss and we rolled to an easy victory because our coach continued to encourage us throughout the game. My coach had a proactive attitude: he corrected our mistakes instead of yelling at us, supported us when we were losing, and had fun coaching. I have adopted this aspect of leadership from my coach and continued to hone it in my Management and Leadership class. I learned that negativity does not help the outcome. Through positive reinforcement, the people will want to perform as best they can. This style of leadership works even as a follower, and I have vowed never to lose my temper when my group members are not performing to a certain standard.

2. Listen thoroughly

Being a good listener is crucial to becoming a good leader. Without proper listening, relationships can never be established and people will have a low desire to work for a certain leader. This semester we did a bird house building activity. I observed this process and watched the results unfold in front of me. Initially the leader did not pay much attention or listen to what the workers were doing and they went off on their own course. Once the leader began to pay attention, they were upset that the bird house had been built in a way that they did not approve of. When good listening skills are used, many problems can be avoided. I have learned to always communicate with my group members. When I have listened well and can keep all of the members on the same page, operations run much smoother and all of the problems in this sector are eliminated.

3. Create a team

Have a common goal in mind so everyone is motivated to complete the task. When we went to the team challenge course and had to complete the obstacle course, we failed quickly. People acted as individuals and left the rest of the group to suffer alone. When the group crossed the bridge, it was imperative that the group worked together so no one fell off. Also, when we planned ahead we were able to complete the course in a lesser amount of time.

4. Understand leadership

Sean Covey, the writer of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, explains how leadership style can affect the group outcome. In business, if members are not happy with the rules that the leader puts in place, the company can suffer. People often act negatively in these situations by not performing up to their best ability. This lowers the production of a company and everyone suffers. When people are happy with their leader they are more inclined to work hard. Thus, production will increase and the company will benefit. Also, never overstep your bounds as a leader; followers deserve a level of autonomy to keep them happy. Allow people to provided for the cause. An example of this is a participative leader, they make the big decisions but give their followers a voice and a certain amount of freedom. A leader must understand how to lead and who they are leading in order to effectively lead.

All of these skills are crucial for a leader to run a successful group. Leaders must be open to criticisms to improve their skills and have an open mind to adapt to the needs of the followers. No leader can be perfect, but gaining new values will create success in any situation.