Grace's Leadership Philosophy

When many people think of the term "leader", they think of a person of great character and poise who  has the organizational and people skills to guide a group of people towards reaching a goal. My goal as a leader is to use my problem solving and social skills as well as my values and good judgement to inspire others to be better people. My experiences in leadership roles combined with what I have learned in Management and Leadership class have formed my leadership philosophy that I read with you now.

I was given a leadership opportunity when I was asked to Co-Chair the North Suburban Prom Fashion Show, a charity event in which students from various north shore high schools walked the runway at the North Suburban YMCA to model spring's prom fashion trends and raise money for Northbrook Citizens for Drug and Alcohol Awareness (NCDAA). Red Door Spa, Men's Wearhouse and Lord and Taylor donated their hair and make up services, tuxedos, and dresses for our models. Various local business donated items to the raffle we held during the show as well as food that was served at our reception. Glenbrook North Principal, Dr. Paul Pryma, has been our Master of Ceremonies for the past two years.

My Co-Chair and I practiced many essential leadership skills during the planning and execution of this event each year. Through this class I explored new management and leadership skills that I will not only use while planning next year's prom fashion show, but for future management and leadership opportunities as well.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens- Here are three that I applied.

1) Be Proactive
My Co-Chair and I ran in to many obstacles, such as models dropping their commitment to our show at the last minute, food for our reception running late, hair and make up appointments with Red Door Spa running late, and models not showing up to their dress or tuxedo fitting appointments. We had to problem solve proactively, not reactively. If we attempted to solve our problems reactively, nothing would get done efficiently. For next year's show, I will keep in mind that problem solving proactively in times of crises is much more efficient than problem solving reactively.

2) Begin With the End in Mind
Our first meeting will be in October, even though our show isn't until the Spring. Keeping the end in mind, it's important to begin our planning early so we aren't scrambling towards the end. At our first meeting we will create a mental vision of what our show will look like. From this, we learned what goals need to be set and what we need to do in order to achieve them.

6) Synergize
My Co-Chair and I must establish synergy in order to reach success. I have been working with the same Co-Chair for the past two years, however, next year she will be going off to college! Working with a new Co-Chair may be a challenge, but if we learn to make compromises in order to have synergy we will still reach success.

Management- The process of accomplishing the goals of an organization through the effective use of people, financial and material resources.

1) Planning
We learned in class that to plan successfully, you must have a systematic process of developing an outline for the accomplishment of goals. This provides direction and common sense of purpose. Before our first meeting, I will prepare a general outline of everything that has to get done before the day of the show, and how to go about getting them done. I'll keep in mind that these plans should be compatible and flexible, and not go too far into detail because plans can change.

2) Organizing
Our committee isn't organized in a particular way, for the most part our meetings are democratic. I think this is a good structure for our committee because it's flexibility has allowed everyone to contribute as much as they want.

Leadership- The process of influencing a group or individual to set or achieve a goal
1)  Components of leadership

• The Leader
• Philosophy, values, needs, and leadership style are the qualities that make up a leader. The leadership situation changes based upon these qualities. In future leadership opportunities, I will organize these qualities to determine what leadership style is needed for the situation I'm in. It's important a leader claims where they stand in these four qualities so they can be a consistent leader.
• I have a more democratic style of leadership because of my listening skills. While keeping the group inline and organizing a plan of attack, I feel it's important to hear what the people who are working with you have to say. Otherwise, there is no use in hiring them in the first place. My needs would be minimal, however employee cooperation and focus would be appreciated. I am a very empathetic and realistic leader. I would connect with the employee and make a personal bond with them. Since I'm realistic, I'm not afraid to address a problem, and expect my employees to obtain this value as well.
• The Led
• Their needs and abilities influence the leader's leadership style. A good leader should be able to adapt to their follower's needs and interests.
• I think adaptability is one of the most important values for a leader to have. I admit I have a hard time adapting to certain personality types. If a follower shows they are uninterested in the task at hand and acts out or clearly shows their disinterest, I find it hard to re-engage them. I will make it my goal to become a more adaptable leader.
• The Environment
• The environment an employee works in is key to their level of comfort and happiness with their job. In a future leadership position, I would want the environment of my workplace to be positive and inviting. Not only will this attract employees, but customers as well.

2) Task or Employee Motivation

I would choose to motivate through Employee Motivation.  It's common for a Democratic leader like me to use employee motivation to motivate their workforce because of it's focus on the individual employee rather than the task at hand. Task Motivation emphasizes getting the job done through better methods and equipment, focusing less on employees and more on the task. A leader with an Autocratic leadership style often uses this form of motivation because employee voices aren't always heard. I would incorporate both forms of motivation while leading. I think both are necessary if I want to reach a goal successfully and with satisfaction. 

3) The Six Pitfalls of Leadership

• Not asking for employees for help and advice
• Since I have a democratic leadership style, asking for employee help and advice is important. 
• Emphasizing rules rather than employee skills
• This would be motivation by task, not employee. My interest in employee contributions shows why I would emphasize people skills rather than just task skills. 
• Not keeping employee feedback constructive 
• Criticism should be constructive so employees can learn from their mistakes and improve their performance. Criticism that will only bring them down can negatively impact their performance and bring the whole team down. I will interview each employee periodically through out the year to tell them what they have done well and what they can improve on, by giving them constructive criticism.
• Ignoring employee complaints
• Listening to feedback from employees is one of the best ways to be constantly improving your business. Not only will the business be happy, but those working for the business will be working in an environment they like. Happy employees will be willing to work harder than those who are unhappy. I will be an open leader who will listen to all employee complaints.
• Keeping employees uninformed
• Without keeping employees informed, it is impossible for employees to give proper feedack, and harder for them to complete their own tasks.
• Attacking your competition
• It has always been important to me to focus on why my own party is strong, not why the other party is weak. I will never try to attack the competition. Instead, I will use factual arguments to explain to a customer why they should come to my business instead of another.

4) Communication

• Types of Communication
•  Impersonal communication is important to get a message out to the general public; advertising by memos, letters, or bulletin boards. 
• Interpersonal communication is important in reaching the individual; connecting to a  customer either face-to-face or on the phone.
• Communication has been a major asset to our success with the prom fashion show. If our committee members don't communicate well, or if we don't communicate with the businesses we are working with well, success will be hard to reach. For our next show I will continue to be consistent with my communication.

Co-Chairing the North Suburban Prom Fashion Show has been great preparation for when I enter the business world some day. After taking this class, I have realized there are many management and leadership skills I have already used and some were new to me. I will apply both established and new management and leadership skills to next year's North Suburban Prom Fashion Show and future leadership opportunities.

Holly's Leadership Philosophy

Not everyone is born a great leader, but anyone can become a great leader if they have the right tools and mindset.  Taking Management and Leadership helped me to develop a leadership style that I can take with me wherever I go in life.  The following, are the main points that make up my leadership philosophy and the goals that I wish to achieve as a leader.

1. Communication 
Good communication skills are key to becoming an influential leader.  Without communicating properly, your words might get misunderstood and a conflict could arise.  In the book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, Sean Covey says "When we listen with the intent to understand others, rather than with the intent to reply, we begin true communication and relationship building."  I want to be able to understand a person before I give them a response.  Antoine de Saint-Exupery says in his book, the Little Prince, "Miscommunication is the origin of misunderstanding", and misunderstanding can lead to all sorts of problems, like not hearing about an important meeting.  One of the most important tips for improving communication, learned in this class, is to "be conscious of your body language."  In any important event, you want to come across as confident enough, and the right body language can help you get there.  Leaning forward a bit when you talk can make you seem in control and confident.  Communication is important to not only becoming a good leader, but also a good listener.

http://www.lingholic.com/be-more-confident-speaking-foreign-language/

2.  Plan First, Then Do
Making a plan to accomplish a goal or complete a task, can provide order and a sense of purpose.  The plan sets the stage for what will come next and provides the direction the program will take.  If a plan is not put in place before setting out to achieve a goal, the situation could become chaotic.  Creating a set schedule is also key to becoming an organized leader, who can handle time and crises efficiently and effectively.  The planning techniques I took away from this class were that plans should be specific and meaningful, achievable, but a stretch, and clearly communicated.

http://thefarqway.com/?p=28

3.  Collaboration
Collaboration is all about combining different points of views or, perspectives, to better achieve a goal or solve a problem.  Great leaders know that they can't do everything themselves, and it is okay to ask for help when it's needed.  To me, being a great leader means being able to unify a group of people to better accomplish a goal.  If you aren't willing to collaborate with others, then there won't be anyone to unify and not as many minds as could have been used to achieve the goal.


https://www.pinterest.com/explore/quotes-about-teamwork/

     In conclusion, I believe that having good communication skills, planning before doing, and collaborating with others can make a great leader.  A leader with all these qualities, however, is not a leader if they don't have the drive to succeed.  Without having passion for what you do and the willingness to work hard, your work will mean nothing to you.  Therefore, is meaningless to you, you won't have the work ethic it takes to become a great leader.

Kunal’s Leadership Philosophy

Throughout this semester I have learnt a lot of different life skills and tricks on being a successful leader. I have improved my listening skills and my verbal communication skills and many more. My opinion of a leader is not the smartest one in the group or the best looking one in the group, its the one who can keep the group together and get stuff done as one. A successful  leader is not out to prove his dominance against his team, he is there to listen to everybody and then take the final call. I am a leader and this class has helped me brush up and define those skills and traits that will help in future decisions and making a path to a successful  leader. Management and Leadership, even though it goes hand in hand it’s still not the same thing. The manager focuses on systems and structure whereas the leader focuses on people.

The number one key to being a successful  leader is the way you execute yourself in front of others.

1. Confidence

As a leader you have followers looking at every action you take, judging every shot you call but not breaking under that pressure is being confident. If you are confident about what you are doing than your team will trust you and follow you. In a company, a leader’s job is not to sit behind a desk and have stacks of paperwork to go through. A leader represents the company, him going up there in a board meeting or a press conference represents him, his team and his company. Confidence is one of the major qualities required to be a successful leader. Confidence is a charm and everybody loves someone who is charming. During that team building obstacle course we were all confident about our spotters being there because we know each other, we have interacted with each other, we are all comfortable with each other therefore we can be who we are whereas if it was with another class it would not have been the same. A successful leader is one whose team is confident with him and he is confident outside with everybody else.

2. Ability to Inspire / Passion

A successful  leader has the ability to inspire his team whether its by more money, a vacation or even a motivating talk. A successful  leader should be able to adjust with different types of audience too because not everybody is inspired or reached out to the same way. A leader who is passionate about what he is doing and is able to inspire his team to help follow that passion will be one of the most successful leaders. A leader’s job is not to boss his team around but to make them feel welcome and to stay humble but still let no who’s in charge. As a leader, doing something passionate is where a leader can use his leadership skills to the max because he wants to do that. Everybody has a drive. A drive is something that wakes you up in the morning excited to go start working on it, something you enjoy/look forward too. Having the ability to inspire people is one of the best gifts ever. Inspiring someone is the same as being a salesman, instead you are selling what you love to do and not a product. Communication is the single key in inspiring people. They way you execute yourself is what it’s all about.

3. Have a goal:

A successful  leader keeps his eye on the prize. A successful leader is one who sees how far he is from his goal and doesn't turn around to see how much more further his opponent is. A successful  leader has a goal to achieve for him and for his team. Having a goal is what keeps the leader motivated too!

Why have a goal?

As a leader if you are asked what your team should do, you will need to give them a goal to achieve. Your job is to give them goals to achieve, if they are making their own goals then you will never be a successful leader. And if they achieve their goals then you achieve yours. A leader is one who listens to everybody but is still the final decision maker and as long that boundary is there between a leader and a follower than that relationship will be successful. Some of the smartest people are not good leaders because they focus too much on other people’s jobs.

Major things I learnt:

1. Be yourself is not they way to go in business, to be a successful leader you need to be able to be compatible because sadly with a 318.9 million population in The United States there is no way you can please everybody.
2. Being a leader might seem easy but it is a risky job, you can take huge amounts of credit for your team’s work but you could also get a lot of hate for your team’s work, either way as a leader you represent the team so its mainly your reputation.

Danny Fusco's Leadership Philosophy

              A leader is someone that consciously or unconsciously demands respect from their peers.  Leaders  come in many different forms and in my many different situations but the common variable among all leaders are the core values which they base their behavior off of and their values.  In this blog I will elaborate on the key ideals and beliefs that make a true leader.

Honesty/Trust

              Honesty is a prerequisite of respect and vital to the loyalty of your followers.  I believe to be a successful and well liked leader you must form a bond with your group.  This bond starts the first day with being honest.  Good ways to gain trust right off the bat is being very clear with your policies, strengths and weaknesses, and what your goal is for the team is which relates to what we learned in class regarding policies and goals.  As a leader you are constantly forced to make tough decisions that have your group split in two but if you form a bond of trust with your employees or peers they will trust you to make the best possible choice to further advance the the group with the team's best interest in mind.

Respect

              Respect towards others and yourself is vital to becoming an effective leader.  You cannot lead a group that doesn't respect you as a leader, they will not take you seriously and be more prone to disobey and engage in their own plans or ideas.  An effective way to gain respect is to act in a proactive manner in all aspects of life, if people see the way you always keep a level head and problem solve efficiently without dragging down others in the process, they will regard you as a good person to model behavior after and follow in your footsteps.  This is a good way to lead with action, this does not require elaborate speeches or fantastic management tactics, only good morals, positive behavior and quick problem solving.  Then others will follow and model themselves after you without having to take charge and verbally declare leadership.

Confidence            

              To be followed you must exude confidence, you will get a much better response out of people if you do everything with no doubt.  Confidence has been found in many studies to be a key contributor to  how you perceive someone and if they seem confident with everything they do you will interpret them as more trustworthy.  As a leader you will run into times of crisis and in those times you must take assertive action and lead the group out of the situation with good crisis management tactics, however, you are less likely to be respected and followed if you are unsure about your actions.  You must be unwavering in making decisions and never hesitate, second guessing yourself only fills yourself with doubt and distracts you from the task at hand.

Positive Attitude

              Attitude is contagious, that is why it is crucial to project the best possible image and be a figure that you want people to look up to and model their behavior after.  Smiles are the same as yawns in terms of contagiousness, when in a formal setting it is very common for people, especially the more timid, to match the intensity of the leader.  Bringing a positive, upbeat attitude into your workplace everyday is an effective way to quickly boost morale and increase worker satisfaction.  A good way to think about keeping things light and positive is always looking for a win-win and trying to make the most out of everything.

              To conclude, the aspects that I believe are key core values that must be possessed in order to be a successful and respected leader are: honesty and trust, respect, confidence and a positive attitude.  These traits can help you be the best leader you can be on almost any team, workplace or situation.

Nate's Leadership Philosophy

This semester we learned about many different types of leadership. Some leaders are more involved in the decision process, others leave it up to the people they are in charge of, and certain leaders do a combination. But at the end of the day, a leader is the "point person" in which a lot of responsibilities land on. While there are many different ways to be a leader, there are some traits every leader must possess regardless of the job they are in. A movie I recently watched really showed me what these qualities were. They were embodied in a character named Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore played by Mel Gibson in the Vietnam war movie We Were Soldiers. I believe his leadership can be summed up by this one quote from the movie as Moore is addressing his troops before they depart to fight:

"Look around you. In the 7th cavalry, we've got a captain from the Ukraine; another from Puerto Rico. We've got Japanese, Chinese, Blacks, Hispanics, Cherokee Indians. Jews and Gentiles. All Americans. Now here in the states, some of you in this unit may have experienced discrimination because of race or creed. But for you and me now, all that is gone. We're moving into the valley of the shadow of death, where you will watch the back of the man next to you, as he will watch yours. And you won't care what color he is, or by what name he calls God... Now let us understand the situation. We are going into battle against a tough and determined enemy.

"I can't promise you that I will bring you all home alive. But this I swear, before you and before Almighty God, that when we go into battle, I will be the first to set foot on the field, and I will be the last to step off, and I will leave no one behind. Dead or alive, we will all come home together. So help me, God."

Ability to bring unlike people together to accomplish a task: We've got Japanese, Chinese, Blacks, Hispanics, Cherokee Indians. Jews and Gentiles. All Americans. Now here in the states, some of you in this unit may have experienced discrimination because of race or creed. But for you and me now, all that is gone... you won't care what color he is, or by what name he calls God.

I like this quote a lot mainly for the first two sentences. Moore acknowledges the barriers between the soldiers immediately by showing all the nationalities, but he brings everyone together by stating they are all Americans. In a workplace, no matter where anyone comes from, they are all employees. They were all chosen to do a specific task. Leaders ought to tap into this realization to prompt collaboration rather than rivalry and individuality. This ties into the 6th habit presented in Seth Conroy's book 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. It suggests to synergize which means bringing people together to achieve more.

Making a clear goal that everyone can rally behind: Dead or alive, we will all come home together. So help me, God."

While this goal may be a little extreme and not applicable to the workplace, the idea this presents around goals is. Leaders typically the ones to make goals or finalize ones that are suggested. As long as everyone is on the same page, effectiveness within a company should increase. The second Habit from Conroy's book says to begin with the end in mind. In the movie, thinking with the end in mind means coming to terms that some people will live while some will die, but in the end the mission is to bring everyone home. Everyone in the movie wants that because they want to keep their lives. People in the workplace want goals along the lines of making more profit because their salaries might go up.

Being specific on how this goal will be accomplished: We're moving into the valley of the shadow of death, where you will watch the back of the man next to you, as he will watch yours.

This part is similar to the previous point but different in the way that it suggests ways to accomplish a goal. This has to do with being proactive, Conroy's first habit. In war, people stay alive by having someone watch their back. This helps accomplish the goal of keeping as many people alive. In the workplace, this means having a professional attitude, getting things done on time, communicating effectively with everyone on the team, and overall getting the job done. Leaders set the goals, but they are not always the ones who say how the goal will be accomplished. Talking to my mom, a leader in her job, she likes to give people below her goals (i.e set up a development day and bring in speakers to talk about such and such) and give them the freedom to accomplish that goal as they wish. As long as the goal is accomplished and no harm is done to the company, she will be happy. Another style of leadership is telling someone to accomplish a goal in a very specific manner (i.e set up a development day on this Friday with this speaker and talk about such and such) and expect that to be done in that way. This depends on the competency of the employees, the goal that needs to be accomplished, and the situation surrounding a desired goal.   

Being honest with employees about the difficulties that might arise: We're moving into the valley of the shadow of death... I can't promise you that I will bring you all home alive.

Honesty is very important to leadership. Having the trust of your employees and all that are under you will serve you better in the long run. People will want to work for you more if your word is golden. Being honest is not only with what you say but also how you listen to others. Habit 5 says to listen to people sincerely. No one wants to hear that they are going into the "valley of the shadow of death" or that the company had a 10% drop in profit over the course of a year, but if it happens it needs to be said so everyone is on the same page. If people aren't informed, I believe it will only go down a bad path.  

Being the one to initiate and own the process: I will be the first to set foot on the field, and I will be the last to step off, and I will leave no one behind.

This final quote is one that stuck out to me. I would guess that many leaders don't think that they should be the ones to be first to start initiate something all the time. I think this idea is what makes this whole quote from the movie unique: the leader is the one on the front line. They take responsibility and ownership for the company and other employees. This partially has to do with the first habit but also  the third habit which means to put first things first. A leader is the point guy and should be the one to start everything. 

Overall, a leader should be the one to lead by example. While there is many types of leadership, I believe this are core ideas that each true leader should posses.

Quentin's Leadership philosophy

Quentin Bobart
1). Leadership style: What kind of leader am I?
             I am a very laidback and easy going person so I would definitely be a free-rein leader. Not everyone can work successfully when there is a strict way of doing the task at hand. However, everyone can be successful if they can choose how they work at the task that I have given to them. From personal experience I know that I have trouble following strict instructions. However, when I am told to complete a task and they don't care how it gets done, I really enjoy doing the task much more. This causes me to work better and then eventually finish the task better than I would have with strict instruction. One example of this was a paper that I wrote my sophomore year. My teacher made it so everything had to be a specific way. After grading that paper she asked if I would meet her outside of class to talk about the paper  that I had written. I failed the paper and I did not know why. She could see my confusion and thought of a possible solution. She requested that I rewrite my paper, but this time I could do whatever I wanted. When I came back to the same teacher to discuss my new paper she told me that it was one of the best papers I had ever written. Letting me take control of how I wanted to do the paper not only resulted in me finishing it but actually improving my final score from a F to an A. To me this really showed how important personal preference is when completing a task that is given to you. That is why I am a free-rein leader.

2).Be specific and concise
             As a leader I know that I need to be very specific and concise with whomever I am giving a task to do. One of the worst things that could happen as a leader is giving someone a task to complete and finding out that the outcome of the task is not matching to the task given. I know that as a leader to effectively create progress I will need to be specific with all of the people that I am leading. When a person who is working to complete a task fails to complete the task it not only hurts the group but also it hurts the individual. Keeping members of the group positive is crucial to a business or organization of all types. When a group member messes up or does not effectively complete a task it makes that person feel bad that they failed the task. This causes them to perform even worse. I will always be specific to group member so that as a group we can minimize failed tasks causing the group members to stay positive witch turns into better work.

3).How would I motivate?
             I believe motivation is a big part of being a leader. Regardless of whether or not you like what you are doing, you will always improve if you are working toward something you want. Many companies offer people raises for achieving a certain goal. However, some people don't find certain things motivating. As a leader, I would havea individual conversation with each of my group members and discuss what they are looking for as motivation. Once we come to a agreement to what their motivation is I know that they will be motivated the best way they can be. I know this because they decided what they want so they will work hard to achieve that reward. Motivation is crucial because without it the group would be doing the minimum work to complete a task. However, when they are motivated they will work hard causing a better outcome of the task given to them.

Brendan Blankfield Leadership Philosophy

Communicate: Communication is critical because even if you have great ideas, but are unable to convey their importance or effectiveness to others, then they are meaningless. Good leaders are able to effectively communicate their ideas and orders to their team members in a way that their teammates can understand. Using humor and personal stories can help to reinforce key messages. By doing so, people are more likely to remember what you said because they can relate to it.  

Listen: As a leader, being able to listen is just as important as being able to communicate. But the best leaders in addition to being able to lead others, also listen to other’s ideas. Listening is a critical skill to have because if you are unwilling to hear someone out, you may not hear a revolutionary idea, a brilliant solution, or even make someone feel  like what they say matters. When a leader is close-minded and doesn't listen to others, they are not properly utilizing the resources available to them, and it can cause communication problems. 

Be Proactive: To be a leader, you must be proactive. Unless you take initiative, work hard, and be willing to put in the time and commitment to achieve your goals, you will not reap the rewards. As said in 7 Habits, proactive people are the drivers of their lives, not the passengers. Although there are many things such as external factors, employee behavior, or employee production that you cannot control, you can always control your reactions to situations. Being proactive will allow you to get things done and continue towards your goal. A leader is not an effective leader if they're reactive, otherwise they become a follower. A good leader is and will always be proactive because if they truly want something they will go and get it. There is a broad difference between the reactive and the proactive leader. Reactive leaders are often in a frantic state of constant activity striving to achieve company goals to the best of their abilities. However, proactive leaders tend to champion company missions and achieve goals more often and with greater ease. Where reactive leaders deal with events as they come, proactive leaders anticipate events and plan accordingly. Being proactive exemplifies leadership, increases positive results and encourages a more joyful workplace.

Adaptability: At some point in time during your time in a leadership position, you are bound to be faced with many different challenges, every one of them with a  different solution. A good leader is one that can think on their feet effectively and efficiently to help overcome adversity. I feel a leader is able to get themselves and their team members through times of adversity. A leader must be able to change their leadership style to adapt to certain situations. In a leadership position, you can be faced with all different types of challenges.  

Democratic:  Out of the three leadership styles, autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire, I feel the best leader is one that is democratic. Democratic leaders are ones who have the last word (make the final decision) but they include their team members in the decision making process. A democratic leader is one that tends to analyze all of the given information and ideas before making an informed decision. Democratic leadership is very effective, especially if you have talented team members around you. By being a democratic leader, you are able to capitalize on your team members’ skills and talents by letting them share their views, rather than simply expecting them to conform. Democratic leaders are ones who encourage creativity and seek feedback and input on things that they do. As a result, employees tend to have higher job satisfaction and productivity because  they feel like what they say will be heard by others, what they do will have a meaningful impact on results, and that they have a vested stake in the outcome.