Lauscher Leadership Philosophy: Stay Focused and Be Proactive

Stay Focused and Be Proactive

In my eyes an effective leader is someone who can give a group of people initiative and drive to complete a certain task. Also, throughout the process the leader needs to establish the fact that they are in charge. Most people are followers, and need a strong and proactive leader to guide them. That being said, my leadership philosophy to be a great leader is that you need to focus on the task at hand, and be proactive about your position. A big part about being a proactive leader is creating a relationship with your peers, whether it be positive or negative.

A good example of a proactive leader is the team captain on a varsity basketball team. Not only does the captain have to assert themselves as leader, but they have to be very proactive, and always have a win-win attitude. The team captain has the authority to assert negative and positive leadership acts upon his/her team. If a player is trying really hard, and getting better everyday, the team captain should be there to enforce some positive feedback on his/her efforts. If a player is slacking, and not getting any better, the captain needs to use a negative leadership style to force the player to work harder. In fact, a captain should have all seven habits from the book we read in class The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens.

Leadership doesn't solely apply to sports, it applies to almost anything with an end in mind. Whether it be in a work environment, the Military, or even a simple project in Management class. Having a leader in a community is highly effective, and that is why you should assert your ideas from the start. Be proactive and assert yourself as a leader, instead of being a follower. One of the seven habits in the book is "Sharpen the Saw", which applies to you using your best quality and enhancing it. Followers have no need to "Sharpen the Saw" only leaders do, that's why it's so crucial to be proactive and at least try to lead.

What have I learned?

This semester in Management and Leadership was very informative. I used to be a follower, but now I want to be the leader in every project I contribute in. Someday, I want to be an engineer, and I want to assert my ideas and opinions to put them to use. I found this class very helpful, learning the "7 Habits", and other attributes that help with leadership. I now want to be a very focused and proactive leader, that always has the end in mind.

Interview Activity

During the Interview Activity I saw and heard a lot of the things we learned in class, be applied to real life. I interviewed my Father and he had read 7 Highly of Effective People when he was younger, so he knew a lot about leadership. During this activity was when I realized that it is so much better to be a leader than a follower. The things my Father was telling me about leadership, and how it applied to real life, just stuck with me, and now I've wanted to lead more than ever. He brought up two major points, to stay focused on the task at hand, and to be proactive, thus referring back to my Leadership Philosophy. That is the type of leader I want to be someday, and using all of the things I've learned through the Management and Leadership course, it has become very achievable.

-Jordan Lauscher