1) Nowadays, our world is controlled by social media. They say or do something, everybody agrees with them and will begin to do the same. So stereotypes are born. Stereotypes are not always bad, they are just a narrow view of something. To be a good leader, I think you need to keep an open mind and listen to everyones point of view, Every single person can bring something that is interesting to the table and make your project or discussion better.
2)"Take time to renew yourself" as it is written in Habit 7: Sharpen the saw. With this habit, I have learned that working hard is a good quality, but working too hard can lead to stress and being over stressed never leads to good results in work or in relationships. So don't hesitate to take a break when you feel like you need one. On the other hand, don't use this habit as a pretext for being too relaxed. This whole habit is about finding a balance between hard-work and relaxation. In order to find this balance, you need to know yourself, know your capacities, know your limits and also trust yourself. So to "sharpen the saw" is when you realize who you are and what you can do as a leader. I think you need to know yourself in order to lead and understand other people better.
3) A good leader is first and foremost a good planner and organizer. He/she clearly sets the basis of a project so everybody knows where they can begin. He/she sets the goals of the project and gives all the group members work that fits their skills. Later as the project gets bigger and more important, some group members might develop other abilities that no longer fit. In this case, the leader needs to be flexible and make the decisions to move the group member into another team. I learned this through the Leadership Impact Project. You become more confident as the project grows and want to get more involved.
4) I think a leader should inspire respect because respect will give a leader authority, not through fear but through a positive example. Authority is what gives a leader the control of the group. By "under control" I don't mean the right to make your team mate be a slave with the excuse that you are the "chief" but to control the group members in order to maintain order and to organize the work.
5) Motivation is what makes someone be a good leader. First you need to motivate yourself, believe in what you do, be passionate in order to motivate others. I think a leader needs to be motivated all the time, that means every time he/she is in front of his/her employees/team members, 100 percent. If the leader shows bad behavior or is not motivated anymore, the other group members are going to think "If the leader or boss can't/won't want to do this anymore, why should we continue to try?" You can have a bad moment because every leader is a human but just don't show it in front of people that count on your motivation. You need to be strong for them. As a leader, you don't work for yourself but for others.
6) I personally really liked the interview of the leader because I think a good leader is formed by him/herself by learning about other leader's experiences, bad or good. Save the good part of their experiences and add them to your leadership philosophy. Remember the bad experiences so you are sure you won't make the same mistake, act smart and don't waste time.
7) Communication is the most important skill of a leader, without communication, there is nothing. So a good leader needs to make sure that everybody understands what his/her plan is and how the work is divided. A lack of communication can create misunderstanding and big trouble as I noticed with the Leadership Impact Project. Our miscommunication caused us trouble with the school officer and brought more work, more stress... So nothing good. So as a good leader, I will make sure that everybody understands me and what my expectations are.
8) Complementary to communication, listening is also another important skill that a leader needs to have. People are not going to follow you and work for you if you are not listening to them. You need to care about the people you are working with and the first step to understanding them is to listen to them; not just with your ear but also with your heart, as they told us in the 7 Habits. Plus in listening to others, you can find new ideas that are going to improve your leadership skills.
In conclusion, all these different qualities will make a good leader according to me. This is my Leadership philosophy that I have developed through this semester. Thank you Management and Leadership!
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