Sam's Leadership Philosophy

Leadership Philosophy

When I think about the word “leadership” I think about leaders of countries, huge organizations, and successful companies. However, leadership is much more than having a title and maintaining a reputation. A true leader does not necessarily need to have a high paying position; they don’t even have to be well known or famous. Everyone has different views on leadership, and it is true, there are different types of leaders. In this post I will outline what I believe to be the best leadership philosophy, using ideas and morals I have learned from my experiences, as well as classes I have taken, and people I have spoken to.

Openness/Transparency

No matter what type of leader you are, I believe that you must be open and transparent with regard to the people around you. A leader is not truly a leader if they don’t have the ability to stay accessible and listen to ideas or criticisms, whether it be from outside influences or internal voices. This concept is a hard one to actually implement in your job and even in your life. However, the people who learn to stay open in the workplace and in the rest of their lives are the ones who are the most successful. In my Management and Leadership class, we did an interview activity to simulate what a real job interview is like. We got to interview teachers and staff members at our school for the theoretical position of Dean of the Students. What I saw in all four candidates we interviewed was that they strive to be transparent leaders with an open door policy. That really stuck with me, and I will try to always stay open as I lead in my life.

Positivity

Staying positive on a daily basis is a hard task in itself. Staying positive as a leader is even harder. All leaders must be able to remain positive in both the bad times and the good ones. A leader’s job is to lead people, and the people need to be confident in their leader in order for success to happen.

Part of staying positive is always maintaining a Win-Win mentality. As a leader begins to see the positive side of every situation for every person involved, he/she becomes more motivated, and therefore, more successful. One of the people who I learned this idea from is my Dad. He holds a high management position at his company, and he comes home stressed out almost every day. He has to deal with many people on a daily basis, as well as his own problems. The only way he can get be successful is to stay positive at work and at home. People will see your positivity, and emulate it. In my daily life, I strive to stay positive even in the most stressful times. This will help me as I grow into a leader.

Conscientiousness

Another key quality a leader must possess is conscientiousness, or the ability to be aware. This applies to many facets of leadership, whether it be staying aware of the people around you, the environment in which you lead, and even yourself. It is extremely challenging to maintain a good idea of what is going on around you when you have so many things to worry about. A true leader knows and learns how to balance everything in their job and in their life in order to stay conscientious. When I participated in our Leadership Impact Project, I learned that this skill was one I needed to work on and master. The more people you work with, the harder it is to stay focused, while still keeping a general awareness of the situation and environment. The best leaders know what the people below them want and need and how to deal with that day in and day out.

Passion

Lastly, and I think most importantly, is passion. Without passion, what is the motivation to lead? It is my belief that to be successful in anything, you must be passionate in that particular thing. When it comes to leadership, passion is the key. The reason someone becomes a leader is to help other people become just as passionate as they are. From political leaders to business leaders, there is one common denominator: the most successful leaders are passionate in what they do. A great example of someone who has passion is Dr. Paul Pryma, Glenbrook North’s principal. Everyday I see Dr. Pryma with a huge smile on his face, enjoying every aspect of his job. The stereotypical principal is hated by the students, but he is different. The reason he is so beloved is because he demonstrates such a true passion for the GBN community and all that it offers. If there’s anything I have learned in my life, it’s to do what you love and love what you do.

Alec's Leadership Philosophy

Intro: My Dad owns a property management company where he manages thousands of units in the city of Chicago.  One day I want to succeed and take over his business myself.  In order to do so, I need to have certain leadership skills to bring continue the success in his company.  Here are the leadership qualities I believe I will need in order to do so.

1. First off, I will need to be calm.  In the property management business a lot of things go wrong all the time.  If an issue comes up and I freak out, it may rub off on some of my other workers and they will freak out too.  Overall this will lead to a loss of money which will harm my companies business.  How I plan handling high pressured situations, is by first finding out all the details on the problem.  Then I will brainstorm how I can solve or fix the problem.  Finally, I will execute by doing what needs to be done.

2. Then next important quality I will need to have is communication.  When managing buildings all over the city I will need to have very good communication skills.  I will need to have to communicate from everyone to my workers to the building managers to the tenants of the building.  I plan on being good at communicating by creating an email that is specifically for work, then when emailing I will make sure to be concise and will always explain the situation and what needs to be done, also I will include when it needs to be done by.

3.  Another principle I will value is perfecting myself before I give other advice.  Of course I won't just be appointed the head of the company right away, I will have to work for many years and for other people before I earn the CEO title.  But it is very important to gain expertise in what you are doing before you give others advice, otherwise you might be giving your workers the wrong advice.  In addition, if I give wrong advice my workers might respect me less and won't listen to me.  Overall being an expert at what you do won't only affect you but can positively affect others.

4.  Organization. Organization is huge because you have so much to keep track of.  Whether it is the condition of a building or keeping track of collecting rent, you have to be very organized to be efficient.  If you are very disorganized you can run into a lot of problems and the company will essentially go out of business.  There are so many resources I can use to be organized whether it is assigning certain people to keep track of certain things or using technology like microsoft excel.  Overall, I plan on keeping my company very organized so everything will run a little bit smoother.

5.  Another thing I plan to use to make my company more successful is motivation/inspiration. Going to work can get a little bit repetitive and boring for some, which can lead to someone being unmotivated and can affect their performance.  I plan on motivating my workers by being someone they want to work for and want to do well for by being a very friendly boss.  I don't want to just have friendly small talk with my workers but actually gain relations with them.  Some of my dad's best workers are his best friends and that is something I want if I take over his business or run any business.


Conclusion:  Overall I think all these qualities can help me lead my business to success and I think other leaders should consider focusing on perfecting these qualities too.

Danielle Sokol's Leadership Philosophy

There isn't just one quality that makes a great leader. I think that thinking win-win, having good communication, being democratic, leading by example, being able to listen, and adapting to different situations are some of the many important qualities that make a good leader.

• Think Win-Win: Thinking Win Win means that you are a positive, fair, and cooperative person. This mentality means that if you don’t win, and the other person doesn’t win, then you both win. Winning isn’t the world and if you think Win Win then everyone is happy. This mentality creates a healthy work environment and a healthy leadership where every persons ideas are equally important and accepted.

• Communication: Every good group dynamic begins and ends with communication. If you can communicate with your subordinates what you want accomplished will result in a better flow of the workplace and group dynamic. You have to be able to speak your mind but remember “less is more”. Communication is effective and essential as a leader but if every opinion is shared, people are less likely to listen.

• Democracy: Being an effective leader is believing that there’s more to the task than your commands. Everyone’s voice is important and letting others relate their feelings and concerns lets them know that you’re really listening to them and care about what they have to say. This leads to developing a healthy working environment and trust between you and your co-workers.

• Lead By Example: People that look up to you will continue to do this so long that there is an aspect of trust put in place. In order to develop a strong sense of trust, a good leader must achieve the goals they set for their team to complete. Once these people see that you mean what you say and say what you mean, they’ll do what you ask.

• Listen: Being a good leader isn’t just about telling people what to do but about listening to what they have to say. Communication begins with you telling people what you want from them and ends with listening to their comments and letting them voice their opinions. You’ll never know if something is effective or not if you never give your employees the time of day.

• Adaptability: Adaptability is a quality that all great leaders must obtain. Adapting to situations that are favorable are quite easy to do but adapting to difficult situations is challenging. A versatile leader must be able to handle every task that is presented whether it be simple or difficult. If you are able to adapt to all kinds of situations, you will become an effective leader as well as an educated leader.  

Devin's Leadership Philosophy

 Every individual has a different leadership philosophy created based on their life experiences. Although some forms of leaderships may be more effective than others, everybody has their own beliefs and practices. I believe every good leader must have these six qualities.

Be Proactive: One of the most important traits of a good leader is to be proactive. I have learned this year that a leader must be able to predict problems before they happen, and take action to prevent the issues from ever happening again. Also, a leader must have the ability to attack an obstacle, instead of responding to it after the fact. I believe people must make things happen and not wait for things to come to them. As the great Michael Jordan once said,"some people want it to happen, some people wish it would happen, and others make it happen." In my opinion, a leader must be able to "make it happen". 

Think win-win: Normally, people think about succeeding in the terms of someone else failing. When someone thinks win-win they have a frame of mind that seeks mutual benefit in all interactions. It is important for a leader to have this attitude because instead of feeling as if someone must fail, they believe everyone can succeed. When the leader of a company believes everyone can succeed, there is less negative competition, and more working together to strive for your goals. When everyone is working together, the company can produce the highest quality product, resulting in more money for the business. 

Listen: Another significant quality of a leader is to listen effectively. In class, we did many activities working in large groups. In those large groups there were many different voices and opinions to be heard, and I noticed that many people were not open to others ideas. In my opinion, a leader has to be able to listen to what others have to say and apply it. If a leader is close-minded and doesn't listen to their employees, they are not properly utilizing the resources available to them. Also, listening is important because when someone is telling you something important, you don't want to make them repeat it and look disinterested. 

Adaptability: Adaptability is another important trait of a leader. In a leadership position, you can be faced with all different types of challenges. A good leader is able to adapt to each individual obstacle and find the best way to overcome it. Leaders need to be able to change the way they think and talk to best suit an individual situation. I believe the best way to judge a leader is to see how they manage change, and how they adjust to new situations. 

Democratic: The best kind of leaders are democratic. Democratic leaders use the help of their employees when making decisions and promotes the interests of all employees. Instead of making all the decisions, a democratic leader utilizes the help of everyone, and creates an open environment where everybody can share their opinions. I believe that a democratic environment creates a better workplace, which creates happier employees, hence increasing the quality of the product and the amount of money you make. 

Sharpen the saw: Finally, I believe that sharpening the saw is an important quality for all leaders. Even at the highest levels of management, it is necessary to remain fresh and renew yourself. By sharpening the saw, you are allowing yourself to relax and grow as a person. Leaders can often times burn themselves out, so it is extremely important to take a step back and get back on your "A" game. I've learned that working too much is a negative, and can hinder your performance, making it even more important to take some time for yourself. 

Noelle's Leadership Philosophy

        Before taking this class I thought being a leader meant getting people to listen to you. I thought being a leader meant focusing all on your followers, hoping they would respect and listen to you. After I took this class I learned it took much more to be a leader. I learned what it meant to be a good leader, and what kind of leader I want to be.
       There are many styles a leader can be. There are many different ways they can lead and make decisions. For example there are three decision making styles a leader can be which are autocratic leader, democratic leader and a free-rein leader. Although all these styles have their own strengths and weaknesses not a single one is perfect. Throughout this semester I've been trying to figure which certain styles I am. As we started wrapping up our last units I've realized I don't need to have just one defined style. I don't need to be just one type of leader. I can, and will, be all different kinds of leaders because different situations may call for different actions to be taken. Throughout this semester I've come up with my own standards of what kind of leader I want to be:

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader" John Quincy Adams

Begin with the end in mind (goal setter): Tony Robbins explained on Ted talks how to be a goal setter. He told us the first step is to slow down and think of all the things that went well in the past year and why they went well. Then, secondly, think of all the bad things that happened last year and why they ended up as bad as they did. Then, he told us to set our goal. Set goals to make sure positive things happen in the next year. And lastly set up a ritual that would allow you to achieve these goals. You have to see the big picture, have a goal and become motivated to achieve that goal.
Think Win Win: Thinking win win is the mindset that you and I will both win. It's not me, it's not you, it's both of us, With win win you will create a positive environment with you and others. If you're always winning and you're followers are always losing, they will ultimately end up leaving. When you turn situations in win-lose or lose-win you turn everything into a competition. Rather than working against each other, you should work together and have a win-win situation making everyone happy.
Communication: You hear many people say communication is key. Well they're right. Without communication your subordinates will not know what they're trying to achieve and what's the most efficient way to achieve it. In the communication unit I learned many listening skills as well as sending skills. You have to communicate impersonally (with memos and letters) to get the word out quickly as well as communicate interpersonally (face-to-face) in order to be personal and get feedback. I've learned to be aware of who your receivers are and the environment you're in so they fully understand you. With having multiple communication skills it will allow your ideas to be heard and spread. It will allow your goals to be heard by all your followers so they know exactly what and who they're working for. It will also make things more efficient because good communication skills will allow you to tell them exactly how to do things to make your goal be achievable.
Be Confident: I believe this is the second most important trait in a leader. Brene Brown mentioned that we try to perfect everything, we try to pretend nothing's our fault and we pretend our actions don't have consequences. We need to let ourselves be seen, the bad, the good, and no pretending to be something you're not. She told us that we need to believe we're enough. Also in the 7 habits we learned about our personal bank accounts. We learned we must fix ourselves first. You cannot run a business if you don't have a connection with your followers, and to do that is to give them something to believe in. I believe you should give them a strong, respectable, confident, worthy leader to believe in and then you're business will do just fine. And even if you're not so confident in something, just fake it until you make it.
Be Proactive: This is the most important trait in a leader. You must be proactive. You will not earn anything by sitting around hoping a miracle will happen. As said in 7 Habits, proactive people are the drivers of their lives, not the passengers. Although there are many things you cannot control, you can control how you react to the situation. Being proactive will allow you to get things done and continue towards your goal. A leader is not a leader if they're reactive, they become a follower. A leader is and will always be proactive because if they truly want something they will go and get it.

"If you think you can, or can't do a thing, you're right." Henry Ford

Daniel Hu's Leadership Philosophy

I believe that a leadership philosophy can't be right or wrong, but it can be proven to be effective or ineffective where it is applied. Before this class, my philosophy was really vague, but through this class, I have been able to take a lot of knowledge and craft it into a leadership philosophy. I believe that in order to be an effective leader a leader has to incorporate these elements into his leadership.

• Lead by example and understand where you are going
• As cliche as it sounds, this is perhaps the most important aspect of a leader. If you are no better than your followers, then are you really a leader? While I knew this before, this class has enhanced my knowledge on what this means and how a person can lead by example. People will only follow those that they can trust. In order to develop this trust, a leader has to show his followers that he can set goals and achieve them. A good leader sets goals and shares them with his followers so that they understand what they are working towards, this way, there will be motivation to work.
• The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens taught us some of the basic prerequisites to leading by example. A chapter that I thought were especially important to leading by example was the Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood chapter. This chapters highlights a key concepts:
• Understand what you are leading and what you have to do to lead before leading
• My personal leadership philosophy is that you have an interest in what you are doing, and have an interest in the people you are leading, because if you do, then you will understand what you are doing, and therefore have an easier time to get other people to understand you. If I was working at a technology company in Silicon Valley and managing a team, my first priority would be to make sure that I am fluent in the work that they do, and that I get to know my followers personally. This way, I would be seen as a capable and understanding person that others could look up to.
• Understand who you are leading
• Knowing who your followers are and what they expect of you is extremely important. We learned different leadership styles in the management unit, which I applied to my leadership philosophy. For example, if I was the manager of a marketing team, I would understand that a free reign style leadership would probably be the best form of leadership since the area of marketing and the people in it would respond the best to a free flowing environment. However, if I was a general manager at a retail store, the best way to lead would be by using a democratic approach because there needs to be a level of professional management, but in order to make sure that workers are satisfied, they would need to be heard.
• Communication
• Communication is essential to a good leader because without it, followers wouldn't have any idea what they are supposed to do, or what they are trying to achieve. I learned in this class during the communications unit that in order to be an effective communicator, knowing the receiver and constructing the message with them in mind are some of the top priorities when sending a message. This ties back to my point on understanding who you are leading since if you understand who you are leading, then you will have an easier time communicating to them. With these communication skills that I learned. I believe that by being an effective communicator, you can show respect by recognizing barriers to communication and avoiding them, and that you can often convince people to follow your ideas. I believe that with good communication skills, I would be able to motivate, teach, and boost the creativity of the people I lead.
• Overall, my leadership philosophy is based on common understanding between the leader and the followers so that everyone always knows who everyone else is, what they're doing, and why they're doing it together. By using this leadership philosophy, I believe that anybody can get to know and lead almost anyone.

Grace's Leadership Philosophy