FREE ESSAY ON THAT'S WHAT LEADERS ARE MADE OF

THAT'S WHAT LEADERS ARE MADE OF

A major role in the continuation of modern society is our leaders and the roles they play.
They are the ones who will show us the way, so to speak. But who will these people, these
leaders, be? What qualities and characteristics do leaders possess? And why is it we the
people follow these leaders?
But first, what is leadership? Leadership is a process whereby one group member
influences and coordinates the behavior of other members in pursuit of the group's goals.
This specific group member, the leader, provides guidance, specialized skills, and
environmental contacts that help obtain the goals of the group. Some activities, or
responsibilities, of the leader are planning, organizing, and controlling group activity
(DeLamater and Michener 373). More specific responsibilities will be discussed later in
the paper.
Now that we know what leadership is and some of what a leader's responsibilities are,
let's find out what it takes to be a leader. Think about someone you know who's in a
leadership position. What are some characteristics they possess that make them a leader?
There are many qualities that make a good leader, but there are four main ones: the
leader has a goal and knows what to do to achieve it, the leader is a good
decision-maker, the leader is honest, trustworthy, and respectful, and the leader is
confident with what s/he does. Let's look at these one at a time.
First, the leader has a goal and knows what to do to achieve it. This should be almost
self-explanatory and go without saying, because what are you going to do if you have
nothing to strive for? There as to be a goal to keeping working for, that way the group
continuously moves forward. So say we have a goal. Great!! Now what? What are you going
to do to achieve it? Every goal has to have a plan, or blueprint, as to how to accomplish
it. A goal without a plan is like trying to cross the ocean without a boat. It doesn't
work.
Second, the leader is a good decision-maker. A good decision-maker is one who'll make
decisions for the benefit of the group. An individual is elected or chosen because it is
believed s/he can help the group. In order to help the group, the individual has to be a
good decision-maker.
Third, the leader is honest, trustworthy, and respectful. Who wants a leader that is
going to abuse his position by doing things for his/her own self-interest? A leader
should be someone you respect and can trust to do the right thing to the best of their
ability. After all, s/he's the main representative of the group, and the way s/he acts
directly reflects on the group.
Lastly, the leader is confident with what s/he does. By having confidence, it gives the
group a form of self-assurance that they are going to be okay because their leader knows
what they're doing. It also helps the leader do a better job because then their not
worried about whether or not they are doing it correctly: they know they are.
So how does an individual become a leader? Two general criteria for picking a leader are
the extent to which the group achieves their goals, and the level of consideration s/he
shows towards other members (DeLamater and Michener 353). There are multiple ways to
become a leader, but the two most popular ways are being voted into position and a
person's level of experience. These two ways are related in some ways, but completely
separate at others. To be voted into a leader role requires no experience (some helps
though). And it is possible to work your way to leadership positions without a vote being
taken. But usually, to be voted into leader positions requires experience; and regardless
of how long one has worked or how much experience s/he has, a vote is usually taken
(amongst fellow leaders, amongst other people, etc.) before the individual is given a
leadership role. Other ways include being born into it (i.e. kings), an individuals level
of education (to become a supervisor usually, but not always, requires more education
than an entry level job does), and even due to a persons age (older people are more
likely to receive leadership positions than younger people are).
So now we have our leaders, but what are their responsibilities? As mentioned earlier,
some are planning, organizing, and controlling group behavior (DeLamater and Michener
373). John D. DeLamater and H. Andrew Michener highlight ten main responsibilities. These
ten are to formulate a clear conception of the group's goals and objectives, and
communicate this to the group members; develop specific strategies for the attainment of
the groups goals; specify role assignments and standards of productivity for members;
establish and maintain channels of communication among members; recruit and train new
members.
Interact and react personally with members to maintain good relations; influence task
activities of group members by means of persuasion, rewards, and punishments; monitor the
groups process towards its goals and take corrective steps if off track; resolve conflict
among members to reduce tension and maintain harmony; and to serve as a representative of
the group to outside agencies and organizations. So more or less, the leader tries to
strengthen group productivity by changing the way members' view the group, its
opportunities, and its mission. But how is this done?
Leaders fulfill their responsibility through the way they lead. Two forms of leadership
are transactional and transformational. Transactional leadership is based on an exchange
between the group and the leader, whereas transformational leadership creates new ways of
thinking, creates structural changes, and institutionalizes new practices within the
group which strengthens group productivity (DeLamater and Michener 373). Other types and
styles are instrumental and expressive, and authoritative, democratic, and laissez
faire.
Instrumental leadership is group direction that emphasizes the completion of tasks. The
instrumental leader wants to "get things done." S/He also has a formal, secondary
relationship with the members, gives orders, punishments, and rewards according to
contribution, and usually receives respect (Macionis 174). An authoritarian-style leader
is a prime example of instrumental leadership. The authoritarian leader personally takes
charge of decision-making, and demands strict compliance. Because of this, the
authoritarian is usually appreciated in a crisis (Macionis 175).
In contrast too instrumental leadership is expressive leadership. Expressive leadership
focuses on collective well being, maintaining group moral, and minimizing tension and
conflict (Macionis 174). Expressive leaders have personal, primary relationships with
members, offer sympathy to a troubled member, keeps the group united, lightens serious
moments, and usually receives affection. The democratic style of leadership is a primary
example of expressive leadership. The democratic leader charges every group member with
decision-making, and draws ideas from all creating from them creative solutions (Macionis
175).
There is a third style of leadership that doesn't fit into a specific category of
leadership. This style is called laissez faire. In this style, the leader steps back and
assumes the role of the overseer letting the group more or less run itself (Macionis
175).
So why do people follow someone? Usually it's because they have elected/chosen, or wanted
the individual as their leader. So they follow because they share the same ideals and/or
goals. Other reasons people follow are because they are told to, out of fear (itself or
of punishment), or just because they have no other choice. Now, not all of these reasons
are good, but they are none-the-less real reasons why some people follow certain
leaders.
Probably the most influential reason people follow leaders is the effectiveness of the
leader. "A leader's effectiveness in directing a group depends both on his or her style
and on the circumstances of the situation" (DeLamater and Michener 374). The situational
characteristics referred to are the leaders' personal relations with the group members
(good or bad), the degree of structure in the groups tasks (structured or unstructured),
and the leaders power position in the group (strong or weak) (DeLamater and Michener
376). Based on these three characteristics and the style of leadership used, an
individual decides whether or not s/he will follow the leader.
Portrayals of leaders can be found everywhere from movies to real life. Although, it is
these real life leaders that matter most to us. They are the ones who will take us to the
21st century and beyond.
Bibliography
DeLamater, John D. and Michener, H. Andrew. Social
Psychology. Orlando, Fl: Harcourt Brace and Co., 1999.
Macionis, John J. Sociology. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1999.