Leadership is such an important part of today’s society. Many people think that being senior ranking or the one with the most knowledge is always the leader. I must say not true. Leadership is being able to lead and direct others. Leading other is best done by setting the proper example for others to follow. If you tell others to do as you say and not as you do then you will fail as a leader. Leadership is important to me because I am a leader in my home, my workplace and my community. I have to set the example for my child, those who work for me and also the fellow members of my church. I do believe that leaders are born and I also believe that leaders can be made. So you are either a leader or a follower.
Being a leader means you have the characteristics to make someone want to follow what you are doing, whether it be right or wrong. The decisions that you make are not just affecting you but they also affect the ones that you are leading. In my Criminology and Deviant Behavior we had to watch a video about the Barbie Bandits and afterwards write a paper about it (Dumb Blondes). In that video I noticed that one of the girls had a good life. Graduated from high school, college paid for, living at home with parents awaiting for school to start. In the meantime, she started hanging with the wrong crowd. One of her friends obviously had the leadership trait and led her to rob a bank with her. Not all leadership traits are good. Therefore not everyone is leadership material.
Being in the military, normally the higher ranking member is the leader. In some organizations that is the way leadership works. Even though the highest ranking member is not always the best one to be in leadership, they are put there and told to lead. Leadership in this form is only hurting those that have to follow. I see evidence of younger members that have the leadership traits and I always try to pull it out of them. Many of them are intimidated because they have previously been shot down when they spoke out before.
In my class, Special Topics in Criminal Justice I completed an assignment dealing with Team Killers. I had to discuss how males almost exclusively assumed leadership in the non-relative category of serial-murder relationships. Males were normally the decision makers or main enforcers. Females generally look up to the males because of fear and a result of compliance. Males could put the fear in the women by threats to kill them or their family. I strongly believe that there are women that could have been the one leading the killings but again, fear kept them as being the followers in the crime.
One of my jobs in the military was as additional duty First Sergeant. I took care of the troops and made sure day to day they were taken care of. I received a call about the health of the child of one of the troops. I had to visit her home and see what was going on. In the end of a very embarrassing situation for her she came to me and thanked me for the way I handled the situation. I know for her the decisions I made as a leader helped her to become a better parent and worker. The class I took in Critical Thinking helped me to understand how to make better decisions. According to the textbook, (Critical Thinking: A Student’s Introduction pg. 1) critical also means “involving or exercising skilled judgment or observation”, not just negative or fault-finding. I am thankful for the training that I received that helped me to make a good judgment call this this situation.
Leadership is an important part of today’s society. It is the key to the future leaders of America. It does not take the senior person or the one with the most knowledge to be the leaders. I do believe that some people have the leadership trait and are not being given the chance to let it blossom. Leadership is important in every aspect of life, home, work and community.
I will apply the skill and knowledge I have learned about leadership by putting it into action. I will make my actions and decisions ones that people desire to follow instead of those that people are instructed to follow. I have learned that leadership is not something that can be handed to you. You have to learn to be a leader. Being in the military for 17 years I can say that I have the skills and knowledge to be a leader and to get the mission done. I can also say that I would like to be a better leader.
A future learning goal is to learn to be the best leader I can be. I know this is a continual process and I know it will pay off in any career I end up in. Being a leader is about taking care of your people but it is about taking care of yourself as well. I want to continue to learn how a good leader moves from one level to another without walking over or degrading others. The level of leadership I am on right now comes with rank and you move from level to level. I have trusted mentors who always talk with me and help me along the path and I think that is much needed to help with my goal.