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Catherine Schneider The Last Leadership Chapter 7/28/13

The Four Ts Guide to a Better Leadership Theory

I feel that leadership can be broken into four very important elements that we already have within. They are simply traits, talents, the time we have and the treasures that we gain within spirituality. If we use ourselves, our own being and the talents and traits that we already posses, if we use the time we are given naturally, and trust in our faith, then we are using every element of ourselves as person, and therefore being the best leader that we can be.

Traits/Talents
Skills Talents can also be the skills we possess; for example, human skills, technical skills and conceptual skills. If one has an extreme ability to talk to all different kinds of people and has amazing people skills, this is their talent, and something they should use to empower themselves as a leader. A leader needs to discover what type of skills they possess and then use these skills to bring out the best leader in themselves, and also to bring out the best qualities in their followers. It is important for a leader to posses technical skills, human skills and conceptual skills. When a leader lacks technical skills then the whole assembly line could fail due to technical difficulty, but it could also fail if the leader doesnt have enough human skills to

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know how to motivate the people working the assembly line to do an effective job. Conceptual skills are crucial for a leader to discover as well. When we use our conceptual skills we bring all the concepts of our project together. A leader might have a good plan for the future, but unless they can articulate this vision with ideas and concepts no one will know how to carry out the mission the leader has in mind. One person may have a better emotional quotient and another person may have a better intellectual quotient, it is important to realize not only which quotient we are better at, but also to realize which quotient we need to work at as a leader and even realize which quotient we may not possess at all. When a leader discovers that they are better at the emotional or intellectual quotient they can then focus on the quotient they are lacking because the one they are better at will come naturally. With practice everyone has the ability to become an effective leader on both spectrums. If a leader is able to discover his or her talents and bring them out in his leadership ability, then he can teach his followers to do the same. When a leader has a number of followers each follower has something different to bring to the table as a team player. When each team member brings his talent or skill that he or she possesses to the table then the team benefits as a whole as we all possess different talents and skills. When a leader is able to bring out each followers best quality and strongest skill set and the followers all possess different skills, then the team can flow and work more dynamically and be successful at the task at hand. Simply put, this is team work through talent and traits! Confidence
One may have all the traits or talents that have been mentioned thus far, but if they do not believe in their ability then those traits are of no use. Without confidence in our abilities as leaders

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and being confident in the qualities you possess while also being a humble leader can be a hard struggle, but there is a difference between confidence and cockiness. Followers do not want to follow a leader who is not self-assured and confident in himself. They want to follow a leader who makes a presence that they feel is worth following, but just the same they do not want to follow someone who thinks they are better than their followers and doesnt show them respect. Everyone has specific skills and talents as a person. What is important in leadership is for that person to discover their talents and use the talents to empower them as a leader. It is also important to discover which skills we lack as leaders so that we can focus on bettering ourselves. The last element is not just having the skills, but having confidence in the skills that you possess so that you are able to effectively use the talents you have. Once we realize what we already have in our Tool Box as a leader, and we find the selfassurance within ourselves to use them, then we can become amazing leaders!

Time
Some leaders may complain that there is not enough time to get all their duties done and all that they need to accomplish complete. A poor leaders problem is not that they need more time but that they dont make better use of the time that they have, but a good leader progresses in the economy of time. Often times the character and career of a young person depends on how he or she spends spare time (Sanders, 93). Prayer

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Use your time for prayer. If one has eight hours of work before them, you could say they dont have time for prayer, but a true leader versed in the trust of their faith will say Because I have so much work to be done, I have a reason to pray even more than I would if I only had two hours a work before me, versus the eight. The more work we have and the more tasks we need to accomplish the more we have a reason to pray. Procrastination A leader must not suffer from characteristics of procrastination, because procrastination is the thief of time. The habit of putting things off until later, causes us to waste space in the next day for other projects and goals to be completed and is fatal to leadership. Do it now, as one leader said led many people to worldly success. Using time wisely Each second, minute, hour, day, week, month, and year that passes can never be recreated or traced back. Every spec of time we are given on earth should be used wisely and fully because we can never get that time back. Once a leader realizes this then he will be more productive not only at leading, but at studying, reading and figuring out how to become the best leader for his followers. Certain theories that use the element of time talk about working hard and fast during the work day, but then also using their free time when they come home to better themselves as well. Free time can be used more effectively by reading and getting versed in knowledge to better ones self, than it can be while watching TV. If one uses their free time to exercise and better their body then they will be better equipped and healthy for their next day and their future. Every aspect of what we do during our working time and our free time affects us in the long run. Often our free time also is seen by others, so it is very important to lead by example, of what we do with each minute

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of our day. The way we use our leisure time will determine if we turn into mediocre or powerful people. In the Bible Paul was very aware of the constant example we become for our followers as leaders and had this advice to share on the topic But set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity (Spiritual Leadership, 97). If one works 8 to 9 hours a day, sleeps 7 to 8 hours a day, and has 2 hours for meal time and conversation in a day, then 6 hours are still left over in each day which adds up to 42 hours of free time in a week. What a leader does in these 42 hours a week certainly could determine if their leadership efforts in life were commonplace or extraordinary. All aspects of your life are evaluated as a leader, so this is why it is important not only to use time wisely but to be aware of what one is doing in all aspects of their time. A leader has to be careful of what he does in his free time. When one is appointed to a high leadership position their free time and off time becomes public and privacy is a thing of the past. Often times there is no room for a leader to make mistakes even after his 9-5 job, because the public is judgmental and does not acknowledge the presence of other roles in the leaders life. Roles such as father, husband, friend, lover etc. become secondary to the initial title the followers know their leader as and the followers do not acknowledge the presence of these roles in the leaders life at times. Once they have known you as their boss, priest, CEO, or president you are uniformly in their mind as that leader. To become a leader comes with a heavy burden at times, so we must act with dignity at all times once we are dubbed as a leader. Unless a leader uses time effectively they are not being the most effective leader possible, but once they master the use of time, their leadership skills will surpass many

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other leaders, and they will accomplish more than most other people in a leadership position.

Treasures of Spirituality and Moral Character (4TH T)

Honesty Simply be honest! Say it how it is, and tell it like it is. Be a man of your word and do what you say you will do. This is one of the only ways we can gain trust from a follower who doesnt know us and trust is an essential way to gain faithful and dedicated followers. Every time we go back on our word, we get farther away from gaining their full trust, respect and admiration. One who is honest is able to sit back and say to someone I dont know it all and seek help when it is needed. Some of the best leaders have gained many followers in whatever they believe in or want followers to believe in and be a part of simply because they are always honest and do what they say they will do. A good example of a man who gained followers this way is Abraham Lincoln as he was named honest Abe. He is a good example that you can do something simple such as tell the truth and have people flock to you because of it. Spirituality At the end of any leaders day whether they are the CEO of Proctor and Gamble, the president of the United States, or the Pope they are only human and controlled by the swings and turns of everyday life. A president cannot prevent a hurricane from destroying an entire state or killing the people of his country. That is why it is so important to have a faith in the 4T approach to my leadership. We have to trust in a God who is in control, because above all he leads us. When we are leaders and we discover that we are not totally in control, we can more calmly and effectively lead our followers. This puts a leaders mind

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at ease when they know they always have someone to report to, pray to and come to with their worries and trials. Jesus Christ was one of the most influential leaders in all of time, and still today is considered one of the greatest leaders the world has ever seen, but he almost always was calm, collected and led with ease. This was due to his trust in Gods plan for him. We are able to have this same peace of mind when we lead if we trust in God as well. Jesus went through trials that leaders of today will never go through, but he didnt worry or feel helpless, because he always trusted in Gods plan. Without his faith in God he could not have been the leader he was and moved and taught people the way he did. It is essential for every leader to find this faith and trust in a higher power and realize that everything happens for a reason and most things are out of our control.

Weaknesses
Just as any other leadership theory is not without its flaws and weaknesses, the 4-Ts Leadership theory is no exception. Not all people believe in a higher power or a God, so therefore they cannot use the T dimension standing for Treasures of Spirituality within the Ts leadership theory. Without this ease of mind a leader is not using the theory to the full potential and does not have the benefit that a faith in Christ can bring to ones leadership stance as a whole. On the other hand some people are atheistic and do not believe in such a thing as a God, so this leadership theory will not be able to be fully utilized when it comes to people without a faith base.

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How Do we use the 4-Ts and How does the 4-Ts theory work?
The 4-Ts theory of leadership incorporates the ideas, that each of us has the ability to be a leader, we just have to find the right tools to become that leader. We have to find and use all the aspects of each category that the 4-Ts represent. Each leader has the ability to lead, but they have to find the Ts within them in order to lead their followers. Once a person finds the talents and traits they already have, discovers how to use time effectively, and is consoled by the treasures of spirituality then they can be a great leader. Each one of us has these aspects of leadership within us just waiting to be discovered so that they can bring to the surface a leader that will be unlike any other leader, unique in every aspect, and ready to discover and accomplish what no one else has before them. By discovering and using all the gifts and talents we have been given and trusting in Gods plan, one can become an effective leader through the 4-T theory. If we have discover the skills we have and use them to lead, we take our skills and apply them to the concept of time by making the best use of all the time we have while using those skills we have the majority of what it means to lead down pat. It is only once we use the 4th T in the Ts leadership theory that we fully utilize all aspects of the theory and of leadership the theory of using the treasures within spirituality by always having trust in the fact that things are in Gods hands and that we always have someone to lean on when things go wrong and even someone to thank when things go right. Once we realize that God is in control we will lead with the greatest comfort and confidence and fully utilize the skills and time we have within ourselves.