Running head: CONSIDERING LEADERSHIP 1

Considering Leadership

David Drucker

Drake University
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Considering Leadership

Leadership is a skill that that not all humans possess. A true leader must live with

many sacrifices throughout their lives, including time spent with their families. Leaders come in

all forms, some may be relationship oriented, while others are result oriented. There is no recipe

for becoming a great leader, unfortunately there are many leaders who will fail today as well as

in the future. What makes a leader successful? That is the question that people around the World

want the answer. One way to breakdown leadership is to analyze those leaders who are currently

in a leadership role. Three current leaders were interviewed for this research to help support

theories to find consistent qualities of successful leaders. One of those people is a pastor of a

church and leads over two hundred in congregation. The second interview is a principal that has

been in his position for over twenty-three years. Lastly, is an HR rep for a multi-billion-dollar

company who services over four thousand people. Through their insight; similarities, along with

differences, can be found in the mindset of leaders today.

Similarities between leaders, no matter their positions, is not a difficult task. In fact,

many leaders of today have a plethora of qualities that align. According to all three of the

interviewees, having genuine relationships with employees can play a major role in success of a

business. By developing relationships among colleagues, the door then opens to have difficult

conversations between co-workers. The principal states, “When strong relationships are

developed in the workplace, the ability to confront problems becomes easier from a leadership

perspective” (personal communication, September 23, 2017). The relationships in a work place

become so vital to success because hard conversations happen daily, and when the difficult

topics arise, the relationships help support the leader of the conversation. In the end, a good
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leader understands their employees are there for the greater good of business and therefore

relationships help support a positive learning environment.

Along with relationships, poor leaders are separated from great leaders due to their

communication skills. The HR representative says “Communication does not just include the

things you say. It also deals with your non-verbal skills, along with writing skills” (personal

communication, September 21, 2017). Writing is a skill that becomes very prevalent in leaders’

world. This skill can come in the form of an email, or a newsletter that is sent to an entire

company or district. Leaders must be flawless in the way that they communicate via technology.

The principal suggests, “Your writing will now be critiqued by hundreds, if not thousands…”

this can be a traumatizing thought for leaders in training, but it does become a reality, depending

on the size of district or company you work for. Along with written and linguistic skills, non-

verbal communications become nit-picked by the public. From posture to hand position, leaders

must be aware of the non-verbal signals they show every minute. The Pastor comments on non-

verbal communication with, “One must be sure to have one hundred percent of their attention on

the task directly in front of them” (personal communication, September 26, 2017). If the leader

of the business becomes disengaged, his or her employees may then feel as if the topic is not of

high importance. The Principal adds, “Employees follow the example set by their leader…” and

because of this, leaders must always be ready to give their full attention to the task or meeting in

front of them. The three leaders interviewed all agreed, communication and genuine

relationships are two, of many, cornerstones that can be found in quality leaders.

There are many qualities that are similar amongst leaders, but there are also differences

that can still lead to successful leadership. One quality that is considered controversial is humor.

“There is a place for humor, but not in a leadership role” describes the HR representative. The
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previous quote by the HR representative, simply means that humor can be viewed in many

different lights, some of those lights are negative. When it comes to sarcasm, some employees

may be offended by things being said. While others, may view it as light heartedness. The point

of humor is to make the people around smile, “…if there are true smiles flowing through the

workplace, that means you are doing something right”, states the Principal. If humor is a part of a

leader, they should not abandon that part of their personality, however, it should be monitored.

One more difference that stood out throughout the three interviews is the word fairness.

Two of the three interviewees believe that fairness should be the same straight across the board

when it comes to decisions about employees. For example, “If you let one employee leave fifteen

minutes early for a doctor appointment, you should certainly let that rule apply to every single

employee.” The Principal states. When asked ‘why?’ both leaders eluded to the fact that people

do not understand extenuating circumstances. “You are best off referring back to the employee

contract, so you can cover your own butt and not be the bad guy” speaks the HR representative.

Bending the contract can be a blurry line, and leaders may want to caution around that line. On

the other end, the Pastor says, “Employees appreciate the flexibility, and they feel more

appreciated when you are understanding of their situations.” Being flexible with the people goes

back to building the relationships, being compassionate about their situation helps build on the

relationship. The balance of being flexible with employees is muddy water, leaders should fall

back on their core values to lead their decisions on these situations. There are different ways to

approach a variety of situations, a great leader will stick to their core values to help guide their

decisions.

During these interviews, there are many surprises, along with take-aways about leading.

“People are not like wine, they do not age well” this quote came up when speaking to the HR
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representative about stresses in being a leader. This quote is surprising because many leaders do

not talk ill about employees. These leaders can have thousands of employees, many of those

employees will not agree with everything said by the leader. There are tough decisions to be

made every day and it is impossible to please everyone. Daily, leaders must hear the back talk

and the complaining of those around them. It is not a popular topic among leaders, unfortunately

it is a large part of the job. A quote from the HR representative, “… you are here for the business

that pays you, not to make friends” this is a driving factor in the end, leaders are put in their

position to help the business or community, and that should be a driving force in all leaders’

decisions. Moving on, there was one more surprise that came out of these interviews. Two thirds

of the interviewees brought up the topic of mental illness. They believe that mental illness is

becoming more prevalent in our culture. As a result, they suggest that leaders should keep up to

date about the latest research in the field of mental illness. This topic is avoided at all cost

because it can be uncomfortable, but people within the leadership roles need to keep a look out

for the mental well-being of their staff. Business cannot perform well if the mental well-being of

the staff is not supported, it is impossible to create success if employees do not feel a part of the

team or appreciated.

There are many learning opportunities that have come from talking with these three

leaders: systems thinking, growth mindset and setting core values. The Pastor recommends,

“Put[ting] systems into place so you do not have to answer every single question…” may be the

greatest advice to future leaders. If proper systems are put into place, those systems will make

the life of a leader less stressful. Use the employees around the business to create a variety of

systems that communicate with each other. A quality leader will understand that they alone can

run an entire business, but it is those systems that are put in place that support the growth and
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success of the business. Another piece of information that came from the interviews is the value

of growth mindset. “… You can never stop learning as a leader” states the Principal, meaning

that once a leader believes he or she knows everything, they then stop growing. Leaders can

study the work of other influential leaders, or they can learn from those around them. The people

around the business are the greatest allies to the leaders, listen to those people around, they want

to help. The HR representative says, “Keep your mind open to try new things” because who

knows, the new things could be wildly successful. The Principals words of advice are, “Never be

afraid to fail”, those words should stick with all leaders because even when one may fail, a true

leader triumph through the failure and learn from their mistakes.

Being a quality leader can come in many forms, there is not a single recipe that produces

a successful leader. Those wanting to become a leader need to be ready to handle any situation

that may confront them. Whether that situation is exciting or devastating, a leader needs to be

prepared to handle the situation with confidence. By using systems thinking, leaders can reduce

their stress by having systems in place to promote positive communications throughout the

business. Lastly, leaders must never stop learning or trying new things. Be open to taking a leap

of faith to risk failure, leaders will always learn from their failures and turn them into triumphs.

“Be the leader you want to be, not the one society wants you to be” stay true to one’s core values

and lead the way that works best for one’s self.
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