The Elements of Personal Experience in Leadership (Essay Sample)

Elements of Leadership
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I have always thought a leader is someone who can inspire others to do something positive either for themselves or for others. There was a time in my life when I felt that I was being pushed to do things. It was during this time when my mum ignored me completely. Whenever she went for shopping, she would buy everybody a gift but ignored me and when I asked, she would say “earn it” It took time before these words sunk deep in my thoughts.
I felt segregated and useless and this made my grades fall in school. The lack of motivation and self drive made me lose friends too. At one point, I was walking on the school field and a ball hit my head when I looked up, fellow students laughed at me calling me a “loser.” These words cut deep inside my heart and I felt angry not with them, but with me. This became my turning point in life since I started working hard in school and feeling responsible for all my actions. It downed on me that I had to earn everything including respect. At the moment, I have made milestones in life and owe all this to my mum, she is my role model.
Changing from being a loser to a winner does not merely come by. I have always stood my ground and fought for what is right. I read in a book that people respect you more when you have personal values. Values in my case are not based on emulating people but identifying things that matter to oneself. I have also cherished good values among them; integrity, respect, decisiveness, truthfulness and honesty. For instance, I like standing by the truth and living by it. Through this value, I have learned to face my fears and challenges. These are attributes that have made me able to understand my purpose in life. I have come to understand that a purposeful life comes with making the right decisions.
Leaders that lead by example, make good decisions worth encouraging others. When you treat people well, you get the same treatment. This philosophy makes me acknowledge people regardless of who they are. People appreciate it when you greet them nicely, smile at them, say thank you or, congratulate them. I also understand that people can be complex but by being nice improves relationships. Leaders also need good attributes that make them desirable by others. For instance, a leader is a good listener, responsible, team leader, result oriented, motivator and most of all, a good communicator. With all these attributes, leaders set good examples among their followers.
A life without values is fruitless, what I value most is independence, integrity and self worth. A person who is independent cannot be swayed even when challenges are too many. Being independent means I will live by what I believe in and stand by it. A life full of integrity is desirable and rewarding a corrupt mind, brings ruin. It is also good to appreciate one’s self which translates to living a meaningful life.
A leader is a person that lives life by appreciating and motivating others. When a leader motivates followers, people gain confidence in him and more so show commitment in what they do. Motivation is also a way of boosting one’s confidence and more so, improves performance. Motivation in an organization is a strategy used to increase productivity of employees. I believe that motivation is not all about monetary measure, there is more to it.
To become an effective leader, there has to be a good relationship with employees. Good leaders understand what...