Essay on "Qualities of Leadership"

Essay 3 pages (1347 words) Sources: 4

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Qualities of Leadership

The concept of leadership is an extremely complex one. Chemers (1997) has defined leadership as "a process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task." President Lincoln used his political strength to defeat the Confederation, while President Kennedy used his leadership to negotiate with the Soviet Union during the Cold War, in a way that retained the U.S. position on most topics of interest on the bilateral and international agenda.

This paper looks at the concept of leadership from different perspectives, both through historical and literary characters. It aims to show that few leaders encompass all characteristics of leadership, but that all are successful in integrating good communication and social skills in their objective to drive people towards a common objective.

As studies have shown, leadership differs from sector to sector. Most leaders had vision and charisma, but not all showed integrity and, at the same time, some were political leaders, others economic or social leaders and many others in history were military leaders.

For example, President Lincoln delegated military attributions to his generals, although he was in direct contact with them and understood development in the field of operations. Ultimately, he was the one who appointed Grant to lead the Armies in the North, but it was more his political leadership than his military leadership that won the war. In the same manner, President Kennedy made the final decisions regarding the Cuban Missile Crisis, but he had no real military competency the way Napoleon or Caesar would.

With this in mind, a leadership workshop would need to be customized and look at different characteristics that leaders have, as well as different leadership approaches. As such, President Lincoln and President Kennedy could be the best representatives of political and national leaders. They lead an entire nation towards a commonly recognized objective, whether that is resisting to the Soviet pressure or reuniting the nation during the Civil War.

On the other hand, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross should be an example of both military leadership and personal leadership. His mission is to lead his men in a complex and difficult environment during the Vietnam War. As the text tells, this is a terror environment, where you understand "what terror was: you're not human anymore. You're a shadow. You slip out of your own skin, like molting, shedding your own history and your own future, leaving behind everything you ever were or wanted to believed in" (O'Brien, 1990). Ultimately, he should be able to create advantages for his men in competition with the enemy, which is his role as a military leader.

However, even if a leader needs to take care of his men and he fails to do so. He is a weak leader primarily because his training to become a leader is wrong: he is never prepared to face the conditions in the field of operations. Beyond this, by focusing on Martha rather than on his platoon and its protection, he has failed to take his men from one place to another safely through the jungle.

A very interesting aspect is that, although he is a weak leader, as previously discussed, Jimmy Cross understands why that it. As the text mentions, "when a man died, there had to be blame. Jimmy Cross understood this" (O'Brien, 1990). Although ultimately one could blame anything, from God to decision makers, the ultimate responsibility is only that of the direct leader.

As such, one could conclude that one of the most important characteristics of a good leader is responsibility for his men. This can be debatable in the context of historical characters. One can accept the fact that one of the greatest leaders of the world was Napoleon Bonaparte. However, one cannot say that he was taking responsibility and trying to protect his men. In fact, historical facts showed that his battles were some the bloodiest of all history.

However, that doesn't seem to make him less of a leader,… READ MORE

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