Leadership

Leadership certainly isn’t gained by election or appointment. Having position,

title, rank, or degrees doesn’t qualify anyone to lead other people. And the ability doesn’t

come automatically from age or experience.” (Maxwell-Right, 7) The key to becoming a

successful leader is not by focusing on making other people follow you, but by becoming

a person that they desire to follow. “A leader is great not because of his or her power, but

because of his or her ability to empower others.” (Maxwell-21) Throughout this

semester I have studied a various array of leaders and applied numerous leadership

methodologies. When we started the class I began by discussing the leadership ability of

my father and how I follow him based on the leader that he is in my life. Through my

time being in the class I have looked elsewhere for leaders and observed principles all

around me. Hall of fame Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils,

one of the greatest Presidents to ever fill the office; Abraham Lincoln, as well as Sam

Walton, the creator of Wal-Mart Supercenters have had great impact on my leadership

study. Throughout the studies of these men I have been inspired and have organized a

list of characteristics that would fulfill a complete definition of �Leadership.’

In this paper I hope to explain my personal philosophy of successful leadership.

There are numerous characteristics that fall into my philosophy, my methodology. An

effective leader must possess the characteristics of Vision, Inspirational power, Integrity

and Service.

By definition, a leader has vision: What else would a leader lead people toward,

if not to fulfill that vision? Leadership Principle: A leader must have vision; they must

have a strong sense of purpose. Coach K has set his vision as, “My hunger is not for

success, it is for excellence. Because when you attain excellence, success just naturally

follows.” (Krzyzewski, 220). One management theorist by the name of Peter Drucker

stated, “Successful careers are not planned. They develop when people are prepared for

opportunities because they know their strengths, their method of work, and their values.”

(Anderson, 192) When studying Coach Krzyzewski I came across a quote and have not

been able to get it out of my head. “As a Coach it is my job to inspire, to help guide, to

help provide a group of 12 young men with a vision of what they are working towards.”

(Krzyzewski, 36) Although there is no way to see the future completely, great leaders are

those who have powerfully and permanently influenced their generation by being �seers’.

Being a leader of vision includes foresight as well as insight (DePree, 113). Leadership

Principle: Goals should be realistic, attainable, and shared among all members of the

team. Oswald Sanders talks about how a pessimist sees a difficulty in every opportunity

whereas the optimist sees an opportunity in every difficulty (Sanders, 80). Leadership

Principle: Never forget a defeat, defeat can be the key to victory. It is very important to

look at the past, to observe situations where there are learning experiences, but a leader

should not consider the past so sacred that they sacrifice the future for it. Leadership

Principle: A Leader knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.

“For a moment Liddell semed half inclined to give up. Then suddenly he sprang

forward and was after his opponents in a flash. By this time the leaders were twenty

yards ahead, forty yards from home he was third and seemed to on the point of

collapsing, but pulling himself together he put in a desperate finish to win by two yards.”

Jackie Robinson once said that �a life isn’t significant except for its impact on other

lives.’ (Maxwell-Right, 54) A leader must possess the ability to be inspirational, which

can also be shown through sacrifice. Leadership Principle: If the leader is committed,

there will be a greater chance for the followers to be committed. Eric Liddell, a former

Olympian, declined to run in a race in the 1924 Olympics when he found out the race

would be run on a Sunday, Liddell would run in another race and set an Olympic record

later that week. Liddell has an amazing story that shows sacrifice, and his inspiration to

others. Liddell became a missionary shortly after winning his Golf Medal in the 1924

Olympics. After nearly 20 years of missions in China, Liddell was taken as a war

prisoner to a concentration camp. Liddell was known by all people in the camp as the

Olympic runner, he saw this as his opportunity to inspire. Liddell spent his time in the

camp serving the children, challenging them to hang onto their lives. He taught and

coached children, and was always there to