Category: Leadership Reflections

Dear Journal,

It used to seem a little daunting for me to be a leader at first because of my ability to shy away from situations. As the years have gone on my anxiety for situations has decreased and voicing opinions to a crowd is not as daunting anymore. This is why it is important to me is that my followers also have the ability to voice their opinion. I want to be a leader who listens to her followers and understands them, so I can decide the best way to lead them. I want them to be comfortable around me, so that they are not shy or afraid to tell me their input. I want to be a leader who follows the servant leadership technique by putting my follower’s needs above my needs. This method is effective because “it makes altruism the central component of the leadership process.” (Norton,240). Along with that, I also think that I should follow trait leadership because it has proven very efficient for decisions and problem solving for groups.  I think that this method is effective because the “leader sees the situation that the team is facing” (Norton, 366).  This connects to my life ambitions because I want to pursue a career in medicine and I need to have these characteristics to be a doctor who goes beyond taking care of the patient’s physical needs. I think that in addition to focusing on the patient’s physical health I need to focus on the patient’s emotional and mental needs by making sure that their voice is heard. My future career requires me to be selfless and put my patient’s needs before mine. This should not be hard for me because I tend to always put the needs of others before me. I have noticed from the reading that there are strengths and weaknesses associated with every style. This leads me to question: why there is not a style of leadership that encompasses the strengths of every style? My actions are guided by making sure that I follow the strengths of each style of leadership and be aware of the weaknesses, so I can avoid them. Until next time!

Sincerely,

Gauri Ketkar

It started again

My legs shaking

My mouth was getting dry

Escape was not an option

 

It seemed that it would happen every time

It did not discriminate

It happened whenever I was in front of a large crowd

how could someone like me be a leader?

When I did not posses a single characteristic stated by the trait approach l

 

The summer after freshman year

I finally had an opportunity to lead

A camp counselor for children

I could do this

Self confidence

A word that was almost non existent in my vocabulary

 

I took the supporting approach

Being a “friendly and approachable leader” (Northouse 117)

The campers did not look up to me

They did not take me seriously

I had to push myself outside my comfort zone

With a mix of both

I gained the campers trust

 

The next summer

I knew what to do

A balance of fun and authority

“High quality leader-member exchanges” (Northouse 140)

Is there a better combination than being directive and supportive?

I had motivated my followers

They wanted to be the best they could be

 

It tried to start again

But this time I had courage

I had confidence

I had strength

I had overcome my fear

Dear Journal,

Due to my interest in medicine, I apply leadership in my life from the perspective of a health care professional. For example, last year at my clinical rotation site in my health science class I had the chance to follow doctors while they worked. When I watched the doctors work, I realized two things. The first one was the doctor was demonstrating leadership by being knowledgeable about the best course of treatment for the patients. By doing this, the patients have trust in the doctor. The doctors had expert power because he or she had allowed the patients to believe that they are competent. In my opinion, I think that expert power is the most important yet the most difficult to gain. Our society is increasingly having doubts on people, leading to them not trusting each other. This is why I believe that leadership is a characteristic you develop and not just something you are born with. I question why the trait approach exists because it takes skill to be a leader that your followers can count on. The trait perspective identifies its leaders with two things: “physical factors, personality features.” (Norton 7). I do not think all extroverts are leaders. Even if someone is able to express their opinions and not be afraid to speak in front of loud crowds does not mean that they can suddenly direct a group of people to work together. Overall, the main topic of the reading emphasizes that “leadership is not a linear one-way event, but rather an interactive event.” (Norton 6). This means that in order for someone to be a leader they should have followers who support and trust them. For this reason, a doctor is a leader because he or she gains the trust of the patient. Thus, without loyal followers, a leader can not thrive. Until next time.

-Gauri