LeadershipEssay Preview: LeadershipReport this essayLeadership definedWhat is leadership? The term gets thrown around a lot, but what is it really? What do leaders do which makes them leaders? Can leadership be learned? I hope to answer these questions in the following paragraphs by comparing leadership traits and principles to an actual CEO, Larry W. Bonds.
Fortunately, leadership can be learned. This is good, because true leaders are in high demand and in short supply in every field. To be an effective leader, though, you must first understand what leadership is and what traits a leader exhibits. Contrary to popular belief, leadership is indelibly linked to character; without character, no leader can be truly successful.
Websters Dictionary defines leadership as the “capacity to lead”. The United States Army defines leadership as “influencing people–by providing purpose, direction, and motivation–while operating to accomplish the mission and improving the organization”. Former President Ronald Reagan put it in a very practical way:
“A leader, once convinced a particular course of action is the right one, must have determination to stick with it and be undaunted when the going gets rough.”
Purpose & goal are vital to successful leadershipRegardless of the definition used, leadership must have a worthwhile purpose. Without a specific goal, leadership can degrade into an exercise in self-enrichment rather than mission accomplishment. For example, you should not aspire to be an executive vice president for the large salary. Rather, you should aspire for high office in order to accomplish specific goals for the improvement of the company, whether financially or otherwise.
Vision is the ability to have “a clear sense of the future”. It is knowing where you, as an organization, are going. Visionary leadership takes the concept of vision and couples it with leadership to produce a leader who inspires those following him to work toward the organizations goals. In essence, a visionary leader is the best kind of leader.
Background InfoLarry W. Bonds has been in the senior housing and long-term care industries for more than twenty years, first as a health care consultant with a large public accounting firm and then as a senior executive with prominent development and operating companies. He has been an independent consultant since 1992, and his company, Bonds & Associates, is an independent contractor to Eden & Associates, Inc. of Jackson, Wyoming. Mr. Bonds also serves as the Chief Executive Officer to Eden Capital, LLC. His experience includes finance, development, operations, marketing, and transaction negotiation. Mr. Bonds is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the State of South Carolina.
Larry is a top-level manager in every since of the word. But is he a leader? And if so, is he an effective one? I hope to answer these questions by comparing his traits, talents and styles to the basic principles of leadership.
Leadership traits provide foundationAll good leaders possess certain timeless traits. The following list of traits provides character guidelines that can be used to evaluate any leader. If measured against these ideals, anyone can improve their weaknesses and make the best use of their strengths.
The eight personal leadership traits are as follows:1. Honesty & Integrity. The qualities of absolute honesty, trustworthiness, uprightness of character and high moral principles. Integrity can be practiced by doing the following:
* Tell the truth to both superiors and subordinates.* Stand for what you believe in, even if the belief is unpopular.* Use your power to work toward your organizations goals or for the welfare of your co-workers and not for your own personal gain.Honesty is important for everyone, in every circumstance, to value. This is especially true for a leader. Larry W. Bonds strives to be honest in his business dealings at every turn. If a situation calls for confidentiality, he is sure to give as much honest detail as is possible. For the people who have worked with Mr. Bonds, they know they can always depend on Larry telling them like it is.
For instance, when one of the clients of Eden Capital, Oakwood Living Centers, began to perform poorly, Larry was up-front with the employees. He knew that employee morale and job security would falter if he did not confront the situation head-on with complete honesty. He told the employees of the various strategies that were being contemplated for pulling Oakwood out of its financial slump. One of these strategies involved the possible sale and restructuring of the company. Even though this news meant that the involvement of Eden Capital and its employees with Oakwood might one day cease, everyone was at least informed of what the possibilities were. By being up-front and honest, Larry set the stage for continued employee morale and unity.
Integrity is another essential trait successful leaders should possess. It is not, however, always apparent in their actions. Defined, integrity in leadership is “honesty, credibility, and consistency in putting values into action”. A leader can be honest and credible without necessarily having integrity. Mr. Bonds is one such example. At times he is expressive in his values. He values success and a high societal standing. What he values with regards to his employees is knowledge, decisiveness and timeliness. A subordinate can exhibit the desired skills one day and they can be recognized as contributing to the ultimate goal . But, unfortunately, those same skills may not bring the same results the next day. Larry is sometimes unpredictable in what he wants and what he will applaud in others. An effective leader is consistent in his values and his treatment of coworkers.
- What is a good job?
- What is the hardest thing to achieve?
- What is too difficult?
- What is the most honest of friends?
- What is the most honest of colleagues?
- Are there other people who are doing all the right things?
- A high employee turnover number
- Do your employees have a sense of obligation?
- What is a good rule of thumb?
- What is the number one fear of employers?
- What is the number one negative factor?
- If it makes you feel good enough, how do you do it?
- What is a safe time to be a leader?
- A leader’s personality comes from his values and commitment to his people and he has never been defined by his work environment.
- What is the average paycheck/university salary you earned during your career?
- How does someone who is highly paid contribute to each of your goals and what are your strengths?
- How does a CEO do it when the value he or she puts forth is less than his or her values?
- Have you thought of a concept for a CEO or any other individual in your company to put into practice?
- What were your thoughts on having a CEO to make you feel good during the times you have been successful with one of the company’s different organizations at your company?
The following list is based upon a survey being developed by the Council for Employment and Financial Services.
The following table of values is taken from a paper on the work force commissioned by the Council
and is derived from an analysis of salary data from the Department’s Survey of American Family Attending Services for Employers. The study was performed using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and American Community Survey. The survey included interviews of 661 college and university employees. Overall hourly wages were based on the hourly wage of employees and the following data were collected: (1) the median weekly pay that an individual received with employment with or without financial support, including an annual salary, a severance package, and bonuses of 15%. (2) the average weekly pay that an individual took during each month of an employment contract, including the average severance package paid to all employees during the month. The estimates for the total weekly pay were obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS 2014). (3) average annual average daily gross earnings for all employees including all benefits, bonuses, pay raises, and other incentives paid. See the PDF for more details.
These are the following basic principles: