The essence of leadership

Good leaders are made not born. If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader. Good leaders develop through a never ending process of self-study, education, training, and experience. This information will help you to come through that process.

To inspire your workers into higher levels of teamwork, there are certain things you must be, know, and, do. These do not come naturally, but are acquired through continual work and study. Good leaders are continually working and studying to improve their leadership skills; they are NOT resting on their laurels.

Before we get started, lets define leadership. Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership attributes, such as beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge, and skills. Although your position as a manager, supervisor etc. gives you the authority to accomplish certain tasks and objectives in the organization, this power does not make you a leader, it simply makes you the boss. Leadership differs in that it makes the followers want to achieve high goals, rather than simply bossing people around.

Bass' theory of leadership states that there are three basic ways to explain how people become leaders. The first two explain the leadership development for a small number of people. These theories are:

o Some personality traits may lead people naturally into leadership roles. This is the Trait Theory.

o A crisis or important event may cause a person to rise to the occasion, which brings out extraordinary leadership qualities in an ordinary person. This is the Great Events Theory.

o People can choose to become leaders. People can learn leadership skills. This is the Transformational Leadership Theory. It is the most widely accepted theory today.

When a person is deciding if she respects you as a leader, she does not think about your attributes, rather, she observes what you do so that she can know who you really are. She uses this observation to tell if you are an honorable and trusted leader or a self-serving person who misuses authority to look good and get promoted. Self-serving leaders are not effective because their employees only obey them, not follow them. They succeed in many areas because they present a good image to their seniors at the expense of their workers.

The basis of good leadership is honorable character and selfless service to your organization. In your employees' eyes, your leadership is everything you do that effects the organization's objectives and their well-being. Respected leaders concentrate on what they are [be] (such as beliefs and character), what they know (such as job, tasks, and human nature), and what they do (such as implementing, motivating, and providing direction).

What makes a person want to follow a leader? People want to be guided by those they respect and who have a clear sense of direction. To gain respect, they must be ethical. A sense of direction is achieved by conveying a strong vision of the future.

Ответьте на вопросы к тексту

1) Are people born to be leaders?

2) How do good leaders develop?

3) Are good leaders continually working and studying to improve their leadership skills, or they rest on their laurels?

4) What is leadership?

5) Does the authority to accomplish certain tasks and objectives make you a leader? Why?

6) What is the difference between leadership and bossing people around?

7) How do people become leaders according to Bass' theory of leadership?

8) What are the theories of leadership?

9) Are self-serving leaders effective? Why?

10) What is the basis of good leadership?

5. Прочитайте текст Essence of Leadership еще раз. Определите, какое из утверждений является истинным (T) или ложным (F). Отметьте варианты ответов (V)

	T	F
1. Good leaders develop through all their lives.
2. Leadership attributes arebe, know, and, do.
3. The authority to accomplish certain tasks and objectives makes you a leader.
4. People decide themselves to be or not to be a leader.
5. Self-serving leaders succeed in many areas at the expense of their workers.
6. If you want to gain respect, you must be ethical.

6. Соотнесите английские слова и выражения с их русскими эквивалентами, они помогут Вам понять текст Principles of Leadership

1. to search for ways	a) искать и брать на себя ответственность
2. to guide your organization to new heights	b) задачи выполнены
3. to seek and take responsibility	c) принимать здравые и современные решения
4. to make sound and timely decisions	d) не осуждай других
5. to look out for the well-being	e) направлять организацию к новым высотам
6. to develop a sense of responsibility	f) искать пути, способы
7. do not blame others	g) исполнять профессиональные обязанности
8. to carry out the professional responsibilities	h) развивать чувство ответственности
9. tasks are accomplished	i) командный дух
10. a team spirit	j) заботиться о благосостоянии

7. Прочитайте и переведите текст Principles of Leadership. Ранжируйте принципы по степени значимости, начав с самого важного. Объясните свой выбор

PRINCIPLES OF LEADERSHIP

To help you be, know, and do; follow these eleven principles of leadership

1. Know yourself and seek self-improvement - In order to know yourself, you have to understand your be, know, and do, attributes. Seeking self-improvement means continually strengthening your attributes. This can be accomplished through self-study, formal classes, reflection, and interacting with others.

2. Be technically proficient - As a leader, you must know your job and have a solid familiarity with your employees' tasks.

3. Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions - Search for ways to guide your organization to new heights. And when things go wrong, they always do sooner or later -- do not blame others. Analyze the situation, take corrective action, and move on to the next challenge.

4. Make sound and timely decisions - Use good problem solving, decision making, and planning tools.

5. Set the example - Be a good role model for your employees. They must not only hear what they are expected to do, but also see. “We must become the change we want to see” - Mahatma Gandhi

6. Know your people and look out for their well-being - Know human nature and the importance of sincerely caring for your workers.

7. Keep your workers informed - Know how to communicate with not only them, but also seniors and other key people.

8. Develop a sense of responsibility in your workers - Help to develop good character traits that will help them carry out their professional responsibilities.

9. Ensure that tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished - Communication is the key to this responsibility.

10. Train as a team - Although many so called leaders call their organization, department, section, etc. a team; they are not really teams...they are just a group of people doing their jobs.

11. Use the full capabilities of your organization - By developing a team spirit, you will be able to employ your organization, department, section, etc. to its fullest capabilities.

8. Прочитайте текст Factors of Leadership и заполните пропуски в предложениях информацией из текста