write an essay on good leader

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What Makes A Good Leader: Essay Hints

Table of Contents

In this essay, you need to discuss the essential qualities needed for becoming an effective leader. In fact, different situations require different types of leadership styles, so it may be hard to choose the qualities that define good leaders admired by people from bad ones.

Besides, there are common misconceptions about their role. In this article, we will try to answer the question of “what makes a good leader essay” and give you some recommendations about the aspects you should focus on.

Essay structure and key points to cover

Wondering what the best way to approach an essay on leadership qualities is? Leadership essays can be written in the expository style and structured to include different subtopics:

• Discussion of major leadership theories.
• Personality traits defining great leaders.
• Leadership styles and how they work.
• Leadership principles and core values.
• Examples of leaders in different spheres of society.
• People you consider to be leaders in your life.
• Leadership skills you have.

It’s important to demonstrate an original personal understanding of leadership concept and provide impressive illustrative examples taken from today’s real life or history. That’s the best thing to do when reviewing various leadership qualities.

What are the qualities of a good leader: essay ideas

When we take an in-depth look at history, we see countless leadership qualities that were adopted by both good and bad leaders. When writing what are the qualities of a good leader essay, you should focus on the characteristics and strengths of a leader, and how they help influence and motivate other people along with achieving own goals.

These are emotional and behavioral characteristics of well-known leaders that helped them succeed:

• Vision – effective leaders have exciting ideas, they usually are forward-looking, and have excellent strategic planning skills.
• Communication – communicating ideas clearly and concisely is essential to ensure teamwork towards the same goal.
• Integrity – they are honest and can always tell the truth in any situation.
• Confidence – they dare to take risks to achieve their goals and never give up.
• Responsiveness – good leaders value their team, listen to people they lead, and quickly change their behavior to match different situations.
• Determination – good leaders are passionate about what they do and can motivate people by demonstrating their own commitment.
• Empathy is the most important skill which allows to create strong bonds of trust and build successful teams.

Tips on writing a winning essay on leadership

When working on what makes a good leader essay, students should follow certain basic steps.

• Research relevant sources on the internet to get a better understanding of the concept, read a lot, and make notes of interesting ideas which can be used in your paper.
• Brainstorm ideas to write about, formulate a strong thesis statement and create a detailed working outline. Organize information in a logical order.
• Start writing a draft with an introduction. Engage readers with a hook – provocative question, anecdote, stunning fact, convincing statistics. Introduce a subject, providing relevant background information. End introductory paragraph with a specific thesis that sums up your ideas.
• Devote separate body paragraphs to specific points supporting the main argument. Begin paragraphs with topic sentences, presenting key points, give detailed explanations, and provide additional evidence and examples. Include appropriate citations with proper referencing. Sum up and demonstrate how each paragraph contributes to the logical argument.
• Create a convincing conclusion to wrap up the paper’s key points.
• Revise the first draft , make improvements in content, logic, and sentence structure. Edit to improve word choice and clarity.
• Proofread the final version – fix minor errors and typos. Create references list and check the formatting of the entire paper.

The use of a leadership essay sample

Still not sure that you can write a good leader essay that will impress your readers? Read biographies of famous people who played crucial roles in human history, created big successful businesses, managed large corporations to learn which qualities contributed to their success.

Besides, you may want to check out some good paper examples.

Find out how powerful papers on this topic are structured and what interesting points they cover. Use essay samples as templates or models to follow.

See this short sample paragraph which discusses one of the leadership qualities for inspiration.

Empathy, an ability to recognize other’s feelings and perspectives and understand other people’s needs is crucial in leadership. Being empathetic means you can step into another person’s world and this character trait is essential for success due to several reasons. It’s impossible to effectively lead people you don’t understand. You can effectively motivate and influence someone if you know their feelings. Empathy is one of the keys to successful leadership because it helps build relationships with people they lead and create an environment of open communication. Luckily, empathy is natural for humans and we can even learn to be more empathetic and demonstrate this ability to people around us.

No time to write your essay on leadership? We’ve got plenty of time here! Our writers strive to help you out. Click the button faster and get yourself a perfect essay with no struggle!

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8 Essential Qualities of Successful Leaders

• Rebecca Knight

And how to cultivate them.

Becoming a great leader is a journey of continuous learning and growth. It’s a process — one that thrives on embracing challenges, seeking feedback, fostering connections, and cultivating understanding. In this article, the author outlines the eight most essential leadership qualities, according to Harvard Business School professor Linda Hill, one of the world’s top experts on leadership. Star leaders aren’t born with superhuman capabilities, Linda explains. Rather, they tend to have intentionally put themselves in situations where they have to learn, adapt, and grow — a crucible for developing the tenacity and fortitude to motivate and guide others.

Do you have what it takes to be a great leader ?

• RK Rebecca Knight is a journalist who writes about all things related to the changing nature of careers and the workplace. Her essays and reported stories have been featured in The Boston Globe, Business Insider, The New York Times, BBC, and The Christian Science Monitor. She was shortlisted as a Reuters Institute Fellow at Oxford University in 2023. Earlier in her career, she spent a decade as an editor and reporter at the Financial Times in New York, London, and Boston.

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A Blue Print for the best Leadership Essay

Leadership encompasses a variety of tenets. It includes leadership approaches or styles, leadership development, types of leadership, leadership principles, leadership values, and leadership theories. These are but a few concepts that any college student must be acquainted with to be able to complete an essay on leadership.

As complex as writing a leadership essay sounds, it is simple when you know how to write an essay about leadership. You must begin by understanding who a leader is and the entire concept of leadership.

When writing an essay about a leader, it is akin to writing a profile essay about a certain leader or yourself. Leadership essays for college require a special type of keenness. While there are many scholarly sources you can use, it takes expertise to knit together a great leadership essay introduction.

This guide helps you write the ?what is leadership? essay effectively. It also enables you to write the best nature of leadership essay. If you are stuck with choosing leadership essay topics, our guide has over 89 essay topics on leadership and ideas that you can use to brainstorm. From today on, write the best leadership essay conclusion. And if it is a leadership essay for a scholarship, admission, or personal statement, we have experts that can help. We also have proofreading and editing professionals to help edit and proofread your leadership thesis and dissertation.

Read on and see what we have for you.

What is a Leadership Essay?

A leadership essay is somewhat a unique assignment assigned to college and university students. It can be part of the admission or scholarship essays or part of the coursework. Naturally, it is an assignment assigned to students pursuing different courses such as business, management, human resource, organizational behavior, economics, psychology, or political science, among others. A leadership essay encompasses exploration:

• The concept of leadership
• Nature of leadership
• Stories on prominent leaders
• Leadership traits and qualities
• The link between leadership and development, success, performance, and improvement
• Leadership abilities
• Facts and events of an individual?s leadership experience

To write a good leadership paper, a student must begin by reading the essay prompt and the rubric. A student should then think critically and logically on what to include in their paper. Like other exceptional essays, a good essay on leadership must have credible facts from scholarly sources. The instructor/professor is always testing for your evaluation, assessment, analytical, and presentation skills.

Tips when Writing Leadership Essays for College

Creating a perfect leadership essay is easy when you follow these predetermined success-assured steps.

1. Choose a leadership Topic that interests you

When assigning leadership essays, most professors and instructors alike give prompts with a list of topics to choose from. Go for topics that impress you and ones that you can find great information from books, journals, credible websites, and other scholarly sources.

2. Research Online and Get enough insights

After selecting a particular topic, ensure that you go a step higher to conduct research online. Gather as much information from the available literature as possible. The research process, when writing leadership essays, helps in generating ideas for the introduction, body, and conclusion of the essay. It also helps define the scope of your essay and come up with a thesis.

3. Create an excellent thesis statement

Your thesis statement in your essay on leadership should reflect the outlook of the entire essay. Format it to feature your major argument in an intelligent and reasoned way. An excellent thesis statement defines a good essay any day.

4. Draft the Leadership Essay Outline

Every great essay begins with an outline. Creating an outline for your leadership essay helps you draft a blueprint for the entire essay. Outline what will go to the introduction, the thesis statement, and the background information.

5. Write your First Draft

With the arguments reflected on the outline, you can choose to use any format for the body paragraphs. A common approach is to use the PEEL writing strategy for coherence in your paragraphs. You can also use the Schaffer strategy. The choice is yours. Above all, ensure that facts from scholarly sources are cited in-text in MLA, APA, Harvard, or Chicago formats.

6. Edit, Proofread and Revise your Essay

After writing your essay, it is always great to edit and proofread. If you have no confidence in your leadership essay, you can hire someone to edit your leadership essays . If you are an MBA student, we can help you correct mistakes on your paper. Always submit a paper you are confident will pass Turnitin and get you great grades.

How to Begin a Leadership Paper - The Introduction

You are probably reading this because the question of ?how do I start my leadership essay?? is bothering you. Well, even though the question seems ambiguous, we have an answer for you right here.

Every great leadership essay has an excellent introduction. Your introduction should be well-written to the extent that it grabs the attention of the reader and entices them to stay through the end. Ideally, the introduction sets the mood of the entire paper.

As with other types of essays, a leadership essay can commence with a great essay hook or a grabber . It could be an anecdote, a statistic, quote, phrase, or a catchy word.

The hook should be preceded by a few sentences that act as the background to your essay. The aim of the background sentences, in the introduction, is to set the context of the essay.

The background is then followed by an excellent thesis statement . The thesis statement gives a sneak peek into your essay in a snapshot. It can either be one or two last sentences in the introduction. The thesis differs depending on whether the essay is descriptive, classification, narrative, argumentative, or persuasive essay.

If you follow these steps, you will write an outstanding essay on leadership. Make it count right from the beginning.

How to Ace a Leadership Experience Essay

When writing application essays, scholarship essays, or school transfer essays, you can be asked to write an essay about your leadership experience. It is always imperative to make your essay as unique as the Costco application essay. Here are some tips to use when writing your leadership essay:

• Begin by reading the leadership experience essay prompt to understand exactly what you are being asked to write about.
• Come up with an excellent essay hook for your essay. It could be an anecdote, a quote from a great leader, a simple statistic, or an observation?.
• Write the thesis of your leadership experience essay, which should cover the gist of the entire essay.
• Write the introduction of the essay as though it is to be published among the best sellers.
• Make sure each of the paragraphs outlines your leadership experiences. Each of the paragraphs should have leadership experience, illustrations, and examples.
• Keep the flow within the paper by using appropriate transitions.
• Avoid using jargon in your leadership essays. In most cases, simplicity wins the day, and after all, a successful leader expresses themselves in just a few words.
• If there are references used, be sure to cite the essay in APA, MLA, Harvard, or Chicago.
• Make the conclusion count. Restate the thesis and write a summary of the entire paper.
• Most leadership essays can be anything between 150 words to 2000 words. Depending on the essay prompt, always be sure to meet the word count.

Remember, if the leadership experience essay is a scholarship essay, personal statement, statement of purpose, or an admission essay, it should be written in the first person. Otherwise, you must stick to the third person, which is a preference in academic writing.

Leadership Essay Topics and Ideas you can choose for your Paper

Are you wondering about the best leadership essay topics? We have your back on this. Here are some essay topics on leadership to kick start your topic choice process. We answer the question of ?what are some essay topics on leadership??

• The ability of women in leadership to successfully steer progress and success in organizations.
• Role of leaders in the community
• Charismatic, transformational, and transactional leadership
• Characteristics of a good leader
• Features of supportive leadership
• Leadership and Power
• Women in leadership
• Breaking the glass ceiling
• Role of ethics in leadership
• Gender differences in leadership
• Importance of team leadership in virtual teams
• Role of leaders in group formation
• How leadership brings diversity in an organization
• Corruption among public leaders
• Are leaders made or born?
• Can situations define a leader?
• Leadership succession and its importance in organizations
• Do you consider yourself to be a leader or a follower?
• An example of a 21 st -century exemplary leader
• Challenges leaders face
• Importance of listening for leaders
• Are transformational leaders better than transactional leaders?
• How to improve leadership skills
• Great leaders should be great communicators
• Who do you look up to as a leader?
• Importance of self-confidence among leaders
• Which leader do you admire? Please write a letter to of gratitude for their influence on your life
• The importance of leadership in schools
• Historical leaders
• Think of a leader you admire and list three of the qualities that make him or her a good leader. Which quality do you share with him or her? Which quality could you improve upon?
• How can you improve your own leadership skills?
• Role of military leadership
• Do entrepreneurs need to be leaders?
• An integrative theory of leadership
• The impacts of national culture on corporate and public leadership
• Leadership and organizational development
• How leadership affects the morale of employees
• Does leadership competence define the organization of choice for employees
• The link between leadership and organizational citizenship behavior
• Leadership and organizational loyalty
• Variation of leadership behavior depending on the culture
• Leadership processes and self-identity of followers
• Leadership style and organizational commitment
• The prospective of future leadership
• Role of strategic leadership
• The Influence of democratic leadership on Employee performance: A case in Saudi Public Sector
• Business leadership and culture
• The normative approach to business leadership
• Comparative analysis of the world?s greatest military leaders
• Understanding combat leadership
• Role of military leaders in strategy and policy implementation
• Meyers Briggs Type Indicator best for military leadership
• Understanding the art of command in military leadership
• How school leadership works
• Does the leadership styles of a school principle define the success of a school?
• Are collaborative school leaders successful?
• The role of power, culture, and people in educational leadership
• Leadership and policy implementation
• Leadership style of educators
• School leadership in the 21 st century
• Teacher leadership for professional resilience
• Qualities of exceptional school leaders
• How professional school leaders deal with dilemmas
• Leadership and the glass ceiling
• The performance of indigenous communities in political leadership
• Sustainable environmental leadership
• Corporate leadership
• The psychology of leadership
• African-American women executives and organizational leadership
• Ethics as the heart of leadership
• Servant leadership
• Leadership challenges in virtual teams
• Leadership development and growth
• Evolving human resource practices in succession planning
• Contemporary issues of leadership
• Leadership investment
• Importance of leadership for nurses
• Are leadership traits inherent, or can people be molded into good leaders?
• Are meetings the only effective way for sound leaders to disseminate information?
• Compare and contrast the effectiveness of dictatorial and servant leadership
• Explore the church leadership approach
• The foundation of biblical leadership
• Compare business and political leadership
• The bureaucratic structure of government and their impact on leadership in the public domain
• Best leadership styles for diverse teams
• Impacts of technology and social media on the leadership style of millennial leaders
• Compare and contrast formal and informal leaders
• The leadership philosophy of great leaders
• Critical analysis of leadership styles and organizational culture that enables the implementation of a proposed local project of advancing the Nursing practice

Contact us for the best topics and help with your MBA leadership essays or essays for school on leadership. Our professional essay writers can always help.

Top 30 Leadership Qualities to Include in a Leadership Essay

As a student undertaking a leadership course, completing an essay, term paper, or a research paper on leadership is mandatory. When asked to write an essay on leadership, it would be best if you used some of the leadership traits.

The common traits include

• Transparency
• Conscientious
• Excellent communication
• Decision-Making Skills
• Problem-solving capacity
• Accountability and responsibility
• Delegation and empowerment
• Emotional intelligence
• Creativity and innovation
• Decisiveness
• Unselfishness
• Dependability

These are some of the powerful traits of successful leaders . Of course, there are many other traits that you can research and include in your leadership essays. Effective leaders need to be very tactical when influencing their followers. They need to foster teamwork where necessary and use their wisdom to solve conflicts among the followers. It is great to have empathy or fit in the shoes of a leader when writing your leadership essay. Sometimes, even as simple as a biography essay, a leadership essay needs to be well-organized such that there is flow and a good explanation of the traits is inevitable.

Help with Writing Leadership Essay for College

You might have read the entire article but still cannot comprehend how to write a leadership essay. It is always time to get a great leadership essay sample to understand how one is written. If, even with the leadership essay example, you cannot write the essay, you need help.

Related Reading: Descriptive essay writing process and topics .

Luckily, we have writers for hire who write various types of essays on leadership. The leadership essays we can help with include: narrative, how-to, compare and contrast, classification, exemplification, descriptive, persuasive, argumentative, and reflection essays on leadership.

You can pay our paper writers to write the best leadership essays for school. If you are doing an MBA leadership essay, you can always consult with our writers for the best insights and advice.

Even with this ultimate guide for writing a leadership, things can get thick. Getting help with writing college essays is not illegal. Get a great homework helper or an assignment helper from our website to help you write a custom leadership essay, today!

Gradecrest is a professional writing service that provides original model papers. We offer personalized services along with research materials for assistance purposes only. All the materials from our website should be used with proper references. See our Terms of Use Page for proper details.

Home — Essay Samples — Business — Effective Leadership — How To Rule The World: Effective Leadership

How to Rule The World: Effective Leadership

• Categories: Effective Leadership Leader

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Words: 1229 |

Published: Jan 29, 2019

Words: 1229 | Pages: 2 | 7 min read

Table of contents

Introduction, what makes an effective leader, the role of ethics.

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How to Write an Essay on Leadership

The world needs great leaders to move forward and progress, the type of people that can inspire others and make tough decisions. Great leadership is not only defined by the words they say, but even more so by the actions they take. Globally, leadership traits are hard to define because being a leader can mean so many different things. It’s no wonder that this topic is heavily explored by universities and professors and given as term papers to see how the youth defines great leadership. Learning how to write a leadership essay can be easy if you follow these steps. 

What is a Leadership Essay?

A leadership paper is a type of essay that asks the student to elaborate on the idea of leadership critically and subjectively. This entails research upon leadership styles and differences between leaders, managers, and followers. A deeper analysis of the type of leadership demonstrated in society is also essential for this paper. 

The questions asked in an essay on leadership varies. Some may ask you to give examples and personal experience of how others demonstrate leadership skills from everyday tasks at home, to academia and extracurriculars, and even at a community level. Some may ask you to describe a prominent leader that you know of, and define leadership. The point is to get you to think critically about a leadership trait is in a subjective manner. Writing a leadership paper seems just like any other paper, but there are certain nuances and tactics to maximize your effectiveness. 

Content 

Leadership Essays are usually discursive essays, asking you a question to discuss and analyze in detail. Discursive essays are very distinct in the way that your thesis statements and arguments should align with each other and lead the reader to a similar conclusion you have about the topic at hand, in this case, the definition of leadership. But similar to other essays, the organization stays true; an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

○  Introduction

A strong introduction includes your thesis that asks the question you are going to answer in your essay. What makes a leader a leader? What separates a good leader from a great one? What does it mean to be a leader? Questions like these have many different answers, but it is up to you to choose an answer and develop your reasonings behind it.

○  Body Paragraphs

Discursive essays on leadership traits need to have solid arguments, supported by evidence and examples. Each new paragraph should have a clear argument for your thesis and should have enough information to talk about. Here are some examples of topics that can help you define leadership.

○  Best Qualities of a Leader

Certain characteristics of people help them become better leaders and other characteristics allow them to make tough decisions. From empathy to charisma or competence to morality, a whole spectrum of leadership qualities are easily talked about and argued for or against. It’s important to elaborate on them, so think of examples you can pair with each trait. For example, charisma allows people to convince and communicate with people on a different level to follow and support, and Napoleon was able to charismatically lead the French Military across Europe earning many wins in battle because he could communicate well with the soldiers. Use traits that many leaders use so your argument can stand firmly; most leaders have “this characteristic” to allow them “to do this thing.” Do some research on which traits you’d like to write about. 

○ The single most important leadership trait

Choosing one trait out of all traits can exemplify what your definition of leadership is allowing a deeper analysis why this trait is important. Being able to elaborate on this can demonstrate your knowledge about the topic. Of course, one trait doesn’t completely define a leader, but if you are effective within your language and discourse, this one trait will become more important in the reader’s mind. 

○ Examples of Great Leaders in Society 

Using examples of real life leaders can strengthen your argument and show your critical thinking skills. Detailing the decisions that Napoleon made and the way he lead his armies, or why Mahatma Gandhi was so compelling to many other people globally are a great way to define great leadership and even leadership experience from a wide range of important people. 

○  Different Types of Leadership Styles 

Showing all the different types of leadership styles gives you room to talk about or criticize from different angles. This is important to include because it extends your knowledge on the topic and reader attention will be piqued because of the variety of ideas included. For example, speaking about Autocracy as an ideology and where it works and where it doesn’t can contrast with Democracy and how it applies to your work or life situations and even at a governmental level. There are a lot of types of leadership styles to analyze and compare, so make sure to do some research beforehand to create content for your essay. 

○  Bad Leadership Styles/Leaders

Great discursive essays are critical and can even include counter-arguments or the flipside to emphasize the difference between your ideas and others. Being able to show what constitutes bad leadership styles or leaders that led people astray demonstrates your ability to think critically about opposing sides. But don’t write too many paragraphs about bad leadership styles and leaders, you should limit to one paragraph for counter-arguments. 

○  Conclusion

The ending of your entire essay should be a summary of all the points you made about your thesis. Think of this as the bow that your wrap around a present it tie it all together. Reiterate your thesis statement. It should be a paraphrasing from your original thesis in your intro. 

Tips to Enhance your Essay

• Keywords The topic is about leadership, and although it should be completely subjective, there are lots of things that people can agree upon that make a great leader. One important aspect is to include personal characteristics of great leaders such as empathy, determination, ability to follow and lead, motivation, and so on. These keywords will provide a strong idea of what you think is a great leader.
• Active Voice Use some lexical skills to enhance the effect of your paper. Active voice puts a more positive position on your paper, as it makes you or the leader the important part of the sentence. Avoid using the passive voice as it shows that someone is not the main aspect of a sentence.
• Use Linking Words: Organizing your thoughts is crucial for an essay. Using linking words to create more cohesion and coherence can provide a better flow of an essay. Instead of “first, second, and third” you could use terms like “To begin with, on the one hand, or consequently” to liven up your language.

Leadership is bred, not born, and your essay should highlight all the things you think about it. Writing an essay requires you to be analytical and critical. When you are faced with an important essay about leadership, keep in mind all of these tips and tricks so you’ll ace it. This is what separates you from the rest of the crowd. Don’t be a sheep!

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Reflecting on Yourself as a Leader

Schools need leaders who don’t yet think they are leaders and those of us teachers who are apprehensive about embracing the roles and responsibilities of leadership.

It took me a long, long time to accept the notion that as a teacher, I was also a leader; that as a department chair, I was also a leader; and that as a coach, I was also a leader. This was because I was operating within traditional definitions of leadership: I didn't have a formal leadership title -- like  principal -- nor did I have any kind of certificate or degree granting me the role and responsibilities.

But I was a leader -- for my students and for my colleagues -- because leadership has much more to do with how we think about what we do and why than it does about formal titles and degrees. And I imagine that many of you are also leaders whether you're aware of it or not.

Formal and Informal Leadership

Informal leadership is present and essential in all organizations, and informal leadership can be conducive to a school's health and effectiveness, or destructive. Think about your school: Whose thoughts and opinions are most respected and listened to amongst staff? In addition to those in positional leadership roles (the administrators), who else influences staff? Who has a loud voice? Who is respected? Who is feared?

Now think about yourself as a leader. Does the suggestion that you are a leader excite you or scare you? What does it mean to you to be a leader? What might be possible if you thought of yourself as a leader?

I'd like to suggest that in order to transform our schools, we'll need many, many more leaders. We'll need the leaders who don't yet think they are leaders and those of us who are apprehensive about embracing the roles and responsibilities of leadership, and we'll need to have reflected deeply on what we mean by leadership and on who we are as leaders. Towards that end, I'd like to offer you some prompts.

Transformation Starts with Self-Awareness

In my new book, The Art of Coaching Teams , I suggest that to develop healthy teams of educators who can do the hard work of transforming schools, we must start with ourselves as team leaders. We can't tackle unhealthy team dynamics or unfocused meetings until we know who we are as leaders and until we've explored our beliefs around power.

The first area for us to reflect on is around models of leadership in our society. Here are some questions from my book that can support this reflection:

• Who is a leader you admire?
• Who are the leaders in your community, city, and country?
• What kind of leadership do they demonstrate?
• How did they come to be leaders? Can you relate to them?
• What do you think makes a good leader?
• What kind of leader do you aspire to be?

Very few societies have shared agreements about what constitutes good leadership. Depending on your beliefs and values, a good leader might listen to all voices and take them into account when making a decision; or a good leader might consult with a few trusted advisors and then make a decision; or a good leader might make a decision alone based on his or her expert knowledge and experience.

Team leaders can benefit from exploring the big philosophical questions that surround the definition of good leadership. When we are aware of our core values, beliefs, dispositions, preferences, and histories, we can make conscious choices about our leadership stance.

What's Your Leadership Style?

Who you are as a leader is the next big area to explore. Here are some of the questions I offer to guide in this exploration:

• Who held power in your family when you were growing up? What kind of power was that? What was it based on?
• What were you taught about authority in your childhood home? What granted someone authority?
• Why do you lead in the way you do?
• What assumptions are you acting on as a leader about yourself, your team, and the work to be done?
• How does the system in which you are operating impact who you are as a leader?
• How do you negotiate power dynamics as a leader? Where do you notice power playing a role in your leadership?
• What kind of leader do you aspire to be? How do you want others to see you?
• What kind of leader does your team need you to be?
• What kind of leader does the community you serve need you to be?

Leadership is complex and contextual. Our circumstances heavily influence who we are and can be as leaders. In order to understand the complexity, we will all benefit from spending some reflective time considering our backgrounds, beliefs, and actions.

This reflection can help us embrace ourselves as leaders, refine our skill set, and create the change we hope to see in our schools.

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A number of national scholarships and fellowships ask applicants to write about their leadership experiences.  Here are a few prominent examples:

• Truman Scholarship - “Describe a particular example of your leadership.” 
• Marshall Scholarship - “Describe a situation in which you recognized and responded to a need for leadership.
• Udall Scholarship - “Describe a leadership experience in which you made a difference on your campus or in your community.” 

The most extensive prompt comes from the Schwarzman Scholars Program and could be used as a guide to reflection for leadership essays for many other scholarships:

• The intellectual/analytical abilities to identify and understand challenges and opportunities, and envision solutions
• The initiative to act and communicate why 
• Interpersonal skills to inspire a team effort 
• An ability to push through resistance and/or challenges to reach positive results/change for the better. 
• What was the problem or issue you identified, and why did you choose to act? 
• What was your plan of action? 
• What obstacles or challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
• What were the outcomes and impact on the community or purpose? 
• What did you learn and/or what lessons would you pass on to others? 
• How has this experience shaped you as a leader and how does it connect with your vision for future leadership aspirations?

The following suggestions are intended to help you reflect upon and express your own leadership experiences.

Answering the Prompt

Pay careful attention to what the prompt asks you to describe.  A common pitfall to avoid is explaining your “theory” of leadership.  It may be very helpful to articulate this in your preparatory work, but the final essay should directly address the information requested in the prompt.  To get started, ask yourself: what are the subtle differences in the above prompts?

Definitions of Leadership

What is leadership?  While there are lots of definitions out there, they tend to emphasize two main aspects: (a) the creation of shared vision and (b) collective motivation toward the achievement of this vision.  Here are two illustrative examples:

The process of “influencing the activities of an organized group toward goal-setting and goal-achievement” (Stogdill, 1950)

“A process of social influence in which a person can enlist the the aid and support of others to achieve a common goal” (Chemers, 1997)

The common thread here is that leadership is about accomplishing through a group what we could not have accomplished as individiduals.  For each of the various examples that you might choose to write about, ask yourself: What was your vision? How did this vision come about? In what context (e.g. needs, opportunities)?  How did you communicate this vision to others?  How did you invite them to identify their own interests/values with this vision? How did you inspire them to action?  How did you marshall the common resources necessary to make this vision a reality? How did you enlist the support of others inside or outside your organization?

Leadership vs. Authority

One of the most common mistakes is to conflate “leadership experiences” with “leadership positions” - i.e. positions of authority within an organization.  Merton (1969) defines authority as “the legitimate rights of a position that require others to obey.” It is an attribute of a social position.  Leadership, on the other hand, “is an interpersonal relation in which others comply because they want to, not because they have to” (Merton, 1969).  Leadership, as defined above, can be found at every level of an organization.  So expand your list of possible experiences beyond the list of executive positions you’ve held in organizations.

Some Common Functions of Leadership

How have your leadership experiences demonstrated one or more of these common functions (selected from Merton, 1969)?

Leaders facilitate the adaptive capacity of social systems to internal and external pressures and opportunities.  

Leaders are future-oriented as well as present-oriented.  In the context of student leadership, it is particularly important to institutionalize processes in ways that will outlive a particular student generation.

Leaders enunciate the values and ideals of the group. Whether assigned the task or not, leaders represent the group to the larger community.

Leaders evaluate available resources and cope with the problem of their allocation.

Leaders express aspirations that evoke resonance among members of the group (i.e. shared vision).

Leaders mobilize, guide, coordinate, and control the efforts of group members. When effective, they deepen the motivation and enlarge the output of members beyond what would be achieved without them.

Leaders arbitrate and mediate the inevitable conflicts that emerge in social interaction in such a fashion that most group members most of the time feel that justice has been done.

Maintaining Focus

The word limit for these essays is typically very short.  As with any personal statement, the particular experience you discuss should be an illustration of your abiding character traits.  Provide the essential information about the context, but keep the focus on examples of how your traits interacted with the context to produce a leadership experience.  It might be helpful to organize your notes for the essay under three headings:

• Problem (or Opportunity) - What is the essential problem or opportunity that your group's action sought to address?
• Action - What did you (as an individual and as a group) do to address this problem or capitalize on this opportunity?
• Results - What were the tangible results of your action? How did it solve the problem or benefit others?  Can you provide numbers to demonstrate the impact of the action?  Is the solution ongoing and sustainable?

Remember you don’t have include every detail.  In many cases, the example that you discuss should be coordinated with the writer of your “leadership” letter of recommendation who can provide additional information.  Suggested Reading

Robert K. Merton,  "The Social Nature of Leadership"  (1969)

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How to Be an Effective Leader at Any Career Stage

• 31 Aug 2018

The word “leader” tends to conjure images of that C-suite executive with a corner office and growing team of direct reports. But the truth is, leaders exist at all levels of an organization. You, yourself, can be a leader—no matter the stage of your career.

In a recent Facebook Live session with Ethan Bernstein, an associate professor of leadership and organizational behavior at Harvard Business School, Kirstin Lynde, founder and principal at leadership development firm Catalyze Associates, offers her advice to those looking to become leaders.

What Is Leadership?

Leadership "is all about influencing people,” Lynde said. “Leadership is something that you don’t actually have to wait until you’re a formal leader with five or 10 direct reports to practice.”

Anyone can exercise influence at work. According to Lynde, you can display leadership by being:

• The go-to person on a certain subject within your organization
• Someone who thinks creatively and frequently shares ideas in meetings
• An active listener and consensus builder
• The colleague who’s good at making everyone feel included and valued on the team
• A person who’s effective at articulating how he or she thinks the organization should move forward

If you aspire to become a leader at work, here are some qualities of effective leaders to consider developing, and a step-by-step framework to become an effective leader.

Access your free e-book today.

Qualities of Effective Leaders

It’s true that anyone can be a leader, but there are certain characteristics that are common among successful leaders. Consider developing these relevant leadership skills and abilities.

1. Communication Skills

Successful leaders almost always have exceptional communication skills. By developing your leadership communication skills , you’ll be able to better articulate your vision and foster a more collaborative environment. You should also keep an open line of communication with your team to remain transparent about what you’re doing and what needs to be done.

2. An Innovative Mindset

Simply put, innovation in business refers to generating new ideas and approaches to solve existing business problems and meet organizational objectives. Great leaders foster innovation in the workplace and are always looking for new and improved ways to do things that will help the business overcome organizational change .

3. Decision-Making Capabilities

Effective leaders need to make strategic business decisions under pressure with a limited amount of information, both individually and with their teams . Following a specific decision-making process will help you guide your decisions and act in the best interest of your company.

4. Emotional Intelligence

To be an influential leader, you need to possess emotional intelligence , which is the ability to understand your own emotions and influence others'. Emotionally intelligent leaders also master empathy. Research shows that empathetic leaders perform more than 40 percent higher in coaching, engaging others, and decision-making.

To help develop these leadership capabilities and become an effective leader, follow the leadership self-development model below.

How to Be an Effective Leader

If you want to become an effective leader, you first need to evaluate who you are as a communicator and collaborator, and be honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses.

“We all have our behavioral styles and typical approaches that have been baked into us since we were young,” Lynde said. “Some of those styles and approaches work well when you become a leader, and some of them can hold you back.”

Once you’ve assessed your work style, it’s easier to determine which goals to set in order to grow as a leader. Perhaps it’s that you need to improve how you provide feedback , or that you want to become better at spotting business opportunities. Whatever your objective, it should directly relate to how you influence others. In turn, your boss and colleagues should be incorporated into the goal-setting process.

Bernstein and Lynde have created a unique leadership self-development model, called PACE . Each letter in PACE stands for steps you can take to become more effective in your organization—Pick, Apprise, Collect, and Elicit—and are outlined below.

1. Pick a Goal

It’s easier to pick one goal than trying to fix multiple areas at once. If you’re not sure where to start, turn to your colleagues for guidance. It could be as simple as telling your boss, “I have aspirations of advancing into manager-level roles. Can you tell me what you think are the two or three biggest skill sets I need to develop to get there?” Or, “I want to get better at my role and improve as a teammate. How do you think I could have a more positive impact?”

“If the goal of leaders is to influence others more effectively, you need to have conversations with other people about how you can do better at contributing to the group and interacting with others,” Lynde said. “You shouldn’t have to wait until someone signs you up for a leadership development program.”

2. Apprise Others of Your Goal

Once you’ve settled on a goal, share it with those you work most closely with whom you trust. Not only will the process hold you more accountable to achieving your goals, but it can elevate your professional relationships.

Research by Harvard Business School Professors Alison Wood Brooks and Francesca Gino shows that asking for advice makes a good impression. And the more candid you are about your goals, the more others feel comfortable asking for feedback in return—leading to mutually beneficial relationships that can grow your network.

By enlisting others in your professional development, it’s also more likely that your colleagues will recognize and publicly acknowledge the positive changes you make.

“It’s often hard to change other people’s perception of us,” Lynde said. “In order to break through and change perceptions, you often can benefit greatly by letting other people know what you’re doing, so that when you do it, they see it.”

3. Collect Ideas

Simply sharing your goal isn’t enough. You also want to collect ideas on how you can improve. If your colleague is strong in the area you’re trying to grow in, Lynde encourages telling him or her that and asking, “By next week, I’d love feedback. Can you tell me two ideas on how I can do better in this specific area?”

What you want to avoid is putting your co-workers on the spot. Give them time to formulate ideas. You should also avoid asking, “How can I improve?” Not only is the question too broad, but your peers might shy away from providing honest, actionable feedback out of fear they could unintentionally insult you by highlighting an unknown weakness.

4. Elicit Feedback

Once you’ve collected ideas and started working toward your goal, ask for feedback on how you’re doing. You should give yourself enough time to actually make some headway—rather, don’t ask for feedback within the first week. Regularly check in with those you shared your goal with, though, and chart your progress.

Remember: It’s an Iterative Process

As you work through each step of the PACE framework, what’s important to remember is that this is an iterative and continuous process. You can’t take one workshop and say you’ve now learned how to influence others; every leader is a work in progress. What’s important is that you start developing yourself as a leader early in your career.

“It’s gotten harder to develop leadership abilities the longer I’ve waited,” Bernstein said. “Once you’re in the role, it’s much harder to admit the shortcomings than to admit them before you’re there.”

So start with that honest self-assessment and work from there.

“It’s all about building up your own self-awareness of who you are and how you come across,” Lynde said. “And then it’s about taking very real, tangible steps in your day-to-day life—starting immediately.”

Do you want to enhance your leadership skills? Download our free leadership e-book and explore our online course Leadership Principles to discover how you can become a more effective leader and unleash the potential in yourself and others.

This post was updated on May 13, 2021. It was originally published on August 31, 2018.

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Student Essay: The Power of Stories to Inspire Strong Leaders

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Maya S. is a Muslim, Egyptian and student athlete who has lived in Saudi Arabia for most of her life. She is 16 and a junior at the American International School of Riyadh, where she is enrolled in the International Baccalaureate program.

In this Student Essay of the Week, Maya talks about how building a platform for others to share their stories has helped her understand why welcoming diversity of thought and experience will make her a stronger, more empathetic leader.

Three steps forward and two steps back. That was my reality during the privilege walk.

In October 2018, I was selected along with 50 other high school students to attend a leadership trip to a farm outside Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We believed that we were all going to learn about how to become leaders with strong voices. However, the trip took a completely unexpected and inspiring turn. Instead, we left knowing how to listen first and speak second.

At the farm, we participated in an activity called a privilege walk , where we were asked to step forward or backward in response to certain questions. From the responses, it became obvious that all of us were struggling with something that those around us knew nothing about.

I learned that the girl beside me once wondered where her next meal would come from. The girl beside her was afraid to leave the house at night because she had been assaulted. The boy to my left had been held at gunpoint. And the boy beside him had a mental disorder. This realization hit me hard. I was able to understand that although it’s impossible for us all to experience the same things, it is possible for us to try and listen to each other and understand each other’s differences. I began to appreciate the meaning of finding beauty in diversity. During that trip I learned that true leaders listen to the voices of others, and as a result they are able to enrich their own points of view.

“Living with anxiety is like feeling alive through the motions of life, but never freely living. It’s being aware of my surroundings, but lost in another world inside my head.”

During the summer of that year, someone I loved dearly was faced with medical issues, and my family began dealing with a lot of uncertainty. Even when it was all over, I felt lost and changed. I couldn’t explain it, but I wished that someone understood. I then began thinking of the people standing around me that day in Riyadh during the privilege walk, and everyone around the world like us. Did we all feel the same desire to be understood? How could we all feel seen and valued, regardless of our stories? I wanted to hear more about the stories of all those kids I met that day in line. I wanted to understand how we all ended up there, despite our different paths. I wanted to create something that would allow them to express their stories.

That summer, I started Voice of Change , a weblog that allows other teenagers to contribute writing that reflects the experiences that have shaped them. The first story I received was “Purpose,” from a girl struggling with depression. She wrote, “Purpose: a reason, a given, motivation , a point. We all live life because we have a purpose. We realize that there is a point, we have motivation and a reason to live. We look forward to things and create opportunities for ourselves. We see a future. Imagine living life feeling as though you have no purpose… That means no reason, no motivation, simply no point… the best way to describe this feeling is as if [you’re] dead. This feeling is depression.”

After I posted the article, which talked about how depression impacted the author’s life, I received comments, emails and texts from others saying that the article communicated what they needed to hear and couldn’t put into words. This initial response fueled the rest of my work. I began receiving other stories about challenging experiences, ranging from sexual assault and racial discrimination, to losing a loved one and struggling with body image. Here are a few powerful quotes from these articles:

“I’m not sure who or what I’m living for, but I’d never want to risk my family members feeling as I do right now. It’s okay that I’m suffering right now, because I have faith that it will pass, eventually it will.” – “Live On”

“I am not ignorant because I’m Arab. I’m not a terrorist because I’m Muslim. I am not a thug because I’m black. I am not who I am because of what you see on the news. I am who I am because of what I’ve been through, and what I have become.” – “Assume”

“Living with anxiety is like feeling alive through the motions of life, but never freely living. It’s being aware of my surroundings but lost in another world inside my head.” – “I Choose Life”

I see my Voice of Change journey as having so much to do with becoming a better leader. It has helped me to see clearly the type of leader I hope to become. I have developed a stronger perspective by understanding the voices and stories of others. I have become more empathetic to other people’s struggles, a quality I will need when I run my own business one day. You can’t understand your customers’ wants or your employees’ needs if you don’t listen and appreciate where they’re coming from. Also, Voice of Change has shown me how much our experiences shape us and contribute to how we see the world and solve problems. Each person offers a unique voice and a different perspective – all powerful and important in their own way.

Related Links

• The Privilege Walk
• What Is Empathy? (Sesame Street)
• Knowledge@Wharton: The Emotional Intelligence Deficit
• Wharton’s McNulty Leadership Program

Conversation Starters

What is empathy and why is it such an important leadership quality? How is empathy related to storytelling? Use the Related Links with this article if you need to better understand empathy.

How have your experiences shaped you? Share your story in the Comment section of this article.

Maya writes that she has come to appreciate “how much our experiences shape us and contribute to how we see the world and solve problems.” Diversity of thought is incredibly powerful in the business world. Why does it hold such value? How does it enrich the team dynamic and important outcomes?

6 comments on “ Student Essay: The Power of Stories to Inspire Strong Leaders ”

Hi Maya, Thank you for sharing your fantastic story with us. Being able to appreciate the people around you and, in first place, yourself is one of the major keys to success and, most importantly, happiness in life, at least according to my experience. We all come from different environments and experiences, the same ones which make us who we are, in our uniqueness and diversity, as you clearly and beautifully stated in your essay. Appreciation is one of those emotions, if that’s how we want to define it, I have learned to consider and embrace later in life, but it is surely the one all the rest comes down to: appreciation for life, appreciation for love from our beloved ones… Having dealt throughout life with friends who coped with depression and anxiety, I can say I have experienced the emotional upheaval that tends to follow this kind of acknowledgements. It gives you a completely different perspective on the world, on the people that surround you and on the way you look at your very own life. On the other hand, I’ve been lucky enough to feel the wonderful sense of relief and joy which comes after helping this people, which taught me the value of the word, indeed, appreciation. In the same way I’ve been able to help my dearest friends deal with these horrible feelings and find a way out of them, I find what you have done with this very same individuals awesome: not only giving them a voice through the blog, but giving their peers the chance to find sympathy and reassurance in their words. Keep it up! And take care.

Sonder – n. The realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness (The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows).

I believe that sonder, a short and simple made-up word to describe a complex feeling, perfectly captures the spirit of Maya and her article. Maya realized the complexity of the lives of those around her, that every stranger on the leadership trip had their own unique story to tell, filled with their personal struggles. She reaches the conclusion that “each person offers a unique voice and a different perspective – all powerful and important in their own way.”

Sonder, and more broadly, empathy, is a crucial element of being a good leader. I had my own moment of sonder last summer when I had the opportunity to volunteer at my local Chinese senior center. I started volunteering there because I had to fill my school’s requirement for service hours but ended up gaining much more out of it than that. At first, I was wary of taking on the job because my Chinese conversational skills were acceptable at best and rudimentary at worst. However, I quickly found that the seniors were very welcoming and were just happy that someone was willing to sacrifice their time to help out. I performed tasks such as preparing and serving food as well as helped teach ESL and citizenship classes. I learned about the hard work ethic of the workers and volunteers around me while washing apples. I learned about the amiability and habits of the seniors in the lunchroom. There would always be those in the back table playing cards, the younger seniors chatting in the front, and the seasoned mahjong players upstairs. I even had the chance to hear some of their rich stories, stories of their journeys of emigrating from communist China, stories of their successful children, stories of their war experiences, and stories of their hope in America. I truly understood that these seniors, whom I would not have given a second glance on the street, lived such deep and meaningful lives, each of which would be a thrilling standalone novel.

Just like Maya learned to understand those from different backgrounds, I was able to empathize with these seniors and develop an appreciation for their experiences. We should all have empathy for each other in this world full of division and hatred. Sonder helps us have that empathy not only with those close to us but with everyone around us.

When I became the youngest Student Council President of my school, my idea of a strong leader was someone who could command and lead a group of people with total authority the way they like it. So, that’s what I tried to do during my early days as a leader. I thought I would be a strong leader by commanding the student council and demonstrating my full authority over the rest. But after the first month, like Maya, the experience of being a leader took a completely unexpected and inspiring turn. I learned, like Maya, that you have to listen first and speak second. It is by listening to others that makes you a stronger leader because it is easier to command and display your authority. But it is harder to swallow your pride and listen to others when their opinions or stories differ from yours.

Therefore, in the Student Council that I am in, I launched an initiative called “Listen Monday” with the purpose of listening to everyone’s opinions and views in the student council and utilizing them for the betterment of the school.

By understanding the voices of others it has helped me develop a better perspective. I have become more empathetic to others. Listening to others has allowed me to see the full picture that I have never seen. And because I see the bigger picture, I realized that other’s experiences can help shape how I see the world and solve problems. As Maya said, each person offers a unique voice and a different perspective, all-powerful and important in their own way.

I want to thank Maya for inspiring me.

When I became the youngest Student Council President of my school, my idea of a strong leader was someone who could command and lead a group of people with total authority the way they like it. So, that’s what I tried to do during my early days as a leader. I thought I would be a strong leader by commanding the student council and demonstrating my full authority over the rest. But after the first month, like Maya, the experience of being a leader took a completely unexpected and inspiring turn. I learned, like Maya, that you have to listen first and speak second. It is by listening to others that makes you a stronger leader because it is easier to command and display your authority. But it is harder to swallow your pride and listen to others when their opinions or stories differ from yours.

Therefore, in the Student Council that I am in, I launched an initiative called “Listen Monday” with the purpose of listening to everyone’s opinions and views in the student council and utilizing them for the betterment of the school.

By understanding the voices of others it has helped me develop a better perspective. I have become more empathetic to others. Listening to others has allowed me to see the full picture that I have never seen. And because I see the bigger picture, I realized that other’s experiences can help shape how I see the world and solve problems. As Maya said, each person offers a unique voice and a different perspective, all-powerful and important in their own way. I realized exhaustively now that a strong leader is someone that listens first and speak second.

I want to thank Maya for inspiring me to become a better leader.

Hello L Dau K!

Thank you for sharing your experience and lessons as a student council president. Listening to your implementation of listening Mondays has brought me back to a time when I was the storyteller, pouring my life out, not to a student council president, but to my mother.

Before the story begins, I must tell you about my mother. She is a very successful corporate leader of hundreds of people. Of course, when it comes to life, she’s never lost her footing when it comes to parenting. Her dogma for me was always the same as that for her employees. She required me to write a time schedule and reflect on life every day and report my academic progress to her with a PowerPoint presentation every week. Similar to your listening Mondays, but coerced. Of course, these rules also apply to her employees. I argued with her countless times, berating her for treating me, at the time, a 12-year-old, as her employee. Perhaps you have already begun to detest my mother’s parenting philosophy, or that she is just another derelict mother who neglects her children’s emotional needs to give her career 100%. But she was a mother for the first time, and I as her oldest child witnessed her growth and how she became a leader, both to her employees and to me.

Where should I begin my story with this leader? As I counted the episodes that flashed through my mind, neither the long conversation in the evening breeze nor the laughing conversation in the dark living room seemed like the most appropriate beginning of the story. Puzzled, I put down my thoughts and sat down to recall the beginning of our conversations. There’s no longer nameless fear and tension when she approaches me, dreading to hear what she has to say. Instead, I always walked up to her when I found her alone, and the dialogue always began with a sigh. I told her many stories about young love, friends, hobbies, and self-reflection, all parts of me that I was reluctant to reveal in PowerPoints. She is busy all day but never said no when I started a conversation. I could feel that she valued every part of our communication, regardless of how nonsensical it was, taking it wholeheartedly. She would sit down and listen to every word I had to say, and she would take to heart every hint of emotion I tried to convey. She did her best to understand my passions, cater to my needs, and embrace my sentiments. And that’s one of the most valuable lessons she’s taught me as a leader.

My mother’s growth as a leader came naturally to her as she listened to every ebullient story and every heart-wrenching sob. She did what many leaders, even in family relationships, fail to do: give the most attention to her children and subordinates, dwelling on their stories, bringing herself into their emotions, and living their experiences. Simply receiving a comment differentiates from understanding the root of their feedback. Through sharing stories with my mother, as my thoughts became words and leaped out of my mouth, my thoughts received a carrier. The stories I told were imparted with meaning through the process of communication. These words made me who I am and marked every footprint of mine. Not only giving her a chance to guide me but giving me a chance to recourse, bonding two unknown souls by building emotional bridges rather than giving ice-cold PowerPoint presentations. I myself am walking on those bridges, and I will be learning to build them up. Through open communication, we can build bridges high enough to see the world from a bigger view, see the tips of Mt. Everest, hear the mumbles of rhinoceros and vaquitas, and unveil a side of the world that we have never seen before.

In her essay “The Power of Stories to Inspire Strong Leaders”, Maya S. quotes “I was able to understand that although it’s impossible for us to all experience the same things, it is possible for us to try and listen to each other and understand each other’s differences. I began to appreciate the meaning of finding beauty in diversity. During that trip I learned that true leaders listen to the voices of others, and as a result they are able to enrich their own points of view.” This quote taught me that in order to be understood, one must learn to understand.

As an international student living in the states, my school days were certainly different from most of my classmates. There were a lot more plane rides, more hours of memorizing English vocabulary, and less people that paid attention to the struggles I went through. It was hard to focus on the upside of life when I knew that my comfort zone was about 6800 miles away. I felt like I was drowning in my own world, and was unsure of what I needed to do to get out of it.

As time passed, I did learn to embrace my new home. That started with a simple step: Learning about how people here lived. I added Kendrick Lamar and Olivia Rodrigo to my playlist, started to watch the NBA, and reached out for corrections when I didn’t recognize an English word. As I began to understand and appreciate what was around me, it was way easier to fit in. My struggles started to pay off as I received multiple honors and varsity MVP awards. Apart from Academics, I also became much more active in the social circle. I learned more about life here from my new friends, and also taught them some parts of life that I left behind back in Korea. After these changes, I could proudly say that I’m definitely leading my own life.

Maya’s story of the privilege walk reminded me of the change in my perspective before and after trying to understand American culture. At first I was hesitant in getting to know the new environment, but now I see the hidden value of entirely different customs, just like how Maya was able to understand the children with more depth. Furthermore, something Maya did that I greatly appreciate is that she didn’t just stop from enlightenment and took action to advocate for her beliefs. I believe that Maya’s propulsion of creating the “Voice of Change” weblog exemplifies what leaders do to promote their voice to the world. As a person aspiring to be a global leader and a businessman, I was greatly inspired by Maya’s quotes of insight and her action to spread her words.

Our world today is heavily interconnected, and the effects of collaborating across diverse backgrounds have never been more apparent. As I reflect on Maya’s quote and my own understanding, I am reminded that true leaders are distinguished by their ability to seek harmony in differences. My journey from a foreign student drowning in isolation to a confident participant in a global community underscores the transformative power of understanding others to be understood. Of course there are still customs that I cannot resonate with, like pineapple on pizza. But as I step forward into a world of connections and communications, I carry with me the invaluable lesson that true understanding is the cornerstone of meaningful process.

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How to Effectively Demonstrate Leadership in MBA Essays

May 14, 2021

UPDATE: This article was originally posted on April 12, 2019. It has been updated with new information and tips below. 

Sitting down to compose your MBA admissions essays, you may be wondering what you should write about in the first place. While there are many different strategies that can lead to an effective essay , there is one thing that you definitely need to include: a will and capability for leadership .

Leadership, more than almost any other single quality, is one of the top things schools look for in their candidates. Some schools have even decided to dedicate an entire essay to their value of strong leadership. Take Kellogg’s essay A prompt, for example, which reads:

“Kellogg’s Purpose is to educate, equip & inspire brave leaders who create lasting value. Tell us about a time you have demonstrated leadership and created lasting value. What challenges did you face, and what did you learn?” (450 words)

Other schools, on the other hand, specifically ask about leadership as an element of essays or understand leadership to be an implicit part of the answer they are looking for, like Chicago Booth’s essay 2 prompt: 

“Chicago Booth immerses you in a choice-rich environment. How have your interests, leadership experiences, and other passions influenced the choices in your life?” (250 word minimum) 

This means that it is absolutely imperative that you clearly demonstrate your leadership capabilities in your essays . 

Your essay may be a masterful piece of writing, but only with the element of leadership is it likely to be successful and land you a spot in your top MBA program. 

Why is demonstrating leadership so important for elite MBA programs?

All business schools value leadership in their candidates. However, leadership has many different facets and forms , a fact that becomes clear when looking at schools – and what they value – in depth. 

Berkeley Haas, for example, connects leadership with their value of innovation . Specifically, Berkeley’s full-time MBA program features four Defining Leadership Principles . These include Confidence without Attitude, Question the Status Quo, Students Always , and Beyond Yourself . Berkeley sees each of these as an integral part of good leadership.

London Business School , on the other hand, sees leadership as an inherent and essential value for a global outlook,  one of their most important values. They write : 

“We nurture our students to challenge the status quo, to question the norm and to develop the skills to become the world’s best business leaders. Over the years we have adopted a truly global outlook tackling challenges faced by international businesses and their leaders.” ​  

For LBS, the qualities of leadership and having a global mindset go hand-in-hand.

This list goes on and on. IESE sees leadership as an essential prerequisite for impact , one of their greatest focuses; Wharton specifically offers training for global leadership capabilities through their Leadership Ventures ; Booth – a school heavily focused on community – views leadership as a fundamental element of that value . 

Given the different forms of leadership that each school values, how you showcase your own will change depending on which application you’re completing. So be sure to choose stories and lessons learned that align with the school you’re applying to. 

Of course, not only do these schools look for leadership in their candidates, they also offer explicit opportunities for developing and polishing leadership skills in their students. 

It is clear that leadership is extremely important in MBA programs, the work you do post-MBA, and of course, to the MBA admission committee. 

Leadership comes in many different forms

As you can see from above, there is no one definition of leadership that schools adhere to . In fact, because leadership can be tied into so many different values, there are many different ways to demonstrate it effectively in your MBA admissions essay. 

Here are some ideas about how to show leadership:

1. Innovative ideas

Leadership can be shown through an ability and desire to innovate . This can be coming up with a new product at a company, developing a new idea for a business, or helping an existing company capture a market opportunity that may not have been obvious before. By coming up with a creative new idea, you can show that you took the lead to help a company become more successful. 

Take a look at this example. Here, in his essay for Harvard Business School , our client Bruno demonstrated his capacity for leadership by applying data: 

“While working on a marketing and sales project for a large telecommunications company in Brazil, I was responsible for translating all the knowledge we had created with machine learning into segmented offerings, client retention actions, and up-selling initiatives. Combining industry expertise with the insights generated, I identified a 10% margin increase in the company’s mobile business, a market that is highly competitive and usually seen as margin-deteriorating. This experience made me realize that corporations need people who can guide them to make intelligent use of data.”

As you can see, identifying an opportunity to grow a business can be used to help show off your potential as a leader, especially as an entrepreneur. 

2. Helping others

This can be applied to both personal or professional situations. Maybe there was a time when your family was struggling financially, so you stepped in to offer your support? Maybe you had a colleague who couldn’t get their work done on time, so you helped them organize their priorities better and grow as a professional? Both of these instances show how you guided others through challenging experiences by relying on your leadership skills. 

This value can also be strongly related to impact and community , ideas that are becoming increasingly important within MBA programs . In many instances, leadership skills can be connected to a professional endeavor that helped a company create value for others. This is a great way to show how helping others revealed or helped you train your own leadership skills. 

Take a look at this example from a client’s application to Wharton last year:

“To escape Rio de Janeiro’s perilous, impoverished favelas, education and employment are the only way out. During university, I came to understand this while mentoring a group of underprivileged students. Despite wanting to attend school, my students often missed class due to active shootouts between gangs and police, on top of the many other challenges of living in favelas. Through this experience, I became aware of my role in society and how I could directly impact other’s lives.”

Here, our client Conrado used his experiences of mentoring others to understand his ability for impactful leadership. Not only does this help you underline the impact of your achievements, but also reveals a deeper aspect of your personality.

3. Taking initiative

Showing your desire and ability to be proactive can easily overlap with either of the two suggestions above. Often, recognizing a problem – either in your personal life or professional environment – and deciding to do something about it is a great way to demonstrate leadership. 

This is especially true if the problem was something nobody else had identified – or even blatantly denied existed. Here, your will to take the steps to fix it might be the perfect way to show your potential as a leader and self-starter while highlighting your drive and motivation.

4. Community and teamwork

A sense of community and working in teams is an essential value for many top MBA programs. Highlighting your leadership role does not mean you were working individually or only at the head of a team. Leadership can be also demonstrated through your ability to promote teamwork and collaboration. 

An important part of teamwork is being a team member who is not afraid to speak up, proactively solve problems, include others, or put new ideas on the table . 

By taking on a leadership role, even a minor one, within your community or team, you help further collective success and often multiply your impact. This is an awesome quality to demonstrate in your MBA essay. 

This can be a great opportunity to utilize extra-professional examples in your MBA essays. Take a look at another strategy Bruno used in one of his Columbia Business School essays:

“We’ve just stopped to catch some air, a scarce resource above 6000 meters. All members of the expedition are feeling mental exhaustion, but we fight it with team spirit. I nod heads with each member, making sure signals are clear. Each and every one of us is responsible for encouraging the others not to give up and for knowing when to tell a teammate to stop because going forward might risk their life. Lucky for all of us, now is not that time.”

Here, Bruno does an excellent job utilizing storytelling to help show how he is a leader within the group. As you can see, leadership can be evident even in stories of personal and group achievement.

5. Taking a leap of faith

Good leadership is not just about making data-backed decisions. Much more, it entails taking risks and using your intuition to navigate the complicated worlds of interpersonal communication, timing, and networking. 

This can not only highlight your courage but also your ability to push the envelope and create new solutions and possibilities.

For example, you could demonstrate leadership by telling the story of how your confidence in a subordinate helped them grow to become a more mature professional and enrich your team as a whole. It may also manifest itself through the idea to start a new business, despite not knowing if you will reach success. 

6. Getting out of your comfort zone

Leadership can also be recognized in the desire to get outside one’s comfort zone. Adcoms are looking for individuals who are ready to take full advantage of their MBA programs, which requires a willingness to learn and grow. This is an especially good tactic if you want to show attributes of global or international leadership, a characteristic that is especially valuable for European schools like LBS, INSEAD, or IESE. 

For example, spending a year in a foreign country can help you understand intercultural connotations of business in ways you could never have experienced before or how to communicate in completely new ways. 

Demonstrating leadership by getting out of your comfort zone can be expanded to experiences about polishing foreign language skills, helping international colleagues understand your home region, or expanding a business internationally. All of these can reveal and train global leadership skills and intercultural competencies – something all schools are looking for in their candidates. 

7. Straightforward leadership positions

Of course, we cannot forget the most obvious way to demonstrate leadership. If you have taken on an explicit leadership position within your company or organization, this is a great way to express this value to the admissions committee. 

Professional leadership positions can include leading teams, guiding clients through transformation processes, presenting results to senior leadership, or taking on a senior leadership position itself. If you have had experiences like this, be sure to include them – and the challenges you faced – in your MBA admissions essay. 

These ideas not only help you demonstrate leadership in your MBA essay, they might also give you bonus points for connecting leadership to other values a school might share, like community, innovation, teamwork, creativity, and a drive to make an impact. 

Tips for demonstrating effective leadership

Naturally, just explaining one of the above situations in your essay will not cut it. There are a few other things that you should keep in mind and try to apply when focusing on leadership in your MBA essay. 

Use the STAR method

Telling a story that thoroughly highlights your leadership role does not automatically mean it will be compelling. Often, candidates fail to show how leadership was necessary – in other words, what the problem was that required them to take on a leadership position in the first place.

That is where storytelling – and specifically the STAR method – comes in. The STAR method will help you highlight not just the problem that you faced, but also your specific role in solving it that led to success. 

STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action , and Results . If you want to make your story about leadership convincing, you must include all of these elements. This translates to:

Situation – clearly presenting the context for your story.

Task – demonstrating that there was a problem to be solved or a challenge to be faced.

Action – showing exactly what you did to solve that problem or overcome that challenge.

Results – the outcome of your actions. This can range from personal growth to helping other individuals to producing company-wide results. 

In this example, our client Karen effectively used the STAR method in her Kellogg essay to show leadership initiative at her mother’s store:

“I learned the value of hard work early, as a child helping in my mother’s gift shop, serving customers and wrapping gifts. (Situation) Once the boom of social media started, I saw the opportunity to leverage this technology to improve our business – this could attract more customers, increase revenues, and keep our financials organized. Simultaneously, I realized I wouldn’t be able to help in the store once I left for university (Task) , so I taught my mom to use the computer to manage our Facebook page and financials (Action) . The fulfillment of providing my mother with the tools and skills necessary to run and improve her business – increasing sales by 10% – is indescribable (Results) .”

Using STAR is a great way to make your leadership role very clear throughout your essay and utilize storytelling strategies successfully. 

At Ellin Lolis Consulting , we believe that one of the keys to a compelling essay is effective storytelling. This technique transforms your example of leadership from a stale image that adcoms have heard a thousand times to a colorful journey that highlights you as unique and valuable to their community.

Highlighting your role

Your MBA essay is the place to discuss your personal achievements . Don’t sell yourself short in your essay! Telling a story about leadership that does not thoroughly explain your part will not be a good demonstration of leadership. 

This means that it is important to show the admissions committee what you specifically did in your story. Just saying that you were part of a team that produced fantastic results will not achieve this. Instead, you must show them how your work – what you did and how you did it – was essential for collective or individual success. 

Even if a success was only possible due to the work of your entire team, it’s still important to show how your actions complemented those of your colleagues. Not only does this allow the readers to see your contributions, but also demonstrates your capacity for collaboration!

Combining personal and professional examples

We have already established that leadership can manifest itself in many different forms, and that admissions committees see it that way, too. 

This means that the adcom is not only looking for your professional leadership experiences – or that they will condemn you for demonstrating leadership in your personal life. In fact, a good mix helps the adcom understand that you have a well-rounded, flexible understanding of what leadership means. 

For example, last year, our client Thais wanted to show leadership via the theme “grow by growing others”. To do so, she included the following stories in her Berkeley Haas essays :

• Teaching fellow children how to read as a child
• Mentoring younger students during university
• Professionally mapping NGO efforts to coordinate the distribution of their impact more evenly throughout Brazil

Don’t be afraid to include personal examples of leadership – this may help to reinforce your multi-faceted capabilities as a leader even more in your MBA essay. This is also a great way to show a clear pattern of leadership.

Show a pattern of leadership

When writing your MBA essay, it is good to not just show a single instance of leadership, but instead to demonstrate how your tendency for leadership is part of your brand using multiple stories. 

Of course, this only applies to prompts that do not ask for only a single experience (unlike Kellogg’s essay B!)

For example, you could show how you led a school club as a teenager, started a project at an NGO during college, and went on to lead recruiting initiates at your current consulting firm. This way, the adcom has a number of examples to go on to understand that you will make for a good leader in the future. 

Often, the greatest way to demonstrate a pattern of leadership is by establishing it via your central theme .

Leadership and theme

A theme is a great way to connect your message to your reader. A theme is a central topic that is reinforced throughout your essay via one or more stories. If you are curious about how to effectively apply a theme in your MBA essay, check out this article .

Many candidates decide to use leadership as their central theme in one or more of their essays. This is a great strategy and is definitely a winning possibility. However, you can also choose a theme with a bit more subtlety and still create an effective argument for leadership. 

To demonstrate, let’s take another look at Kellogg’s essay B. Their question specifically asks candidates to talk about a (single!) past leadership experience.

Last fall, our client Carolina began her essay with: 

“While the choreographed movements of a ballet dancer are polished and graceful, the journey to reach this result is full of setbacks. Although I no longer practice ballet, I have benefited from the discipline and determination I developed as a ballet dancer, applying these strengths to my professional and personal life.”

Here, Carolina uses ballet to help the reader visualize discipline and determination. She goes on to explain that she later used these traits to successfully demonstrate her leadership capabilities to overcome hurdles while implementing a membership program at her company. 

She ends her essay like this: 

“Although the membership program was successful, it required overcoming many setbacks through a rigorous execution process. Like ballet dancing, the completed project shows little of the work that went into it or the learnings I acquired along the way. Ultimately, it gave me the opportunity to lead a very diverse team, learn about a new industry, and strategically collaborate to achieve impressive results.”

As you can see, she uses the theme ballet to focus the reader on specific leadership qualities (discipline and determination) that helped her succeed in her career.

This strategy will work for other schools and essay prompts just as well. If your answer to Stanford’s What Matters Most to You and Why is quality leadership, you may be able to express that best with a metaphor. 

Our client Isabella, for example, began her essay like this: 

“What matters most to me is watering plants. Not any plant, but the ones that insist on growing, even when lacking nutrients and sunshine.” 

She continues her essay by explaining how, by overcoming bias and obstacles in her own life, she was able to grow into a leader who helped others overcome their own obstacles as well, thus “watering plants that insist on growing.”

As you can see, it is possible to demonstrate leadership in your MBA essay indirectly and implicitly – and even in unique, creative ways. Choosing your theme like this may even help reveal a new side of your personality that the admissions committee might not have otherwise been exposed to.

Don’t be afraid of conflict

In life, we work hard to avoid conflict as much as possible, yet when it comes to stories, conflict and tensions are not only important, but essential to captivating attention. 

Would Breaking Bad have been as interesting if Walter White was already an established drug lord when the show started? Probably not. Watching him take the news of his cancer diagnosis and find an unusual way to drum up the money for treatment is just what makes the show so addictive. 

Conflict and how our “hero” (in this case, you!) solves the challenge is at the core of any good story, so make sure you use the STAR method to clearly set up the conflict you needed to navigate and then show how you took steps to turn this roadblock into one of your standout moments. 

Let’s take this essay for example. In an early version, the story was conflict-free. 

Upon joining MBB after graduation, another experience inspired personal growth. While abroad, I participated in recruiting processes for top consulting firms, and saw firsthand that MBB lagged behind in recruiting students pursuing dual degrees abroad. After joining, I created a dedicated process to recruit these top performers. Four months later, we had the first online connection event, which attracted more than 40 interested students. The program has since become an essential recruiting tool. I am proud to lead this internal team in contributing to MBB’s long-term success as we attract the talent we need to deliver high-impact results to clients.

Though this shows initiative on the applicant’s part, it is far less compelling than this version of events:

After graduating, I joined MBB, as it allowed me to channel my intellectual curiosity, explore various sectors and be an agent of change. While abroad, I participated in recruiting processes for other top consulting firms, and saw firsthand that MBB lagged behind in recruiting dual-degree students. After joining, I spoke with several partners about creating a program to solve this issue. The partners were hesitant, however, concerned they could not adequately evaluate candidates remotely. After demonstrating the implications of overlooking these high-potential candidates, I received permission to create a dedicated dual-degree recruiting process. Four months later, I had mobilized 10 colleagues, leading them in organizing BCG’s first online connection event. The program has since become an essential recruiting tool, bringing in more than 10% of our hires since inception.

Here, not only does she show initiative, she also shows she has an ability to clearly communicate and add value to her firm , even when the odds are stacked against her. This tactic shows development and engages the reader, making your story more memorable.

So, when writing your leadership essays, make sure to give your stories some much-needed drama to really demonstrate how much impact your actions generated!

Still struggling with leadership in your MBA essays?

There are many factors to consider when deciding how you will demonstrate leadership in your MBA essay. 

On the one hand, it is good to consider the multi-faceted nature of leadership. You will want to demonstrate multiple environments and ways in which you have been able to create impact. And just because you have never managed a team or become the leader of a school club does not mean you cannot show your leadership capabilities to the admissions committee. 

In fact, you may be able to prove to them that you are a leader through a number of other situations, like taking the initiative or innovation, and even simultaneously connect those situations to other things the school values. 

On the other hand, just selecting a story that demonstrates leadership is not enough – you must also present it in a way that is convincing . Using strategies like STAR, a mix of professional and personal examples, and reinforcing the message through your theme, you can make sure that the admissions committee remembers your unique value as a leader. 

Of course, understanding these concepts and applying them is not the same thing. 

Even more importantly, we can help you effectively highlight your desire to grow as a leader in your top MBA program and the global world of business beyond. After all, as Kellogg’s admissions point out , growth is a challenge confronted by every organization – and every leader. 

If you still find yourself struggling with these issues, we are happy to help! Our MBA essay editors at Ellin Lolis Consulting have the expertise you need to identify the right stories and approaches to discussing leadership for each school you’re applying to. We can help you polish your essay to really make your leadership experiences shine. 

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Essay on Leadership for Students in English [500+ Words Essay]

January 2, 2021 by Sandeep

Essay on Leadership: A leader is a person skilled with decisive actions and high self-confidence. He should lead a team, a company, family or a country by clearly defining his goals and objectives. A leader should possess strong will power and courage to face the world against all odds. Some of the common traits of a good leader are integrity, confidence, clarity of thoughts and inspiring character. Leaders should motivate others to have a sense of purpose and direction.

Essay on Leadership 500 Words in English

Below we have provided Leadership Essay in English, suitable for class 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.

Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others. – Jack Welch

What is the one common thing between Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Bill Gates? They are all incomparable role models and have exhibited exceptional leadership. Leaders are people who listen, empower and help others. Leadership occurs when a person guides or leads other people to achieve something. Leaders walk alongside their people at every step.

Qualities of a Good Leader

A good leader is first an excellent communicator. He listens to others and gives constructive feedback. He is optimistic in all situations, no matter how tough and likes to stress on the solution, rather than the problem. He is self-aware and self-confident. He believes in himself and his team. He displays trust and faith. A leader is always eager to learn more and more. He acquires and gains knowledge whenever possible. He is a value adder and a positive contributor. He displays qualities of an excellent problem solver. A good leader shows never giving up attitude and always supports his team.

Types of Leadership Styles

Not all leaders are alike. They all possess different styles of leadership. Two main styles should be kept in mind.

• Autocratic Leadership – In this style, the leader holds full control. He likes his orders to be followed without any questions asked. Others often dislike him.
• Democratic Leadership – In this style, the leader takes the opinion of others and listens to them while making important decisions.

If you build leadership skills, people will look up to you. Not only will you be able to handle your problems, but you will also be able to get other people free from theirs. When you work, you will be able to motivate your employees better and keep your team’s performance on the track. People always like to associate themselves and work with those people that have a collaborative spirit and are dynamic.

How to Become a Good Leader?

We associate leadership with people who run a country or run a multinational business. But what we fail to see is that each one of us can start building a leader in ourselves. Very few are born leaders. There are ways through which we can ensure that we acquire leadership skills-:

• Never be afraid to admit your mistakes. People may think that it is a sign of weakness, but that is not true. People appreciate a leader who is honest and truthful.
• Always consider yourself as a team player. You can achieve more together than what you achieve individually.
• Learn to give credit to people who deserve it. Praise and appreciate them.
• Always guide and support others. Help them grow and develop.
• Be collaborative and compassionate—lead people with love, dignity and respect.

Some Noteworthy Leaders

• Jesus Christ is regarded as highly as a religious leader. More than two billion people followed Christianity because of his teachings.
• Mother Teresa left her home when she was just 18 years old to help the poor, needy and dying. She dedicated her life as a selfless leader to them, and this inspired other people as well to take up a path that made the world a better place to live in.
• Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam showed every trait of a good leader throughout his life. He was utmost humble. He always encouraged people to pursue their dreams. He can rightfully be called a visionary.
• When we talk about leadership, how can one not mention Mahatma Gandhi? He defeated a superpower by taking the path of non-violence. His followers supported him because of his humility, determination and honesty.
• A leader should always follow his passion and dreams. This is exactly what Walt Disney did. He created many characters, such as Mickey Mouse and spread his passion for art and fun throughout the world.

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Updated May 24, 2022

What Does It Mean to Be a Leader?

What does it mean to be a leader, what are the 3 most important roles of a leader, 5 top qualities of great leaders, being a leader vs. boss, being a leader means dedicating yourself to personal growth.

You don’t have to hold a position in order to be a leader. Henry Ford

What does it mean to be a leader? Does it mean being an authority figure over others, or is there more to it? A quick look at the business world illuminates people who practice true leadership. Take Meg Whitman as an example. As CEO of eBay, Whitman helped take the company from $5 million in revenue to over $8 billion . She would later go on to turn around Hewlett-Packard at a time when the company was struggling to survive.

But financial success doesn’t always indicate a leader . It was Whitman’s leadership style that set her apart from her peers. According to people who worked with her, Whitman challenged others to be better, stimulating them with questions that encouraged them to break through boundaries. She advocated for more open communication in the workplace, tearing down barriers that prevented employees from speaking with executives. Whitman used her influence to help others, and the business benefited as a result.

Whitman is a good example of leadership either making or breaking a company. Poor leadership can often lead to problems. According to a survey from Zenger Folkman, uninspiring leaders result in almost half of direct reports thinking of quitting, while only 23 percent of employees consider themselves engaged . Other reports indicate that up to 75 percent of employees say the worst part of their job is their boss. If companies want to see increases in productivity, employee satisfaction, innovation, and job retention, they need to recognize and value true leadership.

In this article, learn about the following:

• What it means to be a leader
• The main qualities of a good leader
• The three roles great leaders must play for their teams
• How to grow the skills you need to become an effective leader

So, what is a leader? John Maxwell has a famous quote about the definition of leadership that says, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” From this quote, it’s easy to see that a great leader is someone who has gone down a particular path. They know the correct way to go, and they’re willing to act as a guide for others to follow. That leader might not be the most eloquent or outgoing, but they are willing to risk it all to show people there’s a better way.

Great leaders are influential figures who teach essential leadership skills to those around them. Through their work, they create an infinite cycle of leadership, positively impacting others (even after they’re gone). Just look at the legacy a leader like Steve Jobs left behind. Though he passed away in 2011, more than a decade later, Apple still looks to him as an example of a free-thinker and innovator who focused on excellence. Additionally, out of all the leadership styles, many entrepreneurs and top performers still want to emulate his to produce strong results in business.

A leader can appear at any level of a company, especially if that company works to cultivate leadership among its team members. Leaders are those who want to make something of themselves. They seek to grow every day and improve their skills for the duration of their lives. For them, self-development is an ongoing process.

So, what does leadership mean to you? Leaders can take on many different roles, sometimes even during the same day. When it comes to strong leadership, most leaders will take on three roles that are the most influential.

Role #1: Guide

A leader who acts as a guide is the person who shows you how to get things done. They provide the roadmap that you need to follow. Guides understand the destination, so they’ll show you the steps you need to get there.

It’s best to think of a guide as the mentor figure from Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey. The guiding figures have valuable experience they choose to pass on to the hero. Think of famous guides like Gandalf, Dumbledore, and Yoda. They demonstrate empathy and wisdom while helping the hero win along the journey. This is how a mentor acts.

A guiding leader provides the opportunity for kinesthetic learning , or in other words, learning by watching someone do it, then doing it yourself. Think of how much easier it is to do something new when you have someone showing you every step of the process. They can even correct you along the way, ensuring you stay on the right path. In this way, guides act like coaches, encouraging and correcting as needed.

Role #2: Chief

A chief is like the head of a household or a parent. While it might be tempting for some leaders to simply dictate what others need to do, a leader acting as a chief gives the explanation for doing it. They focus on the “why” behind an action.

Just like a parent, a chief is responsible for being nurturing and loving but also giving structure to people’s lives. They teach good habits and systems for them to follow. Additionally, they’re preparing someone to take over one day. In this way, they help build future leaders.

When someone explains the reasoning behind decisions, it makes those decisions easier to accept. Chiefs go deep into their explanations. They paint a picture that is easy for others to imagine. A leader who acts as a chief treats others like adults. They consider their team members to be smart and understanding, so they don’t hesitate to provide them with the information and resources they need.

Role #3: Tree

When a leader acts as a tree, they set down strong roots that won’t allow them to move from their spot. These roots represent the leader’s core identity, purpose, values, beliefs, and character. They are the unshakeable foundation upon which everything else is built. Like a tree needs healthy roots to thrive, a leader must show integrity for everything else to work.

By nurturing relationships with friends, family, and mentors, a tree-like leader grows in wisdom and awareness. Along the way, they develop the knowledge, skills, and discipline that will turn them into a great leader. These eventually blossom into the passions and strengths many on the outside notice. They also develop leaves, or the charismatic nature so many leaders demonstrate. As they continue to nurture these aspects, a tree-like leader eventually develops the fruit, or success, from their efforts.

While there are many ways to define what it means to be a leader, it all starts with possessing the best leadership qualities . Developing the following leadership skills will help you become an effective leader. Note that these traits only scratch the surface of what it means to be a leader.

1. Serves Others

Servant leadership is all about making the goals clear and then rolling your sleeves up and doing whatever it takes to help people win. In that situation, they don’t work for you; you work for them. Ken Blanchard

A great leader practices servant leadership with all those around them. They seek to lift up people and help them become their best selves. They lead by not thinking about themselves but about what they can do to make the world a better place. Many business leaders such as David Green of Hobby Lobby and Dan Cathy of Chick-fil-A made servant leadership a defining part of who they are as leaders.

How to be a servant leader:

• Focus on developing your team members.
• Look for ways to serve your community.
• Listen to others and think of ways you can help.
• Be a positive influence in the lives of people.
• Lead people with a positive outlook on the future.

2. Problem-Solves

Every problem has a solution, although it may not be the outcome that was originally hoped for or expected. Alice Hoffman

When you run into a problem, many people will complain or offer up excuses. A leader, on the other hand, will focus on the solution. Effective leaders embrace the challenges that problems provide. Even when it seems like there is no remedy to an issue, they don’t give up. Instead, they opt to brainstorm creative solutions. Because of their development in problem-solving , they know how to find solutions more often than not. When leaders become problem-solvers, they view every problem as an opportunity to learn and grow. Nothing is impossible to them, which is why so many in their organization look to them when things get difficult.

How to problem-solve creatively:

• Review the goal you have established.
• Be flexible if you need to refine your strategy.
• Identify the origin of the main problem.
• Research possible solutions to that main problem.
• Stick with a decision-making process for narrowing solutions down to the best choice.
• Create an action plan you and others can follow that will solve the problem.

3. Accountable

A duty dodged is like a debt unpaid; it is only deferred, and we must come back and settle the account at last. Joseph Fort Newton

The best leaders hold themselves accountable, no matter the circumstances. As much as it might be tempting to place the blame on others, authentic leaders make no excuses and understand that they are ultimately responsible. When a leader practices accountability , others take notice and begin to do the same. Once a whole organization is filled with such team members, collaboration and harmony increase, leading to higher productivity and innovation levels.

Jocko Willink best describes this attitude in Extreme Ownership . Accountability is one thing all great leaders must practice. As he puts it, “Good leaders don’t make excuses. Instead, they figure out a way to get it done.” They own everything within their sphere of influence and don’t try to shift responsibility when things go wrong. Willick describes this when writing, “Leaders must own everything in their world. There is no one else to blame.”

How to practice self-accountability:

• Don’t be selective about when you hold yourself accountable.
• Take full ownership of everything within your sphere of influence.
• Note when you make mistakes, and learn from them.
• Communicate with the group when you’ve made a mistake.
• Always have a plan in mind for correcting a mistake.

4. Passion ate

People should pursue what they’re passionate about. That will make them happier than pretty much anything else. Elon Musk

Another one of the top leadership skills they should have is passion. Leaders must exhibit a passion for what they’re pursuing. With a combination of patience and passion , they can instill in others motivation for following a goal. Being passionate keeps leaders enthusiastic even during downtimes. It’s the element that keeps them pushing forward with energy. Leaders should always balance their passion with patience since, without it, they may experience higher stress, burnout, and a shorter temper.

How to increase your patience to take advantage of your passion:

• Understand that impatience often leads to negative consequences.
• Identify what triggers impatience within you.
• Engage in mindfulness practices such as meditation or breathing exercises.
• Increase your empathy for others.
• Don’t be afraid to take things at a slower pace.

5. Purpose-Driven

The secret of happiness: Find something more important than you are and dedicate your life to it. Daniel C. Dennett

A true leader leads with a purpose. They have a vision for the future that others can follow. They move forward with optimism as they look to change the world for the better. When a leader is purpose-driven, they have a central focus around which everything else revolves. They also communicate that vision to others, getting them fired up about it. Everything, from a company’s overall strategy to who they hire, stems from that purpose. It is exemplified in a vision statement everyone can read and understand.

How to write a vision statement:

• Be clear about your company’s “why.”
• Brainstorm what you envision for the future.
• Draft several versions of your vision statement.
• Get feedback on those versions from friends, family, and colleagues.
• Revise your statement until you have one you are happy with.
• Begin implementing that vision in your daily work.

Leaders develop their skill set to gain followers who willingly commit to their mission, while a boss is simply someone who receives a position of authority and provides orders. Here are the main characteristics that determine the difference between leader vs. boss :

• Bosses enforce accountability, while leaders create it.
• Bosses look for easy fixes, while leaders focus on long-term solutions.
• Leaders learn, rather than assuming they’re already experts.
• A leader listens and never shuts down communication.
• Bosses are driven by numbers, while leaders are driven by values.

Being a leader isn’t just about influencing those around you. It’s also about committing yourself to grow as a person and professional every day.

Make self-improvement and personal growth a priority for yourself. Schedule time every day to learn and grow. Additionally, seek out a mentor who knows the ropes and understands how you can improve. Doing so will help you cultivate a growth mindset that maximizes your influence and drives impact.

For more inspiration about being a leader, check out these quotes on leadership .

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Writing a Successful Leadership Story Essay

L eadership Story essays are a prime opportunity in your MBA applications to communicate experiences that demonstrate your ability to lead others .

MBA admissions officers are very interested in your leadership achievements, both inside and outside of work. And yet, you probably won’t be directly asked, “Are you a leader?” Instead, applications will prompt you to tell stories about your leadership achievements.

Typical essay questions that have appeared on past MBA applications related to the topic of leadership include the following:

• Discuss a defining experience in your leadership development.
• Tell us about a time when you made a lasting impact on your organization.
• What impact do you hope to have as a leader of consequence in the future?

To score top marks with your answer to these MBA leadership essay questions, admissions officers will expect you to present real-world evidence that you are equipped to rally other people and motivate them to work together to achieve an important shared vision or goal.

Why do admissions committees ask you to write about a leadership story? What are the characteristics of a great answer? This article answers these questions and provides you with a set of building blocks for crafting a unique and powerful Leadership Story Essay of your own.

In the final section of this article, we analyze a Leadership Story Essay example to show you the principles in this article in action.

To begin, let’s explore what MBA programs mean by “leadership” in the first place.

What Does it Mean to Lead?

If you were applying to art school, you’d present a portfolio of your artistry. Similarly, business schools are interested in seeing a portfolio of leadership stories. Reviewing a collection of leadership accomplishments is one way the admission committee assesses a candidate’s leadership potential. If a top MBA program’s job is to produce future leaders, the admissions committee must determine if you already possess the raw ability to lead.

Many aspiring MBA students are aware that they need to demonstrate leadership and prove they have leadership potential. But how do they do that in an essay? And what is leadership anyway?

Leadership ability relates to your capacity to motivate and influence individuals, teams, and organizations. Some MBA candidates are intimidated when they have to answer a leadership essay question in their application because they worry they don’t have impressive leadership stories to tell.

Don’t fret. Admissions committees understand you are early in your career, and they don’t expect you to have founded a not-for-profit or saved a village. Instead, they can appreciate that your leadership stories are on a smaller scale, such as leading a classroom, spearheading a fundraiser, or coaching a little league baseball team. Leading in “ordinary situations” but doing it “extraordinarily well” is what impresses admissions committees.

Hopefully, by now, we’ve eased your doubts about Leadership Story Essays and helped you better understand the definition of leadership. If so, it’s time for you to start brainstorming which leadership stories you want to tell.

Qualities of a Standout Leadership Story Essay

To review: your leadership stories are the collection of past experiences, initiatives, and accomplishments indicative of your leadership abilities. MBA admissions committees want to know about your past leadership experiences to assess your potential to lead in the future.

Let’s look at the characteristics of an outstanding Leadership Story Essay.

• Your Leadership Story Essay should provide evidence that you can rally other people and motivate them to work together to achieve an important shared vision or goal . Many candidates make the mistake of telling a story about an individual accomplishment when asked for a leadership story. The whole point of a leadership story is that you couldn’t have achieved what you achieved if you were operating alone.
• Admissions committees want to see evidence that you can work collaboratively as part of a team . If your leadership style appears authoritarian or self-serving, you may be passed over for candidates with more team-oriented leadership styles.
• Stories in which everything went smoothly and as expected aren’t as powerful as stories where you faced challenges and obstacles and found creative solutions to mission-critical problems.
• When selecting among potential stories, ask yourself which leadership experience ended up being a defining experience for you – one that taught you how to lead and what it means to lead.
• It’s always better to choose a leadership story that holds meaning for you – for example, leading a fundraiser for a non-profit with a mission that is close to your heart.
• Results matter – the admissions committee wants to know how you made an impact . There is a premium placed on stories that end with a visible and, if possible, measurable impact.
• Good leaders put the needs of others and the organization ahead of personal ambitions. If you helped others excel and succeed while in the lead, then you’ll have a much more persuasive essay.

With these criteria in mind, you can begin brainstorming your leadership stories and select the one that provides the most convincing evidence of your leadership potential.

Next, we will walk through the content building blocks for crafting a unique and powerful Leadership Story Essay and share an example essay to show you how all of these principles come together in an outstanding MBA essay.

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Content Building Blocks for a Leadership Story Essay

Leadership Story Essays are narrative essays, which means they are invitations for you to tell a story. Therefore, the content building blocks we provide below will help you to craft your story.

The first principle they teach you in a creative writing course is that a good story has a beginning, middle, and end.

The beginning of your story should include a Hook and a Lead .

A Hook is what it sounds like: an opening that engages your reader and builds interest in hearing your story. The best hooks are unexpected and build anticipation. You’ll see an example of a hook in the sample essay.

The next building block is the Lead . A story lead summarizes what the story is about and gives your reader a sense of why you decided to tell this story.

You have only a few seconds to capture your reader’s attention, so you want to get to the lead of the story as quickly as possible. The “lead” of your story gets your reader on board and silences that internal voice asking, “What’s this story about? And is it going to answer the essay question asked?”.

Once the reader is hooked, you are ready to tell your story. The content building blocks for the middle, or body of the story, should follow the STAR Framework. STAR is an acronym that stands for — Situation – Task – Action – Result .

You begin by providing the Situation of the story, which orients the reader to the setting and introduces the conflict or complication.

Next, since you are writing a story about a time you took the lead, you want your reader to know what Task you and your team needed to accomplish. Think of the Task as your role in the story and your specific goals or objectives as a leader in this particular situation.

From there, it’s time to share the Action , or what you did to resolve the conflict, fulfill your role, and achieve your objectives or goals. It’s important to remember that everything leading up to the Action (Situation and Task) is exposition. A good storyteller aims to get through that set-up as quickly as possible, so action becomes the story’s focal point. Action is what admission committees are interested in — not exposition. Therefore, on balance, “action” should take up about 75% of the word count of the leadership stories you tell.

When it comes to action, the more specific you can be, the better. Generic action statements, such as “I assembled the team, got them focused, and finished the project,” aren’t sufficient. Tell the reader about the obstacles you faced as a leader and the creative, clever, and unexpected ways you overcame them.

Outlining the story’s action is a crucial moment in testing the quality of your leadership story. If there’s not enough leadership action, then the story probably won’t work, and you should think of another story to tell.

Your story ends when you share the Results , or the impact of your actions, and the final resolution of the complication. Evidence of results is almost as critical as action when you’re trying to assess the quality of your story – a positive outcome makes the story that much more powerful.

If your story doesn’t “pay off,” it may not fly. That’s not the same thing as saying that you have to have achieved what you set out to. The pay-off might be the lessons you learned or how you grew from the experience.

Applying the STAR Framework

Let’s take a look at the STAR framework created by an MBA candidate. He outlined a story about leading a marketing field study project in college.

For our example applicant, the Situation was that during his senior year in college, he assembled a team of marketing and industrial design students to co-design a pair of sneakers for Nike.

As the team’s leader, his Task was to assemble the team and get them to work cooperatively to design a pair of sneakers. He decided to focus the Action of the story on the things he did to get his teammates to bond and work together to achieve their goals.

The Result of the project was two-fold: first, the team delivered the marketing plans and sneaker design for a skateboard shoe; second, the author learned how to lead a diverse group of people.

Voila. The story’s setting, the applicant’s goal, what he did, how things turned out, and some notes about what he learned from the experience are outlined. He’s captured the elements of a promising Leadership Story Essay.

While your STAR outline is likely to include more details than our example, you can see how the STAR outline can help you tell a concise story with a beginning, middle, and end. A STAR outline also enables you to see pretty quickly if your outline has the makings of a successful leadership essay.

Below you can read an excerpt from the example essay that resulted by assembling these content building blocks. Review the sample essay carefully, and then you will be ready to get to work writing your Leadership Story Essay.

Leadership Story Essay Sample

Like most kids in my neighborhood, I owned a skateboard. Honestly, I never quite got the hang of it. Though I will never shred the pavement or fly high above a half-pipe, I did get to do something most skateboarders will never do: in college, I led a six-person team that designed a skateboard shoe for Nike.

In my senior year, I convinced my thesis adviser at the University of Oregon that instead of writing a research report describing how Nike designs and develops athletic shoes, I wanted to “Just do it!” With his blessing, I convinced the Nike Design Group to sponsor a team of three marketing students, including me, and three industrial design students to co-design a sneaker for them.

As the project leader, my role was to assemble the team and lead them in designing a pair of skateboarding sneakers. Recruiting teammates was relatively easy; marketing and design students jumped at the chance to work on a project for Nike. The real challenge, once I had my team selected, was to get the marketing students and ID students to work together — we had such different working styles and perspectives.

For our project kick-off meeting, I invited my teammates to my apartment to eat pizza and watch Dogtown and the Z Boys, a classic skateboarding movie. Watching the film inspired us and broke the ice. In our next meeting, I came up with the idea of a teach-in. We taught them about our market research process, and they taught us about their design process. After that, we sketched out a method for working together…

[The body of the story features the leader’s other challenges and achievements before turning to the conclusion]

…We flew to Beaverton to present our skateboard sneaker to the head of Design. A year later, Nike released its first skateboard shoe. Though it was different from our model, our team’s work had clearly influenced the design and marketing of a new product for the legendary sneaker company.

For me, the ultimate reward wasn’t designing the sneaker; it was designing and leading the team. We started from such different perspectives and points of view and ended up gelling as a team.

The experience taught me how beneficial those differences are when you are creating something new. This lesson has been instrumental in my success in the software product strategy role I started after college.

Final Thoughts

Business schools understand that your best leadership experiences are still ahead of you. What they want to see is a “habit” of leadership and some good examples of how you’ve led on a smaller scale. Leading in ordinary situations but doing it “extraordinarily well” is what admissions committees are looking for in your Leadership Story Essay. Done well, your Leadership Story Essay will provide evidence of potential and the promise of great things to come.

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Essay on leadership: Ranging from 50 Words to 900 Words

Essay on leadership: – Leadership is a special quality or skill that is possessed by very few people in this world. Today Team GuideToExam has crafted a number of essays on leadership for you. You can also use these leadership essays to craft a paragraph on leadership or an article on leadership as well.

Table of Contents

Essay on Leadership (Very Short)

(Leadership Essay in 50 Words)

Leadership is a quality that makes a man special than others. Every man doesn’t have leadership skills. A leader possesses many great skills and qualities that make him popular in society. A man needs leadership qualities in him to start a business or to run an organization.

A good leader must have some leadership qualities. A good leader is always courageous, punctual, hardworking, fluent, wise, and flexible. He/ She leads his/her followers using his leadership qualities.

Essay on Leadership

(Leadership Essay in 350 Words)

Introduction to Leadership essay: – Leaders are considered inspirational characters for society. A leader has the quality to not only lead a group, but a good leader also keeps a constant eye on his followers so that his troops don’t slip from the track.

Characteristic of a Leader: – Generally a leader is full of some leadership skills. To be a successful leader a person need to have some special skills. Some of them are as follows: –

• Good Personality
• Communicative Skills
• Self Confidence
• Friendliness
• Broader Minded
• Problem Solving Ability
• Approachable
• Hard Working

How leadership is necessary for different fields

Leadership on the battlefield: – It is believed that a battle can be won through the mind, not with weapons. The victory of a war depends on good leadership skills. A good captain can lead his army/troops easily towards victory.

Leadership in Sports: – Leadership skills are a much-needed ornament for any team game. So in every team sport, a captain is chosen to lead the team. The player who has leadership skills in his character is given the opportunity to lead the team. Leadership styles are different from person to person.

Leadership in management: – Good management can’t be imagined without a leader. Leadership and management are the terms that can be compared with both sides of a coin. For effective management, a good leader who is full of leadership skills is required. An efficient leader can drive a company to the top with his leadership qualities.

Conclusion to leadership essay: – Leadership skills are a much-needed skill in any field – whether it is an organization or an institution. Students can learn leadership skills from their school days. School or college unions have produced many efficient leaders in our country.

Essay on Science and Technology

  Long Essay on Leadership

(Leadership Essay in 600 Words)

Introduction to leadership essay: – There are many definitions of leadership. The word leadership has a broader meaning itself. Simply leadership is the action of leading a group of people or an organization. Again it can also be said that leadership is the art of motivating a group of people in order to achieve a common goal.

Leadership qualities

In order to be a good leader, one needs to have some unique leadership qualities or leadership skills. First of all, honesty is the foremost quality that a leader needs to be a successful leader. A good or successful leader is always honest in nature. A dishonest person can’t lead his group smoothly.

On the other hand, a good leader always inspires his followers and motivates them in achieving their goals. He also possesses good communication skills so that he can communicate with his group. He keeps a constant eye on his followers too. Simultaneously an efficient leader has decision-making capabilities too. He can take a quick decision as per situation demands.

Some leadership skills or qualities in points:

• A good leader possesses many skills. Some leadership skills are as follows: –
• Creativity and Innovation
• Honesty and loyalty
• Power to take responsibility
• Instant decision-making capability
• Problem-solving capability

Different types of leadership styles

There are different types of leadership styles in different situations. In total there are seven types of leadership styles. Laissez leadership, autocratic leadership, and participative leadership are known as the classic styles of leadership. There are some other leadership styles too such as situational leadership, transactional leadership, transformational leadership, and strategic leadership.

How leadership works in different fields

Leadership in Education: – Leadership in education or educational leadership is a combined process that unites the wisdom of the triangle i.e the teachers, parents, and students. The main goal of educational leadership or leadership in education is to strengthen the quality of education.

In educational leadership, the teachers, students, parents, and those who are involved in the process put their efforts together to upgrade the quality of education. A dream of success is prepared through educational leadership. On the other hand, educational leadership also prepares a good learning environment for the students. The teachers are considered the founder of educational leadership

Leadership in an organization: – An organization can’t be imagined without a leader. Leadership in the organization creates a crystal clear vision for the organization. A leader in an organization motivates the employees to reach the goal. He also shows them the vision of success.

The growth of the organization solely depends on the influence of leadership in the organization. As a whole leadership plays a vital role in the success and development of an organization.

Leadership in management: – Leadership in management and leadership in an organization sounds almost the same. But both are a little different from each other. Management is a part of an organization. To manage an organization in a smooth way a good leader is required.

Leadership in management is required to maintain a smooth relationship between the authority and the employees. In an organization, it is almost impossible for the higher authority to maintain a relationship or to motivate the employees all the time. The leader does it and leads the employee towards the goal.

To sum up: – It is a naïve task to write an essay on leadership in limited words as it is a vast topic to discuss. We have crafted this leadership essay for the students. We have tried to highlight the maximum points in this leadership essay.

Want a long essay on leadership?

The next essay is for YOU.

Lets SCROLL

Very Long Essay on Leadership

(Leadership essay in 900 Words)

“A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of credit” – Arnold H. Glasow

Leadership is the art of leading a group of people or an organization and influencing others to follow that direction. It may be defined as a position held by an individual in a group.

A leader is responsible for guiding a group of employees and developing and implementing a timeline for his team to reach their goal.

Leadership Qualities – Must have qualities of a great leader

Great leaders choose their group very carefully. They normally select members for their team that are well–organized and self–disciplined. They prefer skills, knowledge, and experience rather than a certificate which states the achievement of finishing a course or a university degree.

Great leaders inspire others. According to John Quincy Adams, if the action of a person inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more he is called a great leader. A great leader should always think positive and his positive approach must be visible through his actions.

A great leader should be always committed and passionate about his job. A committed leader always finds value and purpose in his organization and shares that commitment with his other team members.

It also helps him to gain the respect of his other team members and boosts extra energy to his team members which inspires them to perform better.

Another great skill for effective management and leadership is decision making. A great leader must have the ability to make the right decisions at right time. Leaders, who have well-developed decision-making ability, can make the perfect choice from a number of options.

Great leaders are also great communicators. If a leader wants to get results as early as possible, he must know how to communicate with his team and tell them the strategy to achieve the goal. If a person doesn’t know how to communicate with his team members effectively, he can never be a good leader.

Leadership Styles – Here, we are trying to cover 5 different types of ways people tend to lead an organization called Leadership Styles.

Democratic Leadership – In democratic leadership, a leader makes decisions based on the suggestions taken from each team member. This type of leadership is one of the most effective styles of leadership. A true democratic leader must have some qualities like distribution of responsibility among the group members, empowering group members, etc.

Autocratic Leadership – It is completely different from Democratic Leadership. Here, the leader makes decisions without taking any input from the members of the team. Leaders of this style typically make choices based on their own idea and choices and they don’t want to take suggestions from others in decision-making.

Laissez-faire Leadership – In this type of Leadership Style Leaders generally allow other team members to make the decisions. It is also known as Delegative Leadership. It is directly opposite to Autocratic Leadership as in this leadership style the Leaders make few decisions and allow their team members to choose the appropriate one.

Strategic Leadership – Strategic Leaders have the ability to influence other team members to willingly take decisions that enhance the prospects of the long-term success of the organization by keeping in mind short time financial stability. This type of Leadership style can be treated as one of the best Leadership styles as strategic thinking plays an important role in making a Business successful.

Transformational Leadership – Transformational Leadership is defined as a Leadership approach in which a leader works with his team to identify the most needed change. This type of leadership style is always transforming and improving upon the Company’s conventions. This highly encouraged leadership quality motivates the employees to see what they are capable of.

So, we have gone through different Leadership Styles and qualities. The above points are very important for students who want to write an in-depth Essay on Leadership. Now let’s read how leadership works in different fields and sectors.

Leadership in Education OR Educational Leadership – Leadership in Education or Educational Leadership is a combined process that unites the talents and energies of teachers, students, and parents towards achieving a common educational goal.

The primary goal of educational leadership is to create of vision of academic success for all students through collaboration with different individuals. There are different types of educational leadership styles like Servant Leadership, Transactional Leadership, Emotional Leadership, Transformational Leadership, etc.

Leadership in Organization OR Organizational Leadership – In Organizational Leadership, the leader motivates the people to a higher level of performance by setting up goals for both individuals and for a group of people. Leadership in an organization is nothing but an attitude that empowers an individual in the team to lead from the top, middle, or bottom of an organization.

Leadership in Psychology – Psychological Leadership is the process of influencing the team members of an organization in a different way so that it boosts their contribution to the realization of team goals. Successful leaders are psychologically stronger than other leaders and they also tend to symbolize integrity and emotional intelligence.

Conclusion of Leadership Essay – According to Warren Bennis “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality”. In this Leadership essay, we have tried our best to give an idea about some of the leadership qualities, and leadership styles along with a brief note about how leadership works in different fields like education, organization, etc.

This essay on leadership is composed by taking into consideration different examination criteria. We hope, the students from different standards get benefited from this essay.

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Feeling Stuck? 3 Key Words Can Help You

You are stuck, and you know it. You’ve tried everything—writing out your to-do lists, putting numbers or letters next to everything to help frame what you should prioritize, mapping it to your calendar—but nothing happens. The list grows, and you open your phone and start doom-scrolling. Maybe a tiny burst of inspiration gets you moving, but then you find yourself back to where you started, stuck again.

Sometimes, no amount of self-help tricks, electronic apps, or anything gets you moving. Try this:

Next Right Thing

Those three words, as obvious as they may be, are the most important and quickest way to get unstuck. Regaining momentum sometimes feels impossible when you are stuck, but the power to break free is in your hands. Doing the next right thing could be something mundane, such as taking out the trash or returning a call; the most minor completed tasks count! The important part is that you started taking action. Action leads to movement, and the movement gets you unstuck. You don’t need to overthink the next right thing; merely ask yourself the question, and whatever comes up, do that! No need to prioritize it either. Just ask the question and do what comes up at that moment. This simple act of taking control can empower you to overcome your stagnation.

With a startup or a small business, being stuck can quickly spiral into paralysis. Feelings of mounting work build, but there is nothing you can do to get you moving. The tasks feel almost too big even to start, and that is precisely when these three words matter most. Just get to the next right thing . There is another form of being stuck that is much bigger and more concerning for entrepreneurs: the dangers of a stuck culture.

A Stuck Culture

Being stuck or frozen can happen to entire companies and their cultures. These moments are ones you know because you can feel it; you feel the malaise in the organization. Meetings meander, and people almost walk around like stunt doubles in The Walking Dead. The Forbes Coaches Council revealed 12 Ways To Tell If Your Business has stagnated and highlights the importance of regular check-ins. This is not only critical for you as the leader, but it’s the perfect forum for you to instill into the team and culture, the next right thing.

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The causes of a stuck are manifold: It could be improbable goals, could be wandering meetings, a loss of faith in the CEO, or too numerous to mention. A stagnant culture can lead to decreased productivity, low morale, and even high turnover and employee loss; in other words, nothing good. Take charge, take the words, “Next Right Thing,” and insert those words into your lexicon and meetings.

Stuck cultures are around; you can see them, and you likely know people who work in them because they complain to you about how nothing gets done. You may even be in one. The focus becomes less and less about what work ahead is needed and more about what is not happening. You see this quite often when two companies are trying to merge in a very public way. Everybody knows companies merge to create synergies; the word, synergy usually translates to cost savings and fewer jobs. Fear washes over the culture and whatever creative process there was comes to a grinding halt. Internally, the conversations all hover around what will happen and how it will affect employees. The reality is that 99.9% of the employees are nowhere close to the actual information of what could happen, and frankly, there is a possibility that nothing could happen as well.

A stuck culture can also happen when companies are successful. Carl Lindsey discusses and provides a clear remedy: show gratitude . As a leader, being aware of it is the first key step to addressing it. Be the first on the team to acknowledge someone who is taking the next right step.

Having navigated these waters before with mergers, the exact three words provide a much-needed focus. You find solace by focusing on what you can control and then on the next right thing. The clarity offers a way to pivot away from whatever may be interfering with the business right then and there. This is how you can alleviate some of the anxiety and uncertainty of a stuck or frozen culture.

Apply the Words

Shift the mindset to the Next Right Thing

As the CEO, team leader, or a strong teammate, ask the simple question in the next meeting, “Okay, what’s the next right thing?” By leading with this question, you can encourage your team to focus on actionable steps and avoid feeling stuck. Much like on the personal side, start small. For someone, it could be just showing up to the meeting with an agenda or the next step on a project, whatever it is, and keep driving to ask the question.

You’ll feel the shift, you’ll see the work starting to flow, and people responding, but the critical element is to be consistent with querying what is the next right thing. It’s not a meeting; it’s a mindset. You’ll know it's sinking in when you hear the staff echoing back to you about what they are doing when you ask, “What are you working on today?” They reply, “The next right thing!” Take a moment to reflect on your current situation, identify the next right thing, and take action. Remember, the key to getting unstuck is to start moving forward.

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