Mark Lyons

LDRS 1016
4/23/14
Leadership Philosophy
The word leadership, has invoked varying philosophies throughout the centuries,
derived from individuals values, beliefs, and life experiences. To me, leadership, followership,
and citizenship are supporting roles that are combined to achieve a common goal of a group.
Leadership by itself is someone who points people in the right direction that will benefit the
cause or the members of the group. The leader should also be assisting others only to further the
group, but to develop their own personal leadership abilities as well. I believe followership is a
stepping stone to being a leader. Followers are people that do the majority of the work for the
common cause by following the direction that the leader points them in. The follower should be
constantly watching the leader to improve their own leadership abilities. Citizenship is usually
the general direction of the goal, which is to benefit the community in some way, meaning that
both the leader and their followers partake in community service along the way.
My views on leadership have not changed dramatically over the course of this year.
Instead, I believe that my views have been greatly reinforced by the readings and activities from
both the 1015 and 1016 courses. With readings from 1015 like Aristotle and his view that a
leader must learn to obey before learning how to command others, to Bernard Bass and his view
that there is not a real definition of leadership have only strengthened my views on leadership.
Also with activities from 1016, like the individual facilitation and stepping out of a comfort zone
to tackle an issue are sometimes necessary for a leader. Prior to these courses I believed that
leadership was defined as someone that was president or CEO of a business, an organization or
group. I knew everyones definition of a leader was different for everyone based on my
experiences and speaking to others. When there are scholars that study leadership, such as those
who wrote passages in Wren, all have different viewpoints on the right way to lead and their
own personal definition of leadership, which is a prime example as to reasoning behind there
being multiple leadership definitions. One element of my leadership philosophy that did change
was the realization that followership was a stepping stone to becoming an exceptional leader and
also that followership was a role that one uses to refine their own leadership abilities. Regardless
of definition, leadership, followership, and citizenship are all connected in some way, and that is
no different than my own leadership philosophy.
Leadership and followership are important in all groups and organizations. In order to be
successful, there must be a leader willing to take control and followers ready to act. This leader
is the guiding tool in the organization. The leader role is to set the vision for the group of
followers that enact the jobs seen fit to accomplish the common goal. Without this guidance, an
organization can be in shambles and it would be the leaders responsibility to take criticism for
the success or downfall of their work.
Leadership is relevant to me, because I see leadership as a necessary part of my life. To
be successful you must take a step forward and be that guiding light for others. The potential
recognition will allow oneself to be seen in a new way by his/her peers and be likely to advance
in the working world. This is why I practice leadership in as many aspects of my life as possible.
On campus, I have taken leadership roles in many different organizations that allow me to
expand my horizons. The exposure to new experiences will allow for larger culturing and better
leadership style through trial and error. Back home, I take leadership as a profession. As a
basketball referee you cant be afraid to go out and voice your opinion. You must stand by what
you know and your beliefs to call a fair game.
Leadership is all around us. It is visible in everything from large organizations and
groups, to more menial things such as a local youth club basketball referee. However,
continuously refining ones own leadership technique by progressing through the cycle of
leadership, followership, and citizenship allows for one to be the most successful leader
possible.