Running Head: REFLECTION PAPER: DEFINING A LEADER

Reflection Paper: Defining a Leader

Pearis L. Bellamy
Professor Jarvis
LEA- 201
September 8, 2014

REFLECTION PAPER: DEFINING A LEADER

Introduction
In chapters one and two of Leadership: Theory and Practice by Peter G. Northouse, he
discusses the difficulty of truly defining leadership. He also discusses how the definitions of
leadership have changed over the years and the different theories on leadership. Some believe
that leadership is a trait and certain attributes make up a leader. However, others believe
leadership is a process that can be learned by anyone. Also, the idea of being assigned a
leadership position and emerging into a leadership position is considered. Another concept, Peter
G. Northouse discusses is the idea of power and leadership. There are two types of power that
correlate with assigned leadership and emergent leadership. The second chapter expounds on the
trait approach to leadership and references research on the idea of leadership being a trait and the
different traits that are common in leaders. The text further explores the strengths and criticisms
of the trait approach of leadership. In class, we also spoke about what a leader is and Professor
Jarvis provided the class with a few words of advice that are known as Jarvisisms. He
encouraged each of us to think about what kind of leader we would like to be. I was able to learn
more about the definition of leadership and encouraged to think of what kind of leader I would
like to be.
Defining Leadership
The text provided many different perspectives on leadership and showed the evolution of
the definition of leadership over the years. I feel that leadership is a complex concept. However,
I agree that leadership involves influence. According to Northouse, Leadership is the process
whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal (Northouse,
2012). The two different approaches to leadership are truly intriguing to explore and I feel are
true in certain contexts. For example, I do believe there are people who are born leaders.

REFLECTION PAPER: DEFINING A LEADER

However, if they never learn the process of leadership and how to use their leadership properly,
they will never live up to their true potential and be the leaders they were meant to be.
Assigned versus Emergent Leadership
Simply being assigned a leadership role, does not make a leader. In the text, Northouse
even says, Yet the person assigned to a leadership position does not always become the real
leader in a particular setting. I feel this is true because leadership requires much more that being
assigned a position. Some leaders are able to emerge even from the lowest positions and gain the
respect of their counterparts. For example, Oprah was not born into a wealthy family nor did she
start out as a C.E.O. She had to rise through the rankings and is now, arguably, one of the most
influential people in the world today. Oprah was not assigned the position of most influential
person but emerged as a leader through her work.
Leadership and Power
In Leadership: Theory and Practice the author states that Power is related to leadership
because it is part of the influence process (Northouse, 2012). Most leaders have power. If I am
a leader in a particular organization, I have the power to influence the members of that group
because they chose me as one of their leaders. I also realized that I would like to be a leader who
has referent and expert power. I would like those who follow my lead to like me but also
perceive me as knowledgeable about the tasks and goals of the group. From reading the section
on leadership and power, I was able to recognize that leadership is very serious because you have
the power to influence those that follow you even if that influence is positive or negative.
The Trait Approach
The trait approach is one of the approaches to leadership. This approach suggests there
are particular traits that make up leaders. The most common traits found by researchers were

REFLECTION PAPER: DEFINING A LEADER

intelligence, self-confidence, determination, integrity and sociability. When I think of most
people that I consider leaders, they possess most of these traits. For example, one of my favorite
motivational speakers, Iyanla Vanzant, has all of these traits. She is well informed about God,
motivation, inspiration and life. She has self- confidence and even when she enters
uncomfortable or hostile situations is confident in her skills. Iyanla Vanzant does not stop and
despite facing setbacks she continues to move forward. She also has integrity and does what is
right no matter the situation. Lastly, she is sociable and works well with others and can empower
even the most difficult person.
What Kind of Leader Do I Want to Be?
After reading chapter one and two, I feel that I want to be a leader that has personal
power. I want people to want to follow me not because of my position but because they believe
in the ideas and goals I have. I also would like to be an emergent leader. I want to be able to
lead no matter my position while still being respectful to those in a higher position than me. For
example, I worked at a water resort, and I would lead my coworkers by being nice to customers
and treating everyone with respect. I also tried to make sure that I knew the duties for my job
and other jobs at the water resort. Eventually, my managers would ask me to train new party
hosts and my coworkers came to me for advice. I want to embrace the Jarvisisms discussed in
class. The first Jarvisism is Everyone has their own agenda. Everyone has something they
plan to accomplish (Jarvis, 2014). Either you are beneficial or detrimental to that plan. I feel
that it is important to keep this in mind when working with other people. So, when someone
circumvents or disregards your authority you should not take what they did personally. The
second Jarvisism is The early bird catches the worm. But the earlier bird owns the nest. This
means that you must always prepare (Jarvis, 2014). Along with the first two Jarvisisms, we

REFLECTION PAPER: DEFINING A LEADER

discussed how followers judge there leaders and their actions. I want to be a leader that people
want to be like. I do not want to display cognitive dissonance and be a contradiction. I want to
inspire others to live their best life with both what I say and what I do.
Conclusion
This weeks lesson encouraged me to think about the definition of leadership and what
kind of leader I want to be. The text provided information on the evolution of the definition of
leadership and on one of the more popular approaches on leadership, the trait approach
(Northouse, 2012). Professor Jarviss lecture provided the class with valuable advice. This
lesson allowed me to realize that I want to be an emergent leader. I also would like to have
personal and reverent power. I plan to be a positive leader in the world and empower others to
achieve their dreams and live the best life possible. I feel this lesson helped me to recognize how
I can go about that.

REFLECTION PAPER: DEFINING A LEADER

Reference List
Jarvis, R. (2014, September) Defining Leadership. Class. Lecture conducted from Hampton
University, Hampton, VA.
Northouse, P.G. (2012). Leadership: Theory and Practice (6th ed.). Sage Publications.