Leaders are readers
……… Leaders are readers…
Words that are repeated in my ministerial studies class by a man that I highly would now consider a great leader.
When I first think about what those words mean, I think about picking up a book and gaining as much knowledge as I can to be the very best leader that I can. However, as I continue sipping my green passion fruit tea and listening to his lecture while trying to complete other classes work, he stops and begins to explain that statement.
Leaders are readers… He states once more.
“Not just merely readers of books and material text; but readers of people and situations”
He goes on explaining that in order to be an effective leader, one must have the capability and the understanding that not only must you gain much knowledge but one must be sensitive, understandable and be ready always to read an individual and their needs.
This situation popped in my head while reading the Northouse text because the individual that was teaching this lesson was in fact a leader that I never “considered a leader”. When I thought about a leader, I always thought about someone who was vocal, in your face, dominant personality, not afraid to hurt feelings if necessary and everything else that could be thought about as a “generic-typical leader”; however this man teaching this class was far from those traits.
He was humble, very nice, and approachable. Rather he demonstrates leadership traits that Northouse gives in his text. “Intelligent, having self confidence, Determination, having integrity, sociability” were listed as major leadership traits (Page 23). The man standing right in front of me, who I perceived as a quiet, passive, intelligent, confident person who has now captured and transformed the thinking of many students with just a few words is now in my mind one of the biggest leader in my personal life.
Reference:
Northouse, P. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice, 7th Ed. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications.
Abigail,
Leaders come in very different forms, personalities and have varying traits. Leaders can be vocal in your face type of leaders, or quiet and reserved. The traits that Northouse lists that leaders should have include intelligence, self-confidence, determination, integrity, and sociability (Northouse, 2016). One of the most important traits that a leader must have is sociability. Sociability is described as a leaders inclination to seek out pleasant social relationships (Northouse, 2016). These types of leader have the ability to be friendly, outgoing, and diplomatic. These types of leaders are able to relate to their followers and understand their needs. This type of leader also has the ability to form highly functional teams that are capable of great achievement.
References:
Northouse, P. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice, 7th Ed. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications.