Whether in our community, at work, or in the media, we observe strong leaders in action every day. Although not all leaders may be successful, the determination of these individuals is easily recognized. Specifically in the workplace, it is extremely important for business leaders to participate in some sort of management developing training since they are responsible for directing and organizing work for themselves and others. How does one become a great leader? Is there a step-by-step plan to follow? In becoming an exceptional leader, you must begin by distinguishing and differentiating excellent leadership. Leadership courses are available to anyone who may be looking to improve their own leadership skills as a manager.
The concept of leadership has been a topic of study for over 2500 years, dating back to Confucius and Socrates, all the way up until present time. When researching what leadership actually is, you may be surprised by the variety of answers that exist. In fact, there are over 350 different definitions of what leadership is—some of them very accurate and detailed to what one may expect, while others prove to be extremely perplexing. One good, humorous, definition of leadership reads: leadership is getting other people to do what you want, even when they don't want to.
Although there are many definitions of leadership, at the conclusion of your leadership courses, you will be able to formulate your own leadership style. A highlighted topic of your coursework will be recognizing the differences between an effective leader and an ineffective leader. Since this is a personal development topic, you will think of someone in your personal life experience who you consider to be an exceptional leader. Although you may admire a celebrity or a politician, it is important that you choose someone that you have a personal relationship with because you will be able to easily identify their leadership style and techniques. This could be a former or current boss or work colleague. On the other hand, it could be a teacher or sports coach from when you were in high school. Once you have made your choice, the next step is to create a list of attributes and actions that the person has possessed which make them a good leader.
Successful managers must also be great leaders. Therefore, in your business training, it becomes crucial to complete management development training. Specifically, you will be exposed to the Great Leader model of leadership, which dates back as far as Socrates and can be used in any industry. This theory recommends that in order to develop and improve your own leadership abilities, you must first study and observe the behaviors, skills, and talents of others who have done extremely well as leaders. Through emulating those actions, you will challenge yourself to become a more effective leader.
As aspiring effective leaders, many of us look for leadership courses to identify skills and abilities we would like to emulate. Once they are recognized, we can use them in our own lives to succeed as good managers and flourishing leaders.
