In any open dialogue such as this the purpose behind the madness is to create a discussion on a topic that may be hard to nail down. A blog is an excellent way to voice an opinion on a subject and stir emotion from others because it is an easy forum for people to speak their minds in and create debate between the masses. The topic of leadership is unique because we all have experience with it either directly or indirectly, and whether we know it or not, it has affected us in some undeniable way, shape, or form. Even if a person has never been a leader for a minute of their lifetime, in any setting, someone has led them along the way (or at least tried to) and impacted their thoughts on the subject in at least a minute way. My goal of this blog is for people to understand that leadership isn't a birthright or a God-given trait, it is simply the application of the knowledge of how to motivate people or guide them in any way. A professor I had in Business School once posed a question to us as his goal for our take-away from his class: "Why do people do what they do in organizations, and what can I do, as a manager, to change that?" And it's a profound question because it really speaks to the old adage of "You'll never understand where a person is coming from until you've walked a mile in their shoes." and I feel that the topic of Mainstream, Modern Leadership deals with a set of complex issues that people must now deal with that maybe they didn't have to 5, 10, or 15 years ago.
In today's workplace a leader simply isn't going to be able to tell someone to do something and expect to have it done immediately. People are inquisitive: they want to know why they're doing things, if there's a specific way that it should be done, or how the completion of the task will help or hinder them personally. The leaders of today must be able to manage people differently depending on their personalities and experiences. The leaders of today must be able to give directives and show people the way at times. The leaders of today must be able to create the leaders of tomorrow through their guidance. And the leaders of today must be builders, teachers, and technicians of their people rather than drill sargents or generals. The modern workforce has changed and grown in a positive way. They want to strive for better and become more advanced in their trades, and they want leaders who will take them there.
Leadership in the modern world is a skill in and of itself. There must be a dream which turns into a vision and develops into a set of directives and goals. The leader must be consistent in his path to achieving these goals and must stay the course they've set to get there. To be effective leaders must build relationships with their people, always trying to grow closer to them in order to gain their trust and reliance. And above all, today's leaders must be rooted in a ground of solid ethics and disciplined morals because today's workforce has been swindled and had before, and they don't want to ever be taken for a dummy again.
All in all, modern leadership is a way of life. One must be fully devoted to its craft and to its protocols because it is an all-encompassing being. Many have tried and failed, but if someone truly commits themselves to being an honest and good person, being disciplined in the handling of themselves and of others, has a vision that shines to the fullest, and can handle situations with nimble feet then he or she has a chance to be a great leader in the modern world- a leader for the Mainstream.
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