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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 9, No. 9
Publication Date: September 25, 2022
DOI:10.14738/assrj.99.13175. Love, D. (2022). Leadership First: The Art of Leading. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 9(9). 597-603.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Leadership First: The Art of Leading
Derrick Love
Grand Canyon University
ABSTRACT
Effective leadership begins with an understanding of self and the ability to look
beyond oneself to see, project, and inspire others to grow. In this article, readers
will reflect on their leadership practices and core fundamental beliefs of what it
means to lead and how to effectively produce great results in the people they lead.
Leadership is a continuous growth process, and leaders must be willing to engage
and self-reflect daily to maximize the capacity of those around them.
Keywords: leadership, personal leadership, leadership traits, motivational leader,
transformational leader.
INTRODUCTION
Can innovation and disruption co-exist to move the leadership paradigm from what we think
to what we know works? That's a massive request to ask oneself, but the reality is that who we
are as a leader or becoming determines how we respond and act. I believe that disruption and
innovation can exist to create systemic change or create parameters for creativity, continuous
improvement, adaptability, and building upon past failures to make the necessary change
within the organization. Innovation and disruption begin with leaders taking an introspective
inventory of who they are as a leader. The knowledge of self is powerful and can cultivate a new
leadership paradigm within you. Leadership First is designed with you in mind to be the
disruptor and innovator to forge a new path of leadership.
There are many schools of thought when you think of leadership. The lens can be based on a
particular method, theory, or philosophical perspective. Effective leadership is achieved and
realized through the view of an individual. You will never know the depths of authentic
leadership until leadership has been tried and tested. No one can adequately prepare for
leadership, but you can receive the skills and tools to achieve it. However, few will attempt to
master leadership because of the continuous work it requires but a leader who is determined
will adjust and pivot to ensure that their leadership practices achieve tangible results amongst
the people they lead, hence a disruptor mindset. Leadership is cultivated through lived
experiences that cause a leader to engage, reflect, and act to effect change in the lives of the
people they lead, hence the innovator mindset.
Some people will choose to see leadership through various types, such as servant, transactional,
transformational, participative, delegative, and authoritarian. However, these leadership styles
have significant value, but the reality is that the utilization of how these styles are walked out
in the leader's life can look glaringly different. Many of these leadership styles are a mirror
reflection of the leader’s personality traits and confidence. Leadership is shaped and cultivated
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 9, Issue 9, September-2022
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
by your willingness to engage in ongoing dialogue with the self-using reflective questions such
as, how can I adjust my actions today to drive a better tomorrow?
Before individuals lead, they must understand who they are to lead others effectively. No one
method or methodology fits all. It embraces a new level of thought and harnesses creativity,
openness, and transparency. At the same time, accepting failures and hurts is an essential part
of the process. Any time you love something, it comes with some form of pain, humility,
possibility, and hope. But in the life of a disruptor/innovator, it’s the fuel needed to push the
vision forward.
There is so much to be admired when leadership is effective. Everyone grows, develops, and a
synergy is created and maintained to achieve the organization's goals. There are no
impossibilities but only testimonies of success when leadership is done effectively through the
lens of others first. Many characteristics discussed within this article will align with the various
leadership types mentioned previously. The journey to self-discovery is not being told who you
are but rather realizing and unpacking it yourself.
Organizations crawl over imbalance, tension, chaos, and complexity along the administration
stage. Yet, many more are unaware that the miracle to cure these needless conflicts is through
effective leadership. The foundation of great and steady leadership is at the root of every
structure!
Yes, it has been rightly said that a community that lacks quality leadership is like a ship without
a captain. The ship will surely hit the rocks, break into pieces, and sink to be seen no more. This
analogy underscores Leadership's essentiality as a vital element of any organization, school,
civic, or government entity. The heart of leadership must be understood and not undervalued.
It is the bedrock and cornerstone of success. Many may see leadership as means of obtaining
power, but the trustworthy source of leadership stems from something more profound than
power. It is the essence of truth to oneself and the love of effective change to increase the
capacity of others.
The absence of leadership in the workplace setting can produce challenges leading to a lack of
retention of highly effective workers, decreased employee morale, and loss of job performance
proficiency. Displaced school leadership could undermine education's value, hindering
educational reform from ensuring all children receive a high-quality education. Incompetent
leadership culminates in the mismanagement of funds and wastefulness of talents and
resources. And taking it further foretells certain aspects of this nation's history of inflation,
untold nationwide slavery, unnecessary hardship, and holistic underdevelopment is often the
result of a lack of effective leadership from a top-down and bottom-up model in this country.
The lack of leadership directly reflects the outcomes in all facets of society, government, and
education, to name a few. Displaced school leadership or the absence of any government,
organization, or company leaves a vacuum effect. The problems are mounting, and everyone
knows about them; however, no one accepts the responsibility of resolving them. The identity
of leadership is not present. Therefore, the company or organization misses the opportunity to
reach new levels or achieve its goals. In our culture today, the intensity of the problems climbing
is growing every day, such as school shutdowns, school closures, the political fight to mask or
not mask, and the list goes on. The call for effective leadership is now.
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Love, D. (2022). Leadership First: The Art of Leading. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 9(9). 597-603.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.99.13175
How else can we qualify the importance of leadership in our society? Humanity as a social being
cannot exist without the vital element of leadership. Some people may ask if there is really a
need for leadership. A recent article published by Psychology Today identified that leaders help
guide the mindset and work of others through influence, self-awareness, and the ability to
motivate and inspire others to reach personal and professional goals. Also, leadership helps
direct the internal resources of the organization, school, or district. They can position resources
within the organization for success1.
The ingredient of leadership in any organization is that it cannot be brushed aside unless we
are heading for chaos. From the minute microcosm to the greatest macrocosm of a society, the
place of leadership – quality leadership – cannot be overemphasized. It is the vehicle and tool
to lead effective teams, organizations, and schools. You cannot undercut leadership because it
is the catalyst to create systematic and lifelong change across any structure. The leadership
framework creates new organizational paradigms for growth, innovation, and creativity.
Digesting a new way of thinking is accepting that the old paradigm is not working and realizing
the need to pivot and adjust. This makes the difference between a manager and a leader.
Effective leader rises above the noise and chaos to look within to redefine purpose and vision
not only for themselves but for those they lead.
The bedrock of leadership can be said to be oneself. Why is that? This is because leadership does
not start with leading others. Instead, a leader will not thrive or influence others until they have
successfully led themselves--the best were great followers. Think of the greatest leader you
ever had. How strong was their character? How in-depth was their knowledge? How empathetic
were they? They most probably worked on themselves before attempting to work on others.
Drawing from a 20-year leadership experience, I can confidently say that leadership is at the
forefront of educational institutions, civic and governmental agencies, etc. Leadership's sole
purpose is to unravel knotty concepts and solve complex problems inherent in any growing
organizational structure committed to making a difference. Peter Drucker once said, "Only
three things happen naturally in organizations: friction, confusion, and underperformance;
everything else requires leadership."2 The leader must consider these elements before trying
to lead others to drive organizational change, societal advancement, personal growth, and
cultural improvement. It is not the abundance of resources that builds a nation but the
abundance of quality leadership. Unlimited resources in the hands of a limited leader are like a
grain of sugar in a cup of coffee – it will never be enough. On the other hand, limited resources
in an unlimited leader's hands are like the sands of the sea – signifying superabundance due to
wise utilization.
Leadership is never easy, but it can change the leader who leads its trajectory and scope when
done correctly. "Leadership is a matter of intelligence, trustworthiness, humaneness, courage,
and discipline. Reliance on intelligence alone results in rebelliousness" –Jia Lin, in a
commentary on Sun Tzu's Art of War, notes that authentic Leadership grows the individual
leading while creating organizational and cultural change that promotes growth and
sustainability. Imagine if we could all attain great leadership levels as individuals; you can
1 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/leadership
2 https://www.rgj.com/story/money/business/2019/01/22/everything-else-requires-leadership-ncet-biz-tips/2649856002/