Reading this made me think of a quote I once read, “Delegating work works, provided the one delegating works, too.” Nothing can be worse than a leader who expects all the work to be done by someone else. I have worked at two places since I was 16, one restaurant in Nashville and one in Auburn. The two owners were so completely different.

My boss in Nashville barely ever communicated to us face to face, rather just sent memos. Most people were afraid to talk to him, so he only gained our respect through fear. I agree that no one wants to follow arrogance, this man believed that he was superior to us, so the decisions he made were the best. He was never even around enough to know what was really good for the restaurant.

On the other hand, my boss in Auburn is always around and keeps a constant communication flow between him, other managers, and employees. We have weekly meetings, and I never feel inferior to him, but I respect him as a leader. He is the first one to do the “dirty work” that is required. I think one of the most important qualities of a good leader is whether or not they are willing to do the work they expect other people to do.

My favorite part is also: “The good leaders don’t use line authority to succeed. They use communication and collaboration. The share information. They encourage us to be happy and successful. They teach. They pour themselves out to make the team successful.”

I have been in leadership positions here at Auburn, and I would like to think that I have been prepared to become a successful and positive leader in the “real” world as soon as I graduate. It is so important to remember that being a leader requires the help of other people and working together.

In high school I was the type of person that would rather do everything myself so I knew it was done right. That wasn’t such a big deal in high school because projects were small and not really a big deal. Then I came to college and I learned really quickly that I can’t do everything. The project also turns out better when you have other people’s thoughts and ideas and you put them all together. I agree with you that it is definitely not fun to have like you called a “control freak� in your group.

I am now the type of person who will be a leader if the group needs one but I also know how to sit back and follow someone’s lead if they take the lead. I think a lot of times there are too many chiefs and not enough Indians. However, after reading your post I am going to think even more about my role in group projects.

Thank you for this post. I think a lot of people, including me, will think about your five points and be a better leader or even try to become a leader next time were are working in groups.

We allow ourselves to be unhappy. A good leader calls for us to put away individual problems for that moment, and work togeather. Your reaction to a situation or unpleasant person is entirely up to you…either wallow is it or shake it off and be happy. To me, the sign of a good leader is the ability to keep moving no matter what life puts in your way. Some are better at this, I would like to improve. I admire leaders who can be proactive is supplying happiness, and strive to do my best for them and for myself.

Everyone has a different type of happiness that they are searching for, and thy go through those other goals not only to be happy, but to find and define themselves. What makes you happy at 20 is different than bliss at 25. I know that at 20, happiness was balancing my classes and social life so I don’t have to disappoint my parents with bad grades. With a vague idea of what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, I was happy to get my core classes out of the way. At 25, I am happy with the person I am. I have a more concise purpose to my work…but if all I ever am is Erin, than that’s ok too.

I have been influenced by good leaders-teachers, family members, employers. These people reinforced the fact that my work is a reflection of myself, no matter what that work may be. So I will take Dale Wolf’s reccomendations, but remeber to look at myself if I am unhappy.

In management classes that I’ve taken for my business minor, I learned that top managers in a company tend to have more conceptual skills while workers of lower status have more technical skills. This goes to show that if your personal goal is to have an executive position, then conceptual skills, such as experience and good communication, is key in that role.

I feel that the problem with unsuccessful leadership is that many people have an askewed view of what leadership is, and that they have difficulty distinguishing what a leader is and does. Many mistakenly think that a leader is all-powerful and always in control. However, a leader’s role is to promote success in a group completing a group task. This might include the leader dispersing the power to others or giving control to others to better serve the group’s interest and to better accomplish the ultimate goal.

I absolutely agree that the best time to start being a good leader is now. I also agree that each one of us should always have a goal to maintain a successful path in life.

True leaders that can provide inspiration and drive are our most valuable assets. We never know what we are capable of until we actually do it. Many of us may want to do these things and not even know they exsist. Obviously, I am still very much in the learning phase.

Leadership provides knowledge and insight into our every day tasks. It makes us look at things differently and handle things more productively. We cannot learn from someone who is insecure and on a power trip. But, we can learn from someone who has the ability to see the whole picture and lead toward the common goal.

Thanks for reminding us that no matter what the situation, we must slow down and focus on the big picture in order to succeed. Also, that we cannot accomplish great things without the help of others.

Little did I know, that was the hardest job I have had in my life. Serving as a leader, every action or emotion that you have is critiqued. One must balance the need for respect and admiration with friendship from your subordinates.

As Village Leader, many of my friends from the years past became my subordinates. I found it hard to maintain the same level of friendship while also serving as a boss.

The entire summer, I struggled. I learned that being a leader is tougher then it looks. It takes dedication, charisma, self-confidence and a high work ethic. I learned all these things through my struggle. I now respect those whom have balanced perfectly friendship and respect. I am also more critical of those who do not do it well.

Talking about being a leader is often a lot easier then seeing it in action. I firmly believe that great leaders are few and far between. Thinking about my own past bosses, I can name a lot more who have had control issues then I can name that I truly respected. So, yes I believe it is important to develop your own leadership skills but, I also know that it is not an easy task.

I have had jobs in high school, college and an internship where each leader was different. Who you work with, and mainly who you work under, can completely change your attitude about a job. During my internship this summer I saw what it was like to have a boss who interacted with employees, sincerely cared about the work they were doing, was open to questions, people were comfortable around her and she made work fun. I studied the way she talked to clients and employees and learned more about the way I want to be when I graduate and get a job. I agree that you should be confident in yourself and your abilities to be a good leader, and that is part of her success as a boss.

Having a leader who inspires you is such an important part of the workplace. If you are unmotivated, you will probably be unproductive. This post made me question if I am a good leader. I thought about the points Dale makes at the end, and applied them to my life. We are always going to be put in the hands of leaders. Public relations can be based on group effort, and you may be forced to take on the role as a leader at some point. Reading this post and thinking about how to improve yourself and your leadership skills could prepare you for the future. And I believe I always have room for improvement!

As Dale said, carrying your own load on assignments is important. I know with PR, there are many assignments that require group effort. If you do your part of the job and get it done effectively and timely, then that in itself shows great leadership qualities. The main goal in being a leader is making people happy. If people are not satisfied, they will become less productive and less efficient on the task at hand.

Above all, I believe leadership is the key to success. It has to be. Without leadership, tasks would never get done and their would always been unhappy people. Being happy is reflective and your co-workers and fellow students will feel the effects of your happiness. I guess if everyone did that, leadership would be flowing throughout the workplace, communities and schools.

After reading this post and thinking about the questions at the end, it made me really think about where i am today. Am i really happy with myself and my leadership roles? This post will definitely make me take time to think about things before i act or say before my peers. Thanks Dale, for an inspiring and positive post.

I agree that when being a leader in a classroom setting or in your buisness profession that you have to first evaluate yourself for the position. You have to know who you are and how you work with people. It’s like that old saying “Treat people the way you would like to be treated.” And that goes for everything not just when you are in a leader position.

Whenever I’ve been in a leader position it has just sort of happened that way because of my personality. I like to know what’s going on and participate in anything that I can help with. I think sometimes there are certain personality types that hinder people from becoming leaders in a group setting though because some people are that much more dominant in becoming the leader.

I also a agree that a good leader also has to be happy or content with themselves as well. In my experience, if my manager is having a rough time at home she will come into work and not even smile at anyone. It seems like her emotions take over her whole body and she is a different person. She will yell at people or make people do things that she would not normally make them do if she was having a good day.

I think leadership is very inspirational as well. Sometimes you don’t know who is going to impact your life or what you will learn from them. I think that it works both ways as well because leaders who don’t have a guard up with be able to read their peers more closely and work better with people that they get to know on a personal level.