Integrated Philosophy and Analysis of Personal Leadership

Integrated Philosophy and Analysis of Personal Leadership

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Introduction
Leadership can be explained in terms of knowledge, social judgment, and problem-solving skills. This article focuses on leadership styles such as; intercultural, charisma and ability to predict the future. It also reviews the strengths and weaknesses of this kind of model interpretation while relating closely to the leaderships skills of the POTUS Barrack Obama. I believe that this sort of model may provide a possible view for understanding a leader’s performance.
Leadership skills are summoned from within an individual, for instance, President Barrack Obama charmed the votes out of the Americans due with his charismatic nature. In the same light, the same traits that one person exhibits can exist within many other individuals. They just need to practice how to invoke the qualities when required to. People may need to exercise their leadership skills when ruminating about serious issues or when carrying out their responsibilities. Leadership, therefore, becomes a somewhat flexible idea centering on behaviors that motivate the group functions (Schaetti, Ramsey & Watanabe, 2008).
The “philosophy of leadership development of the past is not adequate anymore in dealing with the” difficult problems in the contemporary communities and organization (Schaetti, Ramsey & Watanabe, 2008). This philosophy holds an assumption that leadership is entirely based on persons who are capable of influencing and inspiring the rest to be better.

Traditionally, leadership was seen as an interpersonal interaction between subordinates and their leaders. The leadership theory in this article, however, suggests that effective leadership depends on the ability of a leader to solve social problems that come.
I believe that the emerging philosophy of leadership based on the bottom to top transformation empowers community building and shared authority (Schaetti, Ramsey & Watanabe, 2008). The nature of leadership is eloquently expressed as flexible and action-oriented. A charismatic leader has a mysterious making others see things his way and motivate them to achieve goals that ensure the greater good.
During the first term in government, President Obama convinced the Americans to believe in his vision by showing them the actual possibility of bringing about change in both domestic and foreign affairs. Similarly, leadership as a “relationship revolves around the concept” of a system of flexible connections and is founded on concepts such as participation, empowerment, and service (Schaetti, Ramsey & Watanabe, 2008). On the other hand, leadership in community relies on the concept of a setting which leadership and relationships occur naturally.
Charismatic leadership is transformational if it motivates the people to accept and follow the vision of the leader. Commitment to the community brings about change from competition and self-centeredness. They ensure the model accounts for organization and also provides a safe place where spirituality can be expressed freely and “important values such as trust, commitment, sharing, and ownership” can be nurtured (Case, French & Simpson, 2011).
President Obama approached the rest of the world in a more intercultural way. He considered the interests of the other countries as well as those of the United States. “He traveled more than any of his predecessors” in an attempt to form strong ties with the other nations (Case, French & Simpson, 2011). However, leadership development in the 21st century is centered on organizations rather than individuals. Its driving forces are learning, vision, action, and the community as a whole. According to this holistic program, I expect leadership development changes to focus mainly on individuals rather than organizations.
The particular “community-based leadership development effort was labeled community action leadership development (CALD)” and explained as the enhancement of vigorous communities that share their leadership and are committed to learning hence building towards a unified vision (Case, French & Simpson, 2011). The paper will focus on the growth of a community through developing the identity of the group, spirit, and readiness to work towards their goal. It requires high levels of commitment and loyalty to the course. “Organizational development is the” rise in the ability of a group to involve themselves in a joint and efficient action to achieve team goals while “leadership development is the growth of” individual capacity to facilitate development in the community and organization (Case, French & Simpson, 2011). I believe “community action leadership development” is the development of leadership for communal organizations (Case, French & Simpson, 2011). It aims to develop individual abilities to carry out actions efficiently and build a collective spirit.
The framework for Community Action Leadership Development is made up of four sections steered by a holistic philosophy that forms the frame for the view of leadership, links these elements to seven values based on actions, examines the part played by leaders to promote CALD and apply principles methodologically to these processes. These work values are: I believe that developing a shared vision which focuses on the future and builds on a group’s strengths is essential to achieving the goal. Vision gives purpose and meaning to group efforts. It also enables members do away with selfish interests and maintain motivation. A shared vision makes it possible to have a framework for action.
My thoughts on teamwork in organizations are that it ensures leadership roles are divided equally, and everyone is responsible for group activities. Trust is the absolute requirement, and it is developed through honesty and open communication. Leaders promote the development of members of the community by being good role models, inspiring them and teaching them. The effectiveness of CALD relies on knowledge, which informs action and gives meaning to vision. Group members not only contribute knowledge but also build on their own through the cycle of learning which involves reflecting, planning and conducting the programs together (Keramidas, 2005).
At the very core of CALD is a community that cares enough to have high morals and trusting relationships. This care can be seen through respecting and embracing diversity when the members come together. President Barrack Obama expressed great morals through respecting other people’s cultures and exhibiting humility even though he held the highest office in the land. He took time out of his busy schedule to learn the greeting culture of nations like Cambodia, and when he visited Vietnam, he stopped for a meal at a small restaurant by the road.
Collective energy gives a group the ability to obtain and develop the resources necessary to the process of achieving its goals. A group must focus on building its capacity and developing the organization so as to nurture it. This promotes collective learning, planning, and decision making. After several attempts by the President to bring peace and harmony to the Middle East, the world begun to embrace China and Russia and the President received the Nobel Peace Prize for the fruitful attempts.
Acting together merges generates team energy and helps the group move faster towards its vision. The process of action requires strategy, teamwork, analysis and organizing the resources of the community together with its assets. Facilitators must be committed and dedicated to the group’s welfare and processes. Strong interpersonal communication is vital to any group taking part in CALD. Proper communication requires listening to others, respecting each other’s opinions, having common ground in case of conflict, keeping an open-mind and having positive attitudes. Sharing accurate information builds trust and contributes towards taking relevant and well-targeted actions.
The function of Leaders
Communities are committed to having leaders, and this does not mean that leaders are heroes; rather they are administrators who practice the principles of CALD discussed in the succeeding sentences. Facilitation which is development efforts of leadership based on formal or informal teaching involves enabling the improvement of a co-operative learning group which values diversity. Conflict in such cases should be resolved constructively. This process is built on value, support, and community building. President Obama never shied away from challenges, and he made tough choices without mincing his words as long as it meant a better future for the country. He remained firm even when the Congress would not work with him. He did what was necessary to ensure the automobile industry did not fail.
I believe that focusing on the learner in these leadership development programs enables them to understand the situational context according to which their leadership is based; the needs of the student, the strengths, and the issues being looked at. This is the most efficient means used to ensure participants control the learning process. Everyone has the potential of being a leader and can take on certain roles at given times hence leadership is a mutual relationship among members of an organization. This view suggests a group-oriented approach to leadership development, one that is entirely focused on capacity building and organizational development.
Leadership development programs that are out of context have little influence because the practicing of the theoretical aspects of the program rarely happens. Therefore, the efforts of CALD that are aimed at long-term sustainability must involve learning guided by real issues that are faced by the groups, practical learning, and current evaluation. One has to determine the CALD content in liaison with participants and under no circumstances can it be prescribed. The initial meeting could overview community action leadership; give an outline of possible areas of content, and an exercise of institutional diagnosis. “The outline could be organized around the seven action values then subdivided into many more specific topics to choose from” (Case, French & Simpson, 2011).
In more ways than one, the methods used in CALD efforts are in the content. By being part of the learning group, members can learn the art of decision making, facilitation, teamwork and, conflict management. A mutual expansion is balanced to make leadership development its feature of the 21st century hence “a unique and timely contribution to the field” of development in community leadership (Case, French & Simpson, 2011). It is valuable to note that this is neither a program nor a curriculum. Also, it is not a manual or a repetition of contemporary practice. Rather, it is a perspective collection of ideas that are the foundation of the several undiscovered alterations of community leadership development activities.
Its role is to provide a contemporary and visionary guide for organizing community action leadership development with values. Accepting this school of thought may, however, require significant changes in personal actions, conceptual application, and organizational outlook. If such a theoretical framework shifts from concept to practice, it has to be applied consistently and creatively. Time, resources, and devotion must be committed to implementing it positively and in a professional fashion and organizational development paying particular attention to the combination and sustainability of the approach. For instance, the philosophy surrounding the framework should be sculpted in the internal operations of the organization.
Other strategies include the advanced development of the framework through dialogue, researching case studies; using the framework to link and combine existing leadership development efforts; and establishing national and worldwide CALD networks to promote experimentation, training, and research. I believe that this program has the advantage of using its place to steer in a new era in the development of leadership distinguished by the wholeness of its community, learning, vision, and action. It has a responsibility to accept and share this people-centered model given its history and present mission of spreading knowledge to citizens that need it.
Leadership in a social worker’s profession is critical in response to socio-economic, cultural, and political efforts that shape the provision of social services according to Keramidas (2005). They imply that vision is an important part of leadership, which is influenced by the personal direction, professional values, political, economic and internal to external environment which the leader works. As people place more emphasis on leadership at the expense of management, it gets evident “that the administrative behaviors of a leader may be” influenced less by nominal decision-making attributes, rather by the vision that the particular leader holds (Keramidas, 2005). In this scenario, it appears as though a chance is rising for social laborers to discover an array of world views that one could internalize in a way that could influence the vision of leadership that they have for their community. “This could mean combining information on leadership from cultural views with the information offered by Western culture perspectives on leadership” (Keramidas, 2005).
The teachings of a philosopher by the name Confucius are demonstrated in relation to elements of transformational western, culture-based leadership theory. Some of these components include: “civilizing influence, inspirational motivation, individual stimulation and intellectual consideration” (Majuru & Goerge, 2015). These factors are important suggestions for leaders to identify ways to combine both western and eastern theoretical and philosophical Confucius’s concepts so as to advance their ability to lead (Majuru & Grigore, 2015).
Leadership Perspectives
I believe leadership is the developing quality of a person’s character which encourages other people to want to emulate them. Primarily, it is enhanced by the principles of respect and trust that a leader can invent. An important aspect of leadership is to endeavor towards an almost perfect behavior. A real leader is always willing and capable of serving as a role model to his followers. Confucius maintained that leadership existed within an individual, but was not for the idea that those qualities were inborn. On the contrary, he believed that these traits could be “acquired through a conscious effort of self-improvement and constant learning” (Sinclair & Lips-Wiersma, 2008). Real leadership, therefore, is available to anyone who is ready to commit themselves on a path to having high moral standards (Sinclair & Lips-Wiersma, 2008).
At this juncture, it may already be evident that according to Confucius, the path to real leadership is marred with a lot of challenges. It is not a simple job to continually engage in self-improvement. Also, a journey of this nature only starts at the beginning, which is, the flat ground; therefore it demands a lot of patience and determination (Chan, 2008). The “Confucian path to leadership has two aims internal goal of” inner perfection of an individual and an external goal of social harmony achieved through the leaders having exemplary conduct (Chan, 2008). Basing on the works of Schaetti, Ramsey & Watanabe (2008), a significant leadership concept is known as transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is experienced when a leader transforms his followers under the following criteria: 1) The followers to trust the leader, and change their behaviors in ways that add to the realization of the goals of the organization. 2) The transformation should also instill in them a personal drive to attain high-performance scores. 3) The followers should exhibit an increased consciousness to the significance of their duties and the benefits of good performance. 4) Finally, the subordinates should become aware of the need for individual growth and development.
Transformational leaders encourage their assistants “to work for the greater good of the organization rather than their personal gain” (Sinclair & Lips-Wiersma, 2008). Transformational leaders are primarily assumed to have the ability to achieve the group goals through fulfilling the reasonable wants of their followers. These particular needs are based on a higher order of wants. They are personal needs which have a close association with the personal factors that motivate the follower.
I believe it is important for leaders to set their hearts right before they embark on the journey of inspiring others according to this course. Mostly, inspiration is drawn from the morals exhibited by the leader. The Confucian model upholds “the notion that collective action can be directed through the virtuous behavior of individuals leading one another (Sinclair & Lips-Wiersma, 2008). Noble models have excellent power, and morally upright persons can inspire change in others through their deeds (Schaetti, Ramsey & Watanabe, 2008).
Conclusion
The paper addresses the values, definition, and principles of the leadership development framework. I believe a change in the conceptual application, personal practices, and organizational actions is necessary. According to my thoughts in this context, leadership development changes from being focused on an individual to having a more common focus. It has seen an evolution from packaged curriculum to modernized educational processes focused on building and maintaining relationships and from private leadership development to programs deeply rooted in substantial issues identified by the participants in the process.

References
Case, P., French, R., & Simpson, P. (2011). Philosophy of leadership.Sage handbook of
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Keramidas, O. (2005). Measure of mobilisation at work: a management by equity: a new
philosophy for leadership in public sector organisations.International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management, 5(2), 164-179.
Majuru, A., & Grigore, A. M. (2015). How To Build a Leader?. Manager, (21), 161.
Schaetti, B. F., Ramsey, S. J., & Watanabe, G. C. (2008). Personal leadership: Making a world
of difference: A methodology of two principles and six practices. FlyingKite Publications.
Sinclair, A., & Lips-Wiersma, M. (2008). Leadership for the disillusioned: Moving beyond
myths and heroes to leading that liberates.