In Harvey’s article, I liked how he said, “it is not enough for a leader to do or be one thing: honest, or charismatic, or “genuine”… Leadership is the executive function of the group, and as such it is comprised of distinct tasks”. Going off of our previous discussions, it is important to remember that leadership is not charisma. Rather, it is a collection of individuals working towards a common goal. One thing we talked about in my 102 class last semester is how leadership is the ever-changing relationship between leaders and followers.
I also think that Harvey’s reading brought up an interesting point about the Leadership Cycle. He comments that, “the work of leadership is never done”. He presented the seven questions, but then emphasizes that there is no definitive end to these questions, but it evolves over time and is shaped based on the members of the group and their needs. There is no one concrete answer for these types of things, especially when we live in such a fast paced environment where issues and discussions are constantly shifting and changing. Being able to adapt to different environments and communicate to achieve a common goal is so important in the study and execution of effective leadership. It emphasizes that, in such a rapidly changing world, we can’t have effective leadership without communication between all the different groups that make it work cohesively.
I agree that its’s important to reinforce the un-ending nature of leadership. It is constantly changing and evolving and leaders must remember that in order to keep meeting the needs of their followers.
I agree that leadership is unending. This concept of leadership never ending ties into the concept that a perfect world can never exist. Even when you think you have reached a state of utopia, there is bound to be something that is then deemed to be an issue even if it had not previously been considered an issue within society. Basically, what I’m trying to say, is that I believe that no matter how perfect society or the world seems to get, I think that there will always be something to become the ‘evil’ and leadership will be needed to to combat it. So, as Harvey said, “the work of leadership is never done.”
I agree also. When Harvey said the work of leadership is never done…I felt that. It’s just not rational to think that our society will achieve a utopia because there is always going to be opposition. That’s just the world we live in and leaders must learn to adapt and evolve based on the circumstances presented to them.
I liked the quote about leaders having multiple traits as well. It shows how psychologists have not been able to narrow down successful leadership traits to only one or a small group, they depend on so many things and they differ in most circumstances.
I agree with you when you point out that leadership evolves over time. It definitely does and the requirements for being considered a leader also change. It is interesting to watch these differences evolve over time.