KAITLYN SAMPSON

LEADERSHIP FINAL
PROJECT
LST 201 A
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

LEADERSHIP STRENGHTS #6-7

LEADERSHIP THEORIES #7-9

LEADERS #9-11

LEADERSHIP LEGACY #11-12

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PERSONAL DEFINITION OF LEADERSHIP

To be a leader one doesnt have to be appointed a title. Most of the time the leader

is appointed but there is a leader in almost everything one will do, even if that means

being a leader of yourself. To be a leader, one can and must be a combination of many

aspects. A leader must be authentic. One cannot expect things to get done or people to

follow them if they are not genuine. Another quality that a leader should obtain should be

punctuality. A leader should be on time to everything and show up to scheduled events. If

the leader cant even be on time or present, than why would they aspect their workers or

followers to show up to events or be on time. Along with being on time, a leader should

be personable. If your leader is not someone you can look up to and connect with than

respect and motivation to do the work for the leader would be hard to find.

When a leader wants something done, more aspects of a good leader are critical.

A leader shouldnt be rude or demanding when something needs to be done. A leader

should also make the work place or event, to which people are working at, a safe and

enjoyable environment. If people are not feeling comfortable or having a good time than

they will not produce good work. However, a leader should not focus fully on making it

fun and only pleasing people. A leader needs to have respect and stand their ground and

not just let everything go because that is when leaders can easily be taken advantage of.

Also when the work place is too fun more play than work goes on.

Some things good leaders should not do would be have favorites or make then

known, be unprofessional, and be a dictator. When a leader has favorites or makes them

know, a variety of things can happen. Workers can be jealous and it can create a hostile or

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dramatic work place, those who are the favorites might not produce great work because

they know they can get away with it, or the favorites might forget their role and not

take into consideration that they are not the leader which can also create drama. A leader

also needs to be professional. If a leader is unprofessional it can lead to problems in the

workplace, problems for the leader in many ways; legally for example, and it can lead

problems for whoever is involved. The more professional a leader is the better the

workplace will run smoothly. And finally a leader should not be a dictator. A leader

should be able to lead, delegate, and do the work with their workers or followers instead

of yelling, being lazy, having their workers do all the work, and not helping. When a

leader does the work with their followers, the leader gains respect and more good work is

produced.

CORE VALUES
I hold a lot of core values and there are reasons behind each value that I hold. My

first value is honesty. I am a very honest person and I expect people to be honest with me,

not matter what the circumstances. The next value is loyalty. I take pride in being a

person that one can rely on and being a person that no matter what happens someone can

say I go their back and they dont have to question that. The next core value that I hold is

punctuality. I love and feel the need to being on time, if not on time early. I dont like

when people are late or cancel on me because I never keep people waiting or reschedule.

And the last core value that I hold and that incorporates all the other values is trust. I am

very trusting, however once that is gone it doesnt come back, which could be looked at

as a positive as well as a negative. I trust people, but they can also trust me. How this ties

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in the other values is that trust is required in all the values. One has to trust that I will

always be honest, loyal, and on time. These 4 core values are important when making a

personal mission statement.

PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT

It is my personal mission to always be the best I can be. When being a leader I

will always be honest. Whoever I am leading will know that I will never lie to them and

they can come to me for any advice or approval and it will be the honest truth. I will

always be loyal to whoever is working for and with me. If the work that I want is being

produced they will be rewarded and praised for doing what they are supposed to do and

for doing it well. However, it is important to keep the loyalty when the worker isnt doing

enough to produce what is needed. I will work with them on what needs improvement

and still give praise when good things are being done. I also promise to always be on

time. I expect my workers or followers to always be on time, and I will lead by example.

Through every task, event, or activity I will trust my workers and followers and I will

make sure to instill that they have trust in me as a leader.

LEADERSHIP QUOTE
The most powerful leadership tool you have is your own personal example.

-John Wooden

I really like this quote because, like I have said in my personal mission statement, as a

leader I try to lead by example. I think one of the worse things you can be as a leader is a

hypocrite. When you are leading people it is important to set an example and led how you

would want to be lead. Going along with my personal mission statement, if I am always

honest, loyal, on time, and trusting than I expect nothing but that from the people I am

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leading and I think I will see positive results if I am using the most powerful leadership

tool which is leading by example.

Honesty. 1. Being truthful to others 2. Being truthful to yourself 3. Doing whats

right regardless of whos around 4. Being someone others can trust.

-Unknown

I like this quote because it sums up why honesty is one of my core values. I take pride in

being truthful to others. I constantly use the saying/ quote Honesty is the best policy.

But I also think, as a leader, it is important to be truthful to yourself because you have

other people, your workers or followers, to think about. I think its especially important to

do what is right no matter who is around. As a leader you must always do what is right by

as a worker you need to do the right thing no matter who is around because integrity is

very important and it will reflect on nobody but yourself. And finally you should be

someone that others can trust. In my core values I stated that I take pride in people

trusting in me. If you are not an honest leader than how will you expect people to trust

you or be honest with you?

Respect is earned. Honesty is appreciated. Trust is gained. Loyalty is returned.

-Unknown

I think this final quote really sums up my personal mission statement, minus the being on

time. First, respect is earned. I think it is important to always remember that respect

earned not given. You can be a leader, but that does not mean your followers or workers

will respect you. As a leader you should strive to remain in the leader role but gain your

workers support and respect. Next is honesty is appreciated. I have covered this in the

above quote, but everyone, whether you want to hear it or not, appreciates honesty. Trust

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is gained is the third point. Just like respect, you have to gain someones trust. People do

not automatically trust you because you are the leader. As the leader you have to show

your workers or followers why you are cut out for the role and gain their trust. Trust

happens over time, so it is important to be consistent and not get discouraged. And

finally, loyalty is returned. If you stay loyal to your workers, your followers, your

costumers/clients, they will be happy and that loyalty will be returned. If you do all these

things I think one could be a great leader and thats why these core values are in my

mission statement and what I strive for as a leader.

LEADERSHIP STRENGHTS
When thinking about my personal strengths, many aspects come to mind. Some

things that I am good at include communication skills, being a great listener, writing

skills, and athletics. I also am very understanding, very observant, I have a hard work

ethic, and a great sense of humor. When it comes to communication, I have no problem

telling someone how I feel, what I want, or asking questions. When communicating with

someone, even though I am very confident in my skills I am also approachable to talk to

because im not overpowering and I let others talk and listen to what they have to say. My

writing skills are important because I have a way with words. It is not hard for me to

write out what is on my mind or what I am feeling. I also can get my point across well

when writing. When taking exams, essay and short answer questions are my favorite and

I excel at them. I am also talented in athletics. I can play various sports and I know what

is going on in the game or in the world of sports. This is a good strength for my physical

health but it can also be a conversation starter.

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I think a very good strength that I hold is the ability to be understanding. I am never

judgmental and I tend to put myself in others shoes, but I can do this well without being

taken advantage of. I am also very observant. I notice little details just as much a big

details. I pay attention and make connections which could help in various aspects of my

life. One strength that I think will take me far in life is my work ethic. When I put my

mind to something I get it done. I also strive for perfection and like to do my job or task

to the best of my ability. My final strength would be a good sense of humor. I think

having a good sense of humor is important. You have to enjoy what you do and have fun

while doing it. I also enjoy making others laugh and have a good time. Some strategies to

reinforce my strengths could include keeping an open mind, dont be too serious all the

time, dont be afraid to make changes or ask for help, and to always self-reflect to

maintain my strengths.

LEADERSHIP THEORIES
Situational Leadership:

In this leadership theory the leader leads specifically to the situation. The leader

also has to adjust their leadership style based on readiness of the follower. I think this

style is very important and very useful because it is used and modified in any

setting/situation. It is hard to say how I can use this since it does depend on the situation,

however it is nice to have a leadership style that works with any situation. I think it is

also a good theory because it goes off of the readiness of the followers, which is

important because it takes the followers and their feeling into consideration.

Transactional Leadership:

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 Transactional leadership is an approach that emphasizes the importance of the

relationship between leader and followers, focusing on the mutual benefits derived from a

form of 'contract' through which the leader delivers such things as rewards or recognition

in return for the commitment or loyalty of the followers. I like this theory because it goes

alone with my personal mission. I want a relationship with my workers and believe in

praise. I also want commitment and loyalty from my followers, so I think that went along

with my mission perfectly. However, with this theory a leader needs to be careful. This

theory could get sticky because leaders could easily bribe and pay for followers

leadership which is not a route that I want to go. I want my followers or workers to be

loyal and respect me for the right reason. A good leader shouldnt have to bribe or pay for

their followers or workers to like them, respect them, or produce quality work for them.

Ethical Leadership:

I really like ethical leadership because it looks at, both, the leaders behavior and

the leaders character. This theory also looks at the leaders conduct and their

consequences and the rules or duty that the leader conducts. I think this leadership theory

is good because it hold the leader accountable. I also think that looking at all ethical

aspects within leadership is important because a leader should be professional and ethical

at all times. I do think that it is important for the leader to have good relationships with

their workers or followers but it is important to keep it professional. In this theory, the

centrality of ethics to leadership, hits on the importance of the nature of relationships

between leaders and followers. I think it is also to point out that in this theory they

acknowledge that what the leader does affects the follower and the influence that the

leader has on the follower depends on the leaders character and behavior.

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Crisis Leadership:

For the field that I am planning to go into, health care specifically counseling, I

think crisis leadership will be beneficial. Crisis leadership is about being prepared with a

plan to follow when a crisis occurs. This leadership theory also is about leaders in crisis

prevention and preparedness. I think this is good for the field I am going into because

there will be many crisis situations. However a down fall of this theory is that leaders

tend to not think about this theory until a crisis happens. I think this theory will be

beneficial though because, yes a crisis has to happen first, but there will be pre- crisis

planning so that when there is a crisis the leader will know how to manage the crisis. To

be an effect crisis leader the leader must have the power, resources, position, and stature.

All these are key components and I believe I will hold all these aspects when I get at a

position of power.

Leaders
Ellen DeGeneres:

Ellen DeGeneres is a great leader. She is caring, funny, and very personable. I

admire Ellen because she reaches all types of people and can connect to her followers in

various ways. She reaches her followers through her humor, her compassion, and her

acceptance. Ellen is the type of leader that I strive to be because she is loyal to her

followers and rewards them, but the loyalty is returned. She is also very honest but forms

her words in a way that is still caring and doesnt often offend most people.

Oprah Winfrey:

Oprah Winfrey is a powerful and good leader. She is much respected and created

her own success. Like Ellen, Oprah is very generous and rewards or gives back to her

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followers for their loyalty. I cant say I will ever be rich enough to give all my followers a

car, but I hope that one way I can be very impactful like Oprah and give back to those

who have helped and followed me throughout the year. It might be the career, but just

like Ellen Oprah is very honest. How Oprahs honesty differs from Ellens is that she is

very blunt. Even though many people criticize Oprah for her openness and for how blunt

she is, she stays true to herself and doesnt try to run from the truth. I admire that trait

because, like I said in my mission, honesty is the best policy and I would rather tell the

truth, even if someone doesnt want to hear it, than lie.

Barack Obama:

Barack Obama was and still is a great leader. Even though he was the president,

he was and is still personable. I admire that because he was still in a powerful position he

could still connect with people who were in need at a way lower position in life. I also

like Obama because of his integrity. He would always do what he thought was right even

though many people did not agree. A president is a hard leadership role because there are

those who dont like you, but he never stopped trying to win them over but at the same

time didnt go too far out of his way or start doing things he didnt stand for to get them

to follow him. He also could admit when he was wrong, which is hard to do and a reason

I really admire him. I think it says a lot when one of the most powerful men in the world

can admit his mistakes.

Mahatma Gandhi:

Mahatma Gandhi had a powerful impact on India and the whole world. He lead a

civil disobedience movement for freedom, and even though that is going against rules and

can be looked at as something bad or negative he was doing it for reasons that he saw

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just. Like Obama, Gandhi had a purpose and didnt shy away from what he stood for. I

also admire him because he led peaceful protests. He didnt have to go about in a way of

violence to get his point across and for that he actually gained more followers than

violence would have. Trust was a big key to his leadership. Gandhi had the trust of so

many followers and all he had to do was reassure them that what they were doing would

pay off and to be patient.

LEADERSHIP LEGACY
Fast forwarding 50 years in the future, I have lived and led in alignment with my

strengths, my mission, my vision, and my values. I have left such a positive leadership

legacy. I was always honest. Everyone that I was leading knew that I never lied to them

and that when they came to me for any advice or approval it was the honest truth. For

everyone that I was working with, or that worked with me I was loyal to. The work that I

wanted was being produced because I was kind, rewarded, and praised the workers for

doing what they were supposed to do and for doing it well. When the workers were not

doing enough to produce what was needed, I still remained loyal. I worked with them on

what needed improvement and still gave praise when good things were being done. I also

was never late. I expected my workers or followers to always be on time, which I never

had any big problems because my workers stayed in communication with me and led by

example. Through every task, event, or activity I trusted my workers and followers and I

always made sure to instill that they had trust in me as their leader.

Over time my values stayed the same. I realized how important they were and I

made sure to communicate to my workers how important my values were. I also realized

over time that values and my mission were not set it stone. It is okay to change or modify

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somethings over time. I had to find out what worked with certain situations and for

certain workers. This goes back to situational leadership. Not every situation I was in, or

worker I worked with could be treated the same. Some situations were more important

than others but I wanted to make sure that all my workers treated every situation like it

was an important situation. Also the way I communicated with some workers was

different than others. Some workers required more care and soft spoken messages and

others were find with my blunt honesty. Regardless of the type of communication, I

remained open and honest with each worker. Over time I also increased my strengths. I

improved my old ones, and I picked up more strengths as I gained more. Over the years I

may have modified a few things, however I stayed true to strengths, my mission, my

vision, and my values.

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