Life has it stages and leadership skills move through those stages with the person. As people change and grow there will be different emphasis on leadership skills as challenges are mastered and new knowledge presented. Despite the changes of life there are some similarities across the stages that run the course throughout a lifetime (Nelson, Schroeder & Welpman, 2014).
In the beginning of a leader’s life rudimentary skills form in the home and create a foundation for leadership. As life continues this framework is used as
a place where new knowledge is learned, incorporated, and then utilized to
achieve goals. The process of learning, challenging and developing continues
throughout a person’s career.
Leaders are unique creatures when compared to many other people.
They are always seeking to develop and grow regardless of the circumstances
they are in. Even though the stages of their life change they seem to hold
consistent characteristics that continue to push them to higher levels of
effectiveness. These traits are as follows:
Learners: All leaders are learners. Leaders “consciously following a recursive cycle of
experiencing, reflecting, thinking, and acting, they can increase their
learning power” (Kolb & Kolb, 2009, p. 297). They are people learn from reading and life
experience to tone their skills to effective leadership strategies. The process
of learning and developing never stops.
Encouraging: Leaders encourage
others because it not only moves to higher performance but also encourages
stronger interpersonal relationships. Positive demeanor and attitude lead to
higher forms of subordinate motivation and performance.
Interpersonal Relationships:
Leaders are effective at interrelating with others and building stronger social
networks. The development of leadership helps in finding a way for people to
connect with and build relationships. Leaders are generally social people who
enjoy interacting with other people. They are capable of empathy and caring
relationships.
Innovative: Leaders are
innovative and think of new ways of doing things. This helps them develop
strategies that actually come to new and unique results. They are not the type
of people who follow the same path over and over and hope for a new result.
Self-Awareness: Leaders grow in
their self-awareness that comes through their experience with themselves in
different situations. As they gain knowledge and experience they grow and
create higher levels of emotional intelligence.
Kolb, A. Y., & Kolb, D. A.
(2009). The Learning Way: Meta-Cognitive Aspects of Experiential Learning. Simulation & Gaming, 40(3),
297-327.
Nelson, E., Schroeder, M. &
Welpman, L. (2014). Does career maturity impact leadership behavior? Journal of Leadership, Accountability &
Ethics, 11 (3).
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