My Philosophies
Leadership Philosophy
Leadership is an interesting construct. Leadership has many different connotations and can mean different things to different people. To me, an important aspect of leadership is consistency with an open mind. I think it is important leaders treat everyone with the same respect and curtesy they deserve, but this does not mean they have to use the same approach to every situation. I think that being able to read a room and reach different people in different ways makes a good leader. I think being able to adapt to situations is a great skill to have. However, in doing this, you must not change your approach so drastically that you compromise your values or change your message to gain agreement. Additionally, I think it is important to be able to accept feedback and admit when something wasn't going right and changing tactics to fix whatever you are doing. Lastly, I think valuing all of your supporters and people who help you is vital to leadership. You could have great leadership skills and potential, but without people willing to support you, or "first followers" willing to be the first people to do what you want, you are not a leader of anyone. You are a person with skills and a potentially good idea.
Ethical Statement
One of the hardest aspects of leadership is trying to implement the policies or programs that are important to you and your cause while not straying from your values in an attempt to keep everyone around you happy. There is a difference between "effective leadership" and "ethical leadership." Effective leadership can be seen as someone accomplishing the things that they want to do. However, in doing so, there are many opportunities to lose oneself in ethical dilemmas. For me, it is much more important to stay true to the values you hold dear than accomplish a goal. Chances are, if the goal you want to achieve jeopardizes your values, it is probably not something worth doing. Thus, these are qualities I believe an ethical leader must abide by:
1. Communication
2. Honesty
3. Equality
4. Humility
5. Dignity and respectfulness
I also believe there are certain ethical rules it is important to follow (no matter what your specific values are):
1. If it puts others in harm's in any way, it is unethical
2. It is okay to admit being in the wrong and changing courses - realization of making a mistake is not a weakness
3. Nothing is worth doing if it compromises your values
4. Everyone should be treated equally and given the same opportunities (despite the use of different approaches)