Leadership is a Leader (Article)
by Brenda Jung
When we talk about "leadership," what we are actually talking about is a leader, or a group of leaders. In other words, leadership is a person. There is no leadership without a person who is leading. If leadership is a person, then leadership rises and falls on a person. Leadership is an extension and expression of the leader.
Thus, the single most important quality in leadership is the leader's commitment to his or her own personal growth. Commitment is evidenced by investment--investment of time, energy, and yes, finances. These are all intentional, accountable actions that prove one's commitment to personal development and investment in leadership growth.
Start Young
When is the right time to begin developing this crucial leadership value of intentional investment in one's personal growth as a leader? As soon as a person assumes a leadership position? Once a student graduates from college? High school?
Studies show that mental habits (mindsets) and behavioral habits are formed early in life, before high school begins.
According to marketing researcher George Barna, "Research regarding all facets of moral and spiritual development--whether related to worldview, beliefs, or behavior--shows that such development starts as early as age two. Social scientists have known for years that the moral foundations of children are generally determined by the time the individual reaches age nine."1
Okay, but Barna is talking about moral development of children. Leadership development is not moral development.
Or is it?
If leadership is a leader, then moral development is directly related to leadership. "Moral development" includes one's sense of right and wrong (ethics), one's sense of self-governance (ability to make choices), one's sense of responsibility, and one's sense of respect--for self and for others.
(1) Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions, Regal, 2003, p. 47)
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