Leadership

Hello and welcome to my blog!

About me:

My name is Issaree. I am Troy University’s student pursuing a master’s degree in public administration. I was born and raised in Thailand. It is a place that made me initially become interested in public administration. I have noticed socioeconomic disparities in the country since I was in high school. I also learned that a public sector is an important entity in order to develop a nation and improve its citizens’ security and quality of life. Therefore, I chose public administration as a major for my bachelor’s degree. After completed my undergraduate study, I migrated to the United States and have become the military’s service member. My professional experiences and passion have confirmed that I should continuously pursue my goal of working in the public sector.

What is the blog about?

This blog is a collection of my thoughts on leadership in various aspects of public administration. The leadership is a very important topic in any organizations, especially in the public sector. I promise that definitions of the leadership are not going to simply be mentioned in this blog like what are repeatedly stated in books or articles, but I will demonstrate issues that are related to the leadership and public administration.

How often will I update my blog?

I will update my thoughts about the leadership in this blog weekly. The blog’s contents will be a combination of leadership theories and real life situations that I have experienced in my daily life. Thus, the blog will be more about how to apply the theories to practice, which I hope that they will benefit readers.

Where can you follow my leadership writing?

Here is a URL of my blog: https://leadershipinpabyissaree.blogspot.com. Please feel free to leave messages and questions. I will accept and read all of your opinions because I believe in diversity. Different opinions make me understand things better.

Why is the leadership such an important topic to be discussed in this blog?

Before we go further on why it is so important, I would like you, my readers, to close your eyes and ask yourself, “If you are a leader, are you a good leader?” and “Do your subordinates follow you because they respect you or they simply do not have any choices?”.

Now, please let me elaborate this. We know that humans are, by nature, social animals which cannot live alone. Hence, they tend to stay together to support each other. Back in the ancient time, they formed groups called families. Then, many families came together and became a village, a town, a city, and a country. When the group became bigger, conflicts and challenges usually occurred. Therefore, people either use or submit to power of a person known as a leader who controls and encourages the group to solve problems and achieve their goals (Northouse, 2017). Nowadays, the leadership becomes more challenging because leaders’ power is in a dynamic movement. People tend to respect an individual’s capacity rather than one’s position or authority. In other words, the effective leaders become more successful because their followers are willing to follow them rather than being forced to do what the leaders want them to do.

Do you still remember our questions? Whether we are aware of it or not, all of us play a role as a leader in our own right. For example, fathers lead their families even though they may be only entry-level employees at their workplace. CEOs lead people in their organizations or Dudley inspired a female student who was about to resign from college on her first day by giving her a lollipop (Dudley, 2010). Hence, it always benefits us to learn to be good leaders. It is not because we will have more control over the power, but it is for others. It is for those who sometimes have no one but you to inspire and encourage them to become successful.

In this week, we will start exploring doubts that both answers are always right. That question is, “Is the leadership born or made?”. It is very difficult to define a solid answer for this question. Northouse (2017) provided a definition of the leadership as a process that a person influences a group of people toward a goal. He believes that leaders are made through the process of time to learn and lead followers. However, the Trait theories argue that special characteristics and personalities are important to individuals to be leaders. Szold (2006) presented a good point on his journal entitled “Canadian HR Reporter” that the effective leaders need both traits and trainings. He said that the successful leaders are usually strategic thinkers who achieve "followership" by being effective persuaders who are sensitive to others. At the same time, they create competencies and develop good skills through learning opportunities. All of these are the important keys for strong leaders. Hence, I believe the bottom line is everyone can be an effective leader. If the individuals are born-to-be leader, they may not need much training to become leaders as much as people who have weak traits to be leaders.

References:
ABBE. (2017, January 28). 8 Big Differences Between Great Leaders And Bad Leaders. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zU2ACDASx8

Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice (7thth ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE

Szold, J. (2006). Are leaders born or trained? Canadian HR Reporter, 19(19), 18-18,25. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.libproxy.troy.edu/docview/220787966?accountid=38769