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Leadership Philosophy

Portfolio Assignment #6:

Leadership Philosophy
Lauren D. Irby
Methodist University

Leadership Philosophy

In todays business world, leaders face many obstacles. As innovation continuously

expands the horizons of the business world, leaders must continuously adapt to these changes.
Todays leaders must overcome the challenges of developing trust, empowering employees,
managing power, and leading across cultures in order to become an effective and efficient
leader (Coulter & Robbins 460).
As a leader, one must be able to influence others through use of managerial authority.
Instances where I was in the position of a leader were when I was a shift manager at Lazer FX
Lazertag and when I worked as a shift leader at a tanning salon. In both these instances, I
believe that my leadership was successful. I effectively showed many of the traits associated
with leadership during my management experiences.
During my managerial experiences, I exemplified the leadership traits of desiring to
lead others, drive, employee empowerment, integrity, honesty, confidence, relevant knowledge,
responsibility, and intelligence (Coulter & Robbins 458). Traits such as these vary from person
to person; it is not feasible to determine a specific set of traits that distinguish a leader from
someone who is not a leader. However, there are traits that are consistently linked with
leadership. In my past leadership experiences, I was able to embody the majority of these traits.
I am a firm believer in adjusting to new or different variables as a situation may dictate
necessary. To be stuck in set ways and beliefs can and will potentially harm ones leadership
abilities and hinder the business. A successful leader must be adaptive to changing
circumstances and ideals. In agreement with Robbins and Coulter, be an effective leader, one
cannot use a single style of leadership; leaders must adjust their style to the circumstances. This
is especially important when managing cross-culturally. In the business world today, constant
innovation and expansion makes leading across cultures a vital attribute in order to be

Leadership Philosophy

successful. The cultures of different nations are also a significant situational variable when
determining what leadership style will potentially be the most effective (Coulter & Robbins
475). This makes it vital for a leader to always be well researched on different businesses and
different cultural expectations.
Overall, I would say that my leadership philosophy is as follows: Actions make a
leader, not a title. I believe a leader always needs to strive to inspire others and push them to
the best of their potential. Also, everyone has the potential to learn and expand his or her
knowledge and abilities (age, gender, etc. should never be a factor). My thoughts and goals are
to always provide encouragement and make adjustments and changes whenever necessary. I
will always lead by example; I would never ask someone to complete a task that I am not
personally willing to do. Acceptance of errors is a necessity; no one is perfect. Leading with
empathy and never taking things personal is also vital in leadership. I expect to inspire and
respond appropriately in difficult situations.
No one is perfect, in todays ever-evolving world; there is always room for
improvement. An improvement that I would make to my leadership style is creating
transactional leader exchanges where productivity is rewarded. This is important for
maintaining a positive work environment. I would accomplish this by setting clear goals,
offering incentives for people to reach these goals, and then provide a reward when goals are
met. Another important improvement that needs to be made in my leadership ability is to be
more of a charismatic leader. It can often be difficult to maintain self-confidence in unclear
situations. In order to become a more self-confident leader, I would need to always be clear,
concise, and reassuring with employees in order to have the ability to influence their actions
and behaviors.

Leadership Philosophy
Within a role of leadership, the leader must always work to influence others in order to
attain certain goals. Having a leadership philosophy and knowing personal strengths and
weaknesses are essential for a leader. No leader works in the same way or has the same ideas,
but all managers must have leadership abilities. Adaptability is vital for a leaders success in
todays continuously evolving and expanding business world. My personal leadership
experiences has provided insight to my abilities; I will continue to expand as well as improve
my leadership skills.

Leadership Philosophy
Reference List
Drinon, R. (n.d.). Refining Your Leadership Philosophy & Style. Drinion's Leadership
Express, 1-4. Retrieved November 15, 2014, from
http://www.kscpa.org/writable/files/DrinonsLeadershipExpress/02..dle-_article_.pdf
Mertz, J. (2014, February 9). How to Develop a Leadership Philosophy? Retrieved November
18, 2014, from http://www.thindifference.com/2014/02/19/develop-leadershipphilosophy/
Leboeuf, M. (n.d.). Developing a Leadership Philosophy. Retrieved November 15, 2014, from
http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/milreview/leboeuf.htm

Robbins, S.P., & Coulter, M. K. (2010). Management. Upper Saddle River, NH: Prentice Hall.