Leadership

What is leadership? What is the difference between vocal and performance leadership? Which is your strength and why? Are leaders born or made? Why?

Leadership is a pretty ambiguous concept, so it's hard to define. But I think leadership can be good or bad. Consider Hitler. He led millions, convinced them that it was okay to kill people who were the least bit different. But then there are people like Martin Luther King, Jr. who led millions in the civil rights movement for a positive cause.

Vocal leadership means being able to influence people through your speech, which I don't think is always the best type of leadership. A lot of "leaders" talk a lot, but don't support their words with actions. However, I think performance leaders are the best kind of leaders--because they don't have to prove themselves through saying they stand for a certain thing. They just do it. It's two completely different things to say you stand for something and do actually do something to prove that.

"A leader has to earn that title. You aren't a leader just because you're the best player on the team, the smartest person in class, or the most popular. No one can give you that title either. You have to gain the respect of those around you by your actions." Michael Jordon, Chicago Bulls

I am most definitely not a vocal leader. I'm not saying I'm the best leader because I believe performance leaders to be the best and because I believe myself to be a performance leader. I lead best when I just do. A lot of times when I try to lead vocally it doesn't come out right and it is blatantly obvious that it is not what I do best because I am naturally very quiet. I do have my moments, though, that I can be vocal and can actually have some sort of influence on others. But that only happens when I'm completely comfortable around people that I trust.

This question is tough. In my AP Psych class, we are always talking about the Nature vs. Nurture conflict. A "leader" can possess qualities like determined, responsible, reliable, competent, etc. It has actually been proven that genetics influence these types of things, which is why some people can play basketball and some can't; why some people are natural students and others are not; why some people can keep secrets and others cannot. At the same time, environment constantly affects us in more ways that we know. There was two twin brothers who were separated at birth and met up with each other when they were married with kids. They were so much alike it was crazy--they both had done similar things in life, had sons with the same name, and even their dogs were both named "Toy." These two guys could have been genetically separate, but two separate environments reacted differently with each so that the end result was almost the same..if that even makes any sense. If the two guys were exactly the same in every aspect of their genetics (besides their appearance) and grew up in two different environments, they both would have grown up to be completely different people. Sorry about writing a short novel with all this science, but I don't think it's possible to say that leaders are made my just genetics or just environment. Both influence each other and combine to make great leaders.