On Leadership

John W. Gardner's On Leadership provides a comprehensive discussion of the essential qualities of effective leaders and leadership development. Although it is difficult to determine which individuals can develop leadership qualities and fulfill their potential, future leaders need a motivating environment to cultivate these qualities. Every phase of a person's life, from childhood to adulthood, constitutes significant turning points in leadership development (Gardner 162). At home, young children acquire values and standards of behavior from their parents. In schools, teachers can also inculcate leadership values within the students. One of the important changes that needs to be made within school and college curricula is specialization. While it is important that students become well-versed in certain subjects, leaders need to be knowledgeable in a variety of subjects (Gardner 164).

At the college-level, liberal arts education provides potential leaders with a comprehensive education that covers all the disciplines. In order to meet the needs of humanity, leaders have to possess a degree of understanding in all these disciplines. Together, these disciplines form a complete picture of culture and society. Through liberal arts education, leaders can find out about technological changes, learn about the workings of the economy and grasp the importance of human values and aspirations (Gardner 164-5). Specialization in specific subjects should occur only at the graduate and pro

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ectory of their career. In addition to their own organizations, young leaders also need to develop necessary skills for coping with other organizations and their ways of functioning. For the young leaders to progress, they need to acquire the skills of negotiation and building coalitions in order to navigate through unfamiliar territory (Gardner 175). Off-site training grounds provide opportunities for young leaders to acquire these skills and network with other leaders in executive-level leadership programs (Gardner 176). Even when the young leaders reach the apogee of the institutions, they need to continue to hone their leadership skills. Leadership development is an ongoing and dynamic process that involves the leaders, their followers and rest of society. For leaders to be effective, they depend upon dedicated followers who share a common interest in the existence of the group (Gardner 7). Furthermore, in an increasingly complex world governed by large organizations, leaders need to be able to disperse leadership tasks by delegating responsibilities to potential leaders at lower levels (Gardner 9). Faced with swift technological changes and the specialization of tasks, effective leaders learn to solve problems by creatin

Category: Psychology - O