I didn’t attend class on Wednesday, but looking over the list of leaders that was assigned to my classmates, one of the leaders that stood out most to me was Mahatma Gandhi. He stood out to me the greatest because he sacrificed a lot for the cause he stood for. He also led his followers through his example of sacrifice, which is the essence of servant-leadership.
What did you learn about motivating others from researching your leader?
The leader I was assigned to research was Marilyn Monroe. I admit that I have never considered her a leader. However, based off of the definition that leadership is influencing another’s agency, Monroe did influence a lot of people. She is an icon and even though I don’t necessarily agree with all of the images and ideas she represented, I cannot argue that she was not an influential leader. What I learned from her about motivating others is to use your credentials and reputation to make a difference. She came from a very impoverished background, but she built herself a reputation and then she used that to influence those around her. I read that she really helped launch Ella Fitzgerald’s career by making a deal with a popular nightclub to have Fitzgerald sing if she (Monroe) would take the front table every night. She used her reputation to help Fitzgerald go after her dreams and goals. This was quite selfless of her because I’m sure it must have taken up a lot of her time to help Fitzgerald.
What new element of motivating others will you apply in your leadership role? How?
I think it is important to build a good reputation and those credentials will make people more likely to follow my lead. To do this in my leadership role, I will follow through with my responsibilities, be organized and kind to everyone, and willingly volunteer to help others. As people notice these characteristics, they will be more likely to offer me opportunities to lead and this experience will give me the reputation needed to motivate others.
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