Wren writes that effective leadership heightens the motivation and confidence in others (1995). In my experience, this has proven to be true. There have been moments in my career where I've had to work under leadership that made me feel drained and not motivated to do anything at all. Other times, I've been under leadership that made me feel good about myself. During those moments, I didn’t realize how much the leadership had to do with what I was feeling.
I didn’t realize how much power leaders have over people. Wren speaks about leadership being a way to accomplish purpose in a large, complicated organized system (1995). This idea made me think about leadership and purpose coinciding together. Many people are on an ever-growing search for purpose in their lives. This is proven through the number of blogs written, books published, and discover-your-purpose events happening. In my leadership position at a non-profit organization, I understand that I have the power to allow people to feel like they are fulfilling a purpose. Leadership is bigger than just the leader. It has so much to do with who that the leader is leading.
Wren addresses an issue I’ve pondered along my leadership journey. I’ve always stood by the idea that you are born a leader or you're just not a leader. I'm understanding now that this is not a true statement. Leadership can be taught. Wren states that most of the knowledge leaders have which enables them to lead is learned information (1995). He goes on to say that leadership is not a "mystery activity" (1995). The skill set of leadership can be defined and taught.
Wren, J. T. (1995). The leader's companion: Insights on leadership through the ages. New York, NY: The Free Press.
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