I have taken experiential learning and organizational leadership. But the concept I would like to solely focus on from what I have learned in organizational leadership is what is the meaning of being a leader? In the article, I have chosen Leadership: The Management of Meaning by Linda Smircich and Gareth Morgan. To summarize this article, it basically explains that leaders contains one or more individuals who are there to help define the goals and standards that needs to be met by followers. But then there are also followers who tends to work better as a group without an appointed leader and would rebel against those who seek total control. Leaders are also people with tons of experience. And with the experience they have gathered and learned, they help create common grounds for all people to follow.
Although I agree with most of what is written in this article, I feel like the article fails to understand is that leaders aren’t just there to control and manage. They are an influential figure who helps encourage workers and not control and dictate what needs to be done. From what I have learned in class, leaders are the ones who thinks differently than others. They encourage change and is understanding of their workers. Managers are people who just manage and control with total authority without giving rooms for people to negotiate. Some of the great leaders that we all look up to today would be Walt Disney, Ghandi, Mother Teresa and so forth. These are the great leaders who continues to fulfill and inspire others. They are the ones who help continue their legacy that we must all try to strive and achieve.
http://homepages.stmartin.edu/fac_staff/dconant/MBA601/notes/LeadershipTheManagementOfMeaning.pdf
