Leaders from History Help Teach us Today

Today, we talked about the impact of historical leaders on the way we lead in our lives today. We can learn much from their examples because we can see the outcomes of their leadership efforts. Certain patterns of the most effective, good leaders can also be brought to light. They all had something to offer their followers and they were going against the grain when they voiced their visions and goals. What I liked most about our discussion today was talking about how a great leader is either classified as good or bad. The difference we established was that good leaders that are great at their leadership efforts have a concern for the whole and want everyone to benefit from their goal and actions. Comparatively, a bad leader is willing to neglect, abuse, or enslave a group in order to get gain for only their followers or themselves. Some wonderful examples from class were Gandhi and MLK Jr. as good leaders and Hitler as a bad leader. They all were great leaders but the difference was how they achieved their goals. Another great side note from today was that attitude is not taught, but caught. Accordingly, I feel that I can apply all these things to my leadership role for the semester. It will be important that I be sure to communicate and promote the activities and other things that the Floor Council will have to offer the guys. Furthermore, the activities that we plan can be a little more creative than the norms. Additionally, it is important that I make sure that as a council we keep everyone's interests in mind and work to please the floor as a whole and be sure that everyone has the opportunity to participate and benefit. Also, I need to keep in mind that the attitude that I have about the things the council is doing or planning will diffuse to those around me. In these ways I believe I can apply the things I learned today in class to my leadership role.