Let’s Learn about Leadership

Melody McGuirk

January 10th, 2021

I want you to think about events throughout history that have led to a successful outcome. Was there a certain person, or group of people, who were the leaders of the event? The truth is, throughout history and in our world today, it is obvious that great leaders inspire action.

I watched a TED Talk from Simon Sinek called “How great leaders inspire action”. He explained that all managers or leaders know what their company does and how they do it, but only a minimal amount of them know why. The why here is not just “to get a profit”, it is more so their purpose or belief.

The Golden Circle Model

He then went on to explain his idea of the “Golden Circle Model” (which I have illustrated in the graph to the right) and how all great leaders have been drastically different to everyone else. Regular people communicate from the outside in; however, successful leaders all speak and behave from the inside out.

This whole idea and concept of thinking really stood out to me, and not to exaggerate, but it truly resonated with me. It almost made me reflect on my future goals, if I want to be successful, I really need to understand why! I also think this concept is very important for leaders and managers to understand, so that they can elevate their company to its highest potential.

An example of a great leader who used this method is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In his infamous “I have a dream” speech, he told people what he believed in, not an in-depth plan of the solution. He was not the only person in the civil rights movement, yet he sparked belief within his followers by being a great leader.

Managers Vs Leaders

Another line that stood out to me was “there are leaders, and there are those who lead. Leaders hold a position of power or authority, but those who lead, inspire us” (Simon Sinek,2010). I think that this is really all about the difference between managers and leaders.

Managers administrate, focus on day-to-day activities and the company’s operations. Whereas leaders seek a specific goal and have a clear vision for their organisation’s future. They also motivate their employees to achieve their goals by setting a clear vision. (Catherine Cronin, DL840-Intro to Management, 'Lecture 7- Leadership Introduction.pptx')

Personally, I feel that for the success of a company, leadership is the most important element in PLOC (planning, leading, organisation and control). I think that all managers should try to strive to be better leaders.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading my penultimate blog post for this academic year. If you liked this, please leave a comment, and share with all your friends. I have an exciting blog planned for next week so I hope I will see you here this time next week for my last blog!

References

Feng Yu. Leadership [image] Available at https://stock.adobe.com/uk/images/leadership/57216594 [Accessed on 24th January 2021]

How great leaders inspire action. Simon Sinek. (2010). YouTube Video [Online]. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4&t=4s [Accessed on 24th January 2021]

Cronin, C. 2021. 'Lecture 7- Leadership Introduction.pptx. DL840- Introduction to Management [Accessed on 24th January 2021]