I am scheduled to give a one hour presentation on leadership to a room of about 100+ people. This is something I volunteered to do and I have a reasonable idea of what it is I want to say but I wanted to throw it out there for comment and discussion.

My current plan is to discuss a few key topics:
- There is more than one style of effective leadership
- Effective leaders do, however, share some common traits (and what those are)
- Ineffective leaders also share some common traits (and what those are)
- Some people are more natural leaders but EVERYBODY can improve their own leadership skills
- Almost nobody leads all the time or follows all the time, we all need to do both at different times
- How to incorporate good leadership skills into your own personality

So I'm looking for suggestions, stories, resources.. got any good Ted Talks or Youtube channels that I should go watch? Got any good stories from personal experience on good/bad leadership? Any good famous quotes on leadership I can work in?

“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.”

– Ronald Reagan

in my own personal experience, anybody banging drums trying to get people to follow them is not the person who should be leading. leading is a natural thing. the only way *good* leadership is forced is through chaos and tragedy.

A leader sets the expectations, and follows up until everything is done right. He allows some freedom, but makes sure that the goal is accomplished, and it meets all of the end criteria. He is careful not to overlook things when someone does things incorrectly, and cannot, or will not do them correctly. When done, he takes responsibility for any errors or shortfalls, and gives generous praise about those working under him.

There are other managerial/leadership styles, but this is the one I always tried to follow.

There are bosses and leaders in the world. A Boss will tell you how to do something and when to do it, a leader will inspire and teach you how to complete something so that it never needs asked.

A question before I reply.



What kinds of people are in the audience? Are they people training for managing/leadership positions? Are they already in leadership/management positions? Or, are they members of the working force who are not involved in management/leadership?

I ask because knowing your audience is a key to a good speech or written piece.

J/C

One thing I’ve learned is collaboration. Have trusted people give you opinions and have a say. Make it “our” team and not “my” team. That doesn’t necessarily mean you always have to go along with others’ advice or input, but it helps take some pressure off, provide other perspectives, and foster team chemistry. JMO

Maslow's Heirarchy of Humman Needs is always a good starting point, and is part of all military leadership training.

If there is something missing or unstable in the lives of one of your charges lower in Maslow's pyramid, they aren't going to be as effective as you'd like them until it gets resolved - a good leader is understanding and helpful with the resolution of these problems where possible and appropriate.

I'm a little light on "self-actualization".

"The full realization of one's self."

"Hey sarge, can you help me fulfill my self-actualization?"

A leader is someone that people want to follow, not someone people feel that they have to follow....

Sort of like:

A person will do what a bully tells them to do, so long as the bully is present ensuring consequences if the person doesn't do as their instructed.

A person will do what a leader tells them to do regardless if the leader is present or not.

There were two bulls on the top of a mountain, a young bull and an old bull,

and a bunch of cows at the base of the mountain.

The young bull says'

and the old bull says' ...
(try getting that one out of your head when giving the speech.)

Ok, getting serious, look up quotes of General, Douglas MacArthur, and what he says on leadership and morals.

Its easy to be a leader when everything is going well.

If you want to see someone's leadership abilities, watch them when things arent going well. Its not always easy to make a hard unpopular decision in order to keep the ship afloat and everybody rowing in the same direction.

Good point

Thanks for the question. The audience could be literally anybody who works for my company of 280 people. Could be anybody from the CEO down to the recent high school/college grad and everybody in between. It is not mandatory, there will be several other presentations going on simultaneously and they can choose which they would like to attend.

I'm assuming, given the title and the abstract that will be provided in advance that my audience will be primarily comprised of 3 types of people...

1. Those with some leadership responsibility who hope to improve their ability.
2. Those who view themselves on the brink of a leadership position and want some help.
3. Those who are younger but aspire to leadership in the future and hope to get on the right track.


I've been reading a book on the informal corporate culture which has been fascinating. There is the formal corporate culture, which the company tells you what it is and it's almost always based around some "values statement" about honesty and ethics and hard working and blahblahblah... then there is the informal one, which is what the workers actually think it is.

This book also delves into the notion of leadership and it draws on what some of y'all have already mentioned.. that you have the hierarchy or the org chart that tells you who reports to whom and this gives higher level folks the authority to direct lower level folks... but then there's this whole other network that evolves as employees find out who the REAL resources are, who do I call when I have a problem? (It's often not their boss).. and this network of relationships develops of informal, titleless leadership...

Then it gets into what a company should (or can) do about that.. I'm of the opinion that the company should encourage it more than try to control it. This goes against the org chart model since this often leaves people out in the cold who have the title but don't have the same level of influence... That type of insecure personality when the new hire goes to the 28 year old mid-level lady for help and not to his 55 year old senior exec arse...

Sounds like you have a better handle on leadership than most of us. LOL I think it's cool that you asked for help. That is a sign of a good leader right there.

I have some experience in being a leader, but they were in the educational and coaching fields. I do know a bit about speech writing and have given speeches and written some articles. With that said, I am looking at your audience and am wondering if you should go w/this approach?

This one is from Andrew Glasgow:

"A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit"

And one from Henry Ford:

"Don't find a fault, find a remedy."

There are a ton of similar quotes, so they don't have to be the two quotes you use, but I think it would be wise to emphasize the idea of how the team is the focus rather than the individual given the wide range of participants in your audience.

You probably can't do this one, but I did this w/my 5th graders at the beginning of the year. I had a power point on the Smart board about teamwork and community and one of the slides displayed a fence w/these huge chain links that were on the shore or a port along the coast designed to keep the ships from washing ashore. I would then have the kids come to the front of the room and they formed a human chain w/their arms interlinked. I would mock charge at them and be repelled over and over again. Their links were too strong to break. Then, I would choose one student to step away and the chain would be broke and I was able to skirt right through the opening. The idea is that together we are strong and divided we fail.

I believe that it might be wise to go w/that type of message because of your diverse audience and how impressionable some of them may be.

Then again, I could be way off and you might think I'm whacked. LOL

Either way..............good luck and let us know how it went.

Thanks for the quotes and the visuals.. I will think about those as this develops.

I believe that one of the greatest things a good leader does is develop other leaders. I have watched far too many "leaders" in my life stifle growth and use power and control to keep other, natural, leaders "in their place".. I guess it's fear that the younger leaders may surpass them? Take their position? Receive more of the credit for successes? I don't know.

Yeah, there are people who are so insecure that they feel challenged by others. Those types are never good leaders.

I had a weakness as a leader for awhile. A backdrop is probably needed. I was our Grade Level Team Leader when I taught 5th grade in SC. I was a Math Department Chair when I taught Middle School. I was in charge of our school's After School Tutoring program that was much like running a business. I was on the SIC [School Improvement Council,] and I had leadership experience in coaching.

My biggest weakness was that I would invariably take on too much responsibility. I would worry that the job wouldn't be done correctly and I worked absurd hours to ensure that things would be accomplished in an exemplary manner. I realized that that attitude not only put a lot of pressure on myself, but more importantly, stunted the abilities of others. Thus, I worked very hard at delegating different aspects of the job to develop more of a team atmosphere. And while there are truly some lazy people out there who don't do their jobs, there are a lot more that are really good workers and who truly care about doing a great job. It's amazing how others can inspire others to greater heights. I miss that almost as much as I miss the kids.

Leaders are born, not made.

Famous leadership quotes

"My (butt)hole is as round as an apple, follow me!"
Discuss multiple possible reasons this worked

"You shall emerge victorious, or LET NO ONE COME BACK ALIVE!"
Impart the full gravity of the present situation

"The guns are clean, the men are ready to fight. All the rest is (BS)"
Separate what is truly necessary from the window dressing

"If you can't win, CHEAT. There is ALWAYS a way"
Do not be tied down to only one course of action

"Defeat is an event that occurs in the mind of your opponent"
Never give up, if you think you are going to fail, you will

"Once is bad luck, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action"
There are small problems, and large problems, you need to know the difference

I have a similar problem but for a partially different reason.. yes I want something done right because I would rather not have to "fix it" later... but also because I am an empath, always have been. If anybody has to be inconvenienced, I tend to let it be me. I will let somebody leave early for a kids soccer game even if it means an extra hour of work for me that night. If I have a choice, I will take on the extra task rather than delegate and force somebody else to work longer hours... it's something I'm working on to try to find a balance because sometimes I'm killing myself for no reason...

My weakness is that I struggle at diplomacy.

I disagree, sort of. I will concede that whether it is genetic or the way one is raised as a child.. some people get to their teen years and adulthood better prepared and much more natural as leaders than others.... but by the same token, I look at leadership like your 40 time.. some people are born genetically faster than others but everybody can improve their 40 time if they work at it. You will likely never be Usain Bolt but you can get faster... just like that you can make yourself a better leader if work on developing those skills.. you might never become a GREAT leader but you can become a better leader..

I always liked the Sam Rutiglano quote..

There are only a few inches difference between a pat on the back and a kick in the ass.

I’m a big proponent of ‘Servant Leadership,’ as in one of the most important things a leader can do is ensure that the men and women they lead have everything necessary to accomplish the mission/goal. Whether that’s equipment, training, time, information, etc.

I've had supervisors who were in leadership positions, but we're so lazy/incompetent that I couldn't respect them.

Another thing that, IMO, is a sign of a good leader: he or she that works as hard or harder as the underlings.