Some people argue that successful leaders in government, industry, or other fields must be highly competitive. Other people claim that in order to be successful, a leader must be willing and able to cooperate with others.
Write a response in which you discuss which view more closely aligns with your own position and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should address both of the views presented.
Leadership is oftentimes seen as a solitary pursuit. Leaders are larger-than-life figures whose success is often attributed to their singular ability to accomplish feats of greatness without the aid of others. However, this view is inaccurate. Although successful leaders have to have certain qualities, being competitive and being willing to work with others are not mutually exclusive traits. Rather, successful leaders must be both
What makes a person a good leader? It certainly takes a certain kind of person to effectively lead others, regardless of his or her position. A leader must be able to understand his or her subordinates and motivate them to achieve a common goal. He or she must be able to inspire and motivate others to perform at their best. Above all, leaders must be able to communicate their vision to their followers and motivate them to take action. If they cannot motivate their peers, subordinates, or superiors, they will find it very difficult to attain their goals. Therefore, a leader must be both willing and able to motivate others
But, the ability to motivate others does not necessarily require a competitive nature. Strong leadership is an important trait in competitive pursuits, such as sports or business, but it is not necessary in every type of competitive situation. The leader of a sports team may need to be able to motivate his team members, but his or her team members do not need to possess the same competitive qualities. For example, a football team’s best player may be very strong, fast, and skilled, but if he or she does not possess strong leadership qualities, the team will be unable to achieve success. Likewise, a professional basketball player may possess superior skills and athleticism, but he or she cannot achieve greatness without also having strong leadership qualities. Therefore, leaders must possess both a competitive nature and the ability to motivate others
Although the ability to work well with others is a vital trait for a leader to have, it does not follow that a leader must be willing to cooperate with others. Cooperation is necessary in many situations, such as working on a team or managing a business. However, cooperation is not an absolute requirement for a leader. For example, a manager in a business must be able to motivate his or her subordinates, but he or she does not need to have the same goals as his or her subordinates. A strong leader may have one or more subordinates who are capable of achieving firm goals independently, and he or she does not need to work toward those goals. Similarly, a team captain may have one or more subordinates who are skilled, experienced, and capable of achieving a goal on their own, and the captain does not need to contribute to that goal
Therefore, rather than requiring a leader to be competitive and willing/able to work alone, it is more accurate to say that successful leaders must be both competitive and able to work with others.