Leadership Elements Paper
Raymond Valentin
Ohio Christian University
05/15/2016
Leadership Elements Paper
A Pinnacle leader is a highly admirable leader. He or she is at one of the top levels in his or her department and must demonstrate the best behaviors that leave a mark on their legacy on the organization. They must make do the following; make room for other people who are at the top of their organization, continually mentor potential (candidate) level 5 leaders, create an inner circle of people that will keep you grounded, do things for the organization that only level 5 leaders can do, plan for your future succession, and lastly, leave a positive legacy. It is not just about the leader, it is about training and developing those pupils that are under you. As a leader, having people evaluate you for correction and to stay in line with the vision of the organization is key because sometimes distractions can come our way. We must never forget to go the extra mile. Try to see who values your character and your skills, that will help you choose who will be your successor and that person will help carry the golden baton, representing your legacy to future successors down the road.
The Bible says in Proverbs 13:22 that “a good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just. This is also true in a business organization. A leader leaves a good name for his or herself. They leave the knowledge and work for another to build upon and to continue the work that they originally began.
A leader must determine how to create an environment empowering others to lead.
One must learn how to create a leadership development environment that is energetic. “If you lead an organization, you must take responsibility for creating it. Strategize ways to create that environment and to promote leadership development at every level of the organization. And be sure to release your best leaders to spend time developing others. It must not be an extra; it must be part of their core responsibilities” (Maxwell, 268). Leaders must learn not to be prideful but to realize that they are there to leave a legacy and that after they are gone, they name will still be talked about and their work. As a leader, we must strive to leave a good name for ourselves, the company and the leadership values that we have instilled inside our followers and peers at the workplace or organization.
Strategy means to make a plan of action or policy designed to achieve a major or overall aim (New Oxford, 2010).
“A pinnacle leader recognizes that strategic planning differs from the leader’s legacy.
Leader’s decisions always make an impact—for better or worse. Leaders who have reached the top of their profession or the top of their organization cannot take anything for granted. No matter how good they’ve been in the past, they still need to strategize, weigh decisions, plan, and execute at a high level” (Maxwell, 239).
As a leader one can have a legacy, but is in another thing, while one was building that legacy to have raised up leaders as part of your strategy. “Strategize ways to create that environment and to promote leadership development at every level of the organization. And be sure to release your best leaders to spend time developing others”. (Maxwell, 268). Your goal or strategy as a Pinnacle leader should not be to just have a legacy but to have people develop a strategy to have your work continue and your leadership traits even though you are physical not there anymore. I was at an organization one time where a former head of a Network Operations Center (NOC) legacy was mentioned for a long time. Supervisors would remember his work, his leadership, but not necessary his legacy. Did you leave with a good name? Had the NOC manager had had a strategy in building leadership besides building their own legacy the employees and the image of the company could have been a whole lot better than what is was at that time.