Leadership and Adversity - The Shaping of Prominent Leaders - Leadership and How it is Identified

What is the best definition of Leadership? I grewleader. These stories may have subconsciously
up in the 1950-s and 1060's as a "baby boomer."influenced my interest in Horatio Alger-type
As I was growing up, my idea or definition ofstories.
what leadership was consisted of a combinationThe biographies, my personal experience of over
of role models gleaned from dozens of30 years of senior leadership experience, and my
biographies, including those of political and militarydoctoral studies in leadership, led me to the
leaders, captains of industry, robber barons, andselection of my topic focused on Leadership and
sports coaches.Adversity. My reading studies provided insights
I read with real interest biographies andinto a refining of my definition of leadership, as
autobiographies of the "titans of industry," withwell as to the lives of leaders who overcame
their amazing "rags-to-riches" tycoons of the 19thobstacles or dealt with adversity. These early
and early 20th centuries, such as Carnegie,influences laid the foundation for my admiration of
DuPont, Edison, Ford, Goodyear, Huntington,those leaders who had succeeded despite having
Morgan, Stanford, Vanderbilt, as well as those ofto overcome obstacles, tragedy, or adversity.
moguls of the middle 20th century like WatsonLeadership is more than just a word, it is the act
(IBM) and Sloan (General Motors).of leading. True enlightened "Leadership" is guiding,
I eagerly read the political biographies of Winstonleading by the right example, demonstrating
Churchill, Jefferson Davis, Benjamin Franklin,genuine and deep caring for those they lead,
Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, Harryteam building, and have a clear vision of the task
Truman, George Washington, and Woodrowto be accomplished.
Wilson. I also devoured biographies of militaryTo provide an insight of my definition of
leaders such as the larger than life US Generals:leadership and the impact of overcoming
George Patton and Douglas MacArthur.adversity, I will supplement my personal views
I as an Eagle Scout, was especially take with theand leadership definition with a short literature
biography of Lord Robert Baden-Powell, the Britishreview on leadership and the classic definitions.
General, who distinguished himself in the SouthI will also review the overcoming adversity
African Boer Wars, who turned down the honorliterature review as the underpinning and
to be the Commandant of the British Militaryfoundation for an examination of the possible
Academy to focus on founding and building therelationship between overcoming adversity or
World Boy Scouting movement.overcoming obstacles in the shaping and
I studied the current leaders in news magazines,development of prominent leaders.
books, and witnessed as a new breed of businessLeadership and How It Is Identified by scholars
leader emerged on television, including the Bassand the world
Brothers, Henry Ford II, Howard Hughes, LeeThere is no one actual or accurate definitive
Iacocca, J. Willard Marriott, H. Ross Perot, anddefinition of leadership. Rost (1991) presented the
Sam Walton.idea of "defining leadership," yet noted that there
I enjoyed watching great actors, such as Charltonis still no real agreement about what leadership is
Heston, Gregory Peck, George C. Scott, Jimmy(p. 6).
Stewart who brought to life the characters ofThe word, Lead, as a verb, comes from the Old
Moses, Michelangelo, Douglas MacArthur, GeorgeEnglish word leden or loedan. Some have
Patton, and fictional characters like "Mr. Smith" orattributed various meanings to the word "lead"
"George Bailey." I observed the success andsuch as "to make go," to "show the way", or "to
admired coaches like, John Wooden and Vinceguide."
Lombardi. They coached well, build successfulThe noted and well-respected university scholar,
teams, but were true leaders and builders ofacademic researcher and phenomenologist van
young men, because they encouraged theirManen's (1991) offer a closer practical definition
players to become upstanding total persons andstating that "leading means going first, and in going
true team players, not just outstanding individualfirst you can trust me, for I have tested the ice"
basketball or football players.(p. 38). Cronin (1980) offered a simple and
All of the biographies, magazine articles, moviesuccinct definition, when said that Leadership can
portrayals, and television coverage of leadersbe defined as the "capacity to make things
helped to shape my mental model and myhappen that would not have otherwise happened"
definition exactly what is leadership. The stories of(p. 372).
successful leaders who overcame adversityLeadership implies that some leads, guides, directs,
provided me with an insight as just how theseor orders someone else to do something that
leaders coped with the setbacks, the trauma ofthey might not otherwise do. Leadership has
life, then succeeding in spite of adversity,many types: Situational Leadership,
obstacles, or challenges.Transformational Leadership, Servant-Leadership,
President John Kennedy's life and his famous bookPrincipal Centered Leadership, Command-Control
(1956) provided profiles of courageous leaders.Leadership, and many more types. Each type has
This book and the other biographies gave me aa distinct and different definition, so one definition
real insight into courage to succeed, no matterof leadership does not fit all type.
what the adversity and to become a strong