Toxic Leadership

While I have attained much knowledge in the different ways that leaders can operate, my vision of what a leader should hasn’t changed much. I’ve always thought of a good leader being a person who doesn’t rely on their rank or position to demand respect. In my eyes respect has always been earned by the leaders character. I’ve always respected leaders who set a standard and stand by it rather than abandon it at the first sign of difficulty. Having experienced many styles of leadership, there was a brief time in which i believed that fear was an acceptable way to lead. This “toxic leadership” was very effective for many years in the military and was the style that many leaders wanted to emulate. However, over time my view of how a leader should be changed as I was experienced to leaders who were respected because of who they were
As a brigade commander of over 1200-1300 men and women, he was in tune with the daily struggle of even the lowest ranking Soldier. After meeting the man for the first time and having a 20 minute discussion, he was familiar with my family, hobbies, like and dislikes, to remember them over a year later and continue to ask and show interest in them every subsequent meeting. Ever since then I’ve decided if he can do that for over 1200, I should be able to do that for 50-60. What I will take away from the course, is the importance of servant leadership. Respecting subordinates as people rather than just people who work for you, shows them they have value in your eyes (Economy, 2015). I’ve always seen purpose as being important, but now I realize it may be the most important. If people are not compelled to show up due to the purpose being unfulfilling, performance will decrease (Tice, 2007). I have also learned to improve upon my own listening skills and attempt to really see what goes on beneath the surface of my