Understanding the Leadership Basics Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 20

Understanding the Leadership Basics - Case Study Example This is a case study which focuses on integrity as one of the basic ingredients that should be understood as far as becoming a leader and practising responsible leadership is concerned. One of the essential characteristics that define a leader with integrity is the clear self-knowledge. A leader of integrity usually has a clear and definite self-knowledge in terms of strengths, weaknesses, abilities, self-insight, and even capabilities. A good leader who demonstrates integrity should be able to balance these traits of self-knowledge. Warren mentions leaders know their assets and faults and they deal with these in a direct manner since none of them lies to themselves and in particular about themselves (34). This implies that leaders who properly know who they are and what they are consisted of have no problems reinventing themselves. Some world’s most prolific and famous leaders have shown that they possess this characteristic, an example being the current United States President Barak Obama who has become a people’s hero through self-knowledge and self-reinvention. Another characteristic that essentially defines a leader of integrity is maturity. Integrity in leadership is not complete without the element of maturity since leading is not necessarily ordered issuance or showing the way. Maturity in leadership comes through experience and it is through it that a leader shows the ability to be dedicated and being observant while working and learning from others. According to Warren, leaders who are capable of locating the element of maturity and its qualities in themselves possess the gear necessary in self-encouragement (35). President Obama is a mature, ambitious and powerful political leader who through the slogan â€Å"Yes we can† demonstrates that great that great things are achieved through focusing on possibilities and not dwelling on limitations.   Therefore, any leader is considered to be full of integrity if maturity can be located in their modes of operation, criteria of decision making and means of conflict resolution.