Essay about Leadership

Submitted By bwoodballer23
Words: 2265
Pages: 10

Future officers in the United States should strive to be the best leaders that they can possibly become. In this development what should be analyzed is what type of leader you are presently and what type of leader you want to someday become. By recognizing your strengths and weakness as a cadet you can improve upon them while you have time before you become an Air Force officer. It is essential that cadets strive to be successful leaders to continue the greatness of our Air Force.
In order to better yourself as a leader you need a goal or ideal leader you want to model yourself after. My example of an ideal leader is Mohammed Ali, one of the greatest boxers ever to live. Mohammed Ali is a man of morals and the definition of a great leader. Early in his career in 1964, Ali converted his religion from Christianity to Islam; the same time changed his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali (“The Official1”). Two years later after his conversion and name change, he got drafted into the military service even after he failed the draft aptitude test. Ali refused to serve because of his Muslim beliefs. In 1967 he was found guilty of refusing to be inducted into the military services (“The Official1”). Although after a few years he was cleared of the charges, the damage was already done. The boxing association had already taken away his World Heavy Weight title and suspended him from boxing for three and a half years. Ali gave up some of his prime boxing years to fight for social equity. Ali is a political figure who fought for what he believed in even when the odds were against him and inspired others do the same. The 1950’s and 60’s was a time of racial tension and many Blacks of America were seeking leadership and Ali became one of those leaders. Ali stepped into a leadership role by using is position as World Heavy Champion of the world to bring to light social issues such as religious freedom. Ali is a well know social activist around the world because of his actions.
My ideal leader is more of a transformational type of leader and Muhammad Ali is one of these types of leaders. A transformational leader uses a shared vision, caring, values and relationships to lead. Muhammad Ali exhibited these types of characteristics through his actions. Muhammad Ali is an ideal leader because he used different forms of leadership. Muhammad used referent leadership. Ali formed a relationship with the public by being open with the public media and being a public figure within the local Louisville, Kentucky community. He used that relationship and trust to inspire people to stand up for what their beliefs and to do what they thought was right by not entering the military service draft. During the time of his boxing career around the 1960’s and 70’s the civil rights movement was going on. The black community was looking for leaders to lead the fight for social equality. Muhammad Ali used being the World Heavy Weight champion to make a political statement that inspired people in the United States and around the World.
The character that Muhammad showed during that time is what makes him an ideal leader. As a leader of the black community he faced adversity and stood by what he believed. When you stand by what you believe as a leader your followers will respect you. It is important for a leader to have moral courage because as a leader you are setting an example for your followers. As a leader you do not want your followers to lie to you or do something that is immoral that is detrimental to the unit. By building relationships come trust and trust is a necessity when working together. Also, a leader can find out what motivates their followers. Finally, a leader having a relationship show that their leader actually cares about them as a person and not just there to listen to their orders. An ideal leader can inspire their follows to that to have an intrinsic motivation to accomplish the mission. If there is an