Richard Pfluger

Dr. Josh Armstrong

LDRS 220
April 16 2014
Final Paper Assignment
Leadership has been around society for many generations. If this has been the case, then
why is it such a difficult idea to learn? Many people think that you can just learn about
leadership in the classroom. This wont work, you have to go out in the real world and practice it.
And if you grasp this idea, you have to start asking yourself if there is even such a thing as a
good leader. We all certainly have our own idea of what a good or bad leader is, but it is
totally dependent on what our own personal beliefs are. While some people dont agree with my
philosophy of leadership, I am proud to call it mine and unique to my own beliefs and
experiences.
I believe that everyone has their own leadership philosophy based on their own beliefs
and experiences. A lot of the time they are either: 1) raised with these beliefs such as religion in a
family so they have moral beliefs or 2) have had experiences that shaped their philosophy such
as seeing their boss be a poor leader and so they want to change. I personally believe that there
are many different types of leaders. Unfortunately, most people think that a leader needs to be
vocal and outgoing. A lot of the time this classic leader is also characterized as the one who
would take over a situation. While yes, these characteristics of a person can be leadership
traits, they only are if they are used correctly. With that being said, I believe that leaders come in
many different forms. I think some of the best leaders are the ones who are quiet and humble.
There are situations where you need a loud and vocal leader, but there are also situations where
you want someone who is not drawing attention to the group. I also think that some of the best
leaders are followers. A common misconception of leadership is that leaders need to always be

leading. In reality, most leaders are actually following someone. By being a follower you allow
yourself to learn from others. This allows you to become a better leader when the time comes to
take a leadership role. Being a follower is just as important as being a leader. My final basic
philosophical idea on leadership is regarding morality and practicing moral leadership. I dont
think you should ever have to compromise your own moral beliefs, even if it is for the better of a
business. I also believe that if you have to fire someone, you should choose the one that is not
living up to the working expectations that they are supposed to be working at. While I do
understand the people that want to consider the employees family and conditions they are living
with, I believe that businesses need to focus on the business and how to make the most profit
while doing it ethically and morally. These three basic leadership philosophies of different types
of leaders, followers, and morality in leadership all set the tone for my beliefs in the leadership
world.
There are certain theoretical frameworks that my leadership philosophy is based off of.
One of my most important beliefs on leadership is regarding leaders and followers. John W.
Gardner talks about this in his Leaders and Followers article. Gardner, a respectable man who
has served six presents of the US in various ways, talks about the interaction between leaders and
followers. Gardner says that leaders are almost never as much in charge as they are pictured to
be, and followers almost never as submissive as one might imagine. This is basically saying that
people often think that leaders have more power than they actually do; it is also saying that
followers dont give in as easily as people think. I believe that this is really important because so
much of the time people think the exact opposites. I personally believe that followers have a
huge role in leadership. After all, without followers, who are the leaders supposed to lead?
Another aspect of effective and good leadership that I believe to be true is that you need to have

effective leaders and active followers. Both Gardner and Joseph Rost say this is true because the
leaders and followers are the ones in this relationship. If someone is following a leader without
any participation, then they are doing what everyone assumes a follower to be doing. They are
doing nothing more than fitting inthey need to change this idea of what a follower is by
being an active follower. In fact, Gardner believes that the word followers should be gotten rid
of and participants should be used instead. I wholeheartedly agree with this because I believe
in an active participation as a follower in order for a situation to be successful.
A great example of this leader/follower belief is through the leadership pyramid. A lot of
people think that the pyramid needs to have the CEO at the top with the employees at the bottom.
I believe that it needs to look the exact opposite:

This is a perfect example of my beliefs regarding leaders and followers; followers play such an
important role that I believe the leaders should be serving them. This is an example of servant
leadership. Society has an opposite connotation of this entire idea of servant leadership. They
believe that employees should serve the managers who serve the CEO. In reality, everyone
should be serving the customers. After all, the customers are the ones who drive the business and
without them, the business gets shut down and everyone is left without a job. Robert Greenleaf
says that the idea of a servant-leader will make sure that other peoples highest priority needs

are being served. I believe this to be true both in the personal sense (that people should be
served) but also in the business sense (that a business needs should be met). This idea brings me
to my final philosophy of leadership which is regarding moral leadership. This is one of the most
controversial ideas of leadership because people have their own morals which leads to different
moral leadership beliefs. I do believe that people shouldnt be forced to do something against
their own ethical beliefs, even if it is for the better of the business (ex. putting the wrong
inventory down to get free replacement product). Howard Prince says that the leader can
influence the moral conduct of others by demonstrating the desired behavior, rewarding ethical
behavior and punishing unethical conduct. While I dont believe that people should break their
moral beliefs, I do believe that sometimes they will have to make hard decisions. There is a
significant difference between a moral decision and a hard decision. For example, I believe that a
manager should fire the person who is not working as efficient and up to their standard, even if
they are the one with a family versus the person who is working harder but doesnt have a family.
I believe that this is considered to be in the difficult decision category because while it may not
enjoyable, it is not considered unethical and it is for the better of the business. While these are
my philosophical leadership beliefs, I am certainly still working on them in my own life.
Leadership is one of the most observed practices in society yet is often misunderstood. It
is awesome how you are always learning something new, though it is something that can never
be fully mastered despite the amount of experience you have in it. My philosophical leadership
beliefs, both regarding followership and morality, are still being developed. While I believe that I
know what my beliefs are, I know that it will take time to develop and perfect them. I do
believe that I am getting better at realizing that I dont need to take charge of a situation to be a
leader. I think that I am still working on this idea because society often has the idea that you do

need to be loud and vocal. I sometimes see myself conforming to this belief so that I can fit in.
Within the next few years in CLP, I hope to develop this and feel that I can be a follower and still
be leading people. I also hope to get better awareness of morality in the leadership context. I do
know what I believe in but I often have a hard time implementing this because I feel that I am
extremely business driven. I often get thrown too much into the business world that I forget to
care about the morality of the situation. As I am planning to be a marketing major, I hope to get a
better understanding of business by also implementing my own moral beliefs into my leadership
style. As I am interning for Gonzagas Athletic Department this next year, I hope to gain a better
understanding of leading people through example but also through followership. I am also
working at Nike this summer and hope to see and learn about how they care for their employees
and practice moral and servant leadership.
The final aspect that I want to work on is to just be myself and not worry about what
others think about me. My philosophy of leadership is unique to me and focuses on leaders,
followers, and morality. While it certainly isnt perfect, and I am in no means practicing it
perfectly, I am working on it. It helps to define who I am and what I believe in. I am looking
forward to these next three years in CLP to help me define my leadership philosophy. I am proud
of who I have become this semester in CLP and look forward to continue growing at Gonzaga!

Reference List
Gardner, John W. Leaders and Followers. 1987. The Leader's Companion. New York: Free,
1995. 185-88. Print.
Greenleaf, Robert K. Servant Leadership. 1977. The Leader's Companion. New York: Free,
1995. 18-23. Print.
Prince II, Howard T. Moral Development in Individuals. 1988. The Leader's Companion. New
York: Free, 1995. 484-91. Print.
Rost, Joseph C. Leaders and Followers Are the People in This Relationship. 1991. The Leader's
Companion. New York: Free, 1995. 189-92. Print.