UNIT 8 AMERICAN LEADERSHIP Leadership Leadership is the key to all Human Effort involving more than one person, We understand we are leaders of ourselves and everyone with whom we come in contact, Our attitudes and ideas can only make a difference if we are able to influence the actions of another person through leadership. We must ensure that the ideas and attitudes we project to our family, friends, and neighbors are truly the ones we want to remembered by; for life is short but memories are long. The World has long looked to The United States for leadership in Politics, Industry, and Freedom for Individual. Background Leadership is the mechanism that moves more than one person in the same cause”. The World looks to the United States to provide Leadership in World Affairs. Leadership is at work in our homes, neighborhoods, workplaces and everywhere we find more than one person in contact with another. First let us look at the word Lead; “To guide someone or something along a way” Now let us look at the word Leader; "A person who has commanding authority or influence” Leadership is a subject frequently discussed but very hard to describe or prescribe. The ability of one human being to influence another is more of an “art” than a “science”. People choose to either follow another or follow themselves in everything they do. Attitudes and behaviors taught at home by parents in the end become those things passed to children through the Leadership Role of Parents over 40children, Parents are the people who generally offer the most last 12 leadership influence to their children, These attitudes and behaviors become the instinctive internal “Code” that a man or woman uses to lead themselves. Characteristics All great lasting leaders have certain characteristics in ‘common; 1 They have principles and values a They have a passion for what they believe, 3 They have a vision of where they are headed. 4 They know how to achieve their vision. 5. They understand the need to influence others into action. 6. They know how to influence others into action. 7 They do not give up their goal of achieving their vision. In general there are many leadership styles. This is where many people become confused in the execution of leadership. May people equate leadership style to leadership itself. We may copy “The John Wayne” style for instance but really not have a clear vision of where we are headed or a strong resolve to do so. We may fail to motivate people to action through lack of effective communication and believe that all we must do is act like "John Wayne” in action. All Leadership Styles are based around the personality of the Leader This comes into play in step 6 above: Leaders know how to influence others into action. Without the other steps, the real work of leadership is left undone. In the end we all must do the homework required by all of the steps and then use our personality in adopting a style that will effectively influence others to action. Through our personality, we communicate our Passion, Vision and Know How to Motivate others to Action, Copying another person’s Leadership “style” that does not fit our personality will to work. ¥e will just not be able to motivate people into action pretending to be someone we are notWork Values Work hard jovfal time‘American attitudes Towards manual labour oo | Raise rom _bumblebesinnin © Tradition isthe elorification of the seltmade man Tothetop ‘through his own effort[ong tot sey aa 1 oer ' “ Sane tne wT ‘Appointment fe ' fasing ' ' 1! ' | ' ' | ' |! == I-— 40Time and Space Patterns A. Time When travelers lack an awareness of how time is regulated in a foreign country, they can expect to feel somewhat disoriented. Since most people take time for granted, the effects of values, customs, and social etiquette on the use of time are seldom examined. A culture that values 5 achievement and progress will discourage people from "wasting" time. Highly efficient business people from these cultures may feel frustrated in a country where work proceeds ata slow pace. In religious societies, customs specify times of the day, week, or year for prayer and religious celebrations. If an individual tries to make an appointment during a sacred 10 holiday, he or she could unknowingly offend a religious person. Social etiquette determines appropriate times for visits, meetings, and even phone calls. Arriving two hours late for an appointment may be acceptable in one culture, whereas in another, keeping someone waiting fifteen minutes may be considered rude. B. Promptness Promptness is important in American business, academic, and social settings. The importance of punctuality is taught to young children in school. Tardy slips and the use of bells signal to the child that punctuality and time itself are to be respected. People who keep appointments are considered dependable. If people are late to job interviews, appointments, or classes, they are often viewed as unreliable and irresponsible. In the business world, "time is money" and companies may fine their executives for tardiness to business meetings. Of course, it is not always possible to be punctual, Social and business etiquette also provides rules for late arrivals. Calling on the telephone if one is going to be more than a few minutes late for scheduled appointments is considered polite and is often expected. Keeping a date or a friend waiting beyond ten to twenty minutes is considered rude. the other hand, arriving thirty minutes late to some parties is acceptable. Respecting deadlines is also important in academic and professional circles. It is expected that deadlines for class assignments or business reports will be met. Students who hand in assigngjents late may be surprised to find that, the professor will lower their grades or even refuse to grade their work. Whether itis a question of arriving on time or of meeting a deadline, people are culturally conditionedto regulate time. C. Division of Time Time is tangible; one can "gain time," "spend time," "waste time," "save time," or even "kill time"12 Common questions in American English reveal this conerete quality as though time were a possession. "Do you have any time?" "Can you get some time for this?", "How much 5 free time do you have?" The treatment of time as a possession influences the way time is carefully divided Generally, Americans are taught to do one thing at a time and may be uncomfortable when an activity is interrupted. In businesses the carefull scheduling of time and the separation of activities are common practices. Appointment calendars are printed with 15-, 30-, and 60-minute time 5 slots. A 2:30-3:00 interview may end in time for a brief break before a 3:15-4:00 meeting. The idea that "there is a time and place for everything" extends to American social life. Visitors who “drop by" without prior notice may interrupt their host's personal time. Thus, calling friends on the telephone before visiting them is generally preferred to visitors’ “dropping by." To accommodate other people's schedules, Americans make business plans and social engagements several days or weeks in advance D. Future Time Cultures tend to favor either a past, present, or future orientation with regard to time. A future orientation, encompassing a preference for change, is characteristic of American culture. The society encourages people to look to the future rather than to the past. Technological, social, and artistic trends change rapidly and affect people's lifestyles and their relationships. Given this inclination toward change, it is not surprising that tradition plays a limited role in the American culture. Those who try to uphold traditional patterns of living or thought may be seen as rigid or "old- fashioned." In a society where change is so rapid, it is not uncommon for every generation to experience a "generation gap." Sometimes parents struggle to understand the values of their children. Even religious insti- tutions have had to adapt to contemporary needs of their followers. Folk singers in church services, women religious leaders, slang versions of the Bible, all reflect attempts made by traditional institutions to "keep up 10 with the times.” High rates of change, particularly in urban areas, have contributed to a focus on the future rather than the past or present. Some Americans believe that the benefits of the future orientation are achievement and progress which enable them to have a high standard of living, Othersbelieve that high blood pressure and stomach ulcers are the results of such a lifestyle. As individuals in a culture, we all have an intuitive understandingabout how time is regulated. Usually we do grt think about the concept of time until we interact with others who have a different time orientation, Although individuals from any two cultures may view time simi-5 larly, we often sensethat in another culture, life seems to proceed at either a slower or faster pace Knowing how time is regulated, divided, and perceived can provide valuable insights into individuals and their cultures E. Space Architectural Differences When we travel abroad we are immediately impressed by the many ways buildings, comes, and cities are designed. The division and organ- ization of space lend character and uniqueness to illages, towns and cities, Yet, architectural differences may also cause confusion or discomfort for the raveler, In the following example, a group of Americans living in a country in South America reacted emotionally to the architectural differences they observed. The separation of space inside homes may also vary from culture to culture. In most American homes the layout of rooms reveals the sepa- rateness and labeling of space according to function bedroom, living room, dining room, playroom, and so on. This system is in sharp contrast to other cultures here one room in a house may serve several functions. In Japan, homes with sliding walls can change a large room into two small rooms so that a living room can also serve as a bedroom When a home or a city’s design is influenced by another culture, the “native” architecture can be lost or disguised. For example, a French architect was asked to design Punjab, the capital city in Chadigarh, India. He decided to plan the city with centralized shopping centers which required public transportation and movement away from the village centers, Eventually the Indians stopped meeting each other socially in their small neighborhoods. Apparently, the introduction of a non-Indian style of architecture affected some of the cultural and social patterns of those living in the city. F. Privacy and the Use of Space Architectural design influences how privacy is achieved as well as how social ontact is made in public places. The concept of privacy is not Time and Space Pattems unique to a particular culture but what it means is culturally determined. For example, according to. Donald Keene, author of Living Japan, there is no Japanese word for privacy. Yet one cannot say that the concept of privacy does not exist among the Japanese but only that it is very different from the Westem conception, Similarly, there is no word in the Russian language that means exactly the same as the English word ‘privacy’ People. in the United States tend to achieve privacy by physically separating, themselves from others. The expression "good fences make good neighbors” indicates a preference for privacy from neighbars! homes. If a family can afford it, each child has his or her own bedroom. When privacy is needed, family members may lock their bedroom doors. When the American wants to be alone he goes into” a room and shuts the door—he depends, on architectural features for screening. . The English, on the other hand, lacking rooms of their own since childhood, never developed the prd@tice of using space as a refuge from others.5n some cultures when individuals desire privacy, it is acceptable for them simply to withdraw into themselves. That is, they do not need to remove themselves physically from a group in order to achieve privacy. Young American children learn the rule "knock before you enter" which teaches them to respect others! privacy, Parents, too, often follow this rule prior to entering their children’s rooms. When a bedroom door is closed it may be a sign to others saying, "I need privacy," "I'm angry," or "Do not disturb... I'm busy." For Americans, the physical division of space and the use of architectural features permit a sense of privacy. The way space is used to enable the individual to achieve privacy, to build homes or to design cities is culturally influenced,40