Impact of thousands of lobbyists in Washington DC and millions of dollars spent every year to change federal policies

Discuss the impact of thousands of lobbyists in Washington DC and millions of dollars spent every year to change federal policies. Is it effective the majority of the time? Explain.

Leadership
According to Northouse (2007, p.3) leadership can be defined as the ability of an individual to exert influence on a group of people with the aim of achieving a common desired goal. Having the necessary knowledge and skills in leadership is a prerequisite for any leader. Often, people say that good leaders are made and not born. This statement holds truth because with the necessary desire and willpower, an individual can achieve effectiveness in leadership.
Leadership values
As a leader, being trustworthy and confident is critical in creating satisfaction among employees in an organization. Effective and efficient communication by a leader in an organization setting instills trust and keeps people up to date with what is happening. The ability to uphold integrity, respect, accountability and transparency are also effective traits of a leader. Values form an important element in leadership. For instance, a leader may be fully trained on employee counseling and motivation. However, without empathy and compassion, the leader will be ineffective in delivering proper counseling to staff. Credible leaders are empathetic and are concerned with the well-being of team members. Good leaders are high spirited and optimistic and work hard to ensure that the team remains focused on objectives. Great leaders are those who constantly seek personal improvement and continually fortify their attributes (US Army, 1983).
Leadership theories and which resonate with me
There are different leadership theories including; the great man theory, trait theory, participative leadership theory, behavioral theory, transformational leadership, contingency and transactional leadership theory. As a leader, participative leadership theory resonates with me because it is more democratic. Leaders provide guidance and also participate in implementation. This enhances motivation and creativity. Participative leaders make employees take pride in being part of a team. It is the complete opposite of authoritative leadership where the leader dictates and delegates duties to members of the team. When employees are actively involved in running an organization, they become productive. Participatory leadership enhances commitment of employees to achieving organizations goals.
Vision statement
This describes what is expected of me as a leader in a nutshell. As a leader, “my mission is to be all inclusive, empathetic, goal oriented, focused and to actively engage in the advancement of my organization. My mission is to provide participatory governance that where everyone feels motivated and encouraged in achieving desired goals and objective”
As a leader, it is my role to be authentic, practical, make timely and sound decisions, conduct team training, make sure instructions are understood by team members, keep the team informed, take responsibility for organizations actions and stay knowledgeable. Good leaders set an example to their sub-ordinates. They own their responsibilities are accountable for the whole team.
Areas of growth in leadership/ Goals
Becoming a good leader is a continuous process whereby leaders are in constant acquisition of knowledge and skills that improve their ability to guide teams to achieving goals. Leadership involves setting strategic goal that act as the catalyst for hard work. Without goals, leaders and teams have nothing to work hard for. As a participative and democratic leader in an organization setting, employees are involved in setting goals. The goals refer to the position where an organization ought to be in a specified period of time.
Conclusion
Acquisition of leadership skills is a learning curve for all leaders. While leadership is acquired, a leader’s values, ethics, beliefs and character plays a big role in determining success or failure. Adhering to leadership values gives leaders attributes and characteristics that depict them as unique among sub-ordinates. It is there crucial that leaders engage actively in the process of improving their attributes.

REFERENCES
1. Northouse, G. (2007). Leadership Theory and Practice. (3rd ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
2. U.S. Army. (1983). Military Leadership. Field Manual 22-100. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

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