¶ … personal leadership style depends on experience and self-awareness. "To thine own self be true" does not seem like a maxim relevant to leadership, but during our interview, Jane Carson described how personal integrity and honesty directly relates to leading a group. The informational interview conducted for this project focused on Ms. Carson's own leadership experiences and how they helped her develop a personal leadership philosophy. Echoing what the class textbooks outline about the various models of leadership, Ms. Carson described leadership as "an ability to organize and direct others to accomplish a specific goal." The marketing director of a local technology firm, Jane Carson needs to be goal-oriented in order to further her company's assets. But leadership is more than just delegating authority and keeping an eye on the bottom line: Ms. Carson clearly stated the need for personal integrity. Avoiding hypocrisy can be deceptively difficult when in positions of power, as giving orders may seem easier than taking action. Admirable leaders are willing to do exactly what they expect others do to for them; good leaders are active, not passive. Setting a positive example for the group is one of the most important aspects of being an effective leader. A skilled leader guides others not through words but through actions and example. Recognizing and acknowledging the needs of others, a leader will create and maintain group harmony. A good leader must develop the ability to mediate and to handle conflicts, challenges, and difficult problems with aplomb. Making clear, effective, and timely decisions is also a hallmark of an effective leader. Each opportunity to lead a group of people eventually informs an individual's unique leadership style, which is not based on theory but on practice. Jane Carson unexpectedly became a leader during her current term of employment. Rising to the occasion without much warning, let alone any formal training,...

Her personal leadership philosophy arose gradually out of her increased responsibility to the company.
Listening carefully to Ms. Carson ponder her own role as a leader, I realized the primacy of experience. Learning about leadership through classroom textbooks and lectures is helpful to conceptualize the definition and implications of leadership, but theory can never substitute for first-hand knowledge. Like me, Carson never had a mentor or role model to help her formulate a leadership style. Instead, she learned from her environment and her coworkers. The importance of seemingly simple skills like organization and goal setting became tantamount when placed in the context of leading a group. Ms. Carson also learned the importance of avoiding hypocrisy, as she works "as hard as she expects her staff to work."

Clearly a Type Y leader, Ms. Carson explained the necessity of trusting her staff. Encouraging others to take responsibility when ready, an ideal Type Y leader will delegate responsibility as it is earned and not merely requested, recognizing when a person is ready for more responsibility. This focus on the individual members of the group encourages independence, another admirable trait of Type Y leaders. Carson also promotes rewarding a job well done, another Type Y trait. Her active seeking of others' opinions and her encouragement of empathy within the group setting indicates some servant leadership in Ms. Carson as well. Because she reflects my own ideals as a Type Y and servant leader, Ms. Carson concretised the abstract theories taught in class. Interviewing an effective leader who mirrors my innate leadership style helps me to solidify my personal leadership philosophy. I also found it refreshing that a leader need not fall into the trap of megalomania or hypocrisy as many "public servants" and corporate leaders can.

One outstanding element of…