About a memorable experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

About a memorable experience - Essay Example These make me overlook the negative side of life, with all the bad experiences it presents. They always remind me that the bad experiences never last, and it is always a matter of time before I smile again. Among all the good experiences I have had, there is only one, which will remain embedded in my mind forever. This is one bittersweet, but memorable experience that has in many ways, influenced my life, especially the way I perceive the world today and the things therein. It all started as a joke, and little did I know that this could culminate into a life-changing experience. On this warm summer afternoon, I asked my friends for their opinions about what we would do for my birthday, as the normal house parties had become monotonous, and I wanted a different experience. â€Å"How about this time round you be the one giving out gifts? Give gifts to people on your birthday!† one of my friends suggested. â€Å"That sounds great . . . but how?† I wondered. â€Å"The homeless!† another friend quickly suggested. The six of us agreed to make it our project, and we started counting down days. Each person would start keeping stuff, which we would take as our gifts. Each one of us would also save little money to buy food and other stuff. With only one and a half months remaining to my birthday, everyone was committed to playing their role. When it was only two weeks remaining, we identified the homeless people we would visit and set everyt hing in order. Finally, it was the eve of my birthday. I invited my friends to our house so we could set all the stuff in order in preparation for the next day. Both my friends’ parents and my parents were happy with our plan and offered us a little more money and stuff to add up. When morning came, we all were happy and anticipated for the unfolding of events in that day. My mum offered to drive us to the designated place. In an hour’s time, we arrived at our destination. We unpacked our luggage and went ahead to

How do theories of leadership provide practical advice on how to be an Essay

How do theories of leadership provide practical advice on how to be an effective leader Discuss, with reference to at least two theories or models of leadership - Essay Example Each of these theories is based on certain principles that have been used to define effective leaders. It is well known that there are individuals that have leaders naturally even without any form of training. However, there are those that require training in order for them to have leadership attributes. This essay will focus on the trait, behavioral and transformational theories of leadership. In addition, it will further address how these theories are applicable in practical leadership. Effective leaders naturally possess certain attributes that enables them to execute their roles effectively and efficiently. According to the trait theory, people are born or made to have certain qualities that facilitate their discharge of leadership roles. Ralph Stogdill advanced this theory in 1974 (Irvin 2007). An effective leader is obliged to exhibit certain traits such as being creative, have a sense of responsibility, be intelligent, be decisive, and have self-control among other important qualities. This theory argues that behavior modification is paramount for effective leadership. This indicates that a leader ought to conform to good values and attributes that will enable them to discharge their roles effectively. Through an analysis of the mental, physical, and social attributes, a leader can be identified through the values and attributes they exhibit and encourage in their respective jurisdictions. Upon the realization of the general traits that makes successful leader s, it becomes very easy to identify potential leaders. This indicates that an individual that endeavors to be an effective leader will strive to cultivate leadership values (Epstein 2010, p.7). Several traits have been identified as influencing the effectiveness of a leader. If such traits are embraced they can help a leader become more effective. While advancing the trait theory, Stogdill conducted a study in which he identified ten types of traits that are associated with effective leaders.