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LDRS 4044
Spring 2016

Personal Leadership
Philosophy Statement

Jade Alston
905759991

Over the passing of my time here at Virginia Tech, my definitions of what it means to
lead, follow, and act as a citizen have changed quite a bit. Through my recent experiences in this
class, I have learned multiple new philosophical proposals about what these terms should mean.
Also, within my day to day life, I have obtained contextual evidence, as well as experienced
personal encounters, that have led me to produce new definitions of these terms. These
definitions are the building blocks of my leadership philosophy. To lead is: to significantly
influence and inspire others, causing them to rally together in hopes for accomplishing a
common goal, to know your strengths, your weaknesses, how to deal with them both, and to
know when it is time to step down and become a strong follower. To follow is to be influenced
and inspired by an individual enough to comply with the instructions given by that leader and to
know when its your time to step up and become a leader. Both leaders and followers should act
as citizens. To act as a citizen is: to be respectful of others as well as the law, knowledgeable of
what is going on within your country, patriotic enough to vote for government officials, and
responsible for playing your role within society.
Each of these roles are equally important. They all overlap and are interchangeable in
certain situations. Due to my philosophy on these roles and my conceptualization of the leaderfollower relationship, I have developed an analogy for the leader-follower relationship. In fact, I
base my entire leadership philosophy on this analogy. I realize that some of the philosophies that
I have encountered in numerous readings and who we have discussed in many of my classes
agree with and others disagree with my ideals. However, despite their opinions, my personal
analogy for the leader-follower relationship is: Leader is to Follower as Father is to Son.

LDRS 4044
Spring 2016

Personal Leadership
Philosophy Statement

Jade Alston
905759991

When you look at the role of a leader next to the role of a father, you will find many
parallels and overlaps. A leader motivates and inspires, so does a father. Fathers are often seen as
heroes by their sons and therefore, their sons are motivated and inspired by their actions. A father
sets rules and expectations for tasks, so does a leader. Leaders too must set rules and regulations
to maintain order and organization. When looking at the role of a follower next to the role of a
son, you will find many similarities there as well. A follower completes delegated tasks to the
best of their ability, so does a son. Sons often have chores to do that are delegated to them by
their fathers that they must complete. A son longs to please their father and make him proud, so
does a follower. Followers are constantly seeking to make their leader proud of the hard work
that they have done.
Personally, the best example of this relationship that I can pull from my experiences is the
relationship that my younger stepbrother, Demarco, has with my stepfather, Gary. In the past, my
stepfather would always do everything that he could to be a positive role model for my
stepbrother, his only son. Each and every day my stepfather would get up and go to work even
when he was sick, tired and didnt really feel like going. Before he left he would always make
sure to tell us what our chores were for after school. Then when he would get home from work,
he would make sure that my stepbrother and I had done our chores and then watch some ESPN.
He truly loved sports and they seemed to be one of the only things that relaxed him after a long
days work. Due to my stepfather setting that great example of pushing through the
uncomfortable things that try to prevent you from getting things done, my stepbrother was
inspired to always go to school unless something serious happened. My stepbrother made sure
that he did all of his chores because he wanted to make his father proud of the work he had done.

LDRS 4044
Spring 2016

Personal Leadership
Philosophy Statement

Jade Alston
905759991

On top of that, my stepbrother even began to take a strong liking to sports just like his father. He
wanted to be just like his father when he grew up so he did everything that he could to try to
make him happy. I know that one day, when my stepfather grows old and my stepbrother grows
up, their roles will trade. My stepfather will need to be cared for like a son/follower and my
stepbrother will in turn become a father/leader to him.
Within the Leaders Companion, I have read about the beliefs of several different people. I
feel that some of these people like Tolstoy, Machiavelli, and Plato would disagree with the
analogy I created on leader-follower relationships. For example, Leo Tolstoy believed the leaders
were historys slaves. He felt that a leader essentially plays a small almost nonexistent role.
The only role that he really credits them with is by adding a name to a historical event (Tolstoy,
59). Niccolo Machiavelli believed that leaders should rule by force and through the use of power.
He thought that a leader should be able to use both man and beast (Machiavelli, 67). The
philosopher Plato believed that only the elite can be leaders. He felt that only men with years of
education were qualified to be leaders (Plato, 64). These ideals, simply would not have matched
up with my points. I dont think of leaders as labels for historical events. I dont believe that
leading by force is the best way to go about leading others. Lastly, I definitely dont believe that
only the educated elite can be leaders. Tolstoy would probably argue that a father couldnt
possibly be considered a leader because the father son relationship lacks a historical event. I
wouldnt be phased by his argument because I know that leaders dont have to wait for a
historical event to talk place to step up. Machiavelli would most likely argue that without
exhibiting fear generating actions, a father cannot lead a son. However, I disagree because I have
seen many aggressive fathers fail when attempting to lead their sons in that manner. Plato would

LDRS 4044
Spring 2016

Personal Leadership
Philosophy Statement

Jade Alston
905759991

probably argue that only a highly educated, rich father could properly lead their son. I believe
that education and money are not the only things that shape a leader, so his argument would be
no match for mine.
On the other hand, within the Leaders Companion I have read about the beliefs of several
other people that would agree with my analogy based on the leader follower relationship. I feel
that some of these people like Lao-Tzu, Gandhi, and Burns would agree. For example, Lao-Tzu
believed that leaders should be selfless. He felt that leader essentially should do things for the
good of others without expecting something in return. Lao-Tzu is known for saying that being
selfless enhances self (Lao-Tzu, 69). Gandhi believed in the practice of being peaceful instead of
resorting to the use of power and domination. He thought that a leader should not refer to
themselves as a leader and just do the right thing. (Gandhi, 46). Burns believed that leaders and
followers should work together for the good of both parties. He felt that the leaders and followers
should unite for a common purpose. (Burns, 100). These ideals, simply would have matched up
with my points well. I do believe that a leader should be selfless, putting others before them,
without expecting something in return. A father puts his son before himself almost all the time
because he wants only the best for him. I believe that peaceful quarrel is a much better way of
handling issues. Good fathers know how to handle their sons with care. I believe that leaders and
followers should unite and work for a common purpose. In that same way, fathers and sons take
good care of each other. All of these authors truly support my points. These authors can see the
great things that a leader should do and how those actions are the same as those of a father. They
can also see the same positive type of relationship that is formed with the followers as a result of
the investment that the leader/father has in the follower/son.

LDRS 4044
Spring 2016

Personal Leadership
Philosophy Statement

Jade Alston
905759991

The roles of leaders and followers go hand in hand with those of fathers and sons.
Leaders do all that they can for their followers. Fathers do all that they can for their sons. Then
later on down the road the followers and sons will begin to step up and assist the leaders and
fathers as much as they can. Some of the authors I have learned about disagree with my analogy;
others agree with my analogy. Despite how these authors may have felt, I fully support my
analogy that states: Leader is to Follower as Father is to Son and I fully embrace that as my
personal leadership philosophy.

Works Cited
Wren, T. J. (1995) The Leaders Companion. New York, NY: A Free Press.
Machiavelli, N. (1995) How Princes Should Keep Faith, III, 67-69.
Tolstoy, L. (1995) Rulers and Generals Are Historys Slaves, III, 55-60.
Plato (1995) the Republic, III, 60-65.
Lao-Tzu (1995) Tao Te Ching, III, 69-72.
Gandhi, M. (1995) Satyagraha, III, 72-78.
Burns, M. J. (1995) Transactional v. Transforming Leadership, IV, 100-102.