Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Chapter One - Lord of the Flies - Blog #1

What's more important in a leader...honesty or the ability to make things happen (no matter what). Think of leaders who are representative of your type of leader.

Mrs. L

31 comments:

liam said...

I believe that leaders should be versatile. They should know how to deal with a situation depending on the circumstances. In some situatuions, honesty needs to be applied. In others, a leader needs to make things happen. Once again, it depends on the circumstances. However, it is more important that a leader makes decisions which will benefit all (or at least as many) of the people he or she leads.

Unknown said...

I agree, leaders should be versatile. They should be honest and at the same time be able to make things happen. Of course no one is perfect and even leaders are bound to make mistakes but its is how the leader handles their mistake, do they give up or do they move on and focus on the more important thing?

Alexa

Unknown said...

Well, the other two people took my answers.
But a leader needs to be clearheaded and try to remain unbiased against other people, or else they'll make potentially dangerous enemies.

Anonymous said...

The post i did before this was a lot longer, but it wouldnt save and i refuse to write it all over again, so ill just sum it up---


A good leader simply gets the job done, no matter what the cost is, how had the task is, or what people think of him. The true successful leader accomplishes all tasks at hand.

-TOM

Anonymous said...

I think that a leader who fulfills the elements needed to thrive and prosper is one of great value. Also, a great leader represents some sort of public interest so that he doesn't become too powerful, for example in relation to a dictator.

-Andrew

Unknown said...

A leader who gets things done but isn't honest about them is not a good leader.

12345 said...

Honestly, honesty isn't gonna make anything better for anyone, no matter what. Actually and physically making order and conditions better are what make a leader do, not if they're honest. to make things happen shows a leader who knows what he/she is doing.

Anonymous said...

I believe that a leader should be chosen for the good of the people governed;the whole concept of a Democracy. Leadrs should accomodate to the needs of the people even if that means not giving them exactly what they ask for. A good ruler needs to choose what will benefit the mass in a whole instead of just allowing such mass to do whatever they want. A leader needs streght and wisdom to bring about the succes of the people governed, theyr safety and thier well-being....no matter what

P.S:Sorry if that sounds a tad harsh :/

Kira J Bard said...

I think a mix of both. With honesty, you usually get followers who will head you, but you also need to have the ability to do things that you need to.

kristen =)) said...

I believe in a time of need, its more important for a leader to have the ability to make things happen. Honesty is a great quality which can also show great leadership. However, when faced in a time of conflict, decisions must be made fast.

kristen =)) said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Although a good leader should have a mix of both characteristics, I think it's more important to be honest. The people are putting all their trust into this one leader. If this trust is destroyed, the leadership will be destroyed as well. Everyone will begin to be suspicious of each other and not cooperate as a group.

katie =) said...

I think a leader needs to be someone who will listen to everyone. They will hear idea from everyone and decide which one will work the best. A leader most also be brave and willing to do anything to help the people. They also have to be dedicated to the taks and situations they are presented with. And at all times they must have hope for the future or else no one else will.


-Katie P

Warren said...

I think it is more important for a leader to get things done and keep peace then be honest. A leader's goal is to set the group in the correct direction and accomplish necessary tasks. If a leader is honest, people may become angry and overthrow him or her. It is better to lie and keep approval high than be honest

simone said...

It is definitely more important for a leader to take action. I don't care if my leader informs me of every desicion he/she makes, as long as he/she is MAKING desicions. I want a leader that can provide change, not just talk about it. Although I don't condone a leader lying to his/her people, I would still rather have an actionable leader than an honest one.

Simone P. 2

Unknown said...

I do think a leader needs to be honest but I think it is more important to be able to make things happen. Without being able to make things happen a leader would be absolutely pointless. Most situations are going to be solved by making things happen not being honest.

Unknown said...

^^^^^
Chris C

Gloria said...

I think both are important but if I had to choose one, I would pick honesty. Like Jane said, when there is honesty, there is trust and with trust, there is cooperation.

Unknown said...

I think the best leaders are the ones who are honest and trusted, especially by their subjects. Leaders who can relate to those around them have a better chance of getting things done than a pushy leader who angers everyone and faces criticism. An honest leader earns the trust of his inferiors and puts society on his side, therefore allowing more tasks to be accomplished.

Anonymous said...

i think honesty is one of the most important qualities of a leader. (sorry for the redundancy) but dishonesty leads to corruption, and at that point a society cannot thrive without problems. an honest leader will create a strong sense of trust and unity with his/her people. this connection and link between leader and people will make things happen on its own. things will get done if there is a moral sense of cooperation, justice, understanding and honesty between the people. with kindess and honesty, a leader knows his people will support him and make things happen for the benefit of the community.

if a leader just made things happen-well who said those things are what the people want? trust and honesty will create a mutual relationship between the leaders and the followers. a dishhonest leader cannot create and effective relationship between him and his people. at that point, i say he's not even a leader at all.

-livia

Unknown said...

I think it all depends on the situation. For a good portion of a leader's decisions I'd say getting stuff done is more important. It is important that they can be focused completely on what needs to be completed without the blur of people's opinions along the way. Now, dishonesty can be exhibited at multiple levels. Depending on the severity of dishonesty, the leader would need to refrain from any bias or actions that lead to corruption.
-NickNieminen-

Unknown said...

I think the nest leader is one who is honest, because with honesty, comes communication. If a leader does not have the best abilities to find food and shelter, and what not, but is honest, then the group will at least be able to communicate ell and help themselves survive.
-Liana

Anonymous said...

First of all I am sorry I am late in this blog entry, I obiviously did not see it, my fault. But, anyway after reading everyone's post I agree mostly in Liam's point. Leaders have the be versatile, there is no question about that. They have to have the confidence to handle a situation, but they also need to be honest is they need help. Having a leader who is honest but not confident is like have cookies without milk, it's alright but not complete.:)

-Katie Michels

jennnnnnn:) said...

I think in a leader I would rather them be able to make things happen no matter what. I believe this because if they make whatever they say happen, then they are actually honest too. I would also like the quality of respect and courage in a leader because then I could look up to them.
-Jennnn!

Unknown said...

Absolutely honesty. In our world, it's tough to imagine an honest leader, but with honesty comes trust. If people trust their leader, then they trust him to lead and make decisions right for them. The leader wouldn't deceive his people because, well, he's honest.

EMILY :)

Unknown said...

I agree with all of the people who said that leaders need to be both honest and able to get things done. A leader should be honest because then others will view them in a positive way. If they are not honest, then people will just look at them as a liar and they won't be seen as a good role model. At the same time, if there is a situation where something needs to be done, then the leader should be able to handle it. Although the leader gets something done, I would not like it if they used lies and trickery (if that was the case). So basically, I would rather have an honest leader that can get the job done.

Vincent Debitetto said...

I think both are extremely important because if the leaders are not honest then there will be a currupt governement. However, I do think that leaders need to know how to deal with everything so that there will be no problem.

Unknown said...

definitely just make things happen. theres a lot of things that cannot go public that have to be decided upon by a leader. like if the us planned on bombing some country they shouldnt tell everyone cuz people would freak out and our enemies would be ready for the attack.

Lauren said...

Both of these traits are very important when it comes to leadership. However, I would rather be led by a person who was completely honest and tried his/her best to accomplish things. I would especially not want a leader who lied about everything that was (or was not) being done and merely trying to win political support.

Anonymous said...

Not sure if i blogged this one but I think its most important to have a leader that values the needs of the people, so basically honesty. They need to not keep any secrets from the public and keep the people aware of what they're doing, and the people in turn should care about what the leader does. However, the leader needs to be strong enough to enforce what he or she wishes to carry out. They need to be strong, assertive, and able to carry out what THEY think is best for the people, especially in cases of conflicting interests. A very smart person once told me and some other people that you need to trust your leader and allow them to do what they think is best. If you elected them leader, then they need to show that they can represent your best interests. Don't make them second guess themself! (MORLEYYY)

-joshbroooooooooo

Anonymous said...

I think the ability to make things happen is a more important quality in a leader because a leader could be honest but if he sets up no rules or penalties and if he provides no food or shelter for his people he is not a good leader. I think an example of the honest leader would be Ralph and his leadership was not effective because there were no penalties for breaking his rules.
-Mike Nardini