What is the "I" in Leadership?

 "There is no 'I' in 'Team"!

We have heard it our entire lives. That doing something by yourself on a team will never amount to anything right? We often see tasks that involve teamwork as an exercise for our social battery; but like most things, batteries can die, and we often need to recharge them. When was the last time we made sure that everyone on a team was individually doing alright? We are always asked how we are doing as a team, but never as an individual. 

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Unit #3 heavily focused on the idea of the individual practice of leadership. While leadership often can be shared amongst a team of individuals, the idea of leadership begins with you and you alone before you can work with others. Jorden et al. (2014) dives deep into the ideal of having "character" and character attributes to be a successful leader; in other words, how your personality with yourself affects others. 

With characters come cardinal values (values which are essential to being a good leader), including prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude. As an individual, you must have all four of these values in order to lead a group of others or in a team. "Being a good leader" is simply not enough; you must ensure that you are focusing on what is right for you as a person.

Until we choose to teach leadership at an individual level, leaders will not be able to work in a team with other leaders, but also be unable to understand if and when they are failing as a leadership.

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