Sample Term Paper On Making Your Bed

Leadership Traits

One leadership trait that is shown by making one’s bed on the double every day is consistency. It takes some time to develop the same routine day in and day out. Indeed, there are times were doing the same thing every day might become a liability or a bad habit. However, there are other things that could and should be done every day and thus they become an asset. Making one’s bed promptly every day is certainly an example of a good habit and would be on par with a leader that is in the office every day, is in the office on time and that shows predictably in their performance and their resolve to do their job well (Bacharach, 2015).
The second trait that is shown by a leader that gets up and makes their bed every day right away is enthusiasm. A leader that shows dedication to what may seem to some as a menial task that is not worth taking a lot of pride in is showing that they are committed to doing the right thing and doing so in an excited fashion as a means to show that they are committed and excited about doing their job well. A good parallel would be the recent NFL champions and their “Do Your Job” T-shirts. Couple that with the fact that they came very close to losing rather than winning the Super Bowl, the “Do Your Job” T-shirts alongside the fact that the person who had the game-securing interception was excited and willing to do their job even when it seemed a loss was imminent shows that the team was committed to being excited and offering their best effort until the very end. Along those same lines, some of the jobs on a football team are menial but the team’s players kept it up until the very end of the game and this led to them winning in this instance (NBC, 2015).
The third trait to be discussed meshes well with the first one and that is commitment. Making’s one bed is certainly not an irrelevant task but it is not an obsolete one either. As such, whether someone is committed to doing it once a day every day and without fail is an indication as to how committed the person is to the job. When it comes to a leader, whether that leader is committed is a huge matter. If they are lackadaisical and disengaged with doing the less important parts of their job, there is a legitimate question as to whether they could or should be trusted to do things of more importance and vitality. Indeed, one Biblical teaching states something to the effect that one must be trustable with small things before they can be treated with large things (Prive, 2012).
The fourth leadership trait that can be pointed to is keeping a positive attitude. Making one’s bed every day may seem like a small thing. However, if one still makes their bed despite the challenging or even negative things that may be presented before them, this is a strong indication that thinking positive is something that is near and dear to that leader’s heart. For example, if it is snowing or storming outside and the leader still makes their bed like they always do, that is an indication they have a good outlook. If they know full well that the day will be stress-filled and challenging yet they still make the bed, this is another indication that the leader intends to be unwavering in terms of their positive outlook, this would also tend to be a good thing. Finally, if a person knows that their return to that bed will probably be a little longer than usual and they still make the bed despite this, this is an indication that they will certainly savor the experience but they know that they need to keep a positive outlook until they can return to that warm bed (Prive, 2012).
However, the fifth trait to be mentioned in this report could point out some medium to negative traits of leadership that can be typified by making one’s bed with regularity. One such trait is compulsion. When one is compelled to immediately make one’s bed upon rising, this could be an indication of a good trait or a bad one. However, compulsivity can be good in some leaders. Indeed, leaders that are compulsive can actually be “controlled and very precise in their social interactions”. They also tend to be “very careful when making decisions or determining specific actions”. That all being said, compulsivity can be good or bad depending on the motive for its presence and the end goals of the person wielding it (Australia, 2015).
The sixth trait that can be realized and emblazoned with someone that makes their bed in the morning would be conscientiousness. To put this term in the proper context, a person that makes their bed with such precision and within such a pattern clearly has a sense of duty about making the bed. Whether it be their own standards they wish to stick to or as part of an agreement with their partner or house-mate to keep things orderly and within a certain flow, making one’s bed like is suggested for this report shows someone that feels a duty to do what has been asked or expected of them. There will surely be days where the person might not prefer or want to do this but they will likely engage in the behavior nonetheless. People of this nature tend to have a “very high standard of excellence and an inward desire to do one’s best”. Be it no surprise that people in the military are commonly required, expected and mandated to keep their bunk and area very clean and orderly without fail (Australia, 2015).
A sixth trait that good leaders will embody is a creation of a climate where reciprocal trust is expected and required. A leader that makes demands needs to offer some currency for that transaction as well. It is technically within a leader’s rights to demand that his or her subordinates meet certain conditions and do certain things. However, if that same leader is not following through on what they should themselves be doing, it will undermine the understanding that the subordinates have their own burdens to meet. It is important for good leaders to show that they will bring what they are supposed to bring to the table and this will lead to legitimacy when that leader expects things in return. This trait, when looking at the bed-making, can be compared to the aforementioned expectation of a partner or house-mate that the bedroom will be kept orderly when not in use. If the partner or house-mate sees that one person is not meeting their end, they will either feel perturbed or they will feel that they themselves do not have to keep the house up either (Zenger & Folkman, 2014).
The seventh trait is similar to the sixth but should be mentioned on its own. A good leader inspires and motivates people to follow their example and their spirit through actions and example. If a leader is able and willing to put in the effort to do even the little things and perhaps things that are “beneath” the leader, then this will inspire and evoke people beneath that leader to not themselves fall prey to the idea that those menial tasks are somehow below them. For example, if a person driving a Mercedes Benz can change the air filter on their own car, then this might incur someone to do the same on their Honda even though they have the means to have someone else do it. There would seem to be some people in society today that think their jobs or parts of their job are “beneath” them. However, strong-minded people and good leaders do not fall prey to that and setting an example to the contrary is not going to be a good thing. As such, leaders need to show that they are willing to practice what they preach when it comes to doing what is expected and doing it well (Zenger & Folkman, 2014).

Conclusion

There is a lot of animosity and challenging of old ideals in this modern society. While some of this back and forth is healthy and proper, there is also a lot of changes and shifts that are really not healthy or productive. Leaders can set a good tone and prevent this slippage. The traits noted above are not a cure-all but setting the proper tone and pattern is key when it comes to getting people to glom onto a leader, what they do and so forth. The old “do as I say, not as I do” mantra is dead and buried to a lot of people. There is an increased stratification, whether explicit or perceived, when it comes to executives or leaders versus the rank and file. Any actions or inactions that perpetuate these perceptions can lead to very nasty consequences and this needs to be avoided at all costs. While a leader may be apt to say that “what I say goes”, this would imply that the rank and file are contractually or morally obligated to comply. While the latter may be there, the former often is not there at all. At will employment and class or position-based warfare have led to a new playing field that has to be honored.

References

Australia. (2015, March 4). Leadership Traits. Retrieved March 4, 2015, from
http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/sba/traits.htm
Bacharach, S. (2015, March 4). 5 Traits of True Leaders. Retrieved March 4, 2015, from
http://www.inc.com/samuel-bacharach/five traits of true leaders.html
NBC. (2015, January 29). ProFootballTalk: Do your job’ has carried Patriots to Super
Bowl XLIX. Retrieved March 4, 2015, from
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/29/profootballtalk-do-your-job-has-
carried-patriots-to-super-bowl-xlix/
Prive, T. (2012, December 19). Top 10 Qualities That Make A Great Leader. Retrieved
March 4, 2015, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyaprive/2012/12/19/top-10-
qualities-that-make-a-great-leader/
Zenger, J., & Folkman, J. (2014, December 15). Research: 10 Traits of Innovative
Leaders. Retrieved March 4, 2015, from https://hbr.org/2014/12/research-10-
traits-of-innovative-leaders