How to turn your natural knack for leadership into a long-term career

This article is sponsored by Penn State World Campus.

If you have professional goals of influencing people and impacting your organization at its highest level, you owe it to yourself to learn about organizational leadership. Everyone has had to deal with a toxic leader who didn’t understand how to communicate, motivate and create change. Not only does ineffective leadership directly affects the morale of an environment, but it directly impacts the esprit de corps. That means that a toxic leader not only sabotages their own chances of success but everyone else around them too.

As a member of the military community, you know firsthand how vital it is to have strong leaders who understand how to communicate with people. The essential skills and mindsets of the world’s strongest leaders all have four things in common.

What makes a good leader?

A good leader can solve problems and make decisions quickly and for the best benefit of the organization. These leaders know how to communicate and listen critically. They also understand the benefit of team building and peer development, including developing leadership potential in others. All good leaders have an eye toward the future, on the lookout for new opportunities and new chances at innovation.

Organizational leadership is the management approach to setting goals for an entire organization while motivating individuals to meet those goals. As a member of the military community, this is part of your everyday life. Whether you’re active duty, a veteran, or a military spouse, you know that goal setting and motivation are equal parts in what it takes to become successful.

Where are leaders found?

Leaders are everywhere – from company CEOs to unit non-commissioned officers to teachers in classrooms, department heads and even head coaches. All of these people share a commonality – they’re organized into a unit for some end. The leader is the person who’s responsible for directing or guiding that group. The best leaders are those who can structure the inputs of others to produce organizational outputs. Translation: a good leader values the members of their team, listens to advice and then make decisions based on sound judgment.

Members in the military community aren’t strangers to leadership, but it takes more than wearing a uniform to become a good leader. You have to be people-oriented to be a successful leader, and for that, you need to have the right training.

How does a degree in Organizational Leadership help?

Earning a degree in Organizational Leadership will help you develop the skills that employers look for most. As a member of the military community, you already know that teamwork, sound judgment, having the ability to solve complex problems and using decision-making skills are part and parcel of any good leader. Studying Organizational Leadership at Penn State allows you to broaden those skills to include how to use evidence appropriately, exercise influence, and use conflict management and communication skills.

Take a deep dive into both the managerial and supervisory behavior of successful leaders from around the world to gain insight into the layered nature of what it means to lead from the top. Our Organizational Leadership program is designed specifically for the military community to help you develop the skills you need to lead from the top.

When you enroll in our World Campus Organizational Leadership program, you have the opportunity to explore what it means to be a leader from both a social-scientific perspective and an operational perspective. Developing foundational knowledge from both sides of the house allows you to expand on your current leadership skills and broaden your professional horizons.

Build your leadership skills with an online degree and never have to worry about finding a way to fit campus time into your schedule. As a valued member of America’s military community, we know that you have a choice when it comes to how you pursue your education. That’s why Penn State is pleased to offer our Organizational Leadership bachelor’s degree program entirely online. We offer both a BS and a BA to best meet your needs.

Penn State is nationally recognized for our wide array of online bachelor’s degrees. We offer a diverse curriculum with foundational courses in communication, economics and labor and employment relations to help you develop the operational leadership skills you need to take your career to the next level.

We’ve been helping members of the military community achieve their educational dreams since 1865. To date, our Penn State World Campus includes more than 5,000 military student learners. Penn State is a proud and active member of the Council on College and Military Educators, and has been recognized through several military-specific awards and rankings.

Whether you’re ready to transition back to civilian life or just looking to advance your education, our Organizational Leadership program offers exactly what you need. Find out more here.

This article is sponsored by Penn State World Campus.