Definition of Leadership - Research Paper Example

Historians and philosophers have conventionally taken immense interest in the topic of leadership, yet scientific research in the field flourished after the 20th century (Daft, 2008, p. 4).Leadership has been defined in a variety of ways by the scholars which not only speaks of the complexity of the term but also makes it difficult to standardize one particular definition of the term. Because of the complexity of leadership and the variety of ways in which it has been studied, no universal definition has surfaced (Lussier and Achua, 2007, p. 5). A fairly good definition of leadership is this; “Leadership is an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes and outcomes that reflect their shared purposes” (Daft, 2008, p. 4). The mainstream literature of leadership from the 20th century is primarily industrial in terms of the concept of leadership that it presents. The transformation of the thought of leadership to a post-industrial framework started to commence near the start of the 21st century (Rost, 1993, p. 100). Evolution and expansion of the definitions and concepts of leadership is not surprising. In the age of industrialization, leadership was thought to be a matter of inducing obedience and impressing the leader’s will upon others whereas in the age of information, the notions of shared decision making and consulting were increasingly associated with leadership (Bass and Bass, 2008, p. 24). The need of leadership Leadership is something that human nature needs. Be it any walk or aspect of life, people either look forward to others for guidance or be themselves a guide for the others. A leader is generally needed in every community, business, and government (Bacon, 2006). Leadership is one of the basic qualities that an individual requires in order to be able to deal with the challenges of everyday life successfully. Being able to follow a leader is no less important than being a leader oneself. One very important factor that depicts an individual’s nature is the kind of leader he/she chooses to follow as there are leaders in every area of life be that politics, religion, or even crime. Even gangs do not function without appropriate leadership. Leader is essentially a guide for others. Since he/she is a guide, he/she understandably assumes and is granted more power and authority as compared to others. This power and authority is fundamentally required by a leader to gain the confidence that it takes to display the characteristics of leadership. Although a leader may become by force, but the true essence of leadership entails only when the leader is selected through mutual consensus of a group. People only tend to follow a leader who they consider wiser and have placed their confidence in. “Loyalty is not something a boss (or anyone for that matter) can demand or even command. It is something that people – the constituency – choose to grant to a leader who has earned it” (Kouzes and Posner, 2011, p. 4). This imparts the need for a leader to always engage in strategies to keep the interest and confidence of the followers alive. This is just as important in leadership as planning the ways to obtain the goals for which the followers trust the leader. A leader is essentially a public property in the domain of leadership. While the followers may think of themselves as individuals, and their actions might not affect others, a leader must be very precautious and thoughtful in his/her approaches to each and every aspect of his/her life both that are related to the concern of the followers and others beyond that. People may lose confidence in a leader if they do not approve of his/her approach toward a matter that does not even concern them otherwise. This is the reason why an individual’s background, past record, and associations matter a lot when he/she becomes a candidate for leadership in such areas as politics or religion. People disagree with one another in even the simplest of all matters. But, when their interests are mutual, they have to work together which is not possible unless at least one individual is selected whose opinion is endorsed and approved of by all members of the group of community. This imparts the need of leadership and explains why leadership is so important. Should a leader always be standing before the followers and giving directions? A leader does not always have to stand in front of other people and tell them what to do. The real duty of a leader is to instill a sense to think rightly and make informed decisions in the followers in the area in which he/she serves as a leader. “True leaders do not simply get one thing done after the other: they lay out plans which include what resources are needed, what are the subgoals and how they depend on each other, and when each subgoal should be attained” (Bergerman, 2008, p. 539). To say that leadership means always standing in front of the followers and keep telling them what has to be done next would mean underestimation of the followers’ critical thinking abilities and is not practicable. Followers are also human beings just like a leader and have their own minds. Even the followers might not like a leader who is always demanding their contribution or is always asking them to act or behave in certain ways. However, it cannot be denied that followers lack awareness and are not quite as educated as the leader to make the right decisions in every matter, so they may seek the help and guidance of a leader whenever they require. A leader needs to be there when people are in need of him/her. This is the fundamental factor that makes many politicians poor leaders. When the time for voting is nearby, many politicians start behaving like leaders and commit to the audience that they would take different measures to bring positive changes in their lives, but not many politicians who are supposed to be leaders actually make themselves available to the followers when they need them in the times of crisis. People need guidance and help when they are caught in such unfavorable events as natural disasters like floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and cyclones. They want both physical help and psychological counseling. Accordingly, people tend to trust an individual for a leader who is available to them when they need a leader the most e.g. during political crisis, and economic breakdown situations. The real meaning of leadership is imparting education to the people so that they can take measures to bring a positive change in their own lives and contribute to the development of the society as a whole. “Effective leaders create a workforce of individuals who each have self-motivating feelings about the accomplishments each is achieving for a collective cause greater than the single individual” (Gagnon, 2006, p. 2). A leader must know the art of activating the motivations in the followers so that they are headed toward the right path and are able to make appropriate decisions for themselves. The types of leadership There are different kinds of leadership that can be categorized according to a range of criteria that include but are not limited to the style of leadership and the source of leadership. For instance, assigned leadership and emergent leadership are two kinds of leadership based on the way an individual becomes a leader (Northouse, 2009). Many people become leaders because they have had a formal position as a leader in an organization while others become leaders as a result of the way they are treated by the other group members. The former is an example of assigned leadership whereas the latter is an example of emergent leadership. Other examples of assigned leadership include plant managers, team leaders, administrators, and directors. However, when an individual is assigned to a position of leadership in an organization, this does not necessarily mean that he/she would prove to be a real leader in a different setting than the organization’s. An individual exhibits emergent leadership when others think of him/her as the most influential person in the organization irrespective of the title of the individual. This way, an individual becomes the emergent leader with the help of other members of an organization that do not only accept his/her behavior but also support that. Rather than emerging because of position, emergent leadership occurs over the passage of time because of communication among the organizational personnel. There is a range of positive communication behaviors that play a role in the emergence of a successful leader. These behaviors include but are not limited to being involved verbally, seeking opinions of the coworkers, being informed, and introducing new ideas. On the basis of the way an individual leads the followers, there are different kinds of leadership that include but are not limited to autocratic leadership, democratic leadership, transformational leadership, charismatic leadership, and servant leadership (VectorStudy, 2013). The styles of leadership that each of these types contain reflect in the very name of the kind of leadership. For example, autocratic leadership is one in which the leader tends to pass decisions without consulting the followers. Autocratic leaders exercise extreme control and power over their followers and essentially serve as dictators. In democratic leadership, decisions are made with due consultation of the followers. Democratic leadership is also referred to as participative leadership. Although final decision in the democratic leadership is taken by the leader, yet the ideas from which he has to choose are proposed by the followers. A transformational leader tends to bring a change in the settings, systems, and procedures. Charismatic leadership is the kind in which the leader achieves control over the followers because of the charisma of his/her personality. Followers of a charismatic leader are extremely dependent upon him/her and often think that another leader in the place of their current leader would never be able to address their issues the way the present leader does. Servant leader does not display excessive control over the followers and rather serves as a guide who is consulted by the followers. My style of leadership From the point of view of the way leadership is assigned, I am an emergent leader in a vast majority of cases and have not had as many opportunities of being an assigned leader as an emergent leader. Basically, my friends and peers place their confidence in me and do consult me in different matters. They think that I have a balanced thinking and can give them rational and unbiased advice in the matters of their concern. I am generally a very social person and can adjust well with people from different backgrounds, so people find it comfortable to talk to me. Besides, I have a good knowledge base and can make a long emotional and influential speech upon any subject in no time, which I think is the main reason why I am an emergent leader. From the point of consideration of the way I lead, I am a participative leader. “Often called the democratic leadership style, participative leadership values the input of team members and peers, but the responsibility of making the final decision rests with the participative leader” (Johnson, 2013). The reason I am a participative leader is that I believe that followers are immense source of help for a leader. I welcome unique and innovative ideas from my followers whenever I am made the leader in a particular setting. Many followers are bright and can suggest a leader innovative ideas that can help the leader achieve the goals. Participative leadership is the need of the contemporary globalized and culturally diverse society. “The command-and-control approach to management has in recent years become less and less viable. Globalization, new technologies, and changes in how companies create value and interact with customers have sharply reduced the efficacy of a purely directive, top-down model of leadership” (Groysberg and Slind, 2012). I believe that a leader is not necessarily made only to generate the ideas. A leader might as well be needed to keep the group organized and help the group members or the followers achieve their objectives by keeping them civilized and disciplined. It is not wise for a leader to underestimate the followers and make decisions without consulting them. The ideal leader for me Although there is not one single recipe of becoming a successful leader, yet there are certain traits that are common among most of the successful leaders. When we review the characteristics and personality traits of successful leaders of the past, we might find certain characteristics that made them successful, yet when their characteristics are compared with those of other leaders, we usually find a wide range of characteristics in terms of intensity as well as nature rather than a set pattern. Every successful leader originates from a different mix and yet is successful. It might be then the mix that is all important. While the exact among of every characteristic that constitutes the mix cannot be determined, yet there are certain ingredients that are commonly found in all the recipes of successful leadership. Without these ingredients, the final outcome might not appeal to the taste. Identification of these basic ingredients is fundamental to inculcating them in our personalities so that we become successful leaders. My ideal leader has at least the following qualities: Mental altertness Being a genius is not compulsory to be a good leader, but being mentally alert certainly is. Most effective leaders have word power. They give clear instructions, explain the problem to the followers accurately, and write readily understandable reports. They derive their ability to make best use of words from their great vocabulary. They tailor the use of vocabulary according to the need of the hour and considering the person they are talking to at a particular point in time. Oratory skills are fundamental to becoming a leader. Probably nothing is as important as being able to motivate people to act or behave in certain ways for a leader to be influential and effective. Good oratory skills have been prominent among the skills of many successful leaders of the past like Adolf Hitler (Roberts, 2012). “[Adolf Hitler] was able to successfully gain the support of most of the German population, eventually becoming Dictator. He revived the German economy and led the country to war” (Bendigo SouthEast College, 2011). A good leader has a great amount of general information. Good leaders are acquainted with their work’s technicalities and the way it is linked to other functions of the organization. Their leadership qualities are influenced by their understanding of the organizational policies and knowledge. “Leadership qualities will be influenced by knowledge and understanding of organizational policies, the trends taking place in the industry and the economics of the competitive business system” (Smith, 2008). Mentally alert leaders have a good problem solving ability. This quality starts with their skill of defining the problem accurately. Good leaders are able to obtain the pertinent facts and do their rational analysis. The importance of oratory skills of Herman Cain can be estimated from these words, “They spend more time focused on when I’m not talking than when other candidates are talking. Here’s the point that they’re missing. I think before I speak. I know that’s a novel idea. And sometimes I have to stop and gather my thoughts. Who knows every detail of every country or every situation on the planet? Nobody! We’ve got plenty of experts. We need a leader, not a reader” (Cain cited in Saulny, 2011). Education In the contemporary age, probably nothing is as important for a leader to gain as education. An individual that has all the qualities required to become a good leader but is not educated might be able to serve as a good leader, but it is very unlikely for him/her to be successful in the achievement of his/her goals and objectives because he/she can be easily deceived by the technologically competent and highly educated critics, opponents, and game-players. The present society and its systems are fundamentally dependent upon modern technology. Advanced technology is used in every aspect of business from planning to management and execution. Without proper education and at least some basic knowledge of technology, it is unlikely that a leader can succeed in the modern age. Many people are dodged by this perception that it is experience that makes great leaders. The fact is that great leaders do not require experience to succeed (Mukunda, 2012), but the right set of skills and proper education from the start. A leader must know what he/she needs to do next in order to be able to achieve his/her goals (Reh, 2013) and education plays a fundamental role in that. Honesty, integrity, and courage Good leaders are honest and display a high level of integrity in their actions and behaviors. People that are not honest have the respect of their followers transformed into malice and the followers are quite unlikely to trust them for being good leaders ever again. “Team members have to trust that leadership is serving everyone’s best interest and leadership has to trust that team members are fulfilling their responsibilities” (Cornelius & Associates, n.d., p. 1). This imparts the need for a leader to be honest to the followers. A leader needs to display a very high level of integrity in whatever he/she does. Leaders serve as role models for the followers both within and beyond the scope of matters of the followers’ and the leaders’ mutual concern. Whatever a leader does has a magnanimous impact on the followers. Followers tend to lose faith in the leader when they sense that the leader has not displayed a high level of integrity whether or not the matter is of their concern actually. Leaders pave the way for their followers. It takes courage to be able to achieve that. Good leaders have the courage to overcome the fear of both the unknown and the known risks which enables them to deal with the situations successfully and fulfill their responsibilities. Urge for social welfare One of the main factors that distinguishes between good leaders and bad leaders is that the former are concerned with welfare of the followers and the society as a whole whereas the latter are concerned with their personal benefits. Good leaders have a fair understanding of the problems and needs of their followers and are fully dedicated to find practicable solutions to the followers’ problems with best use of the resources they have at hand. Good leaders think beyond the scope of personal welfare and it is the very noble quality that earns them the trust, faith, and confidence of the followers. For me, an ideal leader is the one with very fine oratory skills, who is well-educated, who displays a high level of honesty, integrity, and courage, and who has a deep desire to do social work. I consider my ideal leader to have these qualities because an individual with these qualities has all the skills and dedication to keep the followers motivated all the time and thinks beyond retrieving personal benefits from the leadership. Can good leadership qualities be developed? Although there is a lot of information about the qualities of good leadership, yet most of these qualities happen to be personality traits. Even the qualities of good leadership discussed above are mostly personality traits. It is very hard to alter one’s personality traits for the better unless one is extremely determined to change them. Personality traits are not like habits that can be adopted or left. Personality traits are ingrained in an individual’s nature, so nothing but the individual’s own will and determination can help him/her develop the personality traits that are required for being a good leader. However, there are certain ways that can help a motivated individual to develop the aforementioned personality traits. For example, good oratory skills can be developed by developing good vocabulary. Developing good vocabulary is increasingly complicated in the contemporary multicultural society since today’s followers come from a variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds. To be able to understand the followers’ needs and problems and be understood by the followers, it is imperative that a leader develops competence in a variety of languages. Followers find it difficult to identify or associate themselves with a leader who is from a different culture. So in order to expand the follower base, a leader needs to study the norms, values, trends, traditions, and thinking of people of different cultures. This helps a leader to tell the followers that he/she understands their problems and needs and is sufficiently equipped to find solutions to their problems. In the recipe of becoming a good leader, such values as trustworthiness and integrity serve as the pot of water that provides the space to mix the ingredients. According to Akbarzadeh (2011, p. 13), ten ingredients of the recipe of soup of authentic leadership are act, discovery, empowerment, establishing examples, hope, inspiration, listening, planning ahead, reward, and sharing. The stock of the recipe mainly includes the drive to provide knowledge and spread awareness, and such qualities as involvement, truth, accountability, and support. “The attributes of the leader such as the courage to be true to one’s beliefs, to trust in others, to be sincere in all dealings with people, to be unselfish, self-disciplined, and to have the ability to inspire greatness from others, are some of the spices” (Gagnon, 2006, p. 1). In order to inculcate the aforementioned qualities of good leadership, it is imperative that an individual identifies them and is dedicated to developing them. These qualities take time to be developed and there is no short-cut or an overnight transformation that can turn an ordinary person into a leader. It is about developing the right approach in thinking and the development of the qualities required for effective leadership automatically entails. While recipes of being a successful leader are readily available in the literature, there is no accurate recipe of developing the qualities that are required to be a successful leader. Nevertheless, dedication, practice, and consistence are three of the most fundamental factors that an individual requires in order to become a good leader. The practice of leadership means having served as a leader in a variety of circumstances. Schools can play a very important role in developing the students as effective leaders by frequently providing them with opportunities where they have to serve as the leader of a group to make a project, an assignment, or accomplish a task. References: Akbarzadeh, K. (2011). Leadership Soup: A Healthy Yet Tasty Recipe for Living and Leading On Purpose. USA: Xlibris Corporation. Bacon, F. (2006, Feb.). Why we need leaders. MGR Consulting. Retrieved from http://mgrconsulting.com/Newsletters/eNewsletter_06_02.pdf. Bass, B. M., and Bass, R. (2008). 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Quality Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.qualitymag.com/articles/85858-a-recipe-for-effective-leadership. VectorStudy. (2013). Types of Leadership. Retrieved from http://vectorstudy.com/management- topics/types-of-leadership. Read More