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The Definition of Leadership:
Are
You a Great Leader?
Have you ever met a great leader?
Sometimes people confuse leaders and bosses. There
is however, a major difference between the two.
A boss is someone who exercises power and authority
over you, demanding a certain behavioral response.
You respond because you feel that you must.
Before we look at the definition of leadership,
you should think about what kind of person is a
leader. A leader is someone who wins your heart by gaining
your trust and devotion, giving you the option
to respond. You respond because you doing so is something you want.
So what then is the definition of
leadership? Leadership is
the use of influence to guide a company or
organization in a direction that helps that
institution fulfill its goals.
A great leader
establishes a vision and motivates people to join
him in bringing it to reality. A true leader also
studies the structures that comprise an
organization and brings them into alignment with
the vision.
A leader is someone who influences
by gaining trust. Because he is perceived to be
honorable, he wins your heart and makes you a
loyal devotee. You can trust a leader
when:
- He speaks the truth. His actions
are consistent with his words and he is deemed to
be ethical.
- He respects your needs and opinions. Your personal
and professional needs are taken seriously and you feel cared about
within the institution.
- He treats you and others fairly, settling disputes and differences
in a just and equitable fashion.
- He
demonstrates knowledge of human
nature by making decisions that support
human well-being and dignity.
- He is willing to lead by example. Leaders are
willing to model the work ethic, beliefs and values that they want you to
share.
- He exhibits competence in the field in which he is
leading. Employees need to know that the leader
gets it when it comes to understanding their job
in the workplace.
- He
demonstrates that employees can teach others with
ease and grace, paying due attention to what
motivates them and helps them learn. Leaders show
competence in understanding the processes that
enable both themselves and others to achieve their
vision.
- He keeps workers informed of what is going on in the
organization and lets them know how their
participation is helping to meet the overall
objective of the project.
- He makes decisions that are sound and timely in terms of promoting the
vision.
- He studies the organization
to see how its constituent parts can work
effectively together to achieve the goals and
objectives that support the vision. As well as
understanding human behavior, the true leader pays
attention to organizational behavior and arranges
the troops in a way that achieves the desired
result.
True leaders gain the respect of
their followers and induce them to want to be on
their team. Becoming a true leader is a life-long
process and calls for persistent growth for anyone
occupying that role, in their life, in their work,
and in their behavior.
Given the definition of leadership
presented here, are there aspects of your
leadership style you think your employees or
followers would like to see you change? Do you fit
the definition of leadership? Think about yourself
objectively and find the areas that you can
improve upon – your leadership demands
it.
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Defining Leadership
