CONCEPT OF LEADERSHIP

1.     Who is a Leader?

“A person who influences a group of people towards the achievement of a goal”.

Þ     A mnernonic for leadership would be 3P’s – Person, People and Purpose.

Þ     PERSON is leadership a position of office or authority? Or, is leadership an ability in the sense that he is a leader because he leads?

Þ    Leaders are made not born. If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader. Good leaders develop through a never ending process of self-study, education, training, and experience. This guide will help you through that process.

Þ    To inspire your workers into higher levels of teamwork, there are certain things you must be, know, and, do. These do not come naturally, but are acquired through continual work and study. Good leaders are continually working and studying to improve their leadership skills; they are NOT resting on their laurels.

2.     Definition of Leadership:

Þ    Leadership is the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of goals.

Þ    Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership attributes, such as beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge, and skills.

3.     Central Idea

Þ    A requirement for leadership is personal vision – the ability to visualize your goal as an accomplished fact; a thing already achieved.

Þ    “The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can not blow an uncertain trumpet”. (Theodore M. Hesburgh)

Þ    “The leader has to be practical and a realist, yet must talk the language of the visionary and the idealist”. (Eric Hoffer)

4. Factors of Leadership

- Leadership is strictly a people- cantered work. The role of a leader is to get others to achieve an objective willingly. As such, leadership can be broken down into three specific “sides”.

 4.1.      The Situation:

Þ    Define the situation, what needs to be accomplished and set a clear and focusing vision of accomplished.

Þ    It is understanding what is needed , in terms of human and other resources, to achieve success and developing the plan to achieve it.

       Þ    You must use your judgment to decide the best course of action and the leadership style          needed for each situation.

4.2.      Followers:

Þ    The important point is that followers ONLY bring their unique gifts to the situation.

Þ    As leaders, we cannot ask people to do more than they are capable, but we can ask them to do all they are capable of doing!

              Þ    Different people require different styles of leadership. For example, a new hire requires more supervision than an experienced employee.

             Þ    A person who lacks motivation requires a different approach than one with a high degree of   motivation. 

4.3.            Leader:

Þ    You must have an honest understanding of who you are, what you know, and what you can do. Also, note that it is the followers, not the leader who determines if a leader is successful. If they do not trust or lack confidence in their leader, then they will be uninspired.

Þ    To be successful you have to convince your followers, not yourself or your superiors, that you are worthy of being followed.

4.4.           Communication:

Þ    You lead through two-way communication. Much of it is nonverbal. For instance, when you "set the example," that communicates to your people that you would not ask them to perform anything that you would not be willing to do.

Þ    What and how you communicate either builds or harms the relationship between you and your employees.