WHAT IS LEADERSHIP?
Leadership is a philosophy that seems very simple and easy to understand but yet is very complicated to understand. There are many other things that are associated with leadership such as seniority or a person's position in the company, personal attributes, and management but are these factors the real determinants of a leader? Leadership refers to an individual that has followers and this is a philosophy very prominent in the business world where there are different levels of positions and the other workers follow the individual at the higher position. Leader is an individual that has the skills and capacity to make a vision reality. A leader is a person who can translate an idea and carry out the steps in order to implement that idea successfully. An individual with good leadership skills has the ability to influence and motivate others to do a particular task. Leaders are meant to influence others to maximize their abilities and efforts to achieve the desired goals. Leadership is often referred to power or authority but the the factor that really makes leadership effective is influence and not authority.
There are Four Factors of Leadership:
The four factors of leadership are leader, followers, communication and situation. All four of these factors influence the philosophy of leadership in a different manner and play a role in making this philosophy successful.
Leader:
The leader should be aware of what the he or she can do and what they are capable of doing. The success of the leader is determined by the followers; the followers decide whether the leader was successful at accomplishing the goal or not. If the followers trust the leader and show confidence in the leader then it is determined that an individual is a good leader.
Followers:
Every follower has a different requirement of the leadership style that best suites the follower. The follower that lacks motivation might require a different leadership skill compared to a person who does not lack motivation. The leader should have good understanding of human nature such as emotions, needs, and motivation. If a leader has good understanding of human nature, it will become easier for the leader to understand which leadership style best fits the followers.
Communication:
Leadership becomes effective through two-way communication and the relationship that develops between the leader and the follower become stronger through communication. The leader sets an example for the followers as to what is expected of the followers and the followers are also aware of what the leader expects of them.
Situation:
The leaders should have the ability to judge which strategy and which leadership style would be suitable for a particular situation. As every situation is different, the leader has to deal with every situation differently. An effective leader is an individual who has the ability to identify the right strategy to deal with the situation at the moment that the leader faces the situation.
Leader:
The leader should be aware of what the he or she can do and what they are capable of doing. The success of the leader is determined by the followers; the followers decide whether the leader was successful at accomplishing the goal or not. If the followers trust the leader and show confidence in the leader then it is determined that an individual is a good leader.
Followers:
Every follower has a different requirement of the leadership style that best suites the follower. The follower that lacks motivation might require a different leadership skill compared to a person who does not lack motivation. The leader should have good understanding of human nature such as emotions, needs, and motivation. If a leader has good understanding of human nature, it will become easier for the leader to understand which leadership style best fits the followers.
Communication:
Leadership becomes effective through two-way communication and the relationship that develops between the leader and the follower become stronger through communication. The leader sets an example for the followers as to what is expected of the followers and the followers are also aware of what the leader expects of them.
Situation:
The leaders should have the ability to judge which strategy and which leadership style would be suitable for a particular situation. As every situation is different, the leader has to deal with every situation differently. An effective leader is an individual who has the ability to identify the right strategy to deal with the situation at the moment that the leader faces the situation.