What is “Leadership” and What Makes a Good Leader?Posted on April 19, 2013 by Search Inside Yourself Leadership InstituteThere are many definitions of leadership. The Collins English dictionary defines leadership as “the leader(s) of a party or group.” Yet true leadership is much more than that. A leader can be the CEO of an organization, or a first year employee who leads his or her team to success behind the scenes. A leader might lead through official authority and power, yet just as often great leaders lead through inspiration, persuasion and personal connections.So what is leadership? One great definition is:

“Leadership is the art of leading others to deliberately create a resultthat wouldn’t have happened otherwise.”

It’s not just the creation of results that makes good leadership. Good leaders are able to deliberately create challenging results by enlisting the help of others. They can single handedly turn failing companies into Fortune 500 organizations. They can change company cultures. Good leadership is an essential key to corporate success.The Characteristics of a Good LeaderWhat makes a good leader? Here are some of their most important characteristics:Self-Awareness.   You have an intimate knowledge of your inner emotional state. You know your strengths and your weaknesses. You know when you’re working in flow and you know when you’re over worked. You know yourself, including your capabilities and your limitations, which allows you to push yourself to your maximum potential.Self-Direction. You’re able to direct yourself effectively and powerfully. You know how to get things done, how to organize tasks and how to avoid procrastination. You know how to generate energy for projects, to calm yourself when angered. You can make decisions quickly when necessary, but can also slow to consider all the options on the table.Vision. You’re working towards a goal that’s greater than yourself. It could be something small, like the success of the team, or a larger vision like world peace. Working towards a vision is far more inspiring than working towards personal gain.Ability to Motivate. Leaders don’t lead by telling people what they have to do. Instead, leaders cause people to want to help them. A key part of this is cultivating your own desire to help others. When others sense that you want to help them, they in turn want to help you.Social Awareness. Understanding social networks and key influencers in that social network is another key part of leadership. Who in the organization has the most clout, both officially and unofficially? Who moves the hearts of the group?

These are some of the most important characteristics of good leaders.Emotional Intelligence and LeadershipMost of these traits tie directly into emotional intelligence (EQ). Leaders with high EQ are intrinsically more self-aware. They understand their mental processes and know how to direct themselves. They’re more in touch with what they’re deeply passionate about. They naturally care more for others and receive more compassion in return. They’re more socially in tune.Leadership is more often than not about “soft skills” rather than hard skills. Yes, a leader who understands what drives the bottom line is valuable. Yet it’s the leader who can get others to perform at their best who ultimately creates winning organizations.

Defining Leadership

Leadership Defined

‘Leadership is at its best when its vision is strategic, the voice persuasive and the results tangible.  In the study of leadership, an exact definition is not essential but guiding concepts are needed’.  Useem1

 Definition of Leadership

 Establishing a single definition of leadership has its challenges:

Leadership has many contexts: from political, military, business, sports and culture, right through every level and section of society, our communities and families

We all have our individual experiences and expectations of leadership: from vision and inspiration to serving others or power and control   

Views on what effective leadership is have evolved over time e.g. from issuing orders to inspiring and empowering

Successful leadership is defined by the situation e.g. Winston Churchill is not viewed as a particularly successful peacetime leader.  Also, it is often remarked that the leadership styles and strengths of CEOs employed in a crisis to ‘turnaround’ failing organizations are very different to those needed to grow them.

At its most basic, leadership in an organization can be defined as influencing others to achieve the organization’s goals and deliver its vision.

Many writers have observed however, that in order to inspire and motivate people to achieve these goals, the goals themselves need to be viewed as ‘worthwhile’ or

for some greater purpose.  Delivering the organization’s goals needs to deliver a benefit to customers, the community or society that is viewed as worthwhile.

Define Leadership - What is leadership?

Leadership is not an end in itself, but a means to bring out the best in people, to inspire and motivate them to commit their energies, skills and talents to delivering the organization’s vision.

As leadership is focused on the Vision it is all about the 'future' focus.  Leadership seeks to find new opportunities for individuals and the organization to be a success in the future .  That might mean dealing first with very difficult situations that threatened survival today. In tackling those threats leadership still seeks to create the better future and seize opportunities.

As leadership tackles the future it needs to empower and harness the capability and potential of the people and other resources which can come together to make that future.

To make the future and vision a reality and create and siee new opportunities leadership is about delivering successful and useful change.

In all of that a key message is that leadership is all about behaviours that take the people and organisation to a new future.

In making change work Leadership influences the behaviour and actions of others. 

Modern views of leadership have moved away from influence using authority, position, command and control, to a focus on influencing by:

Relating to and connecting with people Building trust Motivating, inspiring and empowering people Creating a compelling vision of the future Communicating that vision in a way that builds commitment to it Role modelling honesty and integrity.

One important footnote here is to recognise that Leadership is a set of competencies and should not be thought as a particular personality trait or perceived charisma.

Leadership and Management

It is very important to get to grips with the fact that Leadership is different from Management.  Quite simply they are not the same.

Unfortunately common language and parlance in business and the use of organisational titles like 'Leader' and 'Manager' add to the confusion about Leadership itself and Management itself.

This means than when looking to improve your 'leadership' or 'management' skills and capabilities you must first stop using the terms as 'the same thing' or interchangeably and recognise differences.  This differentiation allows you to focus to the specifics needed to enhance capability and performance in each area.

The other issue to get to grips with is the use of the terms 'leaders' or 'manager' to refer to different layers in an organisation i.e. 'the leadership did x, y, z...' meaning those in the top positions did 'x,y,z...'.  Just because a person is at a certain level does not mean they are a 'Leader'.  They will require different 'leadership' and 'management' skills in their position to be effective.  This is true of all positions as 'leadership' and 'management' will exist at all levels.

Considering the contrast between leadership and management provides another way to arrive at a definition of leadership.

As with leadership, there is no single definition of management.  Some common themes around management include:

Getting work done through other people to achieve stated objectives Planning, organizing, leading and controlling - Fayol’s Management Functions Clarifying objectives, problem solving, planning work, managing resources,

organizing and co-ordinating activity, measuring and controlling performance

Management is a complex set of interrelated skills and difficult to execute successfully in a sustained manner.  

Management in many ways seeks to ensure an organisation can deliver consistently and predictably and produces outputs, products and services that meet the customers needs for quality, at the costs required, within the budget time and time again.  With the complex nature of organisations today, their complex structures and supply chains delivering this consistent performance in changing worlds and markets in not easy.

Going to back to Leadership we see it is more closely associated with:

Creating a vision for the future and Communicating it, as well as the strategy or direction that needs to be taken to

achieve it to people in a such way that they will support it, commit to it and are motivated to achieve it.

and Management with:

Planning and budgeting  Delivering quality to meet customers defined requirements and targets Minimising waste Delivery consistency Delivering against budget Delivery to plan Organising resources, staff, jobs and systems. Measuring, monitoring and reporting performance. Problem solving to ensure the targets are met and changing conditions are tackled.

all aimed at consistently delivering to the plan and budget and tackling issues as they arise.

Of course, skilled management is required to plan, co-ordinate and control the activities and resources required in order to implement the vision.

Sources of confusion

Another source of confusion is some writers that write about 'Management' include Leadership as a subset.  This takes the grand view as that 'Management' is all a 'Leader' or 'Manager' does and is the overarching concept.

This view of 'management' being the overarching concept is sometimes viewed as useful by some practitioner managers and others that see the need to distinguish between Leadership and Management as purely an academic exercise with which they get bored.

Unfortunately this argument can distract from the fact that there are Leadership competencies and Management Competencies and most roles individuals perform require some of both.  However, the emphasis and strength of need for each set will vary considerably depending on the job you are doing, the situation and the needs of the customers. stakeholders and organization.

Understanding the difference between the skill sets and their focus and impact is useful in helping peopel obtain and develop these competencies and impact their organisations, others around them and their own careers in the most impactful manner.

People versus things

Another focus is the people element of leadership as Miller et al make the following distinction between leadership and management:

‘Management involves using human, equipment and information resources to achieve various objectives.  On the other hand, leadership focuses on getting things done through others.  Thus you manage things (budgets, procedures and so on), but you lead people.’2

Whilst this can help with the mental view of the two areas of Leadership and Management it can confuse people 'on the ground' as they say 'I manage people' as well as 'I lead people'.

Interrelated

Leadership and management are closely related and it is not easy to distinguish them as separate activities in some situations hence the confusions which can occur. 

Today’s organizations are complex and need to be able to respond to increasing economic, market and competitive pressures. 

To succeed, they need effective management to control and improve performance, processes and systems and effective leadership: to align their people to the organization’s vision and motivate them to want to give their best to achieve it.

Leadership involves a set of executed competencies that define a better future, seize and creates opportunities and new models and inspire, enable and empower other people to commit to delivering it. It sees the changes needed and makes and delivers the transition from now to the new future with all is processes, systems, resources and people.

Management involves a set of executed competencies that plan, budget, controls and co-ordinates the resources, people, processes, systems and activities that will make those plans a reality and then deliver consistently the goals and targets required dealing with problems along the way.

Leadership and management can exist at any level in an organization within any specific role reqgardless of the roles title.

Roles will vary in the depth, breadth and complexity of the Leadership/Management combination of competencies that need to be exhibited and executed in a successful manner.

To develop these competencies (Attitudes, Skills, Knowledge and Behaviours) it is best to see Leadership and Management as separate competency/skill domains which are then used by an individual according to the organisation and role requirements, the situation/opportunities they face, the role they are in and their own capabilities and abilities.

 

Leadership Skills and Qualities

Being a successful leader depends not only on your qualities and skills, but also on the needs and expectations of the people you lead and the needs of the situation itself.  Understanding yourself and others will help you understand and respond more effectively to these needs and expectations.

How to Be a LeaderTo be a leader, you don't have to be an elected official, or a CEO. A leader is someone who others consistently want to follow for new trends and ideas. A fancy title can make that happen temporarily, but a true leader inspires steadfast loyalty with the steps below!

Part 1 of 3: Thinking Like a Leader

1Be confident. This step has nothing to do with actually knowing what you're doing -- as long as

you're confident, few people will ask questions. People assume things, and when you act as if

you belong, they assume you do. Therefore, when you are confident, they will naturally assume

you know what you are doing. This gains you trust, responsibility, and respect.

Confidence can be had in any situation. Imagine saying, "I don't know the answer," while looking

down, thumbs twiddling, and your legs fidgeting. Now imagine saying, "I don't know the answer,"

with your head up, your shoulders back, and looking the speaker in the eye. Not knowing

something is fine -- just be confident that you don't know it! A lack of knowledge has nothing to

do with your confidence (or ability to lead).

2.

2Be firm, but kind. Since you're leading, you're the one that needs to set the rules and

boundaries. It's up to you to establish some system, rhyme and reason to the situation. To do

so, you must be firm in your convictions and keep to your stance. However, being dictatorial will

instigate a revolution. Be logical and understanding when you assert your rule.

Here's an example of poor leadership: An airline's forks kept disappearing and no one knew

why. After an investigation, it was discovered the dishwashers were throwing them away

because they couldn't get them adequately cleaned (and would thusly be reprimanded).[1]  If

you're too dictatorial, your team will throw away your forks. Different management would have

avoided this problem. So be kind and keep your entire cutlery.

3.

3Become an expert. Saying, "I don't know" as a leader is fine. Saying, "I don't know" repeatedly

to every question you're asked is not. When you don't know something, find out the answer.

Become an expert on what you need to be a pro in. Eventually, you'll have all the answers. You

don't need them all right now, but you'll need each one eventually.

Having a certain level of knowledge will help you feel confident and more leader-esque. While

you can do without it, it's a matter of time before someone else with more knowledge and

charisma comes along and takes the title out from under your feet. So whatever, whoever you're

looking to lead, start studying up! It'll pay off in the long run.

4.

4Be decisive. You're standing in a circle of a group of friends, debating on what to do that night.

Everyone is dilly-dallying, complaining, nixing everyone else's ideas until one person finally

steps up and says, "Guys, we're doing this." That person rose to the top, saw the situation

needed direction, and took charge. Leader, leader, leader.

That being said, you have to know your place. There will be times when you have to make the

decision yourself and times when you have to give the team time to form a consensus. Respect

your followers -- what might happen if you veto their opinions? Which brings us to...

5.

5

Care about your followers. Just because they are not leaders doesn't mean they are idiots.

They'll be able to tell if you're compassionate and genuinely concerned for them. And if you're

not, they'll chuck you off your pedestal. Remember who butters your bread! Without them, you

have no one to lead and are a leader no longer.

Caring for them is not the same as acquiescing to their desires. You're leading (hopefully)

because you know what's best for the team; they may not. Just because someone disagrees

with you doesn't mean you have to give them what they want. Allow them to disagree with you,

listen to their argument, and let them know why you think the way you do. Let them know you

care, but are acting in the best way you see fit.

6.

6Believe that anyone can be a leader. Truth be told, everyone is looking to be led. Think of life

as a dark path -- the more leaders you have, the more people are in front of you holding

industrial strength flashlights. Which would you rather have? Not only do people want leaders,

but also they are looking for them. For that reason, anyone can do it. You just got to fill the void.

Think about going to a new restaurant (the restaurant is life). You get a waiter that greets with

you a smile and outlines the flavors of three of their best dishes, guarantees your satisfaction

and tells you he'll personally whip up something else if you don't like it. Somewhere in your

head, you are breathing a sigh of relief thinking, "Ahh. Yes. This will be a relaxing night -- I'm in

good hands." That's what everyone wants in life (in most restaurants, too).

Part 2 of 3: Acting Like a Leader

1.

1Keep your promises. You know how politicians are viewed as promise-breakers? Good. You

also know how people hate politicians? Well, there you have it. Break your promises and you

lose respect. Point blank. You can fit the suit, you can have all the charisma, and you can have

the knowledge, but if you don't deliver on what you promised to deliver, the people will have you

silver platter.

An integral part of keeping promises is knowing what's doable and what's not. If you can define

between the two, the only other obstacle is being honest. Practice this with your kids, practice

this with your teammates, and practice this at every opportunity. Developing a strong moral

code removes room for those questioning your ability to lead and hold power.

2.

2Dress the part. If you walk into an office in a suit and tie, constantly glancing at your watch,

people are going to assume you're waiting for some schmuck who's late for a business meeting.

Walk into an office in a t-shirt and baseball cap and people will start wanting to know where their

pizza is. If you want to lead, you gotta look the part.

There needs to be a distinction here between dressing to impress and dressing to influence.

You don't necessarily want to dress to impress -- impressing may not be appropriate for the

scenario you're in (if you are delivering pizzas, don't wear a suit, for example). You simply want

to influence people's perceptions of you. What image do you want to give off? You can largely

control what they perceive of you and your attitude by what you wear (sad, but true).

3.

3Treat your team well. Alright, so you know to care about your team, but you gotta follow it up

with your actions. If you preach to your team to be cohesive, act like they're having fun, and be

friendly with your clients but turn around and yell at them every 5 minutes when they crack a

smile, you're not living out your message. Set forth a good, caring example, and they'll fall in

line.

The old adage, "Do as I say, not as I do" is crap. It might have worked on you when you were 6

years old, but it will not work on a team of adults. They might not let you know explicitly, but they

will be unhappy, eventually leave, and this will cut into your product. It may not have immediate

repercussions, but eventually any hypocrisy on your part will catch up with you.

4.

4Show your commitment to your team's betterment. For your organization to grow, everyone

has to get better. This has nothing to do with just you being great -- you have to make your team

great. Ideally, the task will done and the team will say, "We did it!", not you exclaiming, "I did it!"

It's about the whole of the group, not the one.

To grow your team, you have to pay attention to them. Forcing numbers and leaving them to

figure out roles won't do them justice. Get to know them on an individual level and commit to

them becoming more resourceful members of your group (what role do they fit best in? What

resources could they use). Help them learn, help them grow, and help them take the reins when

you need back up.

5.

5Ask questions. As a leader, you're sort of untouchable. People may not come to you because

you're the big man of the organization. They don't want to pipe up and cause a ruckus. Know

that you're dealing with a constant level of perceived intimidation that you need to break down.

How do you do this? Ask questions first!

Don't wait for feedback from your team -- they may never offer it. After all, you're the one

dictating how things are going; they may not think their opinion matters. Ask them how you're

doing, how they're doing, and what they see to make the whole process better. Just because

they're not leading doesn't mean they're not full of great ideas!

6.

6Lead only when you have to. A natural leader does not walk into a room and proclaim, "HERE

I AM." It's not about grabbing a situation by the horns and molding it to your vision, no, not at all.

It's about seeing that something needs to be done and rising to the occasion.

In most situations, no leader will be titled as such. It's just a position that someone naturally

gravitates to. People will not grant you the outright privilege, but they can keep you from having

it. Avoid coming off as a dominant, who-does-he-think-he-is go-getter and wait for the right

moment. You'll feel it.

7.

7Start "seeing" more than "doing." As you have probably started gathering, being a leader is

more of an innate quality than a series of actions. To lead a situation, you need to see it arising,

see how you can help it, and see the path it's going down. Let your team take care of the doing.

You just gotta have a vision.

This is similar to "the one who yells loudest gets heard." Just because that person is loud

certainly doesn't mean they're right. You don't have to be going 90 mph leaving a trail of rubble

behind you to be a good leader. Actually, you shouldn't be doing that. Your time should be spent

interpreting, molding, and offering solutions.

Part 3 of 3: Putting It All Together

1.

1Identify a problem. Look around and find ways to make the world a better place. Observe your

surroundings and listen to people. How can you help? What challenged has yet to be

answered? What could use organization?

Discover what your talents are, develop them, and focus on applying them towards making a

difference. What problems would your talents be best suited for? Think of problems in the

broader sense - they're not always easy to define.

Look for needs, niches, conflicts, gaps that need to be filled, and inefficiencies. The solutions

won't always be creative or cutting edge; sometimes they're the simplest things.

2.

2Think of the big picture. As you're solving problems (or simply improving what's already

satisfactory), you might notice patterns, and wonder if many of those issues are symptoms of a

deeper, bigger problem or construct. Thoreau once said, "For every thousand hacking at the

leaves of evil, one is hacking at the root." Take a step back and try to find the root. The deeper

matter is often not something anybody can solve alone; it'll require a group effort, which is

where your role as a leader comes into play.

If you are working closely with a team, use them to your advantage. What roles dothey feel best

suited for? How is their time being utilized? What ideas do they have that have yet to be

implemented? In many cases, growth is a matter of rearranging and refining -- not necessarily a

problem at all.

3.

3Be proactive. If you have these ideas in your mind about what the deeper issues are, you can

probably predict the problems that will crop up as a result. Instead of waiting for those problems

to appear, take steps to prevent them. If you can't prevent them, then you can at least prepare.

That's the core difference between a leader and a manager. A good manager responds well to

various situations; a good leader takes effective action to prevent and create situations before

they actually happen.

Don't be afraid to assign roles to your team! They may take solace in the label. If you see a

potential problem, construct a preventative task force. That's what your team is there for, after

all.

4.

4

Make decisions and take responsibility for the consequences. To exert influence and tackle

bigger problems, you're going to need decision-making power, and those decisions will affect

the people who grant you that power. This is as much a responsibility as it is an honor. Not only

do you need to be able to make sound decisions, but you also need to be willing to be held

accountable to them. If things go wrong, people will assume it's your fault (whether it is or not).

Think of yourself as the captain of a ship; the fate of the ship is essentially in your hands, and

it's up to you to steer everyone in the right direction.

Exercise wisdom when being in charge; hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

If you're not prepared to take responsibility for your decisions - if you struggle with hesitation

and self-doubt - it might be a good idea to step down. An insecure leader often becomes a

tyrant.

5.

5Share your vision. As a leader, you can see the bigger issues, but you can also see how

things could be so much better if we could just remove those obstacles. To get people to help

you in changing things, you need to share that positive vision with them. Inspire them. Motivate

them. Guide them. Show them how their actions are bringing everyone closer to that dream.

John Gardner is quoted to have said, "Most importantly, leaders can conceive and articulate

goals that lift people out of their petty preoccupations and unite them in pursuit of objectives

worthy of their best efforts." Let that be you.

6.

6Remember that it is about the entire team. The greatest leaders saw their role to an end, and

themselves, as an instrument of a deeper purpose; any glory, prestige, or wealth was a side

effect rather than a motivation. After all, nothing would get done with just the efforts of one man.

Or woman!

If you want to realize a vision, the most effective way to do it is not with an army of drones; that

army will only last as long as you do. For the most long-lasting results, share your vision and let

people adopt it as their own, and let it spread like wildfire.

Think of yourself as the beginning of a chain reaction--once it's begun, you can step away and

it'll continue to happen without any effort on your part.

Here's another apt quote for you -- this one from Lao Tzu: "A leader is best when people barely

know he exists. When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say:we did it ourselves.

Tips

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a

leader." (John Quincy Adams)

Charisma is certainly helpful, but it's not essential. There have been many admired leaders in

the human history who weren't the friendliest, most charming of people in the bunch. What was

important, however, was that people trusted them, and they were inspired by his or her vision.

What you will need is good communication skills (whether it's through speaking, writing, even

art) so you can articulate your vision.

Help others to achieve their goals.

Help your team to achieve goals.

Always practice what you preach. There's no better way to lose your credibility as a leader than

to be a hypocrite.

Management & Leadership

At the most basic level, a leader is someone who leads other. But what makes someone a leader? What is it about being a leader that some people understand and use to their advantage? What can you do to be a leader? Here's what you need to know and do.

A leader is a person who has a vision, a drive and a commitment to achieve that vision, and the skills

to make it happen. Let's look at each of those in detail.

The Leader's Vision

A leader has a vision. Leaders see a problem that needs to be fixed or a goal that needs to be achieved. It may be something that no one else sees or simply something that no one else wants to tackle. Whatever it is, it is the focus of the leader's attention and they attack it with a single-minded determination.

Whether the goal is to double the company's annual sales, develop a product that will solve a certain

problem, or start a company that can achieve the leader's dream, the leader always has a clear target

in mind. This is a big picture sort of thing, not the process improvement that reduces errors by 2% but

the new manufacturing process that completely eliminates the step that caused the errors. It is the

new product that makes people say "why didn't I think of that", not just a toaster that lets you select

the degree of darkness of the toast. Edison did not set out to build a better candle, he wanted to find a

whole new way to illuminate the darkness. That's the kind of vision a leader has.

The Drive To See It Through

It is not enough to just have a vision. Lots of people see things that should be done, things that should be fixed, great step forward that could be taken. What makes leaders different is that they act. They take the steps to achieve their vision.

Is it a passion for the idea, an inner sense of drive, or some sense of commitment? Whatever it is, it is

the strength that lets leaders move their vision forward despite all the obstacles, despite all the people

saying it can't be done, it's too costly, we tried that before, or a dozen other excuses. The true leader

perseveres and moves forward.

Trait And Skills A Leader Must Have

There are things that set leaders apart from other people. Some people are born with these characteristics. Others develop them as they improve as leaders. These are not magic bullets. They are things you can do and be if you want to be a leader.

Traits Of A Leader

There are as many traits of a leader as there ae lists of what makes a leader. Here are the fundamental traits of a leader from my perspective:

Has integrity. People have to believe that you are pursuing your dream because it's the right thing

to do, not just because you are ego driven.

Is a people person. Understands the differences that make people unique and is able to use those

individual skills to achieve the goal.

Is positive. A leader encourages and rewards people and makes you want to do it and do it right. A

leader is not a negative person and doesn't waste time and effort tellng everyone what they're

doing wrong.

Leadership Skills

Beyond the personal traits of a leader, there are specific skills someone must master if they want to be a leader.

Effective communication - it's more than just being able to speak and write. A leader's

communication must move people to work toward the goal the leader has chosen.

Motivation - a leader has to be able to motivate everyone to contribute. Each of us has different

"buttons". A leader knows how to push the right buttons on everyone to make them really want to

do their best to achieve the leader's goal.

Planning - the leader has a plan to achieve the goal. He/she doesn't get too bogged down in the

details, that's what managers are for, but rather uses a high level plan to keep everyone moving

together toward the goal.

Bottom Line

Leaders dream dreams. They refuse to let anyone or anything get in the way of achieving those dreams. They are realistic, but unrelenting. They are polite, but insistent. The constantly and consistently drive forward toward their goal. You can be a leader. You will be - when it matters enough to you.