There must have been very few words that would have captured the imagination of public and professionals alike, the way ‘leader’ did. It’s a term that has been used, overused and of course respected throughout the course of human history. This word has inspired thousands of people in different spheres of life towards achievement of different goals. The essence of a leader lies in his ability to influence others. Someone has rightly said, “Leadership is not what you wish, desire or prays for, it is what you are call into and grow into it”. That explains the making of a true leader.
Leadership has always been a requirement for all the generations. People have always looked up to someone who could guide them in times of distress and make them aware of their callings. Once a leader has been identified, the journey appears smooth and easy. The leader is the only way forward. Not surprisingly, people always put a high premium on effective leadership skills.
So what is leadership? Look around you! You will find stories of great leaders who single-headedly transformed the nations across the planet. George Washington, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill and many more managed to inspire generations of people in building a strong and long lasting nation. The importance of true leaders is not just restricted to political and social spheres. The business world would not have been same without the blissful touch of diverse leadership skills. A leader is someone who is willing to take up his position and responsibilities as a leader.
Talking about leadership theories, there are many describing types and methods of leaders. But in this article, we will focus upon some of the most fundamental aspects of leadership theory. A definition says, “When leaders arise, suffering ends”. Could we agree more? Leadership is an open ended process. Some are born leaders whereas some others develop the leadership traits on the sheer basis of their determination, passion, efforts and perseverance.
One of the simplest definitions of “what is leadership” goes like this, “Leadership is the ability to command acceptance by a group of people and thus, get them to do what the leader wants. The person providing this direction and commanding acceptance is called the leader”. That’s the most basic definition of leadership that you can get. A leader is able to provide directions to people and make them act accordingly.
There are different types of leadership style; Dictator, autocratic style, participative style or even charismatic style. Approach can vary but a leader remains a leader. A leader makes sure to achieve set results. There are different leadership theories that have evolved over the time. Some of the common leadership theories are transactional leadership, functional leadership and situational leadership. A leader sets an example for his team. He is a proud owner of virtues like honesty and integrity. A leader always has an ability to motivate his team and keep the morale of the team to its optimum. To sum it up, let’s finish with one of the best definitions of leadership by John C. Maxwell, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way." That says it all.