Concept and Meaning of Leadership/Leading

Leader is a person who is capable of influencing and shaping the behavior of people in the group. Thus, leadership is a quality or ability of a person to influence and guide the attitude and behavior of the people in a group or an organization to achieve some common goals.

According to the encyclopedia of social sciences, “Leadership is the relation between an individual and a group around some common interest and behaving in a manner directed or determined by him.”

According to Hodge and Johnson, “Leader is the ability to shape the attitude and behavior of others whether in formal or informal situations.”

Qualities of good leadership

Leadership is the key to making organizational life not only more productive but also more humane. Effective leaders have some qualities. Such leaders are truly trans formative. An effective leader should have these qualities:

1.A clear sense of purpose or the ability to define and share the vision and mission with subordinates. The leaders must be clear about the purpose of the organization of what it wants to achieve.

2.Good judgment or the ability to understand the effect of one’s action on coworkers, on the organization, and on customers, suppliers, and the community at a large.

3.Self-knowledge or the ability to be aware of one’s own strengths and abilities, and know how to maximize and use them.

4.Objectivity or the ability to see all sides of a situation, and be impartial in reaching conclusions.

5.Emotional maturity or the ability to acknowledge the importance of individuals and their opinion.

6.Initiative or being a self-starter and overcoming obstacles to achieve organizational goals.

7.A perpetual desire for learning or the ability to continue their own professional development, learning about their own organizations and developing the skills necessary to their own organizations, and developing the skills necessary to their organization’s continued success.

8.Cooperativeness or the ability to work well with others and foster teamwork to achieve goals.

9.Integrity or the ability to be honest, trustworthy, and fair in implementing organizational policies and decisions.

10.Adaptability or the ability to adapt quickly to new situations. The leader must have the stability to adjust to changing situations.

Other qualities like Intelligence, Communication skills, Physical features, and Technical skills are also some of the important qualities of leadership.