Leadership: Understanding What It Is
Success January 7th, 2009
In order to understand leadership it is important to realize that leadership is not about a specific set of traits or characteristics. It is about trust, relationships and guidance between someone leading and others following.
Many studies have been done and none have led to any definitive list of attributes that one must have to be a good leader. However, leadership does have a series of actions and behaviors which is what I hope to focus on in this series.
Qualities Of Leadership
While there are not specific characteristics that define a leader, there are a number of qualities of leadership that can be seen valuable in leaders. These include integrity, honesty, humility, courage, commitment, sincerity, passion, confidence, positivity, wisdom, determination, compassion, sensitivity, and a degree of personal charisma. These are not things that make a leader, but they tend to be some of the qualities of a leader and are often shown by their actions.
Leadership Style
Leadership doesn’t require or expect you to behave in a specific way or have a pre-defined set of leadership qualities either. It has many styles and the only really important thing about leadership styles that is important to know is that you must practice your own style. You cannot copy someone else’s or learn a specific style, it must be something that comes natural for you. There is no right or wrong style and so you must embrace a style that works for you as a leader and one that you can value.
Some of the styles are based similarly to personality styles or behavior based styles, such as the Meyers Briggs (take a free test here ) or DiSC (more info here ) profiling models, respectively. There seems to be three main styles of leadership:
- Authoritarian / autocratic
- Participative / democratic
- Delegative / free-reign
Good leaders will use all three styles depending on every situation with only a minor bias to their natural style. Poor leaders will generally stick with one style and not adjust for different situations limiting their influence greatly.
Regardless of the style applied, a leader’s approach can be one with a focus on rewards that are positive to motivate or they may use penalties to frighten (which is also a motivator) action.
Lead By Ideas
While leadership is largely about behavior, that behavior will never be different from others’ without the ability to act on new ideas. A leader’s ideas direct their actions, decisions and new behaviors. Ideas are the only way to challenge things we currently do and belief and a great leader is able to shift and motivate people from a static life to one of great transformation changing views, beliefs and values. All these changes ultimately lead to new actions which is what leadership is driving to change!
Ideas are what enables a leader, as its ideas that are forceful to others and its ideas that will engage others to see from new perspectives and take on new possibilities. These ideas are how a leader finds its followers and how they find a new path to follow.
Leadership
So, to me leadership is about inspiring and motivating others either deliberately or passively by your own way of doing things. It is about steering not only your own path towards something, but also the path of any number of followers that value something about you enough to follow. The variations here are endless but all leadership requires this at some level.
What would you add to help someone better understand what leadership is?
Please continue reading the next article in this series. Leadership: Know Yourself and Your Capabilities
Prev: Leadership: Introduction
Next: Leadership: Know Yourself and Your Capabilities
January 7th, 2009 at 6:16 AM
Hi Mike,
While your leadership style is uniquely “you” – I think specifically how you lead depends upon the situation you’re in – or really – the situation that the people you are leading are in. For instance, if they are new, eager to work, and yet not fully up to speed – that’s a different leadership tactic than if they are experienced and fully know what they need to do. The situation dictates how you, as a leader, should handle things. And, I think as leaders, we have to be adaptable.
January 7th, 2009 at 7:12 AM
You’re definitely right Lance, thanks! There is a degree of adapting that will enable you to deal with change and differences in people. The whole notion of taking new ideas (which are always new) can only be done with that situational leadership tactic you mention.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:43 AM
I learned about leadership styles in college last year, and I think that you have this post absolutely laid out wonderfully! Great job!
January 7th, 2009 at 11:19 AM
Hi Mike,
Have got knotted a bit too much into new work recently and ruing lack of time for blogging activity. Nevertheless, quick read and a quick thought: I normally associate leadership with authority. And I am quite convinced authority derived from being good at what you expect followers to accomplish is authority commanded and not demanded. And not just authority by virtue of a position or status conferred by Establishment. In short, a good leader at work is one who, when situation demands, be able to handle any of the task of his subordinate followers with complete ease. The followers will then accept the leadership with due honor and without demur.
As always, you have produced another interesting article. Good luck.
January 7th, 2009 at 3:19 PM
Nice article.
When I think of leadership, I think of the person that is able to lead a group of people during an adverse situation and help turn it into a positive situation.
I think you did a great job in defining the many qualities of leadership.
-HIB
January 7th, 2009 at 9:15 PM
I like your conclusion : “leadership is about inspiring and motivating others either deliberately or passively by your own way of doing things”.
Here is my opinion about good leader :
A good leader is always a good manager but a good manager is not always a good leader.
Great article. I am looking forward to the next series, Mike.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:09 PM
Thanks everyone for your comments. It’s great to here each of your perspectives on leadership, the areas you enjoy and can relate to and your own thoughts in this series. I really appreciate the comments.
Pushhyarag, definitely authority is a area that makes a huge difference in how it is earned and used when it comes to leadership. Thanks for your comments on that area!
Arswino, thanks a lot! Leadership and management are related yes but definitely different things as well and you’ve got it as far as which leads to the other more.
January 8th, 2009 at 7:43 AM
Hi Mike
Great start to the series.
I think leadership also needs to include a “people” aspect. So, someone who is willing to take the time to engage with their followers. And, even better, in a way that honours their individuality.
Juliet
January 8th, 2009 at 9:01 AM
Hello Mike,
My feel on leadership is you find your own way.Knowing you have learned that position on your own merit.The rest is decided upon who you are leading.How receptive they are to you as a leader and how you relate to each individually then as a team.Most importantly a team structure.
January 8th, 2009 at 7:52 PM
Just found the site. I like how you said “a leader acts on new ideas”. To me, that’s the biggest quality. When I think of a leader I think of a team, so I guess I would add that a leader brings out the best of the people that make up his team. This only makes the team better.
January 8th, 2009 at 11:48 PM
Juliet, that individuality is important not only from the leader, you are right, but also in how they let others work with them. They must be able to lead and let others have their own style and way of doing things as long as the results and direction (more on that in a later article).
Bunny and Broderick, you both mention how the team and getting the most of the team is crucial. That is for sure. A leader doesn’t need many skills on their own as long as they are able to engage and lead others in an effective way, which that can often offset any shortcomings as well of a leader. Thanks for your comments!
January 9th, 2009 at 8:48 AM
Totally cool discussion here to think about the detailed qualities of leadership. For me it’s a little challenging to stop and think about it and put all the pieces together. I feel a leader needs to see the big picture and be able to spontaneously enjoy handling the details as they arise in that context.
Your first paragraph ends with a sentence that to me seems to contradict itself: “These are not things that make a leader, but they tend to be some of the qualities of a leader and are often shown by their actions.”
January 9th, 2009 at 8:00 PM
Mike,
In my opinion, leadership is the nature of life. Leadership is everywhere, from the modern days back to tribesmen; and to animals. Leadership is the force; it is the connectivity; it is the gravity. Leadership is how you shape your behaviours and those behaviours magnate and energise others. Mixing those three styles is absolutely essential and keeping the balance is the key.
I look at the sun and the solar system. The sun is the leader and it leads planets and let the planet, Earth, develop its own way. The sun supplies the necessity (sunlight and heat) and keeps the balance (the gravity). That is, from my point of view, the ultimate leader (and it is not a CEO!).
January 9th, 2009 at 10:31 PM
I’m interested to hear your thoughts on the “born with it” vs “was trained to do” side of leadership.
I certainly feel that there are personalities who are born leaders. Despite all the training in the world, some people will just never have that natural ability like some do.
I’m a bit late to the party, but really interested in this leadership series, Mike!
January 10th, 2009 at 12:21 AM
Dhanamjaya, OH how joy should be included, yes!!! Having joy in doing any of the details within a system being led is definitely helpful to inspire a team and keep interest and value in your actions!
That first paragraph, what I mean is that they are not the ONLY things that make a leader, but they do tend to be some of the qualities and are shown by actions. Does that make more sense? Many people find that a few leadership characteristics are all that is needed, and that just can’t be true since there are so many different types of leaders, and they are far more complicated than a few traits.
@Viriya, leadership is all over, but most people don’t see it, recognize it, value it or practice it. It might be natural in some ways but most people do naturally follow. They follow groups, crowds, consensus by avoiding pressure, risk and challenges. Leadership is something that has to be deliberate and this is where Ross’s question is great as well.
While I think there is some point of where people will naturally be born with it or not, I think that mostly leadership must be learned and practiced deliberately to have any real influence. Natural leaders have always learned it, whether it’s late in life or from early childhood, they learned it from their social network, surroundings and even from their own personalities. That to though is learned based on surroundings and influence largely from parents so it’s mostly learned.
I am convinced that leadership can be learned and have had many successes at seeing it develop and in training it to others. Sure it comes faster for some and some seem like more natural than others, but that only comes because of years of conditioning in life, not because they were born with it or not. The Can you learn leadership? DEFINITELY! There are some natural traits that lead to the stereotypical leader but that is my point in the next article really about knowing yourself. There are leaders with all personalities and all skill sets, they lead different kinds of people in different kinds of situations so that fit needs to be there and if it is, everyone has a natural leadership fit that they can develop and learn. Make sense?
January 23rd, 2009 at 1:15 AM
I think the seeds of both being a leader and an individual were laid up in everybody’s nature.It is necessary for me to be a right person the life situation needs.If I am alone I use the opportunity for great bargain and develop myself . If I am rich I buy an estate.If I am poor I work hard,if I see nobody can do it I take the responsibility and lead,if I see he can be a leader I can help him and be his teacher and give him a chance to take responsibility for a group.I like the life is different every day and I always keep the idea in my mind what lesson I must learn in the situation and what kind of person I must be at the present moment.
January 25th, 2009 at 9:32 PM
Excellent series Mike! I am learning a lot from you and look forward to diving in deeper to really uncover this for myself.
Thanks for writing it!
January 26th, 2009 at 2:02 AM
Of all the scientific studies already conducted about leadership, it is really amusing to know that different people still have different ideas about it. What leadership means to one person might differ entirely form what leadership means to another.
January 29th, 2009 at 11:14 PM
yes,tastes differ,understanding differ because evebody of us is quite unique,besides in the process of life the same person may change his opinion on the same problem.It is considered to be quite a norm.The life flows the thoughts flow and change,this is the god’s world.
February 7th, 2009 at 6:52 PM
@Dicki – you talk as someone who does demonstrate leadership. I have read however, there is quite a lot of evidence to suggest that people are naturally followers, not leaders. Look at crowd mentality and how groups can justify immoral actions by consensus or due to doubt. It takes a leader to prevent that and steer things otherwise, not something I believe is natural, but learned. Learned by the influence of others who do the same.
@Phil – Thanks so much phil! It means a lot to know you’ve enjoying reading this series. You and David at Slacker Manager drew me into reading blogs and many related topics for my site here so definitely appreciate your feedback on the series!
@Start Blogging – I don’t agree it is amusing (to me it is sad really) but I think I know what you mean, there are plenty of differing opinions and studies done on leadership. However, it is a very complex thing and I wouldn’t agree that there are that many differing meanings among the people who have truly experienced it and studied it for a good portion of their lives. I find there is a huge amount of consensus and consistency with a lot of bad advice and meanings scattered in place by people who have never truly put the effort in that it takes to understand what leadership really is. I am hoping my series can help open that avenue to what leadership truly is from those who are passionate enough to both study and experience it.
March 16th, 2010 at 6:14 PM
My goodness! it’s so amazing to find people like you on the web and doing a great job too. Leadership to me is something i believe can and should be learnt by all, because we all need it at every point in our lives. It sure can be acquired. Thanks.
January 9th, 2011 at 3:13 AM
Mike,
Just found your site, have not had a chance to get clear through it. I have always said a good leader is one that is willing to learn, when you have learned everything then it is time to retire and spend your time fishing with grandkids. Thanks for the site I am looking forward to reading it completely.
December 11th, 2011 at 11:47 AM
Leadership is simply the ability to lead people. There are various ways to accomplish this.
I disagree with one person who stated that Leadership requires prior knowledge of the tasks you ask your subordinates. Actually you can have no knowledge of what your suborinates do and still lead them effectively. Many famous Leaders did not know how to do the job their employees were doing but knew the role those jobs played in the organization. This is more important I think.
As a leader you can command 20 or 30 people to do similiar tasks focused in a direction that will accomplish more than if one single person was attempting to do the same thing. A Leader is one who knows who knows which forest is the right one, Managers are the ones who pave the way through the forest, while the workers are the ones doing the actual work.