What Does Leadership Mean?

ANSWERING WHAT IS YOUR LEADERSHIP STYLE IN AN INTERVIEW

Introduction of Leader

A leader is an individual who has the capability and skill to influence and inspire people. He/ she can convince people to get the work done and not just use his power and force them to achieve a goal. A Leader is a person whose personality people follow. He or she has the authority to give directions. A leader sets examples and helps people work hard towards their goal and achieve it. Read more about what does Leadership Mean?

For a leader to get accepted by people, he/she should have a good personality and sound leadership qualities. A leader commands or oversees any group or organization. He has the power to convince, build confidence within other people, and inspire them to work together in a group.

Meaning of Leadership

Leadership is the role of guiding an individual or group towards achieving their goals, by providing them right and clear directions and motivation. It is the potential or skills to lead and guide a group or organization. It is a personality trait, which can convince, influence, and inspire people. 

Leadership is a responsibility a leader takes towards its followers. It is an individual’s capability to transplant the vision and make it realistic. Leadership qualities are not born in an individual, it is made and developed over time. The qualities can be inbuilt or learned through training, practice, and experience. Leadership involves the act of making decisions and providing clear visions. It is all about making the followers of a leader understand and recognize their potential. 

Leadership Theory

Leadership theory is the clear understanding of leadership qualities and how a person can become a leader. It tells about what other qualities or traits a person can build and improve on to grow leadership ability. There are many leadership theories, but these are the six primary theories.

  1. The Great Man Theory 

This theory was developed in the 19th century, created by Thomas Carlyle. According to this theory, some leaders and leadership qualities are born and not developed or learned over time. It tells that leadership is a hereditary quality. It believes that some excellent leaders are born with natural potential, skills, confidence, attributes, courage, which makes them different from others. 

  1. The Trait Theory 

This theory was developed between the 1930s and 1940s. It states that some inborn qualities in a person make them a good leader. Sometimes, it does not always mean that someone possessing certain qualities, has leadership values and skills. For example, a person with excellent communication and a good listener, might not always make a good leader. A leader might be excellent at all these but not every person who is excellent at it is a leader. The focus of this theory is on the leaders, and it overlooks the followers.

  1. The Behavioral Theory 

This theory was founded in the 1950s. It focuses on the behavior of a leader. It shows how a person’s surroundings can be a reason for them evolving into a leader. Conditioning is one of the main concepts of this theory. This concept tells how a person’s behavior and act can be a result of the surrounding response. It allows leaders to function and act flexibly. 

  1. The Transactional Theory 

This theory is also known as management theory, created in the 1970s. According to this theory, workers or followers do not get self-motivated to perform a task, and they need directions, instructions, and guidance to complete a task in the right way. This theory focuses on supervision, performance, structure, and order. 

  1. The Transformational Theory 

This theory is also known as relationship theory, developed in 1978 by James MacGregor Burns. This shows how the leader helps his or her team members or followers. It studies the relationship between the teams or group members and the leader. A transformational leader transforms, motivates, and inspires people. They believe in holding their standard and position to the same level, which they expect from people. 

  1. The Situation Theory 

This theory was developed in 1969. It states that no single style of leadership or leader is best. It believes that a good leader and the best leadership style is the one which can be adaptable on the basis of any kind of situation and which strategy of leadership will serve the best purpose in a certain task. A situational leader should be responsive to any situation and are a flexible thinker and worker. 

Different Styles of Leadership 

Leadership styles mainly tell us about the methods a leader uses to give directions and motivate people. It also talks about his characteristics and behavior while he is directing his group or followers. Below are the seven primary leadership styles a leader can follow. 

  1. Autocratic Leadership

This style of leadership portraits the controls and command over his followers. An autocratic leader considers him and his decisions to be superior. He or she thinks that he has more knowledge than the others. He makes all the decisions by himself by taking very little or no input from his group members or followers. He likes to control all the decisions. 

This style of leadership does not work in all situations except when the matter is of urgent importance and the decision needs to be taken on the spot. At this time an autocratic leader having the entire knowledge can finalize a decision on his experience. 

  1. Pacesetting Leadership

This is a style of leadership where the group members are pushed to work by the leaders. Driven leaders raise expectations and push the group members to work hard and function fast to finish a given task. This style of leadership can affect the group members mentally. 

It can cause mental depression while working under pressure and stressful situations caused due to the leader. This style can work when the leader and the team members are like-minded and are willing to work hard to achieve a goal. 

  1. Authoritative Leadership 

An authoritative leader is confident about what he does. He sets the goals, dictates the policies, and decides on what is to be achieved. He raises the expectations and directs the group members. He has complete control over the group. 

  1. Democratic Leaderships 

This is the most important and effective style of leadership. A democratic leader believes in teamwork. He or she engages each member of the group in any decision-making. This in turn boosts the group’s morale, and motivation. Such leaders take the opinion and inputs of the group before finalizing any decision.

This style develops trust between the leader and the group members. It gives maximum opportunity to the group members to outgrow and develop. Democratic leaders get the work done by their group without pressuring them. This gives the group job satisfaction, and a willingness to cooperate with the leader. 

  1. Affiliative Leadership

In this style of leadership, the leader puts his group members first. He or she pays close attention to the group’s feelings and supports their emotional needs. An affiliative leader strives to maintain close relations with the group and connect with them. 

This style provides a friendly environment and harmony. It helps in building bonds and communication between the two. 

  1. Coaching Leadership 

In this style of leadership, a leader believes everyone has the capability and power within themselves. A coaching leader recognizes the team member’s strengths and weaknesses. He or she motivates people to work on their weaknesses and improve them, to achieve success. 

  1. Laissez-Faire Leadership

In this style of leadership, a leader relies and trusts completely on the group members. A Laissez-Faire leader does not involve himself much in any work. He or she does not give many directions and guidance to the group, except in those cases where minimum guidance is required. The leader gives complete responsibility to its group members and subordinates.

Few Must-Have Qualities in a Good Leader

  1. Flexibility: A leader needs to act flexibly in certain cases and respond to changing situations. This will encourage and motivate the team members. A flexible leader can make quick decisions and change plans immediately. This way they maintain productivity even in a difficult situation. 
  2. Effective communication: Communication helps in better understanding at the workplace and avoids any conflicts and confusion between the leaders and the group members. To communicate effectively a leader must be a good listener. 
  1. Integrity: Being integrated refers to being honest, reliable, and trustworthy. A leader with integrity stands by his or her words. He does what he says and accepts his mistakes instead of putting the blame on others or making excuses. 
  1. Ability to delegate: It is one of the most important responsibilities. Delegating responsibility to the team helps to build trust and empowers. This helps a leader learn the capabilities of the team members and identify which member is best suited for a particular job. 
  1. Influence: It is again a very important and crucial factor. A leader must be able to influence the team members to work hard and change for the good. The influence should be on a positive note because this is what the group will follow. Influence should always be toward the good.
  1. Courage: It is a key trait of a leader. The leader should have the courage to speak their voice out for new ideas, give feedback, or show concern. Courageous workers work harder and take up new challenges. 
  1. Vision: A leader should have a clear vision of the future. It shows a leader’s values, beliefs, and purpose in life. A leader’s vision defines how he or she will function and what their goals are. 
  1. Make hard and difficult decisions: A leader must be able to make fast and difficult decisions despite having a limited source of information. Sometimes it becomes difficult to act wisely in a difficult situation. So, the leader should be wise enough to act accordingly. 
  2. Lead by example: A leader should always be an example to all. To gain popularity and respect from others a leader must demonstrate good behavior in front of others.
  1. Positivity: A leader should always spread positivity. Even in the worst scenario, he must keep a positive mindset and attitude. It avoids any panic situation at the workplace. 
  1. Confidence: A leader should be confident in the decision he makes. A confident leader is always a successful leader as he keeps the team motivated all time and spreads energy. 

Conclusion 

Leadership is believed to be vital for an effective organization. A leader creates goals and helps the company achieve its success. Leadership can be achieved when a leader and his followers have effective communication and interaction. It serves as a guiding element for an organization. A leader always creates something new and sets an example for others. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Question 1: Which is the most effective leadership style? 

Answer: The most effective leadership style is democratic leadership. The reason behind it is because it gives equal authority to the lower-level workers or the team members. A democratic leader takes the input and suggestions of the team members before finalizing any decision. It increases group motivation. 

Question 2: Which theory of leadership is the best?

Answer: The Great man theory created by Thomas Carlyle in the 19th century is the best leadership theory. This theory suggests that great leaders are born and not developed over time. 

Question 3: Is it Essential for a leader to always communicate with his followers? 

Answers: Yes, it is essential for a leader to communicate with his team members or followers. It avoids confusion at the workplace and helps in better understanding. Good communication can build a good relationship between leaders and followers. 

What Does Leadership Mean?

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