What Is Leadership?
This has come up twice in another thread. So I think it might be worth a thread of its own.
Maybe a better questions would be, "What is
good leadership." But I guess asking about leadership itself is enough. This can be group, governmental, familial, corporate or religious.
Wikipedia says:
Leadership
Leadership has been described as the “process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task”. A definition more inclusive of followers comes from Alan Keith of Genentech who said "Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen."
Leadership is one of the most salient aspects of the organizational context. However, defining leadership has been challenging. The following sections discuss several important aspects of leadership including a description of what leadership is and a description of several popular theories and styles of leadership. This page also dives into topics such as the role of emotions and vision, as well leadership effectiveness and performance. Finally, this page discusses leadership in different contexts, how it may differ from related concepts (i.e., management), and some critiques that have been raised about leadership.
In my time as a very minor leader within a large corporation, I have found (as I mentioned before) that:
The best leader is the leader who is someone different for each individual, while maintaining the same standards for everybody. I hate people who have the same act for everybody. This isn't about being "fake" or wearing little "masks" for people. But each person deserves a personal relationship with their leader (aka:
boss). It accommodates individual needs and tastes.
Another aspect that is essential to leadership to me is the
ability to make tough decisions and
ownership of those decisions. While making
good decisions is obviously important, not all decisions need to be good (as much as I'd like them to be). The difference, for me, between a leader and a GREAT leader is about
two heart beats (to quote "God Emperor of Dune"). A good leader can make a tough decision quickly, enter into the actions of that decision, make necessary adjustments as needed, and upon success or failure of the endeavor, will own up to that decision in the appropriate way. Bad leaders waffle. They wait for focus groups and look for ways to dilute the responsibility ("...well, it wasn't MY idea! It was a group thing..." or "So-and-so came up with that idea, not me..."). A good leader, listens, ponders the demands, and can make a decision (if needed) on the spot. Sometimes waiting is appropriate. Just as well, consulting various experts is also appropriate, but not all decisions can wait. When an immediate decision is needed, it can be rendered, owned up to, and learned from in a timely manner. Hell, there are hundreds of times I make decisions and put on a "I know what I'm doing" mask just to make people under me feel comfortable with the activity. During the course of the day/activity, adjustments are made to make whatever we're doing work. It's not always perfect, but it beats waffling and acting unsure of one's self in front of a hundred individuals.
~String
For me they are the opposite of two extremes, but still, they're legendaris leaders. Perhaps Genghis Khan, too. Kinda easier to mention names than to define it.