ARE LEADERS BORN OR MADE?
Many authors have defined leadership in various ways. But this article focuses on the ways and means by which any layman can cultivate and inculcate this much sought-after trait. It clearly differentiates between talent and skill and concludes that leadership is a skill that can be cultivated by a common man. It highlights the qualities needed in any leader and emphasizes the distinction between a manager and a leader. The article presents novel strategies, secrets, and tools by which an ordinary person can become extraordinary. This article is highly useful for CEOs and aspiring leaders in the corporate world.
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader” - John Quincy Adam.
WHAT IS LEADERSHIP?
“Research on leadership indicates that 50 – 75 per cent of organizations are currently managed by people sorely lacking in leadership competence. They are hired or promoted based on technical competence, business knowledge, and politics, not on leadership skill”. Before explaining in detail about leadership, it is worthwhile to identify whether it is a skill or a talent. If it is a talent, then leadership is an inborn quality as talents are innate by nature. If it is a skill, then it can be acquired by voracious reading, learning, continuous practice, training, and experience. If it is a talent, then leaders are born; if it is a skill, then leaders are made.
Leadership is more of an action than preaching. Leadership is the ability to lead from the front despite many successive setbacks with a passion and a conviction of a great vision. It is also taking a sense of responsibility, setting as a role model with qualities like courage, commitment, and conviction. Leadership is also a way of calling ‘we' not ‘I' because no leader is successful as an individual. Whenever there is success, the leader ascribes it to his team behind, and in case of failure, he owns the sole responsibility. There are many dimensions and definitions of the concept of leadership. In this context, it is pertinent and relevant to classify the types of leadership.
LEADERSHIP STYLES/TYPES:
Traditionally, there are three types of leadership - Dictatorial or Autocratic leadership, Democratic or Participative leadership, and Delegative or Free reign leadership. In the case of autocratic leadership, the leader makes decisions based on his gut feeling and intuition and orders the execution of his instructions. The followers have to accept and execute whether they like the same or not. There are no consultations or discussions with subordinates in this style. In democratic leadership, the leader consults with his subordinates on various occasions and takes them into confidence. A consensus is generated after weighing the pros and cons of the matter. The entire team is held responsible for the success or failure of decision-making. In the delegative style of leadership, the decision-making is delegated by the leader to his subordinates. The second in command takes the decision and executes. Even if there is any failure, the leader is held responsible as he delegated the decision-making power to his lieutenant. All leaders make use of all three styles and types as per the situation. It is not prudent to declare that a specific style is wrong.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD LEADER:
The first and foremost quality of any leader is to have a passion to lead the people and the passion to serve the people. Passion is a burning desire to contribute one's best for the people without expecting any returns. Only when he is passionate, he can ignite passion among his followers.
He should have a vision and a common goal or objective for which people should have an interest in coming forward to realize the goals and objectives. Only when the vision is strong, then the mission can be strong. He knows ‘where to go' and he directs his followers continuously by showing ‘how to go'.
He should be a self-motivator, and only self-motivators become self-starters. He should be filled with strong convictions and should be highly motivated so that he can maintain higher levels of energy among his followers.
Zig Zigler Zig said, 97 per cent of people live in the comfort zone, and only 3 per cent of people live in the effective zone. The leaders always live in the effective zone, and they get excited by always being in the effective zone. They love to face challenges continuously. They continue shifting from one orbit to another with ease.
Leaders always look for excellence, not for perfection. They always look at things positively and are firm optimists.
They experiment a lot, make many mistakes, and learn a lot from them. For them, every big fall is a big rise. They rise like a phoenix. Robert Francis Kennedy rightly quoted, “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly”.
They are excellent networkers and thrive on the network. Even if they fall, they rise because of their strong network. The network helps either because he has helped them in the past with altruism or because their network is fascinated with his altruistic and leadership style.
They are men of integrity and strong character. They are very firm in their commitments and convictions. They have higher tolerance levels and have a positive bent of mind towards other people's sentiments and cultures.
They maintain stoic silence and display mental and emotional stability even in extreme provocations or failures. They are excellent listeners and listen to different people with different dimensions and yet maintain independent thinking in arriving at solutions.
Good leaders always talk about positive things and make positive statements like ‘you can do it', ‘it is possible', ‘you will achieve big', and so on. They never make negative remarks like ‘it is impossible', ‘it is doubtful', ‘you can never improve', etc.
They are open to change, and they know very well that change is always constant. They become the champions of change and are very effective change masters.
For them, success is not outsmarting others but setting their goals and touching their upper limits. Once they reach their upper limits, they raise the bar automatically and again touch their upper limits.
They never beat around the bush and always stay focused. Neither can they be distracted nor diverted from their cherished goals and objectives. They know how to hit the bull's eye.
They always radiate positive energy and are experts at visualizing opportunities from threats. They know how to capitalize on their strengths, how to overcome their weaknesses, manage both internal and external threats effectively, and effectively, and last but not least, they are good at spotting opportunities.
They strongly believe in others and trust their subordinates or followers. As trust begets trust, the leader, in turn, is trusted by his followers.
They always look at the big picture. If a layman thinks about the repercussions, implications, and complications of decision-making just after a step. The leader thinks, imagines the same, number of stages and steps ahead based on his abilities in problem-solving and also because of his experience.
All great leaders are strong in communication skills. They mesmerize their followers with their oratorical skills and abilities and continuously ignite and excite their followers to reach their goals.
”Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other”, quoted John F. Kennedy. They learn and grow continuously. They regularly update their skills and abilities. Most of the great leaders are great readers. Apart from providing motivation and inspiration, books also provide great ideas.
Leaders create their own set of advisers and consult them whenever they are confronted with complicated situations. Their team of trusted advisors provides various comments, and after having brainstorming discussions, the right solution is arrived at, and the leaders adopt the same.
They find out the unexplored and unexploited areas, and they build up mindset, skillset, toolset so as to excel in those areas, and people follow them as they are specialists in those areas. They rarely follow the road and rather they make a road for their followers and leave a mark behind. In this context, it is apt to quote, “Don't follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail”.
Neither are they dominant nor submissive and are flexible and assertive in their dealings. They respect people and love people, and they do not hesitate to go the extra mile to please their people.
Leaders are socially adept and have social intelligence, and they know the value of people and the value of relations. John C. Maxwell rightly quoted, “The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care”.
Leaders are sound in judgment. They know the strengths and weaknesses of their subordinates and utilize them according to their skills and abilities to meet the desired goals and objectives. They are smart at converting ordinary people into extraordinary people.
They know how to balance their lives and are good at leading a balanced life. They have self-discipline and do things proactively without the prompting of others. They move like a clock in a systematic and organized manner and are competent time managers.
Leaders know how to motivate their followers, and they know the knack of uncorking and unlocking the hidden potential among the people. It is aptly said, “A leader is someone who helps others do and become more than they ever thought possible. Leadership is about unlocking potential, whether individual potential or that of a group, company, or organization. It is not about telling people what to do but inspiring them to see what they are capable of, then helping them get there”.
Good leaders are effective motivators, and they understand the gravity of the situation and don the hat as per the situation and give their best to provide a win-win situation for all without hurting anybody. They are excellent in persuasive
From Nigeria, Lagos
Acknowledge(0)
Amend(0)
27Many authors have defined leadership in various ways. But this article focuses on the ways and means by which any layman can cultivate and inculcate this much sought-after trait. It clearly differentiates between talent and skill and concludes that leadership is a skill that can be cultivated by a common man. It highlights the qualities needed in any leader and emphasizes the distinction between a manager and a leader. The article presents novel strategies, secrets, and tools by which an ordinary person can become extraordinary. This article is highly useful for CEOs and aspiring leaders in the corporate world.
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader” - John Quincy Adam.
WHAT IS LEADERSHIP?
“Research on leadership indicates that 50 – 75 per cent of organizations are currently managed by people sorely lacking in leadership competence. They are hired or promoted based on technical competence, business knowledge, and politics, not on leadership skill”. Before explaining in detail about leadership, it is worthwhile to identify whether it is a skill or a talent. If it is a talent, then leadership is an inborn quality as talents are innate by nature. If it is a skill, then it can be acquired by voracious reading, learning, continuous practice, training, and experience. If it is a talent, then leaders are born; if it is a skill, then leaders are made.
Leadership is more of an action than preaching. Leadership is the ability to lead from the front despite many successive setbacks with a passion and a conviction of a great vision. It is also taking a sense of responsibility, setting as a role model with qualities like courage, commitment, and conviction. Leadership is also a way of calling ‘we' not ‘I' because no leader is successful as an individual. Whenever there is success, the leader ascribes it to his team behind, and in case of failure, he owns the sole responsibility. There are many dimensions and definitions of the concept of leadership. In this context, it is pertinent and relevant to classify the types of leadership.
LEADERSHIP STYLES/TYPES:
Traditionally, there are three types of leadership - Dictatorial or Autocratic leadership, Democratic or Participative leadership, and Delegative or Free reign leadership. In the case of autocratic leadership, the leader makes decisions based on his gut feeling and intuition and orders the execution of his instructions. The followers have to accept and execute whether they like the same or not. There are no consultations or discussions with subordinates in this style. In democratic leadership, the leader consults with his subordinates on various occasions and takes them into confidence. A consensus is generated after weighing the pros and cons of the matter. The entire team is held responsible for the success or failure of decision-making. In the delegative style of leadership, the decision-making is delegated by the leader to his subordinates. The second in command takes the decision and executes. Even if there is any failure, the leader is held responsible as he delegated the decision-making power to his lieutenant. All leaders make use of all three styles and types as per the situation. It is not prudent to declare that a specific style is wrong.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD LEADER:
The first and foremost quality of any leader is to have a passion to lead the people and the passion to serve the people. Passion is a burning desire to contribute one's best for the people without expecting any returns. Only when he is passionate, he can ignite passion among his followers.
He should have a vision and a common goal or objective for which people should have an interest in coming forward to realize the goals and objectives. Only when the vision is strong, then the mission can be strong. He knows ‘where to go' and he directs his followers continuously by showing ‘how to go'.
He should be a self-motivator, and only self-motivators become self-starters. He should be filled with strong convictions and should be highly motivated so that he can maintain higher levels of energy among his followers.
Zig Zigler Zig said, 97 per cent of people live in the comfort zone, and only 3 per cent of people live in the effective zone. The leaders always live in the effective zone, and they get excited by always being in the effective zone. They love to face challenges continuously. They continue shifting from one orbit to another with ease.
Leaders always look for excellence, not for perfection. They always look at things positively and are firm optimists.
They experiment a lot, make many mistakes, and learn a lot from them. For them, every big fall is a big rise. They rise like a phoenix. Robert Francis Kennedy rightly quoted, “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly”.
They are excellent networkers and thrive on the network. Even if they fall, they rise because of their strong network. The network helps either because he has helped them in the past with altruism or because their network is fascinated with his altruistic and leadership style.
They are men of integrity and strong character. They are very firm in their commitments and convictions. They have higher tolerance levels and have a positive bent of mind towards other people's sentiments and cultures.
They maintain stoic silence and display mental and emotional stability even in extreme provocations or failures. They are excellent listeners and listen to different people with different dimensions and yet maintain independent thinking in arriving at solutions.
Good leaders always talk about positive things and make positive statements like ‘you can do it', ‘it is possible', ‘you will achieve big', and so on. They never make negative remarks like ‘it is impossible', ‘it is doubtful', ‘you can never improve', etc.
They are open to change, and they know very well that change is always constant. They become the champions of change and are very effective change masters.
For them, success is not outsmarting others but setting their goals and touching their upper limits. Once they reach their upper limits, they raise the bar automatically and again touch their upper limits.
They never beat around the bush and always stay focused. Neither can they be distracted nor diverted from their cherished goals and objectives. They know how to hit the bull's eye.
They always radiate positive energy and are experts at visualizing opportunities from threats. They know how to capitalize on their strengths, how to overcome their weaknesses, manage both internal and external threats effectively, and effectively, and last but not least, they are good at spotting opportunities.
They strongly believe in others and trust their subordinates or followers. As trust begets trust, the leader, in turn, is trusted by his followers.
They always look at the big picture. If a layman thinks about the repercussions, implications, and complications of decision-making just after a step. The leader thinks, imagines the same, number of stages and steps ahead based on his abilities in problem-solving and also because of his experience.
All great leaders are strong in communication skills. They mesmerize their followers with their oratorical skills and abilities and continuously ignite and excite their followers to reach their goals.
”Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other”, quoted John F. Kennedy. They learn and grow continuously. They regularly update their skills and abilities. Most of the great leaders are great readers. Apart from providing motivation and inspiration, books also provide great ideas.
Leaders create their own set of advisers and consult them whenever they are confronted with complicated situations. Their team of trusted advisors provides various comments, and after having brainstorming discussions, the right solution is arrived at, and the leaders adopt the same.
They find out the unexplored and unexploited areas, and they build up mindset, skillset, toolset so as to excel in those areas, and people follow them as they are specialists in those areas. They rarely follow the road and rather they make a road for their followers and leave a mark behind. In this context, it is apt to quote, “Don't follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail”.
Neither are they dominant nor submissive and are flexible and assertive in their dealings. They respect people and love people, and they do not hesitate to go the extra mile to please their people.
Leaders are socially adept and have social intelligence, and they know the value of people and the value of relations. John C. Maxwell rightly quoted, “The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care”.
Leaders are sound in judgment. They know the strengths and weaknesses of their subordinates and utilize them according to their skills and abilities to meet the desired goals and objectives. They are smart at converting ordinary people into extraordinary people.
They know how to balance their lives and are good at leading a balanced life. They have self-discipline and do things proactively without the prompting of others. They move like a clock in a systematic and organized manner and are competent time managers.
Leaders know how to motivate their followers, and they know the knack of uncorking and unlocking the hidden potential among the people. It is aptly said, “A leader is someone who helps others do and become more than they ever thought possible. Leadership is about unlocking potential, whether individual potential or that of a group, company, or organization. It is not about telling people what to do but inspiring them to see what they are capable of, then helping them get there”.
Good leaders are effective motivators, and they understand the gravity of the situation and don the hat as per the situation and give their best to provide a win-win situation for all without hurting anybody. They are excellent in persuasive
From Nigeria, Lagos
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)CiteHR is an AI-augmented HR knowledge and collaboration platform, enabling HR professionals to solve real-world challenges, validate decisions, and stay ahead through collective intelligence and machine-enhanced guidance. Join Our Platform.
Leadership Styles.pdf
Leadership Styles.ppt