Business

Leadership: Definition and Characteristics

Leadership: Definition and Characteristics

Leadership is the process of influencing the behavior of people by making them strive voluntarily towards achievement of organizational goals. A Leader can creates an inspiring vision of the future. Also, motivates and inspires people to engage with that vision.

Characteristics of leadership: An examination of the above definition reveals the following important features of leadership:

(i) Leadership indicates ability of an individual to influence others.

(ii) Leadership tries to bring change in the behaviour of others.

(iii) Leadership indicates interpersonal relations between leaders and followers.

(iv) Leadership is exercised to achieve common goals of the organization.

(v) Leadership is a continuous process.

(vi) Effective communication helps keep the team working on the right projects with the right attitude.

(vii) A strong vision and the willingness to see it through is one of the most important characterizes of leadership.

(viii) A leader is a person who starts the work by communicating the policies and plans to the subordinates from where the work actually starts.

The term leader emerges from leadership. An individual possessing attributes of leadership is known as leader.