o     Leadership –getting it done

Leadership is the actions by one or more persons that  influence the behaviour of one or more persons in a group setting.

o      The actions of leaders are meant to influence, other people most often of the group. Attempts that do not result in changing behaviour are just those - unsuccessful attempts at leadership.

o      Changes may be:

ü    short or long term duration

ü    mental or behavioral

ü    positive or negative

ü    temporary or permanent

ü    Some people lead by being a role model, i.e. Leadership may be accidental or unintentional.

o      Some people don’t do this by their own choice, they may not take part in organizational or group activities, as do most leaders. Is a sports star or a rock star that serves as a role model for thousands of millions of youth of a leader?

ü    But they do influence the behaviour of people. They cause change, but often it is not purposive. The public visibility and popularity of sport and entertainment figures make it very easy for them to become purposive leaders. For example, Tiger Woods, a highly professional athlete who is moving into a leadership role, perhaps not deliberately, but nevertheless very influential.

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ü    without a group, you cant have followers, and without followers, leadership cannot occur.

ü    Most commonly, people think of leaders as people who occupy formal positions such as presidents of organizations etc. these may or may not be real leadership. True leadership in many groups and organizations may be both fluid and difficult to identify.

4.   The amount of influence and power a leader has varies widely from time to time, issue to issue and person to person.

ü  The word of some leaders is law to some individuals while others may ignore it within the same group. Influence is situational. If I am hungry, the suggestion for lunch has a very different impact than I just ate. The group or organization may rally around a leader and give him/her considerable power if they think the issue is important to the group is threatened.

5.  leadership is of varying duration for any individual or position holder.

o      Voluntary leadership roles are usually fluid. Some leadership activity is very brief, other leadership may be long term; but seldom or almost never are these activities permanent.

6.  voluntary leadership is, by definition, non-coercive. Leadership cannot occur without the consent of people.

ü    Leader and supporters make changes on a voluntary basis, physical or economic force may be used to gain power or to make changes, but this does not fall within the definition of voluntary leadership.

ü    However, a very limited amount of positive change is likely to occur when the people are passive.

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7.  non-coercive leadership by persuasion of personality is usually more effective than leadership by position or force.

ü    Leadership by force is not long-lasting, because once the force is removed, behaviour is likely to return to earlier pattern.

8.    The types of changes wanted by leaders and their supporters may range from the maintenance of the status quote social or economic revolutions.

ü    People labeled as ‘conservatives’ often seek to convince people that changes are not necessary and they are often not described as leaders. Are these people leaders? Certainly, they are attempting to influence behaviour.

 9.    Some “leaders” act more as catalysts or as facilitators of change than by expressly showing the direction and type of specific change needed. They do not create the vision of what the future should be. They provide the process by which change can occur.

ü    Some leader catalysts seek to step out of the leadership role when the process of change becomes more active.

ü    One of the dangers in the use of this process is the unwillingness of anyone to take an active, continuing leadership role.

10.    One of the most effective method of leadership is “empowering” people to accomplish a desired goal.

ü    Empowering people means giving people the beliefs and skills to take action themselves. The class “leadership in Today’s World”, includes as one goal the empowerment of the class members. Empowering the general public with influence at state or national level is much more difficult an long term.

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11.    The greater the consensus there is within the group about the goals, the higher the probably there will be change.

ü    It is easier to reach a consensus within a small group than within a large one. In the latter cases, formal votes are likely to be used for defining goals.

12.    Leadership is Multidirectional in the flow of influence.

ü    Leaders influence supporters and they influence leaders. Supporters are active participants and not just passive pawns. Usually, the flow of influence is unequal, i.e. leaders influence supporters more.

13.    The criticisms of leadership have increased especially in the mass of media recent years and decades.

ü    This factor is making it increasingly difficult for people to step forward and become public leaders. Very few people are willing to expose themselves to the harsh attention of mass media.

14.    Criticisms of public leaders have become very personal.

ü    Mass media often takes an active role in scrutinizing leaders, especially public leaders, and also in criticizing them. Yesterday’s leaders can easily become today’s scapegoats. Leaders are given considerable prestige if they are successful, but they receive considerable scorn if they are unsuccessful. Conversely, public scrutiny by mass media is like an essential “watch dog” feature of modern mass society.

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15.    The act of leadership is often heard to define exactly about when it begins and ends.

ü    While it is easy to see when an individual enters a position, it is more difficult to define when they actually started as leaders. Leadership is easier to recognize after the fact by the consequences or results than by specific actions during the process of leadership itself.

16.    Leadership is not a specific style or process.

ü    There are dozens of effective styles or types of leaders, and no one style that is universally effective.

o      Good communications and presentation skills are necessary in all types of leadership.

17.    The voluntary settings in which leadership occurs can be categorized into the following:

ü    Political/ Public/ Governmental

ü    Organizational

ü    Business

ü    Community and

ü    Informal groups.

18.    “Leaders are like their followers- only more so”

o      This folk saying provides considerable insight into this relationship. Today, political leaders often use opinion polls to determine the attitudes of the public.

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19.    The self- confidence that comes with success empowers the individual to attempt other actions.

20.    The titles of “leader” and “true leadership” are not the same for all.

ü    “Leader” is often used in public statements as a descriptive honorific title based upon past service rather than current activities.

21.    The change or legacy of a good leader will last long after the leader has left the role.

22.    People create leadership; positions do not.

o      Official positions do not necessarily produce leadership. However, there is a confusion in the public over this difference.

23.    Official positions may provide “Spring board” for leadership.

o      Such positions often enable a person to be heard “above the crowd”. President Theodore Roosevelt called the presidency a ‘bully pulpit’. Thus, a person in a public position has a relatively easy opportunity to become a functioning leader.

24.    Time in office and other forms of public exposure may enhance the possibilities of leadership because such tenure creates both images of leadership and opportunities for leadership though seniority and greater knowledge.