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Essay on Leadership: Meaning, Nature and Importance of Leadership

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Essay on Leadership: Meaning, Nature and Importance of Leadership!

“Leadership is the quality of behavior of individuals whereby they guide people or their activities in
organising efforts” — Chester I. Barnard

“Leadership is the ability of a superior to induce subordinates to work with confidence and I zeal” —
Koontz and ‘Donnell

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“Leadership is the process by which an executive imaginatively directs, guides and influences the work
of others in attaining specified goals.” — Theo Haimann

Leadership may be defined as a position of power held by an individual in a group, which provides him
with an opportunity to exercise interpersonal influence on the group members for miobilising and
directing their efforts towards certain goals. The leader is at the centre of group’s power structure,
keeps the group together, infuses life into it, moves it towards its goals and maintains its momentum.
He may emerge in a group by virtue of his personality characteristics and qualities or by virtue of
common consent by group members. In the latter case, the leader derives his power from the group
members. He continues in the leadership position at the pleasure of group members collectively.
Leadership position exists in most group settings irrespective of the size of the group.

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For example, a leader of national or international standing commands widespread influence over a large
number of people while the influence of the leader of a small work group in an organisation is very
limited. Both are leaders in their own right and fulfill our definition of leadership.

Leadership is an influential process. The leader is in a position to shape, regulate, control and change the
attitudes, behaviour and performance of his group members. The latter are supposed to comply with
the former’s desires and directives and partially suspend their own judgment and discretion. There
exists a particular relationship between the leader and his group members which is characterised by
interpersonal and social interaction.

In a group, the leader and his followers play the roles expected of them and thereby seek to justify their
respective positions. Some leaders may be able to play their role effectively whereby they succeed in
getting the willing cooperation and commitment of their followers, beyond the normal call of duty.

In any group situation, the leader has a few bases of power by virtue of which he is in a position to
influence the behaviour of group members. They are:

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(i) Knowledge, information and experience

(ii) Resources for dispensing favours, rewards and penalties

(iii) Formal authority

(iv) Charisma

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(v) Distinct personality characteristics like for example, will to dominate, ability to establish rapport, skill
to communicate, identity with and understanding of people, decisiveness and soon.

Skillful use of these power bases by a leader is likely to bring success to him; and success in some cases
adds to the power of the leader. A successful leader gains more credibility in the eyes of people; they
often tend to ignore other deficiencies in him; they resolve to adhere to him and allow themselves to be
further exposed to his influence attempts.

In this way some leaders entrench themselves in their positions. Some even misuse their power and
often get away with it. Power carries with it an equal amount of responsibility. Leaders who relate their
power with responsibility in a consistent manner are more successful in their influence than otherwise.
Importance of Leadership:

The following points highlight the importance of leadership:

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(i) Effective direction:

An organisation comes into existence with certain objectives. To attain the objectives, the activities of
the organisation must be directed. Direction of the activities is effected through leadership. In short,
effective leadership directs the activities of an organisation towards the attainment of the specified
organisational goals.

(ii) Source of motivation:

Leadership is the motivating power to group efforts. Effective leadership motivates the subordinates for
higher productivity.

(iii) Confidence:

Leadership creates confidence in-the subordinates by giving proper guidance and advice.

(iv) High morale:

Good leadership increases the morale of the employees which, in turn, contributes to higher
productivity.
(v) Development of team spirit:

Effective leadership promotes team-spirit and teamwork which is quite essential for the success of any
organisation.

(vi) Encouraging initiative:

A progressive, forward and democratic minded leader, always encourages initiative on the part of the
followers.

(vii) Overcoming resistance to change:

A leader overcomes resistance, if any on the part of followers to organisational changes; through
explaining to them the utility of such changes to both—the enterprise and the employees.

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leadership/28005

Reaction Paper Leadership Essay

Essay Topic: Leadership, Leader

Leaders are made and not born. Leadership skills can be thought to anyone who is willing and given an
opportunity to lead an organization. It is important have someone to continue the goals of a company.
There are some qualities a great leader should have: Be strong when you are week – This is very
important for developing a leader. You need to give them the opportunity to grow strong and they will
learn from their own experience in leadership especially when a leader is weak, he has no choice but to
become strong.
Be brave when you are scared – Risks are very essential in business. You need to be brave to take risks.
In developing a leader, it might be risky because they might fail their tasks but learning takes time and
someone needs to experience failure in order to succeed. Be humble when you are victorious –
Executive leaders don’t shout their success, instead they remain humble and silent. The more you show
your achievements, the more people will envy you and will try to destroy you. A few days ago, I had this
opportunity to attend a gathering with successful salesman.

We played dice game and everyone is aiming for the first price. Theirs this one man beside me, he said
that he didn’t want to get the first price because he didn’t want too much greedy, any price will do. I
knew this guy as a successful man but he dress and live very simple. The moral lesson I learned is that
you don’t need to be greedy and live elegant in life, you just need to stay humble. As a leader, you need
to stay humble to your employees. The business world is very crucial place and having too much pride
and envy will not earn you anything. Sometimes when the company has too much greediness, they will
became impromptu in investing without thinking further and this might became the cause of their
downfall. Look at the mirror and not on the window – a great leader don’t need to hear negative
feedbacks form others, they look at their self and improve.

Other people might tell you that you can’t achieve anything in life or other people will judge you. The
important is that you know yourself that you can reach you goals and if ever they judge your
capabilities, prove it to them that their wrong. You can’t explain to everyone that why they shouldn’t
judge you, instead make this as your motivation to change other’s belief on you. A great leader is honest
of what he/she is capable of. You don’t need to pretend of what you have and promise to a person, you
will just break people’s trust on you. Trust is your most important assent – Great companies expands
and continually growing because of the people who trust them. They use this trust to get investors and
stock holders. They trust this companies that they will became successful someday. Leaders need to gain
trust from their employees. If your employee’s don’t trust you, they will not follow your advice and your
commands.

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Leadership is the only area in which more than 3,000 studies have so far been carried out and more than
2,000 definitions have been given by different management researchers and thinkers. Even then,
leadership still remains an unexplainable concept.
The word leader first appeared in the English language in the 1300s. It stems from the root Men, which
means ‘to travel’ or ‘show the way’. The term ‘leadership’ was born some five centuries later. The
scientific study on leadership was primarily done in the US.

Fields as divergent as political science, psychology, education, history, agriculture, public administration,
management, anthropology, biology, military sciences, philosophy, and sociology have all contributed to
an understanding of leadership and many of them have established sub-fields in leadership.

In virtually every culture, the earliest literature deals with accounts of heroes and the results of their
leadership. Joseph Campbell (1991), in his work on various myths finds that in every culture ‘Essentially,
there is but one archetypal mythic hero who is the founder of something—a new age, a new religion, a
new city, a new way of life.

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In order to found something new, one has to leave the old and go in quest of a new thing. It involves a
journey, abandoning the old and searching for the new.’ Leadership arises in response to a need. It
essentially derives from the uncertainties and dangers built into the human condition (Bolman and Deal
1991). Conditions that develop leadership vary from situation to situation and from one historical time
to another.

Because of this reason, it is difficult to generalize the term leadership. Leadership in a battlefield is
different from leadership in a business organization. Leadership at the corporate level (the highest level
of an organization) is different from effective leadership at the shop-floor (operational) level. Hence, a
universal model of leadership is unthinkable.

Leadership is the only area in which more than 3,000 studies have so far been carried out and more than
2,000 definitions have been given by different management researchers and thinkers. Even then,
leadership still remains an unexplainable concept.
In any work situation, when two or more people join together to work for a goal, a structure or a group
develops and leadership emerges. The difference between success and failure in business, sports, or any
movement can be attributed to the leadership.

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Reviewing the existing literatures on leadership, it can be defined as an activity that influences people to
strive willingly for group objectives. It exists only in relationships and only in the imagination and
perceptions of ‘followers’. Thus, leadership is what goes with the people and not what

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