How To Learn Concepts of Leadership For Life

How To Learn Concepts of Leadership For Life

How To Learn Concepts of Leadership For Life

• Good leaders are made not born. If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader. 
• Good leaders develop through a never ending process of self-study, education, training, and experience (Jago, 1982).
• Good leaders are continually working and studying to improve their leadership skills; they are NOT resting on their laurels.

Definition of Leadership

Before we get started, lets define leadership. Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. This definition is similar to Northouse's.

• definition — Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal.
• Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership knowledge and skills. This is called Process Leadership (Jago, 1982).
  

This article defines concepts of leadership in terms of what a leader must be, know, and do.

Concepts of Leadership

• Good leaders are made not born.
• Good leaders develop through a never ending process of self-study, education, training, and experience.
• Good leaders are continually working and studying to improve their leadership skills; they are NOT resting on their laurels.

Before we get started, let's define leadership.

• Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership attributes, such as beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge, and skills.
• Bass' (1989 & 1990) theory of leadership states that there are three basic ways to explain how people become leaders.
• Some personality traits may lead people naturally into leadership roles. This is the Trait Theory.
• People can choose to become leaders. People can learn leadership skills. This is the Transformational Leadership Theory.
• The basis of good leadership is honorable character and selfless service to your organization.

The Two Most Important Keys to Effective Leadership

A Hay's study examined over 75 key components of employee satisfaction.

Trust and confidence in top leadership was the single most reliable predictor of employee satisfaction in an organization.

• Helping employees understand the company's overall business strategy.
• Helping employees understand how they contribute to achieving key business objectives.

 The next section, "Principles of Leadership", ties in closely with this key concept.