DEFINITION
Leadership is the art of influencing
and inspiring subordinates to perform their duties willingly, competently and
enthusiastically for achievement of groups objectives.
According to Wendell French, "Leadership is the process of
influencing the behavior of others in the direction of a goal or set of goals
or, more broadly, toward a vision of the future”,
According to Keith Davis, “Leadership
is the process of encouraging and helping others to work enthusiastically
towards objectives”.
According to Koontz and O'Donnell,
"Leadership is the art or process of influencing people so that they will
strive willingly towards the achievement of group goals".
According to Peter Drucker,
"Leadership means the lifting of man's visions to higher sights, the
raising of man's performance to higher standard, the building of man's
personality beyond its normal limitations".
According to Grey and Starke,
"Leadership is both a process and a property. As a process, it is used for
non-coercive influence lo shape up the goals of a group or organization, to
motivate behavior toward the achievement of those goals and to help define
group or organizational culture. As a property, leadership is the set multi
characteristics attributed to those who are perceived to be leaders".
Thus, leaders are people who are able
to influence the behavior of others without recourse to threats or other forms
of force towards the individuals. Leaders are the people who are accepted by
the other individuals, as a superior person to them.
FEATURES OF LEADERSHIP
The features of leadership are as
follows:
- Leadership is the process of
influencing behavior of individuals of an organization.
- Leadership uses
non-coercive methods to direct and
coordinate the activities of the individuals of an organization.
- Leadership directs the individuals
to attain the tasks assigned to them by following the instructions of
their leaders.
- A leader possesses qualities to
influence others.
- Leadership gives the individuals,
a vision for future.
- Leadership is a group activity.
Leader influences his followers and followers also exercise influence over
his leader.
- Leadership is meant for a given
situation, given group for a pre-determined period of lime.
- Leadership is continuous process
of influencing behavior. It encourages liveliness in the group.
Importance
of Leadership
The following points can judge the
importance of leadership:
- A leader should act as a friend of
the people whom he is leading.
- A leader must have the capacity to
recognize the potentials of the individuals and transform them into
realities.
- A leader should have the
confidence of the individuals of the organization.
- A leader must be able to unite the
people as a team and build up team spirit.
- A leader should be able to
maintain discipline among his group and develop a sense of responsibility.
- A leader must be able to build up
a high morale among the individuals of the organization.
- A leader should motivate his
people to achieve goals.
- A leader should try to raise the
morale of the individuals and should maintain ethical standards among the
individuals.
- A leader should act as a link between
the work groups and the forces outside the organization.