What is Leadership?

Most people in B-school’s, corporates talk about Leadership these days. Some say leaders are born, some say leaders are made over time, some say crisis situations bring out the true leaders. Which of this is really true? Who is a leader? Why do most people want to become leaders? Why are leaders rated above others? If the above questions constitute one part there is a dark side which most people ignore which is, it is just not enough to be a leader, you need to become a good leader who is admired by the people around him/her.

History is the best source of information. There is no need to invent something new about Leadership. There were leaders in the past, there are leaders in the present and there will be leaders in the future. There have been good leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda, Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela etc etc. And there have been not so good leaders too like Adolph Hitler, Stalin, Aurangzeb. Again as this is my journal these are my views. Moving on, I would like to keep things small, simple and specific (my 3 S’s).

What is Leadership? Going by the simple definition, He/She is a leader who leads people. Is this enough? No. There are lot of other factors which constitute leadership.

- A leader needs to show a direction to the people who are following him/her

- A leader needs to have a vision

- A leader needs to believe in himself and his followers

- A leader needs to be courageous enough to stand up against the people who try to break the momentum

- A leader needs to create trust between him and the people following him

- A leader shouldn’t get bogged down by difficult of the difficult situations. Even if he does he shouldn’t show it

- A leader should voice the concerns of the society/individuals in a rightful manner

- A leader should avoid being selfish

- A leader should keep motivating people around him

- A leader should create that fire, passion in the individuals either through his personality or through his speeches

- A leader is generally wise and uses common sense

- A leader keeps things simple and has a positive attitude.

Well, these are some of the characteristics of a good leader which I could think of my mind based on my past learning’s and past experience.

Are leaders born or created over time? I would say, it is both. There have been great leaders like Akbar, Rani Lakshmi bhai of Jhansi, Tippu Sultan who were considered born leaders. They showed leadership qualities right from their childhood and excelled in very young age. And in contrast there are individuals like Mahatma Gandhi, Abdul Kalam who emerged as leaders over the time. Mostly the crisis situations around them brought out the leadership qualities in them. So leadership can come in-between or it can come naturally.

Why do people want to become Leaders? There are various reasons. Some have that quality naturally so it’s not their fault. Some want to have name and fame. Some want power while some want money. Some just do not want to follow others instead want others to follow him. Some have a vision and their passion leads them to become leaders. There are both selfish reasons and not so selfish reasons. One has to identify why he/she wants to become a leader.

Good Leader vs Not so good Leader. Let me ask this question. When the topic on leadership was put forward how many of us wanted to become a leader vs a good leader. I am sure most of us would thought “I want to be a leader”. And very few would have said “I want to become a good leader if not settle as a good individual”.

As a good leader, you need to ensure that you develop a trust between you and the individuals. You need to believe them. You should respect them. You shouldn’t be arrogant whereas you should be assertive. You shouldn’t be selfish whereas you should be honest. A good leader does not try to impose his decisions. Instead of taking other’s credit, he gives credit to whoever deserves. A good leader needs to listen more, talk when needed, take decisions when needed. He leads people around him/her, motivates them and more importantly understands them. He stands for them and he is prepared to sacrifice himself for them if needed.

Finally, this is my favourite, a good leader steps out and gives way when he feels that there is a better leader than him. Just think how many of us would do this.

--By Krishna Kranthi