Leadership There Are Several Definitions

¶ … Leadership

There are several definitions used in describing leadership. The most frequently used definition states that leadership refers to organizing a group of individuals towards achieving common goals and objectives. Other theories refer to leadership as the process of social influence exerted by the person that is considered the leader of the group on the group's members, with the purpose of helping them improve certain activities. In order to develop an effective leadership style, the leader must integrate the resources of the company within the internal and external environment with the purpose of reaching the company's objectives.

There are different types of leadership, like: autocratic, participative, laissez-faire, charismatic, transactional, transformational, and other styles. The autocratic or authoritarian leadership style is characterized by a centralized decision making process. Such leaders are not interested in the group's opinions, and their subordinates usually fear them. Although this leadership style is not considered efficient, there are numerous companies that are successfully managed by autocratic leaders. The participative or democratic leadership style assumes that the members of the group are included in the decision making process. The transformational leadership style determines the leader to focus on the development of his subordinates' skills (Lussier & Achua, 2010).

In order to be considered effective leaders, individuals must develop certain characteristics and skills. Therefore, it is important that the leader focuses on becoming an example for the members of the group. In addition to this, successful leaders also take into consideration the needs of his subordinates, not just the requirements on the company. In other words, effective leaders must be able to integrate the necessities of the company with its resources, and with the objectives of employees. Such leaders are interested in allowing their subordinates to present their opinions and to include them in the decision making process.

2. The process of leadership consists in the activities developed by an individual in order to orient a group of people towards reaching the objectives of the group or of their organization. Specialists in the field insist on the differences between leaders and managers. In their opinion, leaders must also focus on integrating their subordinates' needs within organizational culture, and should not limit to imposing the company's strategy. The success of leaders is reflected on the company's activity, but also on the satisfaction of its employees (Bass & Riggio, 2006).

Certain leaders develop their style based on their native skills and personality, while others also use education in order to identify with a leadership style that is in accordance with the individual in case, but also with the company he addresses. In addition to this, successful leaders understand that it is important to adapt the leadership style to each situation. Therefore, it is important to analyze these situations and determine what type of approach is the most appropriate in order to reach the established objectives. Effective leaders also have important characteristics like: integrity, correctness, high moral standards, and others. The importance of leaders also relies on their professional experience. In order to be able to influence other people at work, the leaders must reveal his experience in several activities.

3. Leadership is represented by the process of organizing the activity of a group in order to reach the objectives of the organization. The process of leadership also describes the influence of certain individuals on the members of a group. Management usually refers to business activities and is oriented towards increasing the profits of companies, while leadership can be applied in several fields, like, business, politics, and others. Another important aspect that must be taken into consideration refers to the different types of leadership described by the literature in the field. Certain types of leadership are considered more successful than others, but their application differs in accordance with the situations they address.

There are different opinions on what makes an effective leader. The difference in opinions can be attributed to the different points-of-view when analyzing this subject. Group members consider that effective leaders must involve them in the decision making process, while the company considers that the leader is successful when he reaches its objectives (House et al., 2010). Therefore, the leader must take these points-of-view into consideration when developing his leadership style and strategy. This approach to leadership allows individuals to develop flexible leadership styles that can adapt to different situations.

4. The process of leadership refers to the activities and strategies developed by an individual considered the leader of a group with the purpose of reaching certain objectives, or of improving the situation of the group. The objectives that the leader must orient his group towards vary in accordance with the activity it addresses. The characteristics of the leader must also be developed in accordance with the objectives he must reach.