Qualities of a good leader

Many people believe that leadership is simply being the first, biggest or most
powerful. Leadership in organizations has a different and more meaningful definition.
A leader is someone who sets direction in an effort or task and influences or
motivates people to follow that direction. The power point presentation
explains leadership is the influence that particular individuals exert on the goal
achievement of others in an organizational context.
When some think of leadership the idea of the military is taken into account while
others use the term to refer to executive management. These are few examples of
different types of leaders there are. There are also different roles of leadership such
as senior-level executives and middle managers. Motivated leaders who have
charisma and high levels of emotional stability will be honest and have integrity in
the manner in which they lead. An effective leader must be respected by the
members of his or her group in order to perform effectively.
Another aspect of leadership includes leadership traits such as being influential and
inspirational. There also different contexts of leadership, e.g, leading oneself, leading
other individuals, leading groups, leading organizations. Some traits that are often
associated with being an effective leader include a measure of intelligence, high
energy, self confidence, dominance, and a need for achievement. An effective,
charismatic leader must lead by example. That leader must be able to know what is
going on, the job or task that is being accomplished, and be able to lead the group
into performing the task at hand successfully.
There are many different types of theories on leadership. There is Fiedlers
contingency theory, situational theories of leadership and Houses path-goal theory.
These theories are used to make an individual or manager a more effective leader.
They can be used as a guide for individuals and help them achieve whatever goal is
set out by their organization or group.
Fiedlers Theory is stated in the power point presentation as the association between
leadership orientation and group effectiveness is contingent on how favorable the
situation is for exerting influence. If there is some catastrophe which will befall a

group or set of individuals if a task is not complete, then that group will be more
effective as they are motivated to complete that task to avert that particular
catastrophe.
The Situational Theories of leadership explain how leadership style must be tailored
to the demands of the task and the qualities of subordinates. If a leader has high
caliber group members than the style of leadership would be different than that of a
leader with a penal colony work gang. Not only is this true, but if the task is to build a
nuclear power plant than the leadership requirements would demand exactness
instead of a lackadaisical attitude.
Houses Path Goal Theory is stated to be the situation under which various leader
behaviors are most effective. The leader forms a connection in the group between
those individual group goals and the goals of the entire organization. Furthermore,
for workers to have job satisfaction than the leaders behavior must be seen as
immediately satisfying or working toward being satisfied in the future.
There are many different leadership styles and behaviors that one must consider
when thinking of leadership and often the leadership style is situational depending
on the environment, task at hand and the life cycle of the organization. Some of
these styles include the autocratic leader, participatory leader, laissez-faire or hands
off styles of leadership, developmental leadership, consideration and initiating
structure.
The developmental leader works with the members of his or her organization as
equals and uses charisma skillfully to persuade or negotiate instead of using formal
power achieving high levels of participation and commitment instead of blind
obedience. This leader member exchange focuses on the relationship between the
leader and the various members ensuring high quality and the ability to talk. The
employees in this style of leadership are given the initiative and the ability to solve
organizational problems themselves.
The autocratic leader dominates team-members, using unilateralism to achieve a
singular objective. This approach to leadership usually ends up with passive
resistance from team-members and constant continual pressure and direction from
the leader in order to get things done. While this method of leadership may seem

inappropriate, there are times when the autocrat style leadership may be the best
way to perform certain tasks. Some situations may call for urgent action, and in
these cases an autocratic style of leadership may be best.
The Laissez-Faire manager exercises little control over his group, leaving them to
sort out their roles and tackle their work, without participating in this process himself.
In general, this approach leaves the team floundering with little direction or
motivation. This approach is only useful in situations where the team or group is
composed of highly motivated and skilled people who have produced excellent work
in the past.
The participatory leader makes decisions by consulting his team, whilst still
maintaining control of the group. The democratic leader allows his team to decide
how the task will be tackled and who will perform which task. This type of leader
encourages participation and delegates without losing sight of the fact that he or she
bears the crucial responsibility of leadership. This individual encourages group
discussion and input from his or her team and can be seen as drawing from a pool of
his team members' strong points in order to obtain the best performance from his
team; however, the democrat can also be seen as being so unsure of himself and his
relationship with his sub-ordinates that everything is a matter for group discussion
and decision.
Consideration is the extent to which a leader is approachable and shows personal
concern for his subordinates. If a leader eschews the individuals in his or her group
than that group will not be performing at their peak. A good leader will allow
individuals in that group to give ideas and help complete the task or job being done.
Initiating structure is the degree in which a leader concentrates on group goal
attainment. This is getting the entire group together to work alongside each other to
achieve the job mission. A slight amount of charisma is helpful in succeeding in
initiating structure.
There are many different styles and types of leadership. While each style and type of
leadership has its advantages and disadvantages, leadership skills must be used in
accordance with the job that is being done and the type of individuals being lead.

This is what a leader does to accomplish a task or motivate a group to get something
done