Dissecting the Definition and Theory of Leadership

In various professional fields, leadership is the subject that is most widely discussed, both in the business ecosystem, politics, to education and so on. That is because leadership has an important role in leading an organization to achieve its goals. In this article, let's discuss and thoroughly examine leadership, from understanding, theory, to functions and examples. Let's see together.

Leadership definition

What is meant by leadership? Leadership is the process of influencing individuals or groups to jointly achieve certain positive goals. Practically, a leader must be able to direct, motivate, and also encourage his members, to realize the vision and mission of the organization. Leadership generally also involves the ability to understand and apply various leadership styles according to the situation and conditions being lived.

Leadership theories

Basically, leadership has many theories - according to their respective roles - but here are 3 (three) theories that are often used as references, namely:

1. Traits Theory:
The theory that formulates that leaders must have certain characters or traits that distinguish them from ordinary people.

2. Behavior Theory:
Theories that put more emphasis on the behavior of leaders, in influencing subordinates, not on the personal nature or character of the individual.

3. Situational Theory:
This theory has the argument that an effective leadership style tends to be "flexible", depending on certain situations and conditions.

Common types of leadership

Of the three theories above, apparently there are types of leadership that are commonly found around us. In fact, there are many types of leadership, but the most common are;

1. Autocratic Leader
This type tends to be the type of leader who decides all decisions, without the involvement of group members or subordinates.

2. Democratic Leader
This type of leader is obliged to seek input, and participation from group members in the decision-making process.

3. Laissez-faire
This type of leader tends to be more flexible, where the leader gives complete freedom to group members to jointly make decisions.]

4. Transformational Leaders
The last type, transformational leaders tend to often motivate and inspire group members to be able to exceed expectations and achieve maximum potential.

The essential function of a leader

Leadership certainly has a crucial function. Basically, leaders are expected to be able to direct the organization in achieving its goals. It covers many aspects, such as goal setting, strategic planning, organizing, and controlling. The goal is quite clear, the leader's task is to ensure the creation of a conducive environment for members of the organization to develop, and achieve the maximum potential of each individual, while achieving the goals of the organization.

In the modern business world, an example of leadership is a CEO who is able to steer his company towards success, such as Jack Ma at Alibaba, or Steve Jobs who has helmed Apple's success for decades. In the world of politics, of course we can see the leadership traits shown by a president, or other state leaders, where their goals are narrowed to one thing; bring success.

Then what qualities should at least be possessed by a leader? Broadly speaking, the basic characteristics of a leader include honesty, courage, fairness, openness, and a great sense of responsibility. So, do you currently have these leadership qualities?