June 12th, 2010 by sushitune

To get a consensus on the definition of leadership is no small task.  The reason is all of us all have our personal definition of leadership founded on our experiences, beliefs, and ideals.   If you were quizzed on what would make a good leader you would definitely create a list of character traits that is based mainly on what someone considers to be an ideal leader.  Due to the fact we all have got varying viewpoints on who creates a great leader, no surprise it is hard to get a definition of leadership consensus.

Even further complicating how to define leadership is the moving target of exactly what leadership consists of.  Leadership needed in one particular situation looks very different than leadership in some other scenario.  For instance, a company leader noted for making efficient decisions based on the facts may not be the type of leader required if you were stuck in the wilderness.  Since the scenario is different the leadership will have to be different.

One thing we are able to all agree on about a leader is a leader delivers results.  Not simply any sort of outcomes, but the needed results.  Getting preferred results certainly is the primary quality of leaders.  If you think about any leader you will realize what makes them a leader is that they have the ability to get results.   Merely getting preferred results doesn’t make one a leader.  A part of the leadership equation is how the successes are obtained.  A leader gets results in a way which endears people to them not repel them.   A leader does what Dwight D. Eisenhower said: “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it. You don’t lead by hitting people over the head – that’s assault, not leadership.”

To get results properly a leader needs to be able to connect people to a vision, goal, or purpose.  It is a fact that most people want to be a part of something greater than themselves.  The leader has got to realize first what a person would personally get out of realizing the goal and after that have the ability to communicate in such a way to linlk the individual’s personal benefit to the goal.  This is definitely a very powerful skill that will have to be formulated over time through leadership development training.  The more mastery in this ability will mean a lot more results.

One additional major component that will get results is the leader has to keep every person centered on the goal or objective.  Among the list of most challenging things for people is to put in a consistent effort throughout an extended time period.  That’s why New Year’s promises often slip by the wayside.  Observe how the health and fitness center is so filled immediately after New Year’s that you can hardly find a parking space.  And then by the last part of January it is a little bit easier to locate a parking spot and by March…… well you could very well park an eighteen wheeler anyplace you would like to.

The leader keeps everyone focused and is also there to inspire when the going gets tough.  Whenever your brain suggests quit, the leader keeps you going.  Here once again, the leader doesn’t deflate or put down, but builds up and encourages.

While a consensus definition of leadership is fairly challenging to obtain.  All of us can agree that a leader gets the required outcomes and will go about this in the right way.