In this note, I am going to define the concept of leadership a little more precisely. I take as a starting point the literature and the definitional model of Richard L. Daft, an internationally renowned author in the field. Core of this paper (and what I call the central message) will be formed by three propositions about leadership. I am therefore focusing on a question of what leadership is.
Leadership is a process. It is a set of activities designed to motivate and direct actions of members of an organisation. It is also a role in an organisation. As such, it falls under the broader umbrella of managerial roles and describes one that focuses on implementation of set plans and a system of work. Leadership is also a relationship. To help highlight characteristics of contemporary view of leadership, it is this last definition that I am considering.
First proposition: leadership is a relationship of influence.
The first characteristic of leadership is that it is multidirectional. We often think of leadership as something that the leader does to the follower. A particular relationship exists between two people and is shaped by the two people in a relationship. Leader influences actions (and thinking) of a follower and follower influences a leader. What exists between them (or between all members of an organisation more broadly), from ideas, goals and commitments, to shared experiences, insights, perspectives, values and beliefs, motivates them to act and steers them in a common direction. Through both communication and action, members of an organisation influence each other in a multidirectional and reciprocal way.
Second proposition: leadership is about making change happen.
Another characteristic of leadership is that it is an active relationship. As use of the word influence has already indicated, it is essential in leadership to stimulate activity. Not all or any activity, of course, but activity directed towards a common goal.
An organisation is (and I will probably repeat this multiple times) a group of people united in a common purpose and working towards a common goal. Leadership exists and is needed when we want to move a current situation towards a goal. In other words, when we want to change the status quo in some respect. For example, a change could be the development and production of a new product in a company or a launch of a new programme in an educational institution. It can be about finding better ways of doing things to improve satisfaction of a customer, student or patient. It may also be a desire to improve working relationships, work culture or climate. Each such desire or goal has a current status quo and a new targeted status and therefore represents a change. Leadership is not about maintaining the status quo, but about making change happen.
Third proposition: change is a reflection of a common purpose.
The third characteristic of leadership as a relationship is that it is non-coercive. When there is real and true leadership in an organisation, it is a result of a shared purpose. Members of an organisation are therefore bound together by a common point that carries meaning for all. It is not the leader who sets the purpose, but rather perceives it, finds it and articulates it. The main success of a leader’s work today is to involve or engage as many of organisation’s potentials as possible in thinking and acting. This is only possible when it is clear to everyone in the team what the common purpose is and therefore the common direction of action and development. This is what will foster commitment, alignment, create conditions for trust and motivation, ownership, creativity and more.
Conclusion
“In the best version, leadership is shared between the leader and the followers, with everyone fully engaged and accepting a higher level of personal responsibility.” This is how Daft concludes a chapter in which he defines leadership. Leadership is about directing and motivating. The former means answering a what and how questions, the latter a why question. These questions are answered by doing, by experience, by learning, by getting information on customer feedback, by monitoring progress and planning for the future, and so on. We all lead, and a leader is the driver of this leadership process. What this means will be clear in future writings.
Paradim 