What is Leadership?
Genuine leaders make a stand, aren’t afraid to take the initiative and encourage their team towards achieving a goal.
Significant leaders, who were able to inspire others, include Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and Winston Churchill. Notable business leaders include Richard Branson of the Virgin Group, Elon Musk of Tesla and Jan Koum, who is the CEO and founder of Whatsapp. Each of these leaders faced different challenges within their role, all of them followed the same core steps and approach.
As leaders, their ultimate goal is to create a vision, whilst creating the circumstances for their team or organisation to achieve, create something new and turn that vision into a reality.
Yet, while leaders set the direction, they must also listen to their team members, use their leadership skills effectively, whilst setting the direction that will deliver business growth.
Differences Between Leadership and Management
People often mistake a manager or someone who is managing as a ‘leader’ with great ‘leadership’. These people, however, are not leaders. They may be great at their job, skilled practitioners and an asset to their organisation, but this does not make them a leader – even if they’re great managers.
A manager may lead, but there is no guarantee that they are able to do it effectively. An organisation will assign managers and yet offer the potential to inadvertently deceive people into believing they are being led. Ultimately, there could be no leadership whatsoever.
How Is Your Leadership?
A great organisation will need a combination of both good leadership and a cohort of strong managers. Today, leaders are needed to shape organisations beyond their comfort zones, disrupt markets and enthuse their employees.
Leadership Skills Training
For more on how to develop your leadership skills, explore how to enhance your leadership qualities on a leadership skills training course…
