Characteristics of Good Leadership

Leadership - Meaning, Characteristics
Image: Leadership – Meaning, Characteristics

What is Leadership?

Leading” is another important tool of directing. It is an activity on the part of the managers to get works done by various means. Leadership is the process of influencing subordinates in the organization for the achievement of organizational objectives. It is the manager’s ability to induce his employees to perform their job confidently and enthusiastically.

Meaning of Leadership

Leadership, in the business context, is one of the means of direction and represents that part of manager’s activities by which he guides and influences the behavior of his subordinates and the group towards the accomplishment of some specified goals. Leadership is a great quality that can create and convert anything.

Characteristics of Good Leadership

Following are the chief characteristics of good leadership:

1. A leader should have followers. The reason is, there cannot be leadership without followers. A leader must receive habitual obedience from his followers i.e., there must be acceptance of his leadership.

2. Leadership considers deeply inter-personal influence. It is rooted in feelings and attitudes that have grown out of reactions of individual personalities to each other.

3. A manager must lead continuously because leadership is a dynamic and ever evolving process.

4. Leadership involves directing, guiding and influencing the behavior of individuals and groups so that future activities and behaviors can be modified in the appropriate direction.

5. There must be working relationship between the leader and his followers. That means, the leader himself must be an active participant. Otherwise, he will not have any effect.

6. The leader must set an ideal before his subordinates. His behavior must stimulate the followers for hard and honest work.

7. Leadership involves motivating subordinates to strive willingly for mutual objectives. There should be community of interests between the leader and his team of work. If the objectives of the two are different and both move in different directions, there is no leadership.