Leadership : Finding Your Niche

Leadership is “the fusion of heart and mind, selfless action, encourage betterment of others, and to make a difference. It is the process of influencing

Leadership is the process of influencing individuals or a group of individuals by providing purpose, direction with the support of others, and motivating those individuals with the purpose of accomplishing a certain obligation which is helpful to all individual that is involved.

What is leadership? Leadership by definition is the ability of an individual or organization to guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. Without leadership many would just follow one another's actions like blind sheep. Many of the powerful shifts in American history were started by men and women who made the decision to guide and instruct one another rather than being a follower.

New Oxford American Dictionary defines leadership; noun. the action of leading a group of people or an organization. This definition is generic and lacking. While it does technically explain a perspective of leadership it lacks in content. I define leadership; noun. the constant action or state of being a catalyst that inspires and creates an environment of momentum and desire to change. Others still define leadership as the ability to get a group of individual to complete a task or objective. That is leading, which is an adjective.

Leadership is defined in the textbook as someone who “get people to do things they have never done before, to do things that are not routine, and to take risks – and sometimes

There are many ways to define leadership, but perhaps the most laconic as well as accurate definition is presented in Peter G. Northouse's Leadership: Theory and Practice book (Northouse, 2013, p.5): "Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal". Individuals, engaged in leadership, use influence to solve challenges, which the groups under their leadership face, in order to succeed in their common goals.

One definition of leadership states that it is a process by which a group is influenced and directed by a particular member of the group to reach a common goal (Northouse 2010). Many other definitions exist, suggesting that it is a concept as fluid and individual as leaders themselves (Curtis et al. 2011).

The definition of Leadership is the action of leading a group of people or a organization. A leader is someone who is willing to do take responsibility for someone else,someone who will lead them to success or a better path. The qualities of a leader is having integrity,compassion,and the ability of making wise decision. Many people say military generals are the most important leaders of them all besides the President of the United States which in 1860 was Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was a big leader of the Civil War in 1861.

Northouse defines leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal.

Leadership is defined in many different ways by many different academics and professionals. A few words that resonate with the meaning include management, control, guidance, headship, direction and governance. My basic definition for the word describes it as a technique used to manage and guide individuals or groups of individuals in a specific direction to achieve a common goal. However this is a bit too basic for my liking. While conducting the research for this manifesto I found two definitions that I thought were more interesting and quite charming. Tom Landry defines leadership as “getting someone to do what they don’t want to do, to achieve what they want to achieve” (Murphy, 2010). Alternatively Otto Scharmer stated, “at its core, leadership is about shaping and shifting how individuals and groups attend and subsequently respond to a situation” (Scharmer, 2007).

Leadership encompasses the world around us, and is seen in some shape or form every single day. Without it, there would be no sense of direction for anyone, people would be lost. Leaders are those who take initiative to do what others won’t. Those who strive to make a difference in our ill directed world and guide those who need to be guided, or pushed, further than they deem themselves capable. Leadership doesn’t take enormous physical strength or even a booming voice. All it takes is a strong mind, full heart, and a purpose.

There is no one way to describe, what is meant by leadership and there are many elucidation of its meaning (Mullins and Christy, 2013). The Charter Institute of Public Development 'CIPD ' (2016) defines leadership as the aptitude to impact people by personal qualities and comportements, different leadership traits may be required in different situations. Other definitions of leadership are:

There are many kinds of leaders; some lead through position and authority, while others lead through inspiration and vision. Some people are simply natural born leaders. However, whether one was born a leader or has to become a leader, all great leaders spend time developing their traits. Similarly, when you train for a sport, you first learn to develop the fundamentals, and then you work to master and apply them. I’ve been told I am a born leader, but have always sought to improve my leadership abilities through experience. Maxwell states, “The learned leader; has seen leadership modeled most of life, has learned leadership through training, and has self-discipline to become a great leader” (Maxwell, 93). This statement is reflective of my experience during my military tenure, and what it means to me is; leadership must be developed in practice, as well as in theory.

In the textbook Leadership is defined as ‘the process of influencing an organized group toward accomplishing its goals’ (Hughes, Ginnet & Curphy 2015, p. 5). Leadership involves leader, followers, and situation.

For a quick review, the definition of leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group or individuals, to achieve a common goal.