Leadership is an integral part of management and plays a vital role in managerial operations. It provides direction, guidance, and confidence to the employees and helps in the attainment of goals in much easier way. In business and industrial organizations, managers play the role of leader and acquire leadership of subordinates, their efforts towards the achievement of organizational goals and activate the individuals of an organization to make them work. Leadership influences behavior of the individuals. It has an ability to attract others and potential to make them follow the instructions. Individuals can be induced to contribute their optimum towards the attainment of organizational goals through effective leadership. Leadership acquires dominance and the followers accept the directives and control of a leader. Leadership provides direction and vision for future to an organization.
DEFINITION
Leadership is the art of influencing and inspiring subordinates to perform their duties willingly, competently and enthusiastically for achievement of groups objectives.
According to Wendell French, “Leadership is the process of influencing the behavior of others in the direction of a goal or set of goals or, more broadly, toward a vision of the future”,
According to Keith Davis, “Leadership is the process of encouraging and helping others to work enthusiastically towards objectives”.
According to Koontz and O’Donnell, “Leadership is the art or process of influencing people so that they will strive willingly towards the achievement of group goals”.
According to Peter Drucker, “Leadership means the lifting of man’s visions to higher sights, the raising of man’s performance to higher standard, the building of man’s personality beyond its normal limitations”.
According to Grey and Starke, “Leadership is both a process and a property. As a process, it is used for non-coercive influence lo shape up the goals of a group or organization, to motivate behavior toward the achievement of those goals and to help define group or organizational culture. As a property, leadership is the set multi characteristics attributed to those who are perceived to be leaders”.
Thus, leaders are people who are able to influence the behavior of others without recourse to threats or other forms of force towards the individuals. Leaders are the people who are accepted by the other individuals, as a superior person to them.
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