Defining Leadership
Being a leader requires a set of personal characteristics that allow individuals to lead other people towards a particular either organizational or individual goal. Some scientists believe that a number of specific traits result in leadership success (Yasir et al., 2016). Conversely, according to Jankurova et al. (2017), the past year’s studies have displayed that an individual who did not possess the examined leadership traits could still act as an effective leader. In addition, the most persuasive argument of Kleefstra (2019) states that there are at least 658 types of leadership mentioned in the academic sources from 2013 to 2018. This fact suggests that each particular type of leadership significantly depends on the organization’s type and individual’s personality traits. Therefore, there is no unique definition of “leadership” or “leader” since these topics are subjective and can be described from a variety of sides.
A Leader
Academic sources outline several steps of identifying a leader. For instance, a leader can appear in a group by building leader-follower relationships with the rest of the team (Raisiene, 2018). Referring to the words of Jankurova et al. (2017), leadership is defined as a set of behavioral activities that direct a group to the mutually desired goal. From my perspective, a true leader has substantial knowledge and competitive professional experience, strong values and beliefs, management capabilities, and humane characteristics. Furthermore, I think that the best practice to identify a leader is the one that is used in some Japanese companies (Yamamoto & Lloyd, 2019). Therefore, each worker must pass all hierarchical positions before becoming a top-level to correctly use the delegated authority, mentor the whole team, and create a vision and mission that suit the organizational perspective. These leaders encourage and direct the followers to achieve a required goal by outlining the best “behaviors and attitudes needed” (Yasir et al., 2016, p.1). It should be noted that this approach is similar to nursing manager Elizabeth’s example, who, when necessary, realized the responsibilities of other employees.
Leader in the workplace
On close analysis and appraisal, leadership is subjective and does not have any exact definition. However, leaders can identify themselves in a particular situation which may require leading and directing a group. Above all, I agree that a leading position does not mean a leader, since people should be considered by their traits and actions despite the current job status. In conclusion, it is more important to analyze an individual’s professional characteristics, experience, and personal values, which create a true leader despite the actual hierarchical position.
References
Jankurová, A., Ljudvigová, I. & Gubová, K. (2017). Research of the nature of leadership activities. Journal of Scientific Papers, Economics & Sociology, 10(1), 135-151. Web.
Kleefstra, A. (2019). A literature review into leadership styles discussed in the past five years.Open Journal of Social Sciences, 7(6), 180-190. Web.
Raisiene, A. G., Pulokiene, A. & Valickas, A. (2018). Examining leadership characteristics at international multilaterals. Montenegrin Journal of Economics, 14(3), 189-198. Web.
Yamamoto, K. & Lloyd, R. A. (2019). Ethical consideration of Japanese business culture.Journal of Business Diversity, 19(2), pp. 113-122. Web.
Yasir, M., Imran, R., Irshad, M. K., Mohamad, N. A. & Khan, M. M. (2016). Leadership styles in relation to employees’ trust and organizational change capacity: Evidence from non-profit organizations.SAGE Journal, 6(4), 1-12. Web.