Leadership can be defined as that faculty of human being which binds a group of people together and motivating its activities in an organised manner. A manager, as a leader, direct, guide and influences workers and others concerned with it in attaining definite goals. Leadership achieves this through the process of communication.
FUNCTIONS OF LEADERSHIP
- A leader must have followers.
- There must be working relations between followers and leader.
- A leader must guide the group or team.
- As a leader, manager has to guide his subordinates.
- Manager has to lead either the whole or a part of the organisation.
- Manager has to set himself as an ideal example, before the people with whom he is concerned through conduct and expression.
- There must be community of interest between the leader and workers of the organisation.
- A leader has a function of interpreting the objectives.
- He must be able to promote people to work together.
- A good dynamic leader is like a dynamo generating energy that changes and activates the whole team.
- Leadership fulfils the urge and aspirations of people and attempts to satisfy them.
TYPES OF LEADERSHIP
There are three main categories of leadership.
Automatic Leader
An automatic leader is one who dominates and guides his team through coercion. Such leaders are the dictators who do not allow their subordinates to ask the questions ‘why’. They issue orders and assign duties without taking the subordinates into confidence. This creates fear in the mind of his followers. Such leaders try to promote their ends according to their wishes.
Democratic Leader
A democratic leader is one who gives importance to the opinions of his subordinates. Such leader welcomes the participation of the group in preparing the policies and decisions of the organisation. He does not interfere in the working and can thus win the confidence of the members of the organisation effectively. He motivates his people who show respect for the leader. Such leader’s advices are put to implementation by the people with their willing co-operation.
Laissezfaire Leader
This type of leader gives complete freedom to his subordinates to work according to their will and wish. He plays a passive role. Followers are free to work and think in their own way. This type of leadership is not always effective as is the democratic one.
