Who is a leader and what qualities does this concept imply?

A leader is a person with great authority, capable of making decisions in the interests of the community to which he belongs. The psychology of a leader is the psychology of a winner. As a rule, his personal qualities are self-confidence and self-confidence, the ability to rally a team around him.

He has no doubts. He has unconventional thinking and is decisive in his actions and deeds.

What is leadership

Ancient philosophers tried to define the concept of leader. Plato, who lived before our era, tried to describe the qualities inherent in a person capable of inspiring his environment.

In the 19th century, a theory emerged according to which leadership abilities were considered an innate talent. Its author is Francis Galton, the famous English explorer, psychologist, and anthropologist. In the 20th century, the attitude towards the concept changed, a new definition appeared, saying that a leader is a person who is able to adapt to circumstances and change behavior tactics. One situation required a person to have certain qualities to inspire the crowd. Under other circumstances they were not necessary. Leadership abilities began to be perceived as acquired.

In management

The concepts leader and leadership are widely used in management:

• They describe the processes of interpersonal relations of the work team;
• Determine ways to influence subordinates;
• They characterize people who are able to instill faith in group members so that they act in common interests.

Leadership in management is a set of actions aimed at uniting the efforts of a group of people in an enterprise. The task is to organize work in order to use the potential of the environment and achieve a certain goal.

Its components will help you understand what leadership is:

• trust and sympathy;
• authority;
• desire to learn, listen, collaborate;
• willingness to provide support and explain.

In management, a leader is a link in management interaction.

Important! Not a single team can do without an individual who has extensive life experience, whose opinion is respected and valued. A leader helps colleagues realize their potential and improve productivity.

In psychology

In psychology, a leader is a person who encourages a team to act in its own interests. Those around you make this choice themselves. People voluntarily follow the leader, accepting his position and following a common goal. Leadership in psychology is a way to gain the support of society by interacting with it in search of common ground.

Team support

In social science, attention is paid to political leadership as a way for power to subjugate the actions and will of other people. The struggle for influence and authority among the people also occurs between opposition parties. This is also a competition for leadership.

Phenomenon

Scientists have long tried to explain what exactly makes people follow a particular individual and ignore others. After all, the social system is created in such a way that it must be led, otherwise it will sooner or later collapse and chaos will ensue.

Society in all eras has needed a competent leader, since a group of people is not able to independently choose the direction for development. It’s much easier for them when there is someone who shows the way and tells them what to do.

The difference between leadership and management

Subconscious - what is it, definition

Management implies formal relationships in a team. This is a stable phenomenon, controlled by the orders and rules of the organization. People follow the leader because this is regulated by the hierarchical structure. A person’s position gives him the opportunity to dictate his will to the team; he (the team) has no right to interfere with the wishes of the manager.

The definition of leadership is somewhat different. This is a spontaneous process. A leader is someone who inspires people with his own example and ideas. He gives others enthusiasm and they are happy to get to work to achieve a common goal.

The leader builds relationships based on order, controls his own behavior and strictly regulates the actions of others. A leader is a person whose actions are based on emotions and intuition. Mutual understanding and trust reign between him and society. This is the advantage of an informal leader. He is trying to find an unconventional solution, to develop a new plan. Leaders act according to a well-known pattern, usually relying on past experience.

Notable Concepts

As I noted earlier, leadership has been studied by various researchers. In this regard, several ideas have been put forward:

• The theory of leadership qualities. Scientists tried to create a generalized image with features common to all famous people.
• Behavior style. It dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, when they tried to identify the peculiarities of the actions of leaders in various situations.
• Situational authority. It is necessary to apply those methods that are suitable for specific circumstances.

Types of Leadership

Affirmation - what is it, definition

Psychologists continue to study relationships in society, trying to explain who is called a leader.

Note! A person who leads a team, in addition to trust and respect, evokes admiration. Those around him strive to imitate him, copying his manner of communication, catching every word. Leadership styles are determined by behavior, character traits and personal qualities.

Business type

Who is called a business leader:

• Assumes responsibility for eliminating the problem or resolving the issue;
• Acts in accordance with the interests of the group;
• Has the necessary skills, achievements, and experience.

Emotional type

An emotional leader is defined as a person who is responsible for the mood of a group. When problems arise, he becomes the center of attention and will be able to bring people to their senses, for example, by reducing the intensity of passions. It focuses specifically on the relationships between participants and maintains harmony in the team.

Harmony in the team

Situational type

The situational type involves a combination of business and emotional styles. Such a leader is unstable and depends on a particular situation. Therefore, authority can be undermined if doubts arise on his part.

A few words about the concept

This is the ability to organize and captivate a mass of individuals, to make one’s own idea a priority for hundreds and thousands of others, and to single-handedly achieve what seemed impossible.

The lives of celebrities and great figures have been subjected to careful analysis by psychologists, sociologists and political scientists. And based on these studies, skills and abilities were identified that help unlock the potential of an ordinary person and its realization in society.

According to one of the many definitions, leadership is a process of influencing society, when an individual can resort to the help of others in order to achieve common goals. To study such influence, it is necessary to understand who a leader is and what set of qualities he possesses. But we will touch on this topic a little later.

Leadership classification

Mental rigidity - what is it, definition

Depending on the functions of the leading person, there are different types of leaders:

• Organizer. A person not only thinks about achieving a goal, but also treats the team with respect. He does not allow insulting subordinates. Such a leader often uses encouragement, which inspires action. He is always confident in a favorable outcome of events and conveys his mood to those around him;
• Creator. The leader has an unconventional approach to problem solving. He looks for new ideas and is not afraid to take on dangerous things. Such a leader is creative, attracting the team. He does not force anyone to cooperate, but interests them;
• Fighter. He tackles a problem with ease and is ready for any challenge. He believes in himself and doesn’t think about failure, he never backs down. For him, the main thing is speed and efficiency, so he does not always think through all the moves and options;
• Diplomat. Such a person is cunning and calculating. He knows all the details of the case, possible outcomes, uses not only reliable data, but also rumors. The leader conducts discussions in a narrow circle behind the backs of other team members. Therefore, he knows how to take advantage of the situation and change it. Always has a backup plan of action, but does not announce it in order to switch to it if necessary;
• Comforter. The leader is ready to support anyone, listen and give advice. The climate in the team comes first for him.

Goal setting

Don't be a samurai who "has no goal, only a path." Improved goal setting helps to formulate a vision as a tangible result and plan steps towards it. If all your actions directly or indirectly affect the goal, you will reach it. Additionally, a leader with a clear plan energizes and motivates others.

How to improve your goal setting

BOOKS:

• Brian Tracy "Achieving a Goal"
• Robert Maurer “Step by step to achieve your goal. Kaizen method"
• Theo Tsaousidis, The Brain with Obstacles. 7 hidden barriers that prevent you from achieving your goals"

VIDEO:

• Reggie Rivers: “ If you want to achieve your goals, don't focus on them ” (in English)
• Playlist of five TED Talks “ Tips to help you set and reach your goals ” (each video has a Russian translation)

FREE CLASSES:

• Seminar by Margulan Seisembayev “ Kaizen planning as the basis of a happy life ”
• GeekBrains: Course “ How can a team lead organize work in order to maintain team efficiency and not burn out himself ”

QUESTIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS:

• What goals have you achieved over the past year? What didn't work?
• Try to understand the nature of past goals - were they your internal desires or external impulses?
• Determine what goals you want to achieve in a year. Plan each month, ensuring that they contribute to achieving your annual goals.
• Learn SMART goal setting and set goals using this methodology.
• Record not only your successes, but also your failures. If something didn’t work out, try to explain to yourself in writing why.
• Determine your starting position in relation to the goal. This is your starting point that will help you plan your first steps.

How to make a child a leader

Leadership qualities begin to manifest themselves in childhood. Therefore, you can help your child acquire them, relying on the advice of psychologists:

• Allow yourself to make your own mistakes. The child must gain experience, learn to make decisions independently, and see a way out of difficult situations. Therefore, it is important not to offer him ready-made answers. If his parents decide everything for him, then in adult life he will remain a follower and will not be able to inspire the team;
• Support the child, praise, do not criticize over trifles, do not compare with others. Adequate self-esteem will help maintain self-confidence;
• Learn to lose. This will be helped by participation in mass games and competitions. A person should not lose heart after failures. It is necessary to perceive defeats as the beginning of a new stage, and not a reason for frustration;
• Talk about responsibility. The child must understand that a lot depends on his actions. Ignoring responsibilities leads to problems. For example, if a child spends the money given not on food, but on toys, the family will be left without dinner;
• Develop critical and logical thinking so that the child can draw conclusions by summarizing available data and turning to life experience, building cause-and-effect relationships.

Child leader

Perseverance

Yes, this quality can also be developed! It is important to understand that there will always be obstacles and difficulties, this is our life. It is persistence that will help you not to give up, treat defeat as feedback and continue working. “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are” - remember this phrase of Theodore Roosevelt?

How to improve perseverance

BOOKS:

• Linda Kaplan Thaler, Robin Koval "True Grit. How to develop the qualities necessary to achieve success"
• Hardy Darren “Cumulative effect. From action to habit, from habit to outstanding results.”

VIDEO:

• Angela Lee Duckworth “ Grit: The power of passion and perseverance ” (translated into Russian)

FREE CLASSES:

• Skillsoft: “Resilience & Perseverance ” (course in English. Paid, but there is a trial period of 14 days - you can complete it in time. 10 books on the topic are also included).

QUESTIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS:

• Remember one of your significant achievements and write down what difficulties you encountered while moving towards implementation. How did you find a solution in each case? How significant do these problems seem now?
• Think about what inspires and motivates you? Make a list of what creates the right mood: music, movies and more. Turn to these things when you feel low.
• Train self-discipline: specifically set difficult tasks for yourself, fit into challenges, start running. Even simple decluttering, when you decide that it’s time to throw away things, trains willpower.
• Think about who among your loved ones can support you and become like-minded people? Tell these people about your successes, do not hesitate to praise yourself.

OTHER:

• Try the service for achieving goals Smart Progress : there you can practice setting and achieving goals, and also watch how other people solve similar problems and find like-minded people.

How to become a leader

A leader always takes responsibility for his words and actions. He thinks through everything to the smallest detail to avoid failure. To lead people, you need to be confident in every step.

Note! Mistakes and failures are possible, but a leader must be able to answer for them and look for a way out. Otherwise, the person will lose the respect of the team, and next time they will not support him.

Who is a leader, how to become one:

• He is not afraid of new things, he boldly moves forward. We should not forget about existing experience and accumulated knowledge, but the reality is that it is worth taking into account the changes that are taking place. The world does not stand still, we need to adapt to this. You need to be ready for change in order to switch to new tasks and change behavior tactics;
• Receives criticism adequately. You can't dwell on negative emotions. Only a positive person earns the sympathy and respect of others;
• Listens to others, respects their opinions, takes into account the mood of the group. You shouldn’t ignore people’s advice; be sure to pay attention to their emotional state. People often need support to stay productive at work. Communication skills are an essential quality of a leader;
• Engaged in self-improvement. Only a self-confident person, passionate about his own business, can earn authority. He is ready to leave his comfort zone and strives for new knowledge and experience.

Long-term vision

Taking the long view and seeing potential in unexpected or unnoticed things is an invaluable leadership quality. The management of any company wants to know what will be in demand in their industry tomorrow, how to solve the problem with less cost and greater efficiency, what products everyone will use in the future. Suffice it to recall services that were very popular in the past, but over time they were replaced by more original ones - who knows how things would have turned out in these companies if they had a forward-looking vision?

How to improve long-term vision

BOOKS:

• Luc De Brabander, Alan Iny "Think in Other Formats"
• Dave Stewart, Mark Simmons "The Game of Business." Spaghetti ideas, garbage collectors, Viagra and other ingredients of creative doping"
• Scott Belsky, Bringing Ideas to Life. How to bridge the gap between vision and reality"
• Ivan Bubnov “Vision as a resource. Strategic session with yourself"
• Bill Torbert "Action Research"

VIDEO:

Rosalinda Torres: " How to Become a Great Leader "

FREE CLASSES:

“Netology”: How to evaluate the result of personal development

QUESTIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS:

• Think about your ideal job - what is it like? What does it include?
• Make a list of 50 of your accomplishments (minimum). Think about it, is there something that unites them? Based on this information, create a chronology of future achievements—just a list with approximate dates will do.
• Talk about the future as if it were the past. Imagine that your plans came true, how the world has changed?
• Make a list of so-called places where you would not like to be - kind of flags, what kind of life you definitely do not want. And make sure that your actions do not lead there.

Who is an anti-leader

An anti-leader is a person who is in power, but does not have the qualities that can force the crowd to act voluntarily for his interests. His behavior does not inspire respect, and his personality does not inspire sympathy.

The anti-leader stands still, is not ready to develop and change. He is confident in his own rightness and is not able to deviate from the original plan. He does not create his own behavioral strategy, but uses already tested methods. Such a person does not adhere to principles; he easily says one thing and acts differently, without taking into account the opinion of the group. For him, the main thing is that people support him and agree; their point of view is not of interest.

An anti-leader provokes conflicts with his behavior, does not monitor harmony in the team and does not want to reconcile the differences that arise. He does not try to support or help, does not provide explanations, or they are so brief that they are not useful. He simply gives out commands using a controlling approach, and may raise his voice or insult a team member.

Anti-leader

Leadership skills are necessary for a person to find support to achieve a goal. Not everyone can earn the respect and love of the team. Only a confident person who is able to listen and support those around him will earn authority. Constant self-improvement and the ability to think outside the box attract and create a desire to act in the name of a common goal.

Behavior

A natural leader is motivated by power, efficiency and goal achievement. I have met many quite successful people in this regard. The love of power allows them to find a way out even in the most dead-end situations. But they are vulnerable precisely in this very power: as soon as they overdo it, people understand their intentions and turn away from them.

Every leader must be able to cope with difficulties; his success depends on it. Models of behavior that he consciously or unconsciously follows help him cope with difficult situations. I'll try to explain it in a not too abstruse way.

1. Competitive model. This model is followed mainly by men. They constantly compete with someone in their actions. They are characterized by aggressiveness, dominance, charisma, egocentrism, and self-sufficiency. It is important for them to have more privileges compared to their subordinates, to differ from them not only in their status, but also in what they can afford.
2. Cooperative. Such people are respected because they did not come to leadership through a “raider seizure of power.” They are communicative, intellectual, aimed at collaborating with everyone who will benefit the whole group. Most often, everything is OK in their personal lives, they are loyal to female and male leadership.
3. Masculine. This is a type of competitive. The leader must be a man, although there are women too, but they are called “a man in a skirt.” They are competitive, sexy (there are only men here, this style does not suit women), dominant, aggressive.
4. Feminine. This model only works if there are no other candidates for the position of manager. As a rule, these are women who were “thrown into the breach” for lack of other candidates. Such leaders have little ability to compete and dominate. They obey more, do not show aggression, and try to come to an agreement with everyone.

Gender factors

Many of you have noticed that there are much fewer women among managers. This is largely due to the historical perception that girls cannot hold such positions. But in our world, such views have been revised: more and more women are becoming managers and coping with their responsibilities quite effectively.

Let me highlight a few concepts:

• flow – the sexual aspect is important;
• selection – various requirements are imposed;
• the idea of ​​androgyny - the distinction is based on the presence of signs of femininity or masculinity;
• Freudianism is a negative attitude towards the fact that the leader is a woman.

Tip #1: Don't be afraid of not knowing something.

The important thing to remember is to maintain good posture, eye contact, and control your gestures. You should project self-confidence and believe in your ability to take your team from point A to point B. Additionally, you should not be afraid or afraid of situations in which you have to admit your mistakes.

It’s worth imagining a situation where the team leader says “I don’t know,” looks down and gets worried. Such a person is susceptible to the fact that the role of leader will soon pass to someone else, as people will feel uncertainty and fear. Now let’s imagine that the person says: “I don’t know the answer at the moment, but I will look into this question and return to this topic a little later.” Surely this behavior will allow you to maintain your position as a leader. But the feeling of fear of defeat can play a bad joke.

It is important to remember that not knowing something does not make a person a bad leader. In contrast, ineffective leaders refuse to admit when they are wrong.

Useful books

Today, there is a lot of literature that talks about how to become a leader. Books are most often in the public domain, and you can download them to your computer without any problems. It’s worth considering a good selection that will help you achieve your goal and win a leading position in the team.

So, many experts in the field of personal development recommend reading:

1. Seasons of Life, Jim Rohn. The book is written in a reflective style. She talks about the basic principles of identifying a leader in a team, about people’s behavior and how it affects life and professional activities. Some people say about this book: “This is a textbook that will teach you how to live well.”
2. "The Emperor's Handbook", Marcus Aurelius. As Emperor of Rome from 161 to 180 AD, Marcus Aurelius was one of the world's most influential and respected leaders. The Emperor's Handbook is a translation of Aurelius' personal notes on life and leadership. The book will tell you how to become a leader and give advice that a modern person can apply every day.
3. "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion" by Robert Cialdini. After 35 years of behavioral research, Dr. Robert Cialdini explains the psychology behind why people say “Yes” and how to apply that knowledge to become a better leader and successful businessperson.
4. True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership by Bill George and Peter Sims. Former CEO Bill George and co-author Peter Sims explain how they become leaders. The purpose of the book is to convey to the reader a simple idea - you need to obey your inner compass and this will help you achieve your goal.

To summarize, it is worth noting that learning leadership is not difficult. To do this, the main thing is to listen to yourself, understand human nature and put aside all fears and insecurities.

Problem

Leadership is an expression of willpower and the ability to influence. Such a person always needs to prove his own superiority and fight for power. Otherwise, someone else will take his place.

It’s hard for representatives of both the formal and informal varieties. After all, the first of them are responsible for the functioning of their subordinates, and the second use complex methods of persuasion and try to maintain their authority.

Ask a question

Tip #4: You need to learn how to manage conflicts

If disagreements arise between team members, you need to be able to direct the situation in a peaceful direction. Without knowledge of the intricacies of conflict management, this is almost impossible to do. You need to be able to identify the source of the conflict and take measures to eliminate it.

It is worth considering the situation as an example. At the printing house, there was a conflict between the head of the sales department and the designer, who made a mistake, and the entire batch of books was damaged and not accepted by the customer. Yes, this situation led to some losses. But what should an effective leader do to solve this situation? We need to ask them to calm down, emphasize that it is unacceptable to be angry with each other, and introduce a new system of double checking of circulations. This will not only resolve the current conflict, but will also prevent future problems.

Transformational style

Such a leader tends to use his ideas to inspire other people. This personality is characterized by excellent communication skills. That is, such a person speaks quite clearly to his wards. He expresses his thoughts clearly. It’s not difficult with him, because the team of such a person always knows what he wants.

Types of leadership suggest that such a person tends to delegate his own powers to his wards. He spends a lot of time communicating with his team and gets real pleasure from such pastime. The purpose of such meetings is to raise the collective spirit, unite people, and develop in everyone a sense of the importance of involvement in what is happening.

In addition, the leader draws a lot for himself from such conversations. He understands the thinking of the team, its mood, development trends. This leader is also interested in the emotional side of what is happening. If he observes a lack of enthusiasm in someone, he tries to develop interest.