What Is Leadership? Video

Leadership used to be thought of as strictly hierarchical. But in many organizations, this is no longer the case because, at its core, leadership is simply about influencing others to follow.

We all have the ability to lead and, in this video, we'll show you some of the fundamentals of good leadership, as well as some of the things that leaders should avoid.

First up, what makes a good leader? There are four key aspects to this.

Number one is vision. Great leaders create a vision of the future. A vision that's compelling, convincing and realistic. A vision that the leader embodies in everything they do. With an inspiring vision, one that's tied to team performance goals and to your organization's values, people know where they're going and how they're going to get there.

The next aspect is teamwork. Without exception, good leaders work well with their team. If you are not a team player, you can't expect people to follow you. A vision can't be realized without buy-in. The success of a vision relies on a leader's ability to motivate and collaborate. Delegation, affirmation and good communication are the best ways to go about this.

Similarly, leaders enable their team's success. Enthusiasm can run high at the start of a new project, but it's down to the leaders to keep that motivation going and guide their team toward the finish line, as well as equip them with the right tools to get there. Ask yourself, what are the metrics that define success? And, what does everyone need in order to do the work?

Finally, flexibility. Leaders aren't immovable. They adapt and change depending on the situation. Sometimes, a more hands-on approach might be needed. While at others, it might be best to take a step back and let people work it out for themselves.

Now we've looked at what great leaders should do, let's move on to some things they should avoid.

Traditionally, we think of leaders as the people who create a vision and managers as the people that carry it out, but in truth, leadership and management are not mutually exclusive. Leaders need to use management skills to make any kind of headway and great managers frequently display leadership qualities. The very best use a combination of the two depending on the situation.

A great leader isn't necessarily the biggest personality or the most confident or charismatic person in the room. In the modern workplace, this idea of the leader as hero has been replaced with a more people-centered approach, with leaders working in the best interests of staff, customers and other stakeholders.

In a similar way, many leadership models acknowledge the increasingly distributed nature of leadership. They emphasize that rather than being in charge, leaders are the guardians of the ethos, values and guidelines for the people they serve.

As a leader, you'll always be learning and changing, but by keeping these points in mind and putting them into practice, you'll be the best leader you can be.

To learn more about how to develop your leadership skills, see the article that accompanies this video.