What is a Leader? Definition, Role, and Qualities

A leader is someone responsible for organising, guiding and managing others. Thus, every organisation needs an effective leader to run and lead their business to success.

In this article, you will learn what a leader is, their roles and qualities, and how to become one.

What is a leader?

A leader is someone who guides and encourages a group of people or an individual to achieve a specific objective. They focus on the following:

• Inspiring passion and motivating their followers
• Having a vision and a path to realising it
• Ensuring their team has support and tools to achieve their goals.

Effective leader motivates, manages, and supports their teams to work creatively and confidently towards a common goal.

What are a leader’s roles and responsibilities?

Below are the roles and responsibilities of a leader:

• Communicate with team members and the stakeholders openly and constructively.
• Encourage employees to collaborate so that the company can profit.
• Train new hires and conduct meetings.
• Obtain feedback and resolve disagreements.
• Provide opportunities for employees to realise their potential and help them advance within the organisation.
• Acknowledge good behaviour and reward accomplishments.
• Recognise inefficient techniques or procedures.
• Keep an eye on team members without micromanaging them.
• Make timetables to achieve goals.
• Create an engaging and positive work environment for employees.
• Take responsibility for poor results.
• Adapt to organisational changes and policies.
• Bring issues or suggestions to management’s attention and report on metrics.

What are the qualities of a leader?

1. Communication skills:Leaders have exceptional communication skills. They make time to communicate with their team and ensure that everyone is on the same page. They are also open and honest with their team, sharing successes and failures.
2. Vision:They possess a clear vision of what they want and how to get it. Leaders who are good communicators can successfully share their vision with their team.
3. Open-mindedness:Good leaders are open to new ideas, possibilities, and points of view. They are always willing to listen, observe, and change.
4. Adaptable:Leaders understand that nothing goes as planned. Thus, being adaptable and intuitive helps leaders maintain their ground in difficult situations.
5. Empathy:Good leaders understand the value of being emotional and empathetic because it helps them form strong bonds with their team. These qualities also help leaders to deal with their team members’ problems, complaints, and aspirations.
6. Inspiration:Leaders are self-motivated, which makes them excellent influencers to their followers. They also assist others in understanding their roles in a larger context.
7. Patient:Leaders understand that it takes time for a business strategy to develop and bear fruit. Furthermore, they believe that constant improvement and patience lead to success.

How to become a leader?

Being a good leader takes time and effort. You can begin to develop your fundamental leadership skills and fine-tune your unique approach to management by taking the actions listed below:

• Conduct research 

You can research about becoming an effective leader through multiple sources like books, the internet, or podcasts. Also, do some research on the leaders you admire to learn more about their abilities and how they use them to succeed.

• Find a mentor

Find a mentor at your present company, prior employment or through a professional network to coach you about leadership and what it takes to be a good leader. They can identify your strengths and personality traits and show you how to use them. They can also assist you in developing goals for problem areas.

• Exercise leadership

You can continue to develop your leadership skills by practising them at work or other settings. Keep track of what works and where you need to learn more to improve by practising.

• Enrol in an executive development programme

There are several executive development programmes for freshers and professionals available online from top Indian institutes. You can enrol in an advanced certificate course that will teach you more about effective leadership techniques and how to use them.