Master course in Leadership, How is Leadership Defined?

There are many definitions of leadership. Many lines have been written attempting to capture the essence in just a few words.

The Oxford English Dictionary definition of leadership is simply:

• "The action of leading a group of people or an organisation, or the ability to do this ."

We need now to define 'lead' in this context, which is more helpful with regards to appreciating the breadth and depth of the word 'leadership'. Here are the most relevant points from the dictionary:

• Be in charge or command

• Organise and direct

• Set a process in motion

• Be a reason or motive for (others to act, change, etc.)

Note that only the first point strongly implies that leadership depends on a single leader, and even this point may easily be interpreted to mean that it can be achieved by delegated responsibility, even across a number of levels and on a vast scale.

Also consider that the last two points do not restrict leadership to the leading of an organised group of people such as a business or other provider of services/products, etc. The last two points broaden the scope to anyone or any collective of people, who inspire or motivate other people to act in some way towards some sort of aim or task or outcome.

Effective leadership requires collaboration between the leaders and the followers. There are times that leadership will demand a lot from the followers. But leaders should know the best way to bring out the best from people.

Self-leadership : All leadership, however, should begin with oneself. Any person who wants to be a leader needs to have a great degree of discipline. Leaders are also committed to learning and self-improvement. Warren Bennis effectively outlined effective leadership, which consists of five key practices and principles.

First, know yourself.

Have a vision.

Communicate the vision.

Build trust.

Take effective action.

In this master course, you can learn 5 major topics,

1. Introduction and importance of leadership

2. Leadership behaviour, traits, skills, and abilities

3. Styles of leadership

4. Leadership in Business

5. How to become a successful and effective business leader