Leadership Concept
In a synthetic way, to lead means drive or command, encourage and motivate the members of an organization as way to create the necessary conditions so that these contribute, voluntarily and the best way possible, for the organizations’ interests, namely so that it achieves its goals.
Even though exist multiple definitions for leadership, it’s possible to find two common elements in all of them: on one hand is the group phenomenon and, on the other, involves a series of interpersonal and reciprocal influences, carried on a certain context through a human communication process with the aim to obtain certain specific goals. Leadership duties include, so, all of the people’s influencing of activities, being, that create the necessary motivation to put into practice the aim defined by the strategy and structured in the executive duties. “Leadership is the activity to influence people making them to voluntarily commit to goals in group”.
An important aspect in this concept is the Word influence instead of obligation. In fact, it’s possible to impose certain actions to a subordinate when you have such power. However, it’s impossible to impose the motivation with which each one takes to practice such action. It is the motivation that the leadership seeks to improve. For a leader it’s not enough to achieve the organizations’ goals; it’s necessary that the actions developed by the subordinates be executed by their own will. Thereby, and despite the leaders’ performance implicate multiple functions, such as plan, inform, evaluate, control, punish, etc. However, to lead is, essentially motivate and guide the group, the people in direction to certain goals or targets.
Max De Pree makes another leadership approach, placing the emphasis in the freedom of the subordinates and in the leaders’ service. Actually, this author considers leadership as the art to “free people to do what is requested from them in a more efficient and human way possible”. Max De Pree still considers that the first responsibility of a leader is the definition of reality and the last is to thank; between both should become a server of the organization and its members – it’s the contrast between the concepts of property and dependence. In this way, the measure of a good leadership is found in its followers: when they reach their potential, reach the desired results and are motivated, is a signal of good leadership.
