What is leadership? One basic definition is: planned, organized action and evoke others to take action. Another definition says that the actions of an individual that drive a group toward a common goal. All of us have our own basic idea of leadership. A leader is someone that takes charge, has high motivation, and the ability to motivate others. A leader takes the initiative to get things done. Your boss, the president of a club, and the captain of a baseball team are all examples of leaders. We've all been leaders at one time or another so we all know and have what it takes to be a leader.

But what makes a person a good leader? What qualities should a good leader have? After all, just because someone is the one taking charge in making decisions does not mean that people like the choices or even listen. Not every leader is the same. A good leader must be many things. Among some of the QUALITIES are intelligence, assertiveness, dependability, respectable by others, a good communicator, and influential so that people will listen. The list goes on and on. These characteristics are some of the factors that determine who will be a good leader.

Three general theories of leadership can explain why some people are good leaders and others are not. One popular one is the "Great man/woman" theory. It states that the characteristics and traits of the person make them a great leader. Everyone likes them for who they are. A second is that the leader meets the needs of the group. It is obvious that a good leader will meet the needs of the group and make decisions that affect the group in a positive way. The third theory deals with the situation or historical context. The person was just in the right place at the right time and everything just came together.

Unfortunately, being selected as a leader has often been a popularity contest. Let's look at our President for example. He was selected ot be our leader by a vote across the country. The national polls published in the Tampa Tribune, June 10,1993 tell us that about two thirds of the American Public were not happy with Clinton's performance during the first year of his presidency. So, although he won an initial popularity contest, a majorority of the general public was still unhappy. Leaders often make choices that anger or dissapoint their peers and those that they lead, but ultimately, a leader does what they think is best for their group. Their decision affects the success or defeat of their team.

In an organization, leaders are often the supervisors and upper management. Many groups or teams within an organization do not have formal titles. But the leaders of this informal work group are many times more effective in influencing the behavior of group members than actual supervisory staff.

This page is broken into two sections. One section is focused on how you can become a leader or improve your current LEADERSHIP SKILLS. This section contains a list of a few of the many possible leadership geared seminars that can help you become a more effective leader and can help you improve the way you present yourself to others. The second section is a GALLERY OF LEADERS from the past, present and future, with links to a few of their sites.

Click below for French & Raven's Sources of Interpersonal Influence and Power or Yukl's Sources of Political Influence

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By Jimmy Tang, Jo Turano, and William Dong