Session 10: Leadership

Political Leadership is the process of defining the direction of a team and communicating it to people; motivating, inspiring and empowering them to contribute towards achieving political success. It is basically a process of social influence which maximizes the efforts of individuals towards attainment of a specific goal.

Can any person in charge of authority and power be called a leader? The answer to this question is determined by the effectiveness of a leader. Not every leader is an effective leader. Successful outcomes, ability to communicate the message across and to make sound decisions while being an inspiration for the followers is what defines an effective leader.

Leadership consists of different styles. Leadership style refers to the strategies and behavioral patterns through which a leader seeks to achieve goals. Three identified styles are namely: Laissez-faire, transactional and transformational leadership.m

Laissez –faire leadership involves a hands-off approach and that the leader is reluctant to interfere in matters outside his or her personal responsibility. Transactional leader however, has a more hands-on approach and believes that motivation is gained through punishment and rewards.  Transformational leaders on the other hand, adopt a more visionary position and attempt to execute goals while performing a more inspirational role for others to follow.

Now the question that can be inferred is that which leadership style is most effective?  The answer however, cannot be provided by naming a particular style. The effectiveness of each style depends on the specific leadership situation, difficulty of the task, extent of a leader’s authority and the capabilities of the subordinates. Thus no right or wrong can be established in determining the degree of effectiveness of a particular style.