TLDR;
This video defines leadership as the ability to influence others and enable coordinated action, applicable across various life roles and organisational levels. It emphasises that leadership is a set of behaviours, not inherent traits or formal authority. The discussion highlights the importance of leading up (influencing superiors), laterally (influencing peers), and down (managing followers), stressing that effective leaders make individuals feel valued and integral to the collective success.
- Leadership is about influence and enabling coordinated action.
- It's a set of behaviours that can be learned, not inherent traits.
- Effective leaders influence up, down, and laterally within an organisation.
Defining Leadership [0:00]
Leadership is formally defined as a person's ability to influence others and enable coordinated action, crucial for teamwork. This influence extends in multiple directions: upwards (influencing superiors), laterally (influencing peers), and downwards (managing followers). Leadership applies to various aspects of life, including family, community, and business organisations. It's a set of behaviours, not inherent traits or personality characteristics. Formal authority or position isn't a prerequisite for leadership; it's accessible to everyone, regardless of physical attributes like height.
Leading Up and Laterally [2:32]
Leading up involves advocating for oneself, one's community, and one's peers, and influencing decision-makers such as principals, professors, or bosses. This is often the first leadership skill individuals develop. Leading laterally means influencing peers without formal authority to achieve common goals. This requires motivating and aligning others towards a shared direction. Effective lateral leadership is essential for overcoming obstacles and advancing progress within an organisation.
Warren Bennis's Influence on Leadership [5:57]
Warren Bennis, a thought leader on leadership, emphasises making people feel integral to something important and contributing to the organisation's success. This involves ensuring individuals feel valued and that their work has meaning, regardless of their position. Good leaders make people feel at the heart of things, not on the periphery, fostering buy-in from followers, peers, and superiors.
Recap of Leadership Definitions [7:48]
Leadership encompasses influencing up, laterally, and down, applicable across various life roles. It's a set of behaviours and their effects, and it's a social science that can be learned. Leadership is not about inherent traits like height or formal authority.