What is Leadership ?

Leadership is not a science to be picked up in one block or course, but an art to be learned over
time . Good leadership sometimes tell people what to do , but leadership is not just giving directions –
it’s liberating people to do what is needed in the best possible way .

Some people do pick-up leadership skills on their own and, given enough opportunity for trial and error ,
they do fine . But most do not , Especially in outdoors situation where bad leadership can have
disastrous consequences , it’s not wise to trust that competent leadership ,with no formal training ,will
always emerge when needed. But what is Leadership ? No two people seem to describe it the same
way .

A good place to start the definition is to took at what people expect of leaderships. People expect good
leaders to :

 Be good at planning and organizing ;

 Be self confident ;
 Be technically competent;
 Care for other people ;
 Make good decision;
 Be trustworthy ;
 Communicate well
 Inspire other to be at their best;
 Build and maintain morale ;
 Be good teachers and coaches;
 Be able to deal with difficult people and handle conflicts ;
 Be able to build and guide teams; and
 Anticipate problems and deal with them proactively .

Expectations point the way to a definition ,but there’s more . Leadership is not a science to be picked
up in one book or course ,but an art to be learned overtime. It’s not simply a set of rules to be
followed ,but an ability relationship. It’s not merely skills and techniques ,but a subjective blend of
personality and style . Leadership involves not only the body and mind , but the spirit and character as
well : good leaders have the intuition ,compassion, common sense , and courage it takes to stand and
lead .

Good leaders sometimes tell people what to do , but leadership is not just giving direction – it’s
liberating people to do what’s needed in the best possible way . Good leaders don’t depend on their
position to give their authority ; they depend on earning trust , They don’t mandate good performance
from those they lead ; they inspire it .

Leadership is the capacity to move others toward goals shared with you ,with a focus and
competency they would not achieve on their own .

ATTITUDES
What you believe about Leadership—your attitudes—will greatly influence the results you get as
a leader. They’ll guarantee success – but they’ll definitely improve your odds .
Certain attitudes , certain ways of looking at leadership, are essential . They make your role as leader
easier and you more effectives in it . Attitudes about earing , responsibility and courage get own
chapters.

The most important aspect of leadership is having a reason for leading beyond investing in your own
ego . It takes passion and genuine intention to be a good leader .

Always check your intention. Ask yourself why you lead. If your intentions have to do with ego
and power ; your team will pick up on this ,and it probably won’t work for you . Becoming a leader
requires large amounts of time and effort . Being a leader also means taking on risk and responsibility .
Its hard to sustain the commitment necessary to go through all this unless you have through about , and
acknowledge , the personal benefits of leading – and explicitly judged them worth the cost . Without
commitment , the picture you have of yourself as leader will be dim .

One of the greatest benefits of leadership is the opportunity it provides to be of service . It’s
extremely satisfying to be a coach and a role model out there , knowing that others are learning skills
and traits that are changing their lives for the better – as your life has been changed by those who taught
you. The opportunity to demonstrate , model and teach the life skills that make –up good leadership is a
gift .

Appreciate that leading can be lonely . Being friendly and accessible are valued leadership traits
– but leadership is not popularity contest. There will be times , if you’re doing your job , when you will
have to say no or make other decision that will disappear or anger others .

Value your heart as much as your head . Develop your abilities to sense other’s feelings as well
as your own , to balance rational and intuitive factors in making decisions , to have the “ people skills “
to resolve emotional changed conflicts , and to be introspective . Success in these demands that you
have your heart in gear as much as your head . Trying to learn to be a leader by using your intellectual
skills.

Believe in people . One good way to measure the effectiveness of leadership is to measure their
impact on those they lead . Good leaders often inspire others to inform at extraordinary levels .

The LEADER has to be not only a role model , but a source of energy and inspiration for the team .

As a leader , you’re always in the right place at the right time .If you’re suddenly thrust into a
leadership role , or if that role suddenly intensifies , don’t waste wondering why this is happening to you.

LEADERSHIP STYLE :
Leadership is more than a set of rules and learned skills – its an art ,one in which you individual
personality plays a major role. It’s this imprint of personality onto your skills and experience that
constitutes your leadership style .

Many styles can work . There are as many different styles of leadership as there are leaders—which is
one reason the subject of leadership can be so complex. Some leaders communicate a decision in a
sentence , while others take paragraph.
Make use of your style . The more aware you are of your natural leadership style , the better you’ll be
able to make use if its advantages ,turn possible disadvantages into strengths , and head off any
misinterpretations .

Your style must be you . Don’t ever try to lead by being someone you’re not . Your leadership style must
be authentic ;it must reflect who you are , with all the pluses and minuses that may entail. If your style is
truly your own , it will make you and your leadership more credible ,both to others and to yourself.

Flexibility in style . Leadership styles need to be not only authentic and respectful but flexible enough to
respond effectively to fast changing situation . Depending on those situations , anyone’s leadership style
should be able range from rigidly authoritarian to completely consensual .

Making Good Decision . Systematic thinking ,common sense, and intuition are the keys to making good
decision . The best decision makers use all three . But there’s no such thing as a perfect decision ; use
both your successes and your failures to improve your next time around.

To train people to make good decision , take them into real situation and let them face challenges by
themselves . They learn soon enough that if they make foolish decision ,or if they base their decision on
“hope” or “ faith” that things will work out—they fail. And if they make decision based on reality , they
succeed.

Anticipate decision before you have to make them. Anticipating decision allows you to plan ahead, to
get a jump on creating and sometimes even testing options. Sometimes the need for a tough decision
can be removed completely .

Have no regrets , if you’ve done your best . Use both your successes and your failures to improve your
decision making next time around . There’s no such thing as a perfect decision . There’s no way you can
accurately see all the elements that are about to determine your elements .

CARING LEADERSHIP

 Acknowledging others for their strengths and contributions – especially those whose strengths
and contributions may be few.
 Caring for beginners. Make sure your corrections and instruction to beginners leave them more ,
not less , confident .
 Putting yourself in others’ shoes and being sensitive to their needs
 Caring for yourself. Don’t beat yourself up over mistakes – give your self credit for all times you
do it right.
 Being vulnerable . Putting yourself in others’ shoes often means sharing personal experiences of
your own.
 Correcting and caring . try to correct private , unless there’s a general lesson that might benefit
others .

Caring builds trust . Leader must be trusted by those they lead. Especially if trouble brews and difficult
decisions need to be made and carried out , trust a vital link between the leader and those being led—in
improving , calming fears, strengthening , cooperation , and inspiring people to perform to their best.
Caring is the key to building trust. A caring attitude on your part promotes trust in your leadership more
then any other factor , including technical competence .
Don’t abuse leadership roles . Don’t use your position to justify negative behavior you’d never think of
using if you weren’t in charge , or to avoid having to deal with those you lead with fairness and
sensitivity.