Leadership makes people think of different things – mostly positive, some negative. A common factor is that leaders enable a group to take a direction.  How they make this happen depends on the situation.  Whatever the circumstances, however, taking a direction involves things like:

• having a clear vision
• thinking ahead and being able to plan
• maintaining a sense of authority and respect
• bringing people together to work as a team
• motivating and inspiring people
• making good decisions and exercising wise judgement
• organising and managing things so people know their part in a plan
• choosing the right people to delegate to
• listening and learning
• showing bravery and keeping a cool head
• being able to think outside the group and make sense of what lies outside it
• seeing the ‘big picture’.

There are many styles of leadership and no formula for being a perfect leader. What a group needs from a leader changes according to circumstances – we may need different approaches at different times and in different places. But the skills that may potentially be involved in leadership can be listed, practised and appreciated in ourselves and others.

 

You might want to…

Read a story about leadership styles which might help you define leadership…

Consider who else is a Local Leader?

Think about what makes Councillors special ?

Look at what other people say makes a better leader?

OR – follow the menu on the right to have a look at other parts of the guide.