Exploring Real Leadership - Part 1

Leadership is an Art

Leadership is one of the most misunderstood concepts and most sought after commodities in our society. At a time when true leadership is especially needed, its misunderstanding is as powerful as its appeal. Many people believe that leaders are born, not made. But according to experts, nothing could be further from the truth. Leaders indeed, are made!

Leadership is an art, not a science. It can be learned. It is learned and developed through life experience – and by example. Building character and making relationships work is particularly important when looking at leadership development. Without good and healthy relationships, very little happens. Leadership is not accomplished alone; it is a collective effort – people working together toward a common purpose.

Living a happy, contented and fulfilled life is an integral part of the leadership equation. One of the hottest topics talked about today is emotional intelligence. University research is discovering that the way people express and handle their emotions has a powerful impact on the way they handle day to day problems and obstacles, deal with family and peer relationships, and the way they approach life in general. The ability to understand emotions and express them in ways that are useful in learning and relating to people, has major consequences when it comes to exhibiting leadership abilities and skills – at play, in school, at work and interactions with other adults or children.

Daniel Goleman, who has written extensively on social and emotional intelligence, states that unlike IQ, which changes little after our teen years, emotional intelligence seems to be largely learned, and continues to develop as we go through life and learn from our experience. Our emotional competence can keep growing, and is an important leadership quality in leaders.