Introduction. 3

1. What is a leader and leadership. 5

2. Qualities inherent in a leader. 7

3. The environment of the leader. 9

4. Leadership career. ten

5. How to single out a leader in a student team. eleven

5.1 Confidence and awareness. fourteen

5.2 Speech characteristics of the leader. 16

Conclusion. 23

List of used literature: 24

Introduction

Leader (from the English. Leader - leading) - a person who is able to influence others in order to integrate joint activities aimed at satisfying the interests of this community.

In public life, the leader, as the central, most authoritative figure in a particular group of people, can be identified in almost every type of activity, and in any historical period.

The term "leader" has two meanings:

An individual who has the most pronounced, useful (from the point of view of intra-group interest) qualities, thanks to which his activity is the most productive. Such a leader serves as a role model, a kind of “standard”, to which, from the point of view of group values, other members of the group should adjoin. The influence of such a leader is based on the psychological phenomenon of reflected subjectivity (i.e. an ideal representation of other members of the group).

A person who is recognized by the community as having the right to make decisions that are most significant from the point of view of group interest. The authority of this leader is based on the ability to unite, unite others to achieve a group goal. Such a person, regardless of leadership style (authoritarian or democratic), regulates relationships in the group, defends its values ​​in intergroup communication, influences the formation of intragroup values, and in some cases symbolizes them.

The concept of leadership is widespread in sociology, political science, psychology and a number of other sciences about man and society. Extensive theoretical and empirical studies have been devoted to this phenomenon. The study of leadership has a direct pragmatic focus. First of all, it serves to develop methods for effective leadership, as well as the selection of leaders. In Western countries, a variety of psychometric and sociometric tests and methods have been created that are successfully used in practice.

Obviously, leadership as a phenomenon is based on certain objective needs of complexly organized systems. These include, first of all, the need for self-organization, streamlining the behavior of individual elements of the system in order to ensure its vital and functional ability. Such orderliness is carried out through vertical (management-subordination) and horizontal (single-level connections) distribution of functions and roles, and, above all, through the allocation of a managerial function and the structures that implement it, which require a hierarchical, pyramidal organization for their effective work. The top of such a managerial pyramid is none other than the leader.

The clarity of the allocation of leading positions depends on the type of community that makes up the system, its relationship with the surrounding reality. In systems with low group integration, a high degree of autonomy of various levels of organization and freedom of individual elements, the leader's functions are poorly developed. As the need for the system and the people themselves for complexly organized collective actions increases and these needs are realized in the form of collective goals, the need for a leader and the specification of his functions increase.

1. What is a leader and leadership

This question could be answered with the question: aren't the main ones the best? Or vice versa? Apparently, politics implies just such an alignment. Indeed, between the people, society and the state, the authorities have always existed a kind of agreement to think so. Power was invariably explained, justified, elevated in the opinion of subordinates and subjects as granted from above, possessing not only the right to manage, dispose, command, but also the ability to rule, knowledge and all other qualities necessary for leadership. Legitimation of politics and power (recognition of all the best qualities) of rulers has always been their main task. In the 20th century, when the responsibility of power and society's demands on it increased sharply, a special theory of the political elite appeared - the best, select group of professionals, the top of the ruling forces involved in politics and therefore occupying leading positions at various levels of government.

Politics is difficult to carry out if society does not trust the authorities, and the latter is not confident in its environment and in all those people - classes, groups, society, which it should lead. Harmony does not always reign between society and the state, people and authorities, leaders and subordinates. Political relations are unsteady and unstable. Mutual or one-sided attraction is replaced by disappointment, and often conflicts. When people look back into the past, they find there are very few truly gifted politicians, even fewer outstanding leaders, against each of whom one or another claim can be made. But in history there are a great many unfortunate sovereigns and ministers, unremarkable leaders, whose reign is marked by all sorts of miscalculations, mistakes, lost wars, missed opportunities. Of course, politics differs little from other types of activity, but its miscalculations most of all affect the fate of people and nations. In addition, history is rich in the names of prominent political villains of their kind, and in the atrocities of extraordinary individuals.

In Russia, there were no more such phenomena than in other countries, but in general, state government often turned out to be a very weak point in domestic politics, and its achievements were paid dearly to society, whether it was expanding the boundaries of the state, developing the country, establishing order in it. Society slowly and not completely outlived the most painful and archaic ways of governing the country and the movements of the people. It is no coincidence that such prominent figures in the history of the Fatherland were impostors, temporary workers, atamans, fathers, covetous men, metropolitan and provincial omnipotent overlords. Feudal forms of power proved to be persistent.

At each new stage, the political life of society needed a new type of leadership. A different type of political relations required a different form of power, a new leader.

It is no accident that the question of leadership arose only in our time. Leadership is not a new leadership style, but a way of organizing power in a civil society with a developed political consciousness of all or most of its social strata. Such a society has arisen relatively recently or is still taking shape, and even then not everywhere. But this is the perspective and necessity of history and politics. Members of civil society are thinking participants in political life, so they have the opportunity to consciously choose their leader. The behavior of the leader must convince them that his actions are correct and beneficial, and not dictated by self-interest or lust for power. Society, for its part, cannot manipulate the leader. Social and political partnership, mutual understanding of the leader and his followers are the basis of the new modern politics.

So, leadership is one of the manifestations of power, a distinctive feature of political activity, the right to nominate a leader who carries it out. This phenomenon is also inherent in other types of activity - the production of things and ideas, science, sports, etc.

A prerequisite for leadership is the possession of power in specific formal or informal organizations of various levels and scales - from the state and even a group of states to government agencies, local governments or popular and public groups and movements. The formalized power of the leader is enshrined in law. But in all cases, the leader has a social and psychological, emotional support in society or in groups of people who follow him.

Leadership is the relationship between teacher and student. The leader transfers knowledge and moral values ​​to his environment. The personal virtues of a leader are a role model, an object of respect. Therefore, the moral character of the leader attracts attention and plays a significant role in his success or failure. In the information society, it is more and more difficult to hide the defects of the leader's personality and, on the contrary, it is easier to show his merits.

2. Qualities inherent in a leader

No moral, intellectual, spiritual virtues by themselves turn a politician into a leader, they are enough only for a saint. But holiness is not necessary for a politician and is too unusual, although such a combination is known in history. Let us recall the example of Sergius of Radonezh, who in a difficult time combined outstanding piety with an outstanding political role as a defender of the country. A modern political leader must also possess outstanding organizational skills.

The development of organizational, managerial qualities of a leader is already a problem of his own training and education. The ability to form a group, rally it, define goals, set the necessary tasks for society (or an institution, government), formulate a program that rallies society - these are modern requirements for politics.

Politics, its tasks, goals differ at different levels of political activity, so there are different leaders.

In a small group (this may be the elite of the upper levels of power and the core of any other leadership), the role of the leader is to rally its members and direct their activities. It requires close personal communication with the immediate environment. At the same time, his personal qualities, the ability to control the situation, make decisions, take responsibility, make the right political choice (people, problems, priorities) are revealed and play an organizing role. At the same time, the leader must be able to satisfy the interests of the group without going beyond the limits of law and civil norms and without making his environment dependent on his benefactions. The relationship with the group and the authority of the leader are significantly influenced by the personal style of his behavior (authoritarian, tough or democratic).

Leadership at the level of "big politics", government of the country, political movements turns out to be different. A leader of this magnitude is required to rally the interests of a broad public power base. What matters here is not so much the leader's personal qualities as his ability to formulate general political demands, to reveal high critical and constructive, creative qualities, to communicate with a much wider range of people and convince them.

The leader in this situation is removed from those whom he leads. His personal qualities are revealed to them weaker or completely lose their meaning, but his leadership receives a moral assessment. He must reckon with her. His success or failure is perceived very emotionally. Therefore, the ability of a leader to capture moods, know the true needs of people and express their interests is of great importance. Then it becomes a symbol of movement, party, society.

Thus, at all levels of politics, leadership is real under certain conditions. A leader must not only want to lead people, but also possess the necessary qualities for this. Followers must be ready to follow him and carry out the program he has planned. One of the conditions of leadership is getting maximum information in minimum time. Modern technical means of communication and information meet this requirement.

3. The environment of the leader

Leadership presupposes a certain character of the immediate environment. It should be selected on business, professional grounds. Personal loyalty is an important quality of the environment, but not enough for modern politics. Like-mindedness, mutual understanding, interest in the cause, mutual trust, confidence in the correctness of the choice, moral stability, conviction also give the right to take a place in the team surrounding the leader. Attractive for the environment are the prestige of the place, the possibility of a career, recognition in the team and outside it, in the areas of power and management, in society and in the country. But it is important that all this be done with high professional competence. A comrade-in-arms must have a clear idea of ​​​​the general state of affairs in which he is engaged under the leadership of a leader, of his role, duties in a group, and have analytical, creative abilities for political work. The qualities of his followers seem to be concentrated in the leader. Therefore, he should be interested in selecting people who are superior to him in some way.

The relationship between the leader and his team is an important aspect of the new leadership organization of power. Purposefulness, adherence to principles, awareness of responsibility to society (or a managed institution), understanding of its tasks and requests are integral qualities of a leader. They must be in his environment. These qualities unite them in the same way as the general ability to conduct a discussion, to combine the desire for self-assertion with the interests of the team and colleagues, and to treat their merits positively. The leader must be able to reasonably, reasonably and timely move his employees and create conditions for their professional growth, use their abilities and opportunities.

The management of political processes is so connected with personnel management that a deep knowledge of the abilities and psychology of subordinates and the environment is sometimes more important for a leader than his own experience. He must have a clear idea of ​​​​the problems that concern his employees, and reckon with their moods.

It is good if the leader manages to create in his environment a "think tank" - a council of the most qualified experts on the most important policy issues. Then the authorities have competent recommendations and consultations, the results of the so-called "brainstorming" - the urgent and intense collective work of a narrow or wider circle of specialists to solve some urgent problem. Modern statesmen and politicians usually create staffs of advisers and professional experts in the centers of power. They have always existed under sovereigns in the form of various state or secret councils. The novelty lies in filling such institutions with various kinds of Security Councils, committees and commissions) not with dignitaries, but with experts. In this way, not only individual political problems are solved, but also the problem of scientific policy, which in our century everyone is trying to solve in one way or another.

4. Leadership career

A career depends not only on general conditions, but also on the personal qualities of a leader. Its success is possible in the implementation of a number of functions. Let's name some of them.

A constructive function is the expression of the interests of society in a specific program. It should be focused on satisfying the interests of all or the active majority of society, the claims of the largest possible number of people and groups, but on the condition that they do not infringe on the interests of other sections of society. This ideal setting can rarely be realized in practice, especially completely, without exceptions. But in itself it is a condition of leadership and its success. Many reforms and revolutions ended in failure due to the lack of timely, clear and thoughtful political programs that are understandable to society and accessible for implementation.

When, back in 1517, Martin Luther nailed his famous 95 theses on the abuses of the Catholic hierarchy and church authorities on the portal of the church in Wittenberg, he accurately reflected in them the mood of a people desperate from need and persecution. Luther proved to be a true leader. The idea of ​​religious and political reform seized the minds and stirred up Germany, and after it other countries. The leader proposes his program to the society and, in essence, develops it together with the society and the best representatives of its interests. When in 1917, 400 years later, in another era of great historical change, the Provisional Government came to power in Russia, its head A.F. Kerensky failed to find a program that would meet the aspirations of society. And it did not follow Kerensky, who did not become a leader.

The organizational function includes the creation of personnel and management systems, the rallying of supporters, the planning of political processes and actions, and the practical aspects of political work. The leader forms the apparatus, distributes responsibilities in it, creates conditions for the education, promotion and appointment of leaders, controls and regulates relations between them, orients them towards a compromise or a decisive change in policy and replacement of leadership, etc.

Coordinating function - coordination of actions of government institutions, institutions, directions of their activities. The leader must bring their decisions and political choices in line with public opinion, with the system of values ​​accepted in society.

An integrative function is the rallying of like-minded people, the environment, and society around the leader's program.

5. How to highlight a leader in a student team

The problem of the leader and leadership in the student team is one of the most acute and relevant in the educational system of the school. The leader in the class is the support of the class teacher, the head teacher for educational work. Leaders are the guys who organize their peers in the most natural way, contribute to the establishment of socially significant values ​​and orientation. That is why it is very useful for both the class teacher and subject teachers to know the informal leader in the class, at school, to be able to identify them by various signs.

A teacher, whether he is an educator or a teacher, a class teacher or a school principal, is first of all a leader, a person who can do everything or almost everything. He can lead a lesson, check posts on duty, enthusiastically talk about aliens from outer space during class hours, come up with props for a performance, organize a hike that starts at dawn. He will conduct KVN best of all, intriguingly pose burning problems at the “Hour of Revelations”. Meanwhile, he is not a magician, he is a teacher. And that's it.

It is not uncommon to hear that young people yearn for bright leaders, but they are not among the teachers. Don't believe it! The best teachers combine the authority of a mentor and the sparkling enthusiasm of a leader, crowned in this title by the guys themselves, who reverently believe that their director, teacher, cool - the most “cool”. That his mind, resourcefulness, ingenuity, erudition, ability to overcome difficulties - for them an example that confirms the true meaning of authority - not imposed from the outside, but internally accepted, undeniable.

All leaders are informal, there are no formal ones. Formally, there is only an "armchair" - the position of director, boss, leader, who were appointed, but who by no means always become inspirers, organizers, i.e. leaders.

Studying the current state of education, I came to the conclusion that the problem of a leader, power, charisma is one of the most important in human relationships, in pedagogy, but we somehow do not talk about it, about its importance, significance. Meanwhile, new squadrons of teenagers are growing up, not organized by anyone. But a herd without a leader is doomed to death. It is useful for every teacher to develop the qualities of a true leader, to take a closer look at someone who enjoys teenage respect. This will warn the teacher against the danger of being boring and intrusive, a "stranger" in the children's community.

What do leaders say about themselves? Let us turn to their self-observations in order to understand who we are dealing with and who a teacher, an educator who leads the children, can become.

Sergey (12 years old) in a conversation with a psychologist admits:

“As a child, when they played war, I was always elected commander, Chapaev. I somehow managed to stop the fights, but I don’t know how. If necessary, he fought himself, often lost. When Vera Sergeevna took the diary from Alyoshka and called her parents, I got up and said that she was wrong. Everyone hid, her guys are afraid. And she yelled at me, but she gave him the diary. Even those with whom I often fought began to respect me ... "

There are many confessions that are relevant for us teachers. The main feature of a leader is justice, the ability to stand up for another, to rally the team. He does not just make decisions, but makes them based on what the team, the cause, needs first of all.

And here is what the teacher says about himself, recalling the time when he was a pioneer camp leader: “I started the day, as always, drawn into the “firm”: this is more important for the guys than my mood. They see me the way they want to see themselves. One day on the river bank, my baseball cap was blown off my head. I did not have time to look back (we were talking animatedly about something), as the boys raced after her, although swimming was strictly forbidden. I didn't know how to react: punish or praise.

In the second week, I began to see myself in them from the side: they tried to dress, speak, just like me, even their proverbs were the same that I used. When we once returned from the state farm field through the beds, I saw a bunch of potatoes lying in disorder near the empty bags. "Destroy!" - suddenly burst out of me, and I pointed to a pile. Two minutes later, the potatoes seemed to be packed into bags by themselves, and we continued to talk about something.

The teacher who remembers this is the undoubted leader of teenagers. He comes to the conclusion that he should be an example, a standard for the guys in everything - from appearance to the ability to captivate with deed, in a word. By his mere presence, he strengthens the forces of the detachment, leads him to victory. Here, such a significant problem is revealed: to accept or not "signs of attention"? I think that we have no right to react to them, they must be ignored calmly and without affectation.

"Combat" order - "destroy!" - accidentally breaks out from the counselor. This imperative is organic to the entire speech flow, and this made the order a common element of the teacher's dialogical interaction with the children. Their reaction was also the most natural.

Society, starting with its microstructures, is hierarchical by its very nature, and the manifestation of a leader is quite natural. A talented director, teacher, educator combines a leader accepted by the group and a person “appointed from above”. It is difficult to act in such different functions, but this is what prompts the teacher and educator to study the psychology of the teenage team, the hierarchy in it, in order to become what teenagers are waiting for: not a boss, but a friend, a commander, the bravest of fighters, the most tireless among storytellers. Our students must be taught to live in a team - to teach reasonable leadership and reasonable submission. In modern pedagogy, the slogans of freedom have become relevant, many teachers and students reject the order as a strict requirement, as a relic of authoritarianism. Meanwhile, A.S. Makarenko believed that the ability to command and obey makes a person a citizen of a truly democratic society. Any person should be able to both give orders and follow them, subordinating himself to the natural laws of society. Today we are fulfilling someone's order, tomorrow we give orders ourselves, we are able to take responsibility, clearly formulate the tasks of the group, the team.

There are many youth groups. And the teacher should know them. Yes, some of them are leather. biker rockers, refined majors, or, as they are called, "pseudos" there is Nazi in black shirts and tight black ties, two- and three-colored fans, and then just "poofs", capable at best "Hit an arrow on a clubber", at worst - "sit on the needle" or "toxic". But their guidelines, their idols need to be known if we want to be authoritative for all teenagers, and not for the elite.

The leader must be better than others "goat" on a motorcycle; best of all to know the history of your favorite team, and all sorts of "supermen" with fascist emblems in the form of two lightning bolts - to reveal those values ​​​​that will change their system of views, born of the restlessness of the transitional time and national humiliation.

The "Pedagogical Encyclopedia" speaks of a business and emotional leader, authoritarian, democratic and liberal. “Unlike the leader,” it is emphasized there, “the leader is not appointed officially, is not endowed with any formal powers, and does not bear legal responsibility for the state of affairs in the group.” This applies to any association. The leader differs from the leader in that he does not say: “I demand!”, does not indicate his ranks, merits, while his commands are carried out unanimously and immediately. One of the indicators of a leader is clothing (appearance). It most fully embodies the aspirations of the groups: hobbies for motorcycles, sports, music, and so on. The "uniform" of the leader should not always be bright, but must be of high quality, because the leader's clothing is an object of imitation of the group, most fully embodying its attributes and orientation. Therefore, this subject must be worthy of imitation, otherwise the “palm tree” will go to others. There are cases when the lack of "branded packaging" was the reason for the change of leader. Moreover, teenagers refused to wear once scarce American jeans if the leader of the group did not have them. The leader should take this into account. four

Knowing the ideals and attitudes of the guys, you can make a generalized portrait of their idol and try to look the same. The appearance of youth idols and leaders, changes in their image lead to abrupt changes in fashion and the appearance, at first glance, of the most ridiculous innovations in the manner of dressing. A. Strukov, head of the Cultural Revolution group, notes:

"Strange affair. Before we had time to forget about “Lithuanians” (censorship), the concepts of “format” and “maxidrom” immediately appeared, the streets were filled with slender rows of refined young people, surprisingly similar to each other, regardless of gender (caps backwards, hairstyles " boy-girl "with scorched hair ...)"(Sov. Russia. 2000, 14 Dec.).

Obviously, the desire of young people for "uniform", for stylistic uniformity, which was once called blind adherence to fashion. Is it really that blind? Hardly: at the origins of fashion is the leader, and copying his style fits into the context of relations in the group, which became a defining beginning. If an “ordinary” participant in an extravagant outfit came to a youth group, this may be a reason for ridicule; the leader, having appeared in this form, “legitimizes” fashion for a group of teenagers and youth. One of the pretenders to the Russian throne signed as follows:

"Small with small, good with good, evil with evil." This is one of the main qualities of a leader - the ability to find a path for everyone, to “mirror” a person in order to understand him and find exactly those words, arguments that will work on him without fail. If we want to be leaders, we must be able to become “ours”, otherwise we will remain only an annoying external factor. Let us remember: the group is always more strongly affected by the emotional beginning than the logical one. The leader is more likely to be the one who maintains the mood and, with the help of positive emotions, forms an attitude, and not the one who is able to prove something smartly and a lot without affecting the mood.

There are a lot of guys around us hanging around doing nothing. But we and they could mutually help each other. It was about this that A.P. Gaidar, when he wrote "Timur and his team." K.G. Paustovsky recalls it this way: “About two years before “Timur and his team” came out, Gaidar somehow came to me. My son was seriously ill, and we ran off our feet in search of one rare cure. He was nowhere. Gaidar went to the phone and called his house.

- Send immediately to me, - he said, - all the boys from our yard, I'm waiting.

He hung up. Ten minutes later there was a desperate knock at the door. Gaidar went out into the hall. On the landing behind the door stood about ten boys, very agitated and out of breath.

- Here's what, - Gaidar told them. - One boy is seriously ill, he needs such a medicine. I will write down for you each his name on a piece of paper. Now to the south, east, north and west. From pharmacies, call me here. Did you understand everything?

“Understood, Arkady Petrovich,” the boys shouted and rushed down the stairs. Soon the calls began ... After 40 minutes, an enthusiastic children's voice shouted into the phone: "Arkady Petrovich, there is, I got it!" - "Where?" - "In Maryina Grove!" - "Bring here, immediately! .."

The medicine was brought, and the son soon felt better.

- Well, - Gaidar asked me, getting ready to leave, - is my team working well?"

5.1 Confidence and awareness

The teacher, if he wants to become a leader, just needs to know the priorities and goals of the group, accurately determine which of the guys enjoys the greatest authority and why. If we came to a class or a group of teenagers, how can we do it faster and more accurately? Let's look at examples.

The teacher enters the classroom and suddenly asks, “Who is your leader?” The answer is a resounding, "We don't have one." The one about whom the question was asked will say this. In another case, they call different guys, but they all look in the same direction. That's where you need to look to get an answer. In the third case, one of the guys, to everyone's delight, exclaims: "I am." By this delight, only a jester can be calculated, and the leader is the one with whom he communicates most often.

You can freely seat the guys in the room. The leader's seat will always be in the last row, usually in the middle or in the corner opposite the front door. From there, he sees everyone, and no one sees him, not turning around on purpose. He can manage the class, address everyone, and the response is difficult: you need to turn around, and this is a kind of communication barrier. A distinctive feature of the position of the leader in the group is closeness, protection from any unforeseen influences. Place as far away as possible, opposite the teacher or at the end of a long table (in a confrontational position). If he sat down next to you, know that a “joke” or a kind of invitation to cooperation is being prepared (it is worth accepting it only when the leadership is clearly already passing to you).

You can conduct a well-known test - an image of a person from 10 geometric shapes. The square is the most stable among them. Leadership qualities are revealed by the one who has the largest number of squares on the image of a person.

If you turn to a class (group) with a question or a proposal that requires an unambiguous answer (“Turn off the light here?”; “Maybe I should open the window?”; “Let's move the tennis table”), the leader will be the first to answer. The right to speak on behalf of the group is delegated to him. We ask at the evening: “It’s a little late, maybe we’ll disperse?” Let's carefully see who will be the first to answer "yes" or "no". This will be the one whose support is especially important for us in working with the guys, who plays the role that should belong to us. By his categorical response, he secures his status in the eyes of the audience.

The leader, as a rule, most actively refuses official leadership, since informal leadership suits him to the greatest extent. Do not impose leadership on him, because the true leader of the group can be the one whom the class or squad chooses to do so with our support.

How else can you find a leader? What qualities to highlight? Finally, how to become one? What conditions to follow? Watch the guys carefully, and you will see that the leader is the one whose words in a cheerful company will certainly cause approving laughter, even if the thought is not distinguished by depth and wit; one who, not seeking to attract attention, fills in the gaps in the conversation, deftly inserting a word that can direct its further course.

The leader's confidence and often uncompromisingness is reinforced by a characteristic with a look. People who have the greatest influence on the course of history certainly had the peculiarity of their gaze as the most powerful means of influencing the interlocutor. Historical characters confirm this: the power of their gaze has a huge imperative impact. A.A. Gromyko recalls: “Stalin used to, speaking, say, with a reproach at the address of this or that foreign figure or in a polemic with him, look at him intently, not taking his eyes off for some time. And I must say, the object of his attention felt uncomfortable at that moment. The thorns of this gaze pierced. Let's pay attention: this influence was exerted on foreigners, that is, on those who did not tremble before the Soviet leader, were not afraid of him.

Important information about the power of the gaze is contained in literary texts. A. Dumas writes about Count Cagliostro, who is present at the temple on Thunder Mountain: “Under his commanding gaze, the swords began to fall. Some immediately, others slowly, in proportion to the strength of the resistance of natures to this powerful look.

5.2 Speech characteristics of the leader

But the most complete characterization of the leading personality will still be given by her speech portrait. I have heard that the desire to share the interests of the youth corrupts it. And this is true to some extent. However, no matter how high and humane our thoughts and demands may be, they will remain an external and rather boring phenomenon if we cannot look at the world through the eyes of pupils, from the standpoint of their motives and values. Only the one who is already recognized as “his own”, who intuitively feels everyone in the group, has the right to lead, will respond faster and more accurately than others to questions and requests that have not yet been voiced.

At the words of the leader, the most temperamental polemicists fall silent, they listen to him, never interrupting. Understanding this, the leader speaks without much concern for the expressiveness of speech, without doubting that he is right. He who doubts himself cannot be a leader. There is one more feature of the "verbal portrait" of the leader: he never retells other people's opinions as a support for his own, he generally avoids delegating his authority as an arbiter to anyone. He is full of anecdotes, sketches, funny stories for all occasions. But at the same time, he never repeats them in the same group, creating a reputation for himself as a man of phenomenal memory.

Adolescents have a certain ability to recognize the leadership qualities of one of the members of the group, and Johan Borgen shows this surprisingly accurately when he talks about Wilfred (Little Lord) turning a group of hostile teenagers into like-minded people. This is the birth of an anti-social, even anti-social leader, capable of leading to murder. And yet, his speech qualities, which are most attractive for children, the teacher must know in order to oppose them in one case with pre-prepared methods of psychological and pedagogical influence, and in the other - to use some to destroy the existing negative stereotypes and to bring up new ones from within the group.

- Okay, guys, - he said into the darkness. - What do we do? He heard unfamiliar notes in his own voice, heard the voice of an unfamiliar guy, that same Wilfred, with whom he occasionally managed to make acquaintance, felt in himself the strength of this guy, his desire to lead.

“Come on, give me a flashlight here,” he said, stretching out his hand at random into the darkness.

Someone's hand found his hand. The lantern was back with him...

For a short, heady moment, Wilfred felt that here, now, he could make nine boys do whatever he pleased, even against their own will.

"Follow me," he said curtly, working his way through them. They parted timidly, and then, muttering something, followed him...

He turned to the boys clustered around him.

Three will come with me. The rest of you will scatter around the park for now. The faces turned to him loomed dimly before him, he did not see them, did not perceive them as faces. They were flat ovals in the harsh light, gaping mouths greedily listening to his orders. Everyone wanted to be among the three. And everyone was afraid. He trembled with nervous tension, realizing this and realizing that the one on whom the choice falls will tremble with delight and at the same time wish to find himself on the other side of the world.

- You, - he said, putting his hand heavily on the shoulder of the hoarse one. The one called the Rat tried to sneak away, but was too late.

“And you,” said Wilfred, pulling the Rat with his hand, heavy with the feeling of power.

There was only one more to choose. Everyone lowered their eyes, except for the pale little boy, who looked pleadingly, as if under hypnosis...

- All right, all right, you too, - said the Little Lord, as if reluctantly agreeing to a beneficence.

Before us is a kind of encyclopedia of the verbal behavior of a teenage leader. You can analyze for a long time every remark of Wilfred, every gesture and intonation, note the exact prediction of the reaction, but you must not forget: the guys who were his enemies a few minutes ago are ready to follow him, and commit a serious crime. Why has the situation changed dramatically? Maybe the reason is the electric flashlight that the Little Lord used to blind the guys who had never seen electricity? And in this too: the Indians also once considered the Spaniards, who possessed firearms, gods and were ready to obey them. But still, the main thing is in the manner of Wilfred to keep himself and others, in setting goals, in precise orientation in the situation. And many of our guys are good at this, which we ourselves often do not attach importance to.

It would seem that the culture of speech of teenage leaders is so low that it can be ignored. But in fact, the leader is the person who speaks most appropriately, accurately, logically, briefly, effectively, figuratively, clearly. As for correctness, the norms adopted by the company are observed by them flawlessly. Another thing is that they cannot be the norms of the whole society and often oppose them. Each group has its own culture of both interpersonal relations and speech. But the task of the teacher is to make it organic to the norms and values ​​accepted in society.

Only the one whose authority is determined not by circulars and not by a diploma (this is a sophistical argument “to authority” that was exposed in antiquity) has the right to lead, but by the internal need of the team members to see at the head just such a person who has the qualities that everyone dreams of mastering . "Magister dixit" ("The teacher said so") - this will be the decisive argument no earlier than the guys feel that everything said by the teacher has one goal - to make each of them higher, better, smarter. But this is achieved not from declarations, even the loudest ones, but thanks to the teacher's ability to establish an empathic relationship with pupils, not to solve abstract problems, but to set and solve precisely those that most acutely concern the children. They must be sure that the teacher is a guarantee of their spiritual growth, a person who consolidates the group, who is able to set the same tasks as themselves, but solve them at a qualitatively higher level.

So, we need a leader - one who would resist the influence of dubious street companies, but would not declare his rejecting position in relation to everything that is already accepted by teenagers. It is necessary to consider all aspects of the personality of a communicative leader - both a teenager and an adult. Of course, the portrait will be incomplete if we turn only to a hypothetical teacher leader: you need to see and know what are the qualities of a teenager leader in order to recognize him among others, to see the aspirations of our pupils, and together - to respond appropriately to possible communicative impulses addressed to us. Let's consider these qualities - and decide for ourselves what can and should be borrowed, and what should be excluded from the value hierarchy of the guys.

Let's look at teen leaders. How do they speak? Perhaps this is what will lead to an understanding of leadership as a psychosocial phenomenon.

The leader talks little about himself, but as much as possible - about his interlocutors, does not allow himself to relax, talk about his weaknesses, about his bad mood. On the contrary, every time he seeks to give the group an optimizing installation, with his whole appearance he convinces everyone that he acts freely: “I need this.”

The leader is a master of dialogue, he knows how to listen, while maintaining the appearance of a thoughtful interlocutor, to talk with everyone about the problems that concern him. In a situation where it is necessary to divide the audience, communicatively isolating the one who obviously negatively affects the formation of the team, the leader has to create a vacuum around his opponent, not revealing his own thoughts, making them the result of a dialogue, ridiculing the person who is causing discord in the group in time, “hooking” him at the first awkwardness, and then, opposing the rest, to introduce him into the group when he had already obeyed the established model of behavior. Usually this is helped by a responsible assignment. The leader always focuses the attention of the interlocutors on the problem that he knows better than others. If the group of motorists has a better car connoisseur than him, the leader switches to another topic, which is obviously more familiar to him.

When a well-established leader - fifth-grader Johnny Vorobyov, the hero of V. Krapivin - comes to the kids to read a play with them in the absence of a teacher, his speech behavior is characterized by brevity, offensiveness, his speech is bright and varied, attracts the attention of children. The situation unfolds like this: walked his former beloved teacher (and Kagpka's mother) to the door, closed the door, turned on his heels and distinctly said to the third"b":

- Get up!

In the third "b" sat all the people, but among all the people there were seven people who knew Johnny from kindergarten. People from the glorious John's army, the one that more than once glorified itself with cunning operations with beautiful names, and Fortress Street and the nearest alleys shook with thunderous battles in the war for justice. Combat discipline was in the blood of these veterans. They rushed springily from behind their desks and stretched out, faithfully looking at the commander. And the whole class followed them. Someone out of habit, someone out of fright, someone deciding that the head teacher Vasilisa Rudolfovna was coming ...

- At ease, only without a squeak. God knows what. It seems to be the third grade, but it’s like a nursery for a walk! Dimka, I'm giggling at you! Listen to everyone: we resolve issues briefly ... I told you - they sat down, and did not crash like skeletons from a balcony. Se-whether! Like this. Let's get to the first question: has everyone read the play?

It is easy to see that Johnny reacts to everything that happens in the classroom. Each of his remarks is not a spontaneous message, but a response to information coming to him from third graders. He has an extraordinary sense of humor, and this increases the level of his organizational skills. Let us remember that this is not an experienced teacher, but a fifth grader who first appeared in front of the third grade and has already established the most intense, businesslike and mutually necessary communication with this class. He uses for interaction those guys who are familiar to him and are accustomed to him as his leader (the principle dividing the audience take note!). With their support, he influences others. The main thing that does not change him is a sense of confidence in everything he says and calls for.

Teacher, educator, counselor - a permanent leader of communication, communicative leader. Any of our tasks is solved in the process of interaction, the psychological role in the group is determined precisely by the ability to communicate. A true teacher-leader knows that children like confidence and reticence, and if you find doubt, you will not achieve anything. The manner of speech, the rigidity of directing, the accuracy of wording, the quiet and unhurried significance of speech, excluding fussiness and inconsistency - all these are the features of a true leader, absolutely necessary for a teacher. We give the guys the opportunity to express themselves, to create, to express themselves, but the guiding will must be discerned in everything, otherwise anarchy will arise. Here, as in everything, a measure is needed: an excess of authoritarianism suppresses, alienates, accentuated democracy can cause familiarity, as A.A. Volkov: "Modesty is the ability to take the right position of equality and superiority in relation to the audience: a clear superiority entails alienation, and a clear equation - neglect."

The leader is always in sight. He must be ready to speak to everyone in his own words, unless, of course, it is a "godfather" and not a "boss". If, however, a “secret cabinet” is formed, then ... we will give the floor to one of the pioneers from A. Rybakov in the story “The Bronze Bird”: “... We saw Misha in a new role - a counselor. In general, it can be said that he copes with his duties satisfactorily, he does not set himself and is not fashionable, but he has one major drawback: he loves to keep secrets with Genka and Slavka. This secrecy alienates Misha from the team, puts him above the team. The disadvantage, of course, is not the biggest one, but one should not organize something like the secrets of the “Madrid court”. An exclusive relationship with someone senior in the group, counselor or teacher does not have the right.

So, the one whose idea is the most attractive, whose image most fully embodies the general ideas about the ideal, leads the way. But this idea and this image also have a corresponding speech mask that allows you to always be ahead. If there is no inspiring idea, the leader has failed.

A leader is someone who is approached in the hope of being heard when someone is unsure of their right to make the final judgment. The ability to lead is the ability to know the opinions of everyone and everyone, to synthesize them, in order to then make the necessary decisions. If the leader is embroiled in an argument, which is extremely rare, he will not passionately prove anything, will not threaten, justify, or convince. On the contrary, he will give the opponent the right to speak, will wait for his judgments, arguments, will ask more than answer, because the question is the most advantageous position in the dispute. The leader remembers: in a dispute one should not rush, make excuses, threaten, inspire anything.

When the polemicists get excited, the leader quickly pronounces a decision, a kind of summary after the polemic - in sharp, short, clear phrases that completely exclude the manifestation of anxiety, excitement. After an accidental commotion caused by the appearance of Zhenya in Timur's team, he imperiously draws a line to everyone's surprise, speaking with the utmost precision and conciseness: "Hush, Zhenya," he said loudly. - No need to shout, no one will touch you. Are we familiar. I am Timur.

The leader always withdraws from the conflict and does not support either side if the conflict is irreconcilable. He knows how to please both in order to imperceptibly subordinate them to his goals, i.e. team goals. He knows how to confuse the most irreconcilable of polemicists with a sensational fact, an interesting and practically unanswerable question, new information or demonstrative silence. He never cuts off anyone, does not use prohibitions, threats, let alone excuses.

The leader defiantly allows other members of the group to show weaknesses, talk about mistakes and make mistakes in speech, but he himself speaks flawlessly in the language that is accepted by the group. If this is the literary language of the so-called majors, he owns it to perfection. If it's slang rockers or nostalgists the jargon must be known to him better than anyone else. The leader knows how to profitably transform his speech style. If the asocial guidelines of the group are obvious, he has an excellent command of its language and all its communication manner. Once in another society with at least one member of his group, he adopts the language of this community, thus presenting to others both his competence and the ability to master the situation.

The leader subtly feels the mood of the group, always focuses on the current situation and the requests that have arisen. He talks to the group about their problems; appears as a person capable of solving them and inspiring others to solve them. He is laconic - he agrees, if necessary; ignores if what is said does not deserve attention, does not need someone's protection or support, rejects it. An interesting detail: the leader avoids quoting, because this is an appeal to someone's authority, and the authority is himself.

The guys often turn to the leader as an evaluating authority, conducting an indirect dialogue with each other. If there is a need to reprimand someone, the leader does it only being sure that he will be supported, argues and denies something only on behalf of the group. In this case, he does not say "I", but "we". If “we” sounded in the mouth of someone else, this is a direct threat of a “palace coup”. “We”, “with us”, “from us” are the words of a true leader. He will not say “you” to the group, thereby separating himself from it, on the contrary: he always emphasizes his unity with the rest with the so-called inclusive forms.

Often the leader speaks on behalf of the whole group in order to impose his decision on the teacher, educator. "We do not want a quiet hour, we are quite adults." The teacher will do wrong if he starts to read instructions to everyone, something else is needed here - to immediately “decapitate” the group, to counter the words of the leader: “We all want no one to speak on our behalf, we ourselves can. Really guys?" The pronouns “we”, “us”, a direct question to the audience create a new situation of communication. The guys will not answer “no”, but by answering in the affirmative, they will thereby debunk the leader, helping the adult in this.

The leader speaks at the same pace and style, sometimes in a monotone. It is known, by the way, that Robespierre spoke slowly and quietly, his voice was weak. However, each member of the Convention knew that his fate could change under the influence of the "incorruptible" speech, so the intense attention gave rise to a ringing silence.

One of the important features of the leader's speech is ellipticity, incompleteness of speech structures, the ability to cut off one's thoughts at the most interesting or obvious, thereby, as it were, passing the baton of speech to the guys who will enthusiastically pick it up. “Yesterday, she approached me on the court ...” - the teenager begins, dragging out the speech on the obvious and known to someone in the group. "Anna Kournikova!" - he joyfully picks up, beaming with pride in his own enlightenment. To create a situation where thought, speech will be immediately continued by others is the art of a true organizer, conductor of a children's group.

In a well-organized group, subordination to the leader is automated, the person inertially fulfills the requirements, without subjecting him to analytical comprehension. The demand itself is not accentuated, it is not distinguished by intonation and tempo, the leader avoids such forms as: “I say”, “I demand”... has some kind of distinguishing attribute that fits into the emerging "speech image".

The leader is allowed a lot, but he does not have the right to do anything that goes against the established orientations of the group, including external ones - by opposing himself to the rest, he loses the only mechanism of power - the ability to control some with the help of others.

Another quality of a leader you can observe: the form of address. In the "Bronze Bird" there are a variety of characters: Kit, Byashka, Genka, Warbler, but there is simply - Misha. He is a counselor - a leader, and leaders are always called by their names, they do not have nicknames and suffixes that distort the name. If the counselor was called "Miha" - keep in mind that the functions of the informal leader were transferred to the one who called him that first. "Seryoga", - a new counselor is recommended. For all the democratic nature of such a representation, the pedagogical miscalculation is obvious: if he is called that Seryoga,“Masha” or “Andrey” will always be found, whose name no one will ever distort.

An important speech (and intellectual) quality of a leader is the ability to turn any conflict ready to break out into a joke. A teenager is offended by another: “Because of you, everyone will be left after the lessons, at least he answered the three.” He asks with some resentment:

“Did I know that she would ask me about this ciliate shoe?” Suitable leader: “And I didn't know either. I'm a lazy person, a truant, a rocker, a broker, a dealer, a killer... well, who else is there? I, too, yesterday maliciously shied away from biology. By the way, we played football together yesterday until the evening, and you probably did your homework without fools until the morning?(One blushes, the other smiles, having found a patron, the leader reaps the laurels.)

The ability to remain cheerful, optimistic and even carefree is the quality that defines a leader. He leads. And the one who does not know the way or is afraid of difficulties cannot lead anyone.

Of course, not everything that is said about the leader will be adopted by you. Each person is a person with his own ideals, goals, motivations. But the teacher, and, in particular, the counselor, the head of the circle or section, must prepare himself for this difficult function. From a variety of information, they will have to choose the one that will help to be close to schoolchildren and a little ahead.

A teacher who is not a leader, an internal guide for each pupil, creates in the teenage environment a kind of "bosses" and "godfathers" who will lead the children in an incomprehensible direction. This is all the more important now, when the children of the whole country are waiting for someone who will lead them forward, to eternal ideals, for which we, teachers, are far from being generous today ...

Conclusion

The situation in Russia is such that we need new strong, healthy leaders who will be responsible for all of us, who know how to get us to where we really want to go, and who know what needs to be done for this. But where to get them? It seems that the answer is obvious - there is nowhere to take them, except among ourselves. Everything is simple, but not very easy to do.

Such an experiment was carried out. Students (Russian) were asked to graphically represent the first thing that comes to mind when they hear the word "leader". Some painted money, others - symbols of prestige: cars, ships, planes, cottages; still others are symbols of superiority: monuments, large gravestone inscriptions. Of course, the students are right - leaders have all this. However, these pictures tell psychologists that the idea has become established in the minds of young people - there are main ones and there are not main ones. And, for the most part, the main ones are not them. It is very sad.

In America, in addition to the system for identifying leaders among the people and promoting them to a high level - "social engineering", there is a book with a very extravagant title: "Why do Russians fail?" The answer to this question, in part, lies in the psychology of most students. We are not serious about the issue of educating national leaders, so we have few of them, we are waiting for their arrival.

List of used literature:

1. Life at the top. The art of being a leader. M., 1999.

2. Who cares about the leader's interests? D. Olshansky. Business N 8, 1995

3. Yakhontova E.S. "Psychology of business relations", M. 1997

4. Petrovsky A.V., Yaroshevsky M.G. "Psychology", M. 2000

5. Andreeva G.M. "Social psychology", M.1998

6. Krichevsky R.L., Dubovskaya E.M. "Psychology of a small group", Moscow State University 1991

A member of the group, for whom she recognizes (or is forced to recognize) the right to make responsible decisions in situations that are significant to her. L.'s success is largely determined by the perception and recognition by members of the group of his status, competence and personal qualities.

LEADER

a member of a small group, who is nominated as a result of the interaction of group members to organize a group in solving a specific problem; demonstrates a higher level of activity, participation, influence in solving this problem; an individual who has the ability to psychologically influence others in order to integrate joint activity and / or activity; the status of a leading member of a group with actual power over its other members, obtained by its owner in the process and as a result of relations in a small group. (Kosolapov N.A., p.103)

Leader

English leader - leader, leader) - any individual occupying a position of dominance has power or a determining influence in a social group. The term is usually qualified by an adjective characterizing the kind of leader or leadership in question. In those frequent cases when this clarification is omitted, the term can be used for manipulative purposes, while exploiting such connotations of the term as “the most active”, “the most competent and responsible”, “possessing the qualities of a leader”, “knowing everything better than others”, "alpha male", etc.

LEADER

a member of the group, for whom all other members of the group recognize the right to make responsible decisions in situations that are significant for it - decisions that affect their interests and determine the direction and nature of the activities of the entire group. The most authoritative person who really plays a central role in organizing joint activities and regulating relationships in the group. In psychology, various classifications of leaders are accepted:

2) by the nature of activity - a universal leader and a situational leader;

3) according to the direction of activity - an emotional leader and a business leader, etc. A leader and a leader are not necessarily united in one person. Unlike the leader, who is sometimes elected, and more often appointed, and who, bearing responsibility for the state of affairs in the team, has the official right to encourage and punish, the leader is put forward spontaneously. He does not have any authority recognized outside the group, he does not have any official duties. If the head of the group and its leader are not the same person, then the relationship between them can contribute to the effectiveness of the joint activity and harmonization of the life of the group, or it can acquire a conflicting character, which is determined by the level of development of the group.

Leader

English leader - leading] - a member of the group, for whom she recognizes the right to make responsible decisions in situations that are significant for her, i.e. the most authoritative person who really plays a central role in organizing joint activities and regulating relationships in the group. In psychology, various classifications of leaders are accepted: 1) according to the content of the activity (L.-inspirer and L.-performer); 2) by the nature of the activity (universal L. and situational L.); 3) according to the direction of activity (emotional L. and business L.), etc. L. may or may not be the leader of the group at the same time. Unlike the leader, who is sometimes purposefully elected, and more often appointed, and who, being responsible for the state of affairs in the team he leads, has the official right to reward and punish participants in joint activities, L. is put forward spontaneously. He has no authority recognized outside the group, and no official duties are assigned to him. If the head of the group and her L. are not the same person, then the relationship between them can contribute to the effectiveness of joint activities and harmonize the life of the group, or, on the contrary, acquire a conflict character, which, ultimately, is determined by the level of group development. So, for example, in prosocial and asocial associations, as a rule, the functions of the L. and the leader are performed by different members of the group. At the same time, most often L. in communities of this level of socio-psychological development is a member of the group, who is primarily responsible for maintaining and maintaining a positive emotional atmosphere in the group, while the leader, being primarily focused on increasing the effectiveness of group activity, often does not take into account how it will affect the socio-psychological climate of the community. In corporate groupings, as well as in groups of a high socio-psychological level of development, as a rule, the functions of the L. and the leader are assigned to the same person. At the same time, the foundations of leadership and leadership in these two types of psychologically highly developed groups are fundamentally different. So, if in corporate groupings the coincidence of the status positions of L. and the leader is associated with a clear priority of power relations to the detriment of the emotional plan of relations, then in a prosocial group of a high level of development such as a collective, it is the emotional “feeding” of power often acts as a necessary foundation for the implementation of formal power. A.V. Petrovsky, M.Yu. Kondratiev

LEADER

from English. leader - leading) - a member of the group, for whom she recognizes the right to make responsible decisions in situations that are significant for her, that is, the most authoritative person who really plays a central role in organizing joint activities and regulating relationships in the group. In psychology, various classifications of leaders are accepted: 1) according to the content of the activity (L. is the inspirer and L. is the performer); 2) by the nature of the activity (universal L. and situational L.); 3) according to the direction of activity (emotional L. and business L.), etc. L. plays an important role in resolving conflicts in the organization. Firstly, the number and content of conflicts that arise between him and others depend on his individual characteristics. Secondly, L. influences the socio-psychological climate in the team and, thereby, the conflict nature of relationships. Thirdly, L. more often than others participates in the settlement of problematic and conflict situations that arise in the relationship of other members of the group.

The concepts of "leader" and "leadership"

The concept of "leader" and the content of leadership

Practice shows that no single factor provides greater benefits and benefits to the organization than effective leadership. Leaders are needed to determine goals and objectives, to organize, coordinate, ensure interpersonal contacts with subordinates and choose the best, most effective ways to solve certain problems. Clearly, organizations with leaders can achieve all of this much faster than organizations without leaders.

Let's define the term "leader". A leader is a person who has built himself, i.e. self-made (business, life, English - self-made). Nowhere will they teach you how to be a leader - to become a leader, you do not need to graduate from institutes or courses. They simply become leaders if a person has a desire, someone, noticing this desire, encourages him, and gives him the opportunity for self-realization, therefore, a potential leader will be able to realize his abilities.

Leader (from the English leader - leading, first, going ahead) - a person in any group (organization), enjoying recognized authority and influence. A member of the group, for whom she recognizes the right to make responsible decisions in situations that are significant for her, that is, the most authoritative person who really plays a central role in organizing joint activities and regulating relationships in the group.

Brian O'Neill defines leadership: leadership is influencing people so that they achieve results, while demonstrating standards and quality of work above their usual level.

The phenomenon of leadership is rooted in the very nature of man and society. Phenomena, in many respects similar to leadership, are found in the environment of animals leading a collective, herd lifestyle. Here, the strongest, smartest enough, stubborn and determined individual always stands out - the leader, leading the herd (flock) in accordance with its unwritten laws, which are dictated by relationships with the environment and are biologically programmed.

Leadership is based on the specific needs of complex systems. These include, first of all, the need for self-organization, streamlining the behavior of individual elements of the system in order to ensure its vital and functional ability. Such orderliness is achieved thanks to the vertical (management - subordination) and horizontal (correlative single-level links, for example, division of labor and cooperation) distribution of functions and roles, and above all, the allocation of the managerial function and the structures that implement it, which usually require a hierarchical, pyramidal structure for their effectiveness. organizations. The top of such a managerial pyramid is the leader.

Unlike a leader who is purposefully appointed and who, being responsible for the state of affairs in the team he leads, has the official right to reward and punish participants in joint activities, the informal leader is put forward spontaneously. He has no authority recognized outside the group, and no official duties are assigned to him.

According to the mechanism of its nomination, the leader can be formal or informal. In the first case, he is appointed "from above" or elected, thus he acquires the official status of a leader. An informal leader can manifest himself and gain recognition in a team, organization due to his pronounced individual, social, political, psychological and other qualities. With his authority and influence, the informal leader influences the behavior of people and can oppose the formal leader.

If the head of the group and its leader are not the same person, then the relationship between them can contribute to the effectiveness of joint activities and harmonize the life of the group, or, on the contrary, acquire a conflict character, which, ultimately, is determined by the level of group development.

It is important to understand that leadership is not about personal qualities, authority, motivation, or ideology, as it is sometimes erroneously interpreted in translated literature. First of all, leadership is a system of relationships in a group, when one person (leader) takes the initiative and takes responsibility for the actions of the group and their possible consequences, while others (followers) are ready to follow the proposed initiative and make significant efforts for this.

What is leadership? What is a leader? How to become one?

In the modern lexicon of a person, a representative of the business world, leadership is defined as "the ability to inspire and arouse the desire to work." A legitimate question arises: "Who?" - Of course, the same with their employees. But to understand the true meaning of leadership, we need to delve deeper into the essence of the word.

One moment, which was established after long-term research by psychologists, showed that any group of people thrown onto a desert island, for a duel with wild animals, just on the playing field, finds and chooses a leader for itself, whom each of them will obey, respect support and carry out his tasks. And the choice of a leader does not depend on the level of intelligence and age of the team members.

In order to be a leader, a simple desire will not be enough: a person who has expressed such a desire must, in addition to this, have several more characteristic features that only a true leader has. Otherwise, this person will fail, for it is difficult to be a leader. In business practice, over time, research and history have shown that anyone can become a leader. But even here, a simple desire to become one was not enough, because it still required a desire to learn and develop in oneself the abilities that help in leadership. This desire must be based on a strong desire and a true hunger for success.

A leader is a person who has built himself, i.e. self-made (business, life, English - self-made). Nowhere will they teach you how to be a leader - to become a leader, you do not need to graduate from institutes or courses. They simply become leaders if you have a desire, someone noticing it, encourages you, gives you the opportunity for self-realization, therefore, you can realize your abilities.

In order to better understand the functions of a leader, below we will give you a few notes that every person who wants to become a leader simply needs to be equipped with.

There are no perfect people, and no one is perfect!

But still, leaders are born, this fact is simply undeniable. All people, regardless of who they were born, they have a base for self-improvement - the brain. Even if we were not born leaders, each of us has the opportunity to become one, for this it is simply necessary to develop in each of us our feelings and leadership traits, because every person has them, with the exception of a very small percentage. To develop these traits in oneself, a person needs to analyze every leader to whom he is not indifferent, whom he considers his idol in terms of efficiency and success. And in all your actions and decisions, imitate him, but you also need to imitate wisely.

Commercial Leader Qualities:

Enthusiasm.
Agree, even with simple enthusiasm a person can reach unprecedented heights. This is the first necessary trait for the development of leadership skills in a person. In order to generate enthusiasm in yourself, first of all, you need to find a thing or area from which a person is delighted, in which this person would like to achieve unprecedented success. Often, persistence is needed in the practice of developing enthusiasm. There are a lot of examples when a person with fire in his eyes and soul starts a business, takes on it with great hopes, but at the first unsuccessful experience he quickly and without hesitation refuses. This person cannot be a leader, because his enthusiasm is fake, not sincere. The real enthusiasm that is characteristic of a true leader is quiet and nondescript, because he has this feeling, and he does not boast of it. Simple mottos for finding and identifying your enthusiasm: "I can do it! I can do it!" Only in this case, a person can achieve his goals.

If a person feels that the work he is doing is easy for him, he tries to do everything possible so that this work acquires a different character for him, and interest arises. Then he will have an interest, only in this case he will be able to achieve success in this field and become the leader of the area, which may satisfy his hunger for leadership. And if not, then this is a person with great ambitions, and he is capable of much.

Courage and bravery.
Any person who tries to become a leader must be brave in body and soul. Only then will he be able to overcome the obstacles that come his way. Courage and courage are necessary in situations where a person needs to "take", i.e. grab what he wants. Every problem that is encountered on the way to success and prosperity, a true leader must overcome with the courage that is characteristic only of a truly ambitious person. A true leader treats every problem as if it were another test with which he can earn winning points. And he approaches the decision as a new battle, from which he will definitely emerge victorious.

The courage of a leader is manifested not only in overcoming the problems that have arisen, but also in overcoming oneself, i.e. contrary to their principles and dogmas. This means having a strong character, always doing what you promised, what you said. This means that a leader goes through all walls and trials only as a winner, regardless of their character, business or personal.

Faith.
An important requirement for a leader of any era and area was faith. Because if the leader himself does not believe in it, how can he demand it from those around him. In today's world, it is impossible to be 100% sure what you are doing, that the person you are talking to will not let you down tomorrow with a stupid, short-sighted decision or action. The best option in this case is a test of faith. If your interlocutor is confident in his words and can be held accountable for his words and actions, then you can work with him fruitfully.

A greater requirement than the requirement of faith in the cause or its success, the requirement for a leader is faith in oneself, in one's own strengths and capabilities. Only such a person can break through a wall and pass through a pole. But the most important requirement that is met for the business world is faith in oneself and the ability to make people around him believe in himself - only in this case success is guaranteed. A self-confident leader never imposes his thoughts on his subordinates, they (subordinates) are always confident in the correctness of his thoughts and decisions. A brave and strong leader is always ready and open to new discussions and approaches, to new solutions to issues. Because with the help of them he can make changes to the case on the go.

The leader never talks about sky-high plans that he can't achieve, because it's just a matter of time, and these goals are kept in his long drawer. He never does anything that he is not absolutely sure of. He always looks at things realistically, from a sober point of view.

Integration.
The leader is a man of his word. He always keeps his promises, never lets people down and is always punctual. He is always delicate and precise in his statements, regardless of who he is talking to: whether they are subordinates, or partners, or just his relatives. The reason leaders always keep their promises is the good work of his mind, because he does not make his decisions and does not make promises recklessly, he will always think and weigh the pros and cons before speaking. They always make their decisions based on their abilities.

Loyalty.
It is always important when communicating with partners, because without it it is impossible to achieve good performance.
Loyalty is also important when dealing with other people in your circle. Because it is impossible for a leader to make fun of someone, to speak his shortcomings openly, in front of everyone. Because in this way he will undermine the reputation of the ridiculed in the eyes of his colleagues. But at the same time, all his loyalty does not mean his softness - the leader never forgives mistakes, he can make a remark in private, i.e. tete-a-tete, but this remark will cost the delinquent dearly. A true leader will never covet the success of his competitors, because this is envy, and envy, as you know, is inherent only in weak-willed people. Another part of loyalty is a sense of responsibility for the well-being of your subordinates. The leader will never leave his subordinate in trouble, because he knows the value of his specialist. And he does this not out of self-interest, but simply out of his inherent human values.

Interests.
It is difficult to describe the meaning of the word "friendliness" in a nutshell. Even large explanatory dictionaries cannot briefly describe this word. But despite all the difficulty, this feeling is characteristic of the leader. Because he is a self-confident person, and is not afraid of anyone, therefore he is friendly with everyone, even with his competitors, of which there are naturally many.

The leader is inherent in mutual respect for all people, regardless of their religion, race or age. Although the word friendliness in its full sense cannot be applied to this situation, it implies respect and understanding.

Leader humor.
The leader should not be the soul of the company. But his presence is always felt, whether it's a corporate party or a simple gathering with friends. He always speaks according to the situation, and never says too much, even if he drinks a little alcohol. The leader's jokes and remarks are always witty, and in many situations they motivate a person.

This article has described six features that are characteristic indicators for a leader. A person who is trying to become one needs to think about them, think about them, come to an optimal solution. All the character traits that are described above have been examined by strong people, whose remark cannot be disputed, whose competence is beyond suspicion. We wish you success.

The word leader comes from the English lead (lead). So, the leader is the leader who goes ahead. A leader is a member of an organization with a high personal status, exerting a strong influence on the opinions and behavior of the people around him, members of an association, organization, and performing a set of functions.

Leadership is defined as a process of social influence in which the leader seeks the voluntary participation of subordinates in activities to achieve organizational goals (Schrishein); or as a process of influencing group activity, which is aimed at achieving goals (Stogdill).

Leadership can be defined as a type of managerial interaction based on the most effective combination of various sources of power for a given situation and aimed at encouraging people to achieve common goals. It follows from this definition that leadership is a function of leader, followers, and situational variables.

Leadership is also defined as the specific actions of the leader to coordinate and manage the activities of the group (Friedler).

Actually, the problem of defining the concept of leadership depends on which theory to adhere to, and depending on this, the emphasis is placed in the definition. In a general sense, leadership can be defined as a relationship of dominance and subordination, influence and following in the system of interpersonal relations in a group.

In modern science, in the presence of a common starting position, leadership is characterized ambiguously. We can distinguish the main approaches to its interpretation:

1. Leadership is a kind of power, the specificity of which is the direction from top to bottom, as well as the fact that its bearer is not the majority, but one person or group of people. Political leadership, writes Jean Blondel, is "the power exercised by one or more individuals in order to induce the members of the nation to action."

2. Leadership is a managerial status, a social position associated with decision-making, this is a leadership position. Such an interpretation of leadership follows from the structural-functional approach, which assumes the consideration of society as a complex, hierarchically organized system of social positions and roles. Occupation in this system of positions related to the performance of managerial functions (roles), and gives a person the status of a leader. In other words, as Downton notes, leadership is “a position in society that is characterized by the ability of the person occupying it to direct and organize the collective behavior of some or all of its members.”

3. Leadership is an influence on other people (V. Katz, L. Edinger, etc.). However, this is not any influence, but one that is characterized by four features: firstly, it is necessary that the influence be constant, and secondly, the leader’s guiding influence must be exercised on the entire group (organization, society), thirdly, the political leader is distinguished by a clear priority in influence, fourthly, the leader's influence is based not on the direct use of force, but on authority or at least recognition of the legitimacy of leadership. Some scholars, such as J. Blondel, allow the use of coercion in the exercise of leadership.

Looking into the sociological dictionary, one can find the following definitions of leadership: “Leadership is 1) the leading position of an individual, a social group ... due to more effective results of activity ... 2) the processes of internal self-organization and self-government of a group, a team, due to the individual initiative of their members” Vesnin V .R. Fundamentals of Management / V.R. Vesnin. - M. - 2003. - S. 185

The first definition has two undoubted advantages. One of them is that this definition shows the subjective nature of this concept: a person whose achievements are recognized by a certain group of people can be a leader for these people, and at the same time, another group can deny his leadership if he does not consider the corresponding achievements as outstanding. Another merit of this definition is its operationality, for it indicates a definite path to leadership.

On the other hand, this definition also suffers from a number of significant shortcomings. First, outstanding achievement does not guarantee leadership. Einstein, for example, was the undisputed genius of 20th-century physics, but he can hardly be called a leader, since he had practically no students. Therefore, this definition formulates a necessary but not sufficient condition for leadership. Secondly, such a definition, as it were, fixes the leadership position of an individual or group, while a change of leaders is constantly taking place before our eyes, even if the previous achievements of the old leaders are not disputed. Third, and to this we want to emphasize, the definition under consideration is static: it does not reflect the dynamism of the leadership process. Indeed, leadership is not only the position of an individual or group, it is also the process of involving followers in activities aimed at achieving certain goals. This aspect is reflected in the second definition of leadership, but it is done in such a general form that it is practically impossible to distinguish leadership from other processes in social groups on the basis of such a definition. Filonovich S.R. Leadership Theories in Management: History and Prospects// Russian Journal of Management. - 2003. - No. 2, - P.4.

The richness of the parties, aspects of leadership determines the diversity of its typology. The simplest and most widespread classification of leadership in an organization is the allocation of its three types (sometimes they are called leader roles): business leadership (typical for groups that arise on the basis of production goals, based on such qualities as high competence, the ability to solve organizational problems better , business authority, experience), emotional leadership (arises in socio-psychological groups on the basis of human sympathies, the attractiveness of interpersonal communication), situational leadership (by its nature it can be both business and emotional, its distinguishing feature is instability, temporary limitation, connection only in certain circumstances).