Defining Leadership

Does it really matter how you define leadership?

Leadership is a word that is similar to words like peace, and democracy each with distinct meanings dependent on the perspective of the speaker. Yet when we hear these words we have an intuitive understanding of what the words mean (Northouse, 2001). There is no surprise that there is not one clear definition of leadership. Moreover, the leadership theories use varied definitions in addition to characteristics such as skills and expertise, confidence, traits, and behavior to formulate theory (Yukl, 2002). With a broad understanding of what leadership means and the inclusion of elements such as behavior, which is yet another word that is loaded with intuitive interpretation; it is paramount to establish a definition of leadership in the context of which it is applied, perceived or studied (Northouse, 2001; Yukl, 2002).

Reference:
Northouse, P. (2002). Leadership Theory and Practice. (2nd ed. ) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Yukl, G. (2002). Leadership in Organizations (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.