Sometimes in their lives, everyone must be a leader. Don’t you think so? Well, that is because most of us think that we have to be in a management position to be a leader. Our notion of a leader is a successful individual, a politician who is on top, or the most senior corporate executive.
In our daily lives, we see and experience thousands of different examples of leadership. Our failure to acknowledge and appreciate them is rather apparent. There are many facts about leadership that determine the growth and success rate of the organization or company.
Usually, we think of leaders as people who have been there and done that. You were a leader when you stood by your family member when he/she needed you. You were a leader when you remained calm under fire.
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Leadership
The definition of leadership varies with situations like community leadership, religious leadership, political leadership, and organizational leadership.
Leadership is the quality or ability to make impact and guide followers or other individuals of an organization or community. In an organization, leadership is acknowledged as a vital aspect to improve efficiency and achieve goals.
A leader with pure leadership quality provides clarity of purpose with a clear vision, is honest, and coherent, and is a strategic planner who believes in teamwork and directs the organization to new heights.
The characteristic that a good leader must have is a trusting relationship with his followers or colleagues. The individual must lead by example to keep the movement intact.
Leadership requires courage, strategy, and an intent to ensure the success of everyone in the team. A leader aspires and guides others to reach their full potential.
Leadership plays a crucial role in an organization’s success or failure because it inspires and motivates people. Effective leadership focuses on the common objectives for the success of a company rather than personal agendas.
In the absence of leadership, teams suffer. Organizations must therefore implement leadership development to improve their leadership effectiveness. Though information technology in business is vital, where leadership extends longevity.
Leadership Facts
Anyways, leadership can be defined in a variety of ways. But as John Maxwell has said, “Leadership is not about titles, positions, or charts. It is about how one person influences another.” Leadership facts have included some interesting stats and points as a reminder for everybody.
In this article, we will discuss different facts about leadership, including how leadership is born, what it means to lead effectively, and what good leaders can accomplish that we have found.
1. Fewer leaders will be born in the next five years
People born during World War II or 1960 are retiring in large numbers, millennials are changing jobs. Employers do not plan leadership development programs that will provide their employees with leadership skills.
According to research, the lack of struggle and motivation will result in the production of fewer leaders within the next five years. According to 84% of companies, there will be a decline of leaders within the next five years.
2. 19% of them believe their leader can teach leadership skill
A good leader is often defined as having the ability to motivate and build others up while ensuring that work is completed. Training workers with skills in leadership roles is important for the triumph of organizations.
Leadership skills are very important in the work environment, and few leaders prepare others to take their place. This is part of the reasons why a huge percentage of organizations experience a leadership gap.
Internal political structures may prevent leaders from transferring skills to future leaders because they are glimpsed as a threat in the hierarchy. These facts about leadership show why it’s important to have a good leader for any country or organization.
3. 71% of organizations think their leaders lack what it takes
Having effective leaders and supportive followers is essential for an organization with complaints about the leader, poor communication, and a lack of appreciation between the leader and the rest of the team will affect the growth.
Some point out that cultural aspects, ethical considerations, and self-awareness prevent leaders from operating effectively to achieve the organization’s goals.
4. 22% of employees believe their leaders have a vision
Leadership requires making decisions even when uncertainties loom large, but with the right response, leaders can navigate through complex times. Employees work hard to complete the task in time and help the leader to excel in his vision.
An organization whose vision and mission are clearly defined does not chase trends. Leadership should enable leaders to make decisions in alignment with their brand promise. All these facts about leadership reveal why good leaders are the secret to bigger success.
Having a purpose and a direction for a company makes workers feel committed to their job. According to a Gallup survey in 2018, only 22% of employees believe their leaders have a specific direction for the company.
5. Women are hardly given the director position
In comparison to men, 5.15 percent of women hold board director positions. When compared with 2010 statistics, this represents an increase of 54%. These facts about leadership show how discriminative and mean our society or thinking is, asking questions when women excel.
Women have been represented on boards on a slow and steady basis. Leadership roles, including board director positions, are usually filled by men. Despite being better than previous statistics, boardroom diversity is increasing. These leadership facts are a little uncanny but the change has already started and adaptation was commendable.
6. Leader sharpens your skills
Leaders always want to make the most of their talents. So, never hesitate when given a task or target that might be a challenge. As a leader, you need to be consistent with your attitude and behavior. Leadership doesn’t believe in setting boundaries and rules, but to uplift the performance of the employee.
Also Read Benefits of Information Technology for Students!
7. Perform at a time of crisis
Leaders always lead by example. They outperform in times of crisis and are always ready to take decisions. Most of the time they show their agility and ability while handling most complex problems elegantly.
Leaders are not the ones that blame mistakes on others or look for any excuse they can take. They tackle and solve every problem as a challenge to themselves and come up with a perfect solution.
8. Leadership requires inspiration
Leaders are those individuals who encourage people to rethink what they do. They are influencers able to change the mindset and give a clear understanding of the goal to the employees.
The speech of a leader is the best way to know about his or her ability. The quality of words and their confidence attract many individuals and followers. Leadership is not about leaders alone but how they can motivate and inspire others.
9. Leaders are great performers
Leaders have to perform like a pro as they frequently address masses or many numbers of people. Gratitude elevates your reputation and influences others whereas attitude gives you discipline.
The style of leaders differs with the types. If you are a coach you have to be strict and hardworking. If you are CEO then you have to be clear and straightforward. If you are a team manager you have to communicate, motivate and solve any issues accordingly.
10. Leadership requires emotional intelligence
Leaders should be equal to everyone. But when the time comes bold decisions have to be made. At that time of context, emotional intelligence will help you handle the problem with less negative impact.
Emotional intelligence includes empathy, affection, gratitude, self-awareness, initiative, self-confidence, communication, hunger for success, and more. These factors not only affect you but also the ones that are around you.
11. Leaders are visionary
Leaders need to have vision and direction. The goals and strategy of the organization depend on the vision. Leaders should be alert and ready to use alternate plans in case of collateral damage.
Leaders should know about the obstacles to be faced in the future and its solution. Strategic leadership is the quality that is in the visionary and the leader. Leaders should know how to manage and complete the task with the provided workforce in time.
12. Leaders are mentors
All the mentors are leaders as they motivate and groom the talent with their expertise and technique. Likewise, this quality in leadership helps in commanding and assisting your colleagues or employees.
Leaders should be able to gather and inspire the mass with some personality development skills to take their attention. They are the ones to take the risk, and accordingly, they expect perfect outcomes or results.
13. Leadership is also a voluntary skill
Leaders always serve or give to others. If we keep aside the salary amount, leaders are the ones who are teaching us, who are executing the plan and thinking about solutions to problems with growth in revenue.
These types are willing to sacrifice anything if given a great opportunity or responsibility. Leaders never take any action on their own, even if the decision is already taken they ask or discuss it with their team members or co-workers.
14. Leadership requires dealing with people
Leaders have to deal with many people and with different approaches accordingly that is why learning about others is essential. They need to cultivate interpersonal relationships through vocabulary skills, a sense of empathy, and constant reinforcement.
Great leaders are good at communication skills. Even after their death, some of the speeches of powerful leaders are still considered the best. Leaders are always surrounded or addressed by a large number of people, so the skill to deal with people is very important.
15. Leaders are role model
Leadership requires more passion and dedication than any other individual. Leaders inspire their colleagues with their actions, show up early for work, work harder, and communicate with everybody.
Leaders’ action speaks louder than their words.
They come forward and take responsibility for their mistakes and are never afraid to confront in any situation. Leaders deliver results by appreciating, giving feedback, encouraging, brainstorming, and sharing ideas with their followers or colleagues.
16. Organizations are spending to equip their employee
Organizations that recognize it’s important for their employees to learn and grow are investing a lot of resources in the process. Approximately $160 billion has been spent by US companies on employee education and training.
$365 billion was spent worldwide in the same year, which means that the US is spending over a third of the total. The growth of the company depends on its employee’s vision and hard work.
Also Read About Workplace Diversity!
17. Leaders are thinking about employee engagement
More than 80% of business leaders are working to improve employee engagement. The result is extremely positive escalating the success rate of the company.
Companies are finding new ways to engage their staff to create stable environments. Whether through brief meetings, team-building activities, or one-on-ones, this can be accomplished.
In addition, many employers are implementing an open-door policy that allows employees to vent easily. The fresh air and the open environment make them feel more relaxed. Some companies provide indoor games and gyms, a cafeteria, and a basketball court.
18. Women make better leaders than men
The women’s leadership statistics show that females have been shown to have a higher level of resilience (54.7 percentile) than men (49.3 percentile). These facts about leadership between men and women are surprising.
Women are very reliable and motivated, and they have excellent problem-solving skills. Currently, Finland is the only country in history with a female prime minister (Sanna Marin) who is under 35 years of age.
19. Transparency is very important in leadership facts
Leaders ought to consider transparency as a very important aspect of providing leadership to the company. The transparent workflow of the organization is key to gaining trust.
However, only 18% of respondents believed that their organization has a transparent and open approach, while 37% were concerned with building trust with customers. These facts about leadership have been enrolled in some of the companies as a workshop.
20. Complexity and ambiguity is a 21st-century leadership skill
In a 2019 human capital survey, 81% of respondents chose the ability to “lead through more complexity and ambiguity” as a required leadership ability for 21st-century leaders.
The ability to lead through influence, the ability to manage on a remote basis, the ability to manage a workforce with a combination of humans and machines, and the ability to lead more quickly were other 21st-century leadership skills as per the survey.
Quotes About Leadership
Here are some of the famous quotes by leaders from various fields. It will help you understand the perspective, vision, strategy, and execution explained in the leadership facts above.
“A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“A leader is a dealer in hope.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” – Khalil Gibran
“It is absolutely necessary… for me to have persons that can think for me, as well as execute orders.” – George Washington
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” – Nelson Mandela
“Earn your leadership every day.” – Michael Jordan
“The greater the crime perpetrated by the leadership, the less likely it is that the people will ever believe their leaders to be capable of perpetrating such an event.” – Adolf Hitler
“He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander.” – Aristotle
“My job is not to be easy on people. My job is to take these great people we have and to push them and make them even better.” – Steve Jobs
“The nation will find it very hard to look up to the leaders who are keeping their ears to the ground.” – Sir Winston Churchill
We have no right to believe that freedom can be won without a struggle. – Che Guevara
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” – Lao Tzu
“I am open to the guidance of synchronicity, and do not let expectations hinder my path.” – Dalai Lama
Leadership is a subjective topic. The idea and the definition of a leader or leadership can vary from person to person. The diversity of workers requires better representation among leaders, as well as an increasing number of females and minorities serving on boards.
John Quincy Adams says, “When you inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” What is the definition of leadership according to you? Who is a leader for you? All these leadership facts are aspiring and inspiring for both those who want to be a leader and who are searching for one.
