"Good leadership is not universal, it should always be defined within a context" - Hafiza Golandaz, Executive Director, International Leadership & Management Alliance (ILMA)

While introducing Ms. Golandaz, Maya Shahani, Chairperson, Centre for Management, gave the students her own perspective on leadership. She stated that a good leader should be a combination of several personalities – he should be a good optometrist who understands the importance of 20/20 vision and has clarity of thought; he should be a good plumber who can stop leaks and channel energies in the right direction; a good fisherman who will attract opportunity with the right bait; a good rower who knows the power of leveraging; and he should be a good innkeeper and think 5-star because the higher you set your goals, the more you will achieve.

Ms. Golandaz began by giving students the time to gather their thoughts on leadership with a group exercise. Each group of 4-5 students was asked to define leadership and name one personality who embodied what they thought were the qualities of a leader.

Dipin Shah of Team 1 defined a leader as someone who is innovative, intelligent and focused. The team picked Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO, Apple, as their ideal of a leader. Speaking for Team 2, Zohaib Shaikh said a good leader is one who has the ability to delegate, to communicate well and displays a commitment to the job at hand. They felt Mahatma Gandhi best reflected these qualities of a leader. Aditi of Team 3 also named Steve Jobs as the ideal leader who displayed the ability to take risks, motivate, empathize and influence. Team 4, which also named Mahatma Gandhi, believed a good leader should be inspiring, honest and determined. Finally, Vinay Chakraborty of Team 5 said that his team had picked Subhash Chandra Bose as the ideal leader. The team members felt a good leader should help set a goal for his/her organization, motivate people and lead by example.

It was interesting to note that many of the students questioned the choices of their classmates. And it was only natural. As Ms. Golandaz told them, there have been thousands of studies on leadership but there has never been a consensus on what leadership is. However, leadership should always been defined within a context. Someone who may be considered a leader in a social context may not have what it takes to command authority and respect in a business setting.

Ms. Golandaz also helped students understand what leadership is not – it is not about seniority or titles, nor does it have much to do with personal attributes. As she said, a person may be very charismatic but that in itself may not make him a good leader.

The class agreed that leaders cannot be made. Nonetheless, Ms. Golandaz told students that leadership skills can always be developed. Finally, taking the students through several quotes on leadership by current leaders in the business world, Ms. Golandaz believes the following comes closest to a comprehensive definition of what a leader is:

” Leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal.” – Kevin Kruse