Leadership plays a significant role in the academic world also in popular organizations. Leadership is gained by a group of people. Leadership can be described in many different ways based on their characteristics. "The position of function of a leader, a person who guides or direct a group of people" (Dictionary.com, n.d). In everyday language people speak of leaders, referring to the people who occupy the highest positions in different organization such as, military, political, religious business, etc. The concept of leadership is multifaceted and requires deep understanding to comprehend.
The origin of the word leadership is a noun meaning "position of a leader" (Etymonline.com, n.d). In order to understand the definition there must be an understanding of the components, thus was then adopted to the word leader. According to (Etymonline.com, n.d) in Old English the word laedere was a person who leads. -Ship means "quality, condition; act, power, skill; office, position. The ending –ship when combined to form leadership, it is the power or skill to lead. .
Some people think that leaders are born, but the academic world thinks that leaders are made. "Most psychologists believe that leadership qualities are innate or genetic and thus impossible to learn", according to (Avolio, 1999). I feel all leadership skills can be learned, it just takes a person with intelligence. Many people become leaders after a life changing event they may have experienced, and their ability to relate to others is developed. Leadership is a position that is basically gained by the people. For example, our president Barack Obama is a leader over our whole country, but to be in that position people from all over the country voted for him to be elected. The people in the academic world are the ones who evaluate and see if one has what it takes to be a leader and lead them to success.
