Authors: Bogdanor
Summary: This approximately 1100 word entry defines leadership, discusses personal characteristics important for effective leadership, and explores the significant influence the political environment has on leadership experiences.
The entry defines leadership as the individual power to induce agreement among a group for a particular policy. Leadership has been studied from a predominately descriptive perspective, most likely because it is a subject that has always been both fascinating and mysterious, with an element of the divine.
It is difficult to define those qualities required for effective leadership. In fact, due in large part to this difficulty, political scientists have shied away from the topic of leadership, leaving it instead to psychologists. One reason for this difficulty may lie in the inextricable interconnection between leadership qualities and the political environment in which a leader must govern. The political environment conditions leadership in two key ways. First, in the sense that an individual is elected to a particular office with distinct duties, the political environment provides the power and opportunity for leadership. Second and more subtle is the observation that political circumstances are not equally advantageous to all individuals in leadership positions.
The entry concludes by pondering how leaders have changed the course of history. Although there is no definite agreement about this issue, it is clear that the success and influence of leaders differs widely. Generally, however, leadership is stronger and has farther reaching consequences during times of crisis than during times of lesser turmoil.