4

1. IntroductionEvery organization looks for individuals with proper leadership skills at every level because the success lies in the hands of an effective leader.Leadership is:i. the ability to direct and guide the activities of a group of people, stimulate to work together as a team, motivate them towards a common goal,ii. the ability to get others to willingly follow and provide feedback to them regarding their performance, iii. the art of creating confidence in oneself and in the organization, andiv. the process whereby a leader influences a group of individuals towards achieving a common goal.An effective leadership is measured by the success of the team that a leader leads. A successful team works efficiently together and has high productivity. Leadership is nothing but the skills and qualities which make a person stand out from others.Nowadays, everyone needs to analyze, refine and apply leadership skills such as decision-making skills through family, community, classroom, business, and different situations. These skills empower each student to assume responsible roles in the family, community, school, business, and other environments.Moreover, as young people have to involve in activities that require applying theory, problem-solving and using critical thinking skills while understanding the outcomes of related decisions, the need for leadership skills has become more and more essential.1.1 Aim and ObjectivesThe aim and objectives of this term-paper are as follows: to demonstrate leadership skills that assist in understanding and accepting responsibility of family, community, business, and industry to understand the leadership skills necessary to be a successful leader and to practise those skills in real life to guide ones own leadership behaviour and learning to be able to communicate and participate effectively in pairs, small groups, teams, and large groups in order to reach common goals to participate in the development of a program of work to implement the goals by applying leadership skills.2. Literature Review2.1 Are Leaders made or born?This question seems to be confusing, yet the answer is quite clear. The news announced the birth of a leader has never been read or heard. Yet, the obituaries of leaders can be read in any newspaper. This simple analysis shows that no one is born with leadership skills and therefore leaders must be made. Everyone can become a good leader by learning, doing and improving the skills of leadership.2.2 Youths and the Need for LeadershipEvery youth has the chance to be anyone and anything. A youths potential is limitless. This potential exists in all parts of ones life, including ones potential to be a truly remarkable leader. The skills of leadership are transferable across all the roles in all parts of ones life at school, at work, in community, and even at home. Youths have unique gifts that they were born with and personal strengths they have developed over their lifetime. Realizing and utilizing these gifts and strengths as well as working hard to develop and improve additional skills will assist them in being good leaders in their lives.2.3 Good LeadersA good leader can motivate and inspire those around them to strive to achieve much more than they thought they could. The position of a good leader is indispensable. A good leader has the knack to align his followers and prepare them to take on any challenge that may lie in their path towards success. Leaders have certain characteristics and leadership qualities that distinguish them from the crowd. Effective leadership skills are a must for anyone who wishes to achieve respect as a leader. If a person desires to lead an inspired team, he has to incorporate a number of skills which will help him live his life as a conscious and strong leader. A leader can be found and nurtured if he looks for and applies these skills. These are certain strengths and skills a person needs to capitalize on to be able to execute effective leadership.2.4 Leadership vs. ManagementTo fully understand what leadership is all about, it is important to appreciate the difference between leadership and management.Leadership is the ability to empower others to create new management or human systems to efficiently achieve change through organizational goals and decision making. Likewise, management is the use of various means to carry on business functions. In other words, management is the skill of dealing with things or resources, while leadership is the art of dealing with people. Leaders innovate and originate whereas managers administer and imitate. While leaders develop and inspire, managers maintain and control. Besides, leaders have long-term view, vision. On the other hand, managers only have short-term view. Nevertheless, good management is impossible without appropriate leadership.2.5 Leadership Skills in generalThere are several significant leadership skills that a successful leader possesses. They are:i. Influenceii. Motivationiii. Visioniv. Goal settingv. Creativityvi. Integrityvii. Building relationshipsviii. Equippingix. Delegationx. Positive Attitudei. InfluenceThe ability to influence others and cause them to move in a particular direction is a highly important skill in leadership. In fact, leadership is often defined as the ability to persuade or influence others to do something they might not have done without the leaders persuasion. The ability to be persuasive is directly related to how much people trust a leader and how effective his communication and relationships are.ii. MotivationMotivation is the energy and desire to work towards a specific goal. It is important to ensure that the followers want to work hard and want to achieve the teams goals. A key part of the leadership role is to motivate the followers. A good leader should know how to get the work done from his team. He should be able to make his team a part of his vision. In addition, giving the followers the opportunity to make progress keeps them motivated.iii. VisionTrue leadership involves the development of a vision. A good leader must be future orientated and must set a clear idea where his team is going beyond the future. Moreover, a leader should have a clear vision of what he wants his team to look like after a few years. But a vision is not enough. He should also be able to create a pathway in order to get his vision seen, implemented and contributed to by his followers. He needs to know what steps he has to take to accomplish his vision. He also needs to ensure that his followers too, share the vision and the entire organization is motivated enough to fulfil this shared vision. iv. Goal settingGoal setting is indeed a very important first step on the path to becoming an effective leader. Goals, that a leader sets, must be highly desirable and believable, i.e., the followers must really want those goals and really believe that to achieve them is possible. They should also be specific, measurable, challenging, and realistic enough to be attainable to get the best out of oneself and the others. A leader should take care that the approach for the accomplishment of the goals is in the right direction and provide the followers with necessary resources.v. CreativityIt is the ability to think differently, to get outside of the box that constrains solutions. Creativity gives leaders the ability to see things that others have not seen and thus lead followers in new directions.vi. IntegrityIntegrity is the integration of outward actions and inner values. A person of integrity is the same on the outside and on the inside. Such an individual can be trusted. Integrity promotes trust. A leader must display integrity since the emotional half of trust relates to integrity. Honest dealings, predictable reactions and well-controlled emotions are all signs of integrity.vii. Building relationshipsTo gain loyalty and faithfulness of the followers, a leader first needs to gain trust and respect by being a supportive and genuine leader. Trust and respect go hand in hand. Trust is gained by a leaders action as a person whereas respect comes from a leaders actions as a professional. A leader should never abuse his power or authority and leadership to bully. A leader not only needs to acquire respect but also has to show respect to others.viii. EquippingAnother primary responsibility of a successful leader is to recognize and provide an opportunity to strengthen his followers strengths. Followers can grow, develop and become more effective if they have a leader who understands their potential value. An important role as a leader is to highlight or play up the strengths so well that the weaknesses disappear. Taking care of the followers needs as well as wants and getting to know their personal problems results solid relationship.Deciding that people on the team are worth equipping and developing them is the first step on building a better team. A leader needs to stick with teammates through thick and thin. James E. Hunton says, Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. Creating an energized environment for the team and equipping each follower with additional resources and needed support ensure success. Besides, a leader has to support followers by encouraging them and praising their efforts regardless of the results. Followers are willingly to work hard if they receive recognition for their efforts.ix. DelegationEffective leaders delegate to followers effectively, broaden followers opportunities, act with fairness, and train to be talented people for their teams. It is what makes the team effective. Delegation frees time for other activities. The essence of leadership is achieving goals through others, not trying to accomplish them by one. What is more, delegating significant tasks to the followers is one of the best ways to support their growth. As there is more than one way to complete a task, it stimulates innovation and generates fresh ideas and new approaches throughout the entire team.x. Positive AttitudeA positive attitude is one of the most valuable assets a leader can have. With a positive attitude, a leader ought to look at the bright side of every situation. The followers are naturally attracted to a leader when he has a positive attitude. By being positive, he can be surrounded by other positive people and can also magically attract exciting offers and possibilities. Not only does the future look bright when the attitude is right, but the present is much more enjoyable too. Likewise, unpleasant tasks and challenges can be turned into positive experience.An impressive leader develops the positive attitude, displays warmth and uses humour appropriately to create a healthy and enjoyable atmosphere.2.6 Leadership Skills for StudentsTo accomplish interactive and challenging activities, students must develop crucial leadership skills such as:i. Self-confidenceii. Self-disciplineiii. Time Managementiv. Decisivenessv. Continuous learningi. Self-confidenceSelf-confidence creates a willingness to follow and belief in the leaders decisions among the followers. Leaders need to believe in themselves and have faith in their decisions, even in the face of opposition and criticism.As students become more assertive and self-confident, they improve their academic and social skills, increasing the likelihood of continuing their education and becoming leaders.ii. Self-disciplineSelf-discipline is self-control, the ability to get a person to take action regardless of his emotional state. Self-discipline involves acting according to what he thinks instead of how he feels in the moment. Plato, the Greek philosopher, said The first and best victory is to conquer self. Self-discipline is vital to students as it is one of the most important tools for proper management of time.iii. Time ManagementTime management is a leadership skill that will serve the students well. Time management refers to the proper division of time for all the daily activities. Students must finish everything they can do today and do not postpone it for the next day.Its application to leadership is strong and it is how leaders effectively accomplish tasks. Today, many youths are conscious of the need to control over their use of time. It is necessary to respond more quickly to rapidly changing world. Therefore, distinguishing between the importance and the urgency is essential. The need for time management skills increases exponentially with success; the more one experiences success, the less time he has to devote to that success. Time is a commodity, the supply of which is not inexhaustible.iv. DecisivenessDecisiveness is the ability to make prompt decisions based on the information at hand and stick to decisions that have been made. Decisiveness is an important leadership quality. Team leaders must constantly tell the followers what to do and make decisions about projects. The important thing is that the followers respect the leader as they realize he typically makes excellent decisions and stands by them.A great leader also develops criteria and a process for decision making in the organization; clarifies responsibilities. He also helps others gather and obtain relevant information needed for decision making.v. Continuous learningTo be a remarkable leader, one must keep improving himself as a continual learner. Every person, every creature and everything is constantly changing and so a potential leader should never stop learning. Learning is a skill that helps to develop skills. All learning is a journey or a process without a final destination. A leader has to realize the value of learning something new every day. Being receptive to everyone's perceptions and information from around the world and being willing to admit and learn from failures and weaknesses result more effective leadership. No one is perfect, and everyone can make a mistake or two in his or her life. The most successful leaders know that the key to success is to face failure and to learn from their mistakes.2.6.1 Improving Leadership Skills at SchoolTo improve leadership skills, students must first take time to honestly analyze their own strengths and weaknesses. Then, after analyzing strengths and weaknesses, action must be taken. The following are some suggestions for improving leadership skills for students.Students should participate in competitive sports. As they interact with team members and opponents, students learn how to take turns, share play time and follow rules. They develop a sense of fair play and learn how to gracefully handle defeat. Students must set priorities as they have to organise an athletic schedule, academic demands, family responsibilities and personal time. As students practise their time management and multitasking skills, they realize their natural potential for leadership.They should also promote student council involvement. As members, the students learn how to plan, organize and implement programs and activities. Next, by rotating the leadership role and structuring each activity, all students experience full participation.The next thing students should do to improve their leadership skills is to take part in volunteer activities that allow them to share their leadership skills with the rest of the community. Students can participate in environmental movements, welfare programs and fund-raisers.2.7 Leadership Skills at WorkThe business environment is becoming more and more dynamic in these days. An important component of business is effective leadership to be able to keep pace with the times. Effective leaders are always aware of the business environment and hence, are able to take the right decisions that overcome difficult situations. Leadership skills will help leaders score more responsibility at work, which means higher chances of a promotion, increased salary, and opportunity overall. The leadership skills required at work are as follows:i. Mentoringii. Conflict Resolutioniii. Team Buildingiv. Strategic Planningv. Effective Communicationi. MentoringThe word mentor stands for manage, encourage, nurture, train, openness and responsibility. Developing followers by helping them to manage themselves, encouraging and nurturing others to expand their capabilities are parts of the leaders responsibility. Training followers to improve performance is an important role of a leader as well. Openness means being able to listen to new ideas. Good leaders are able to accept new ways of doing things that someone else thought of. Openness builds mutual respect and trust between leaders and followers. A great leader takes responsibility for the actions and objectives of a team. Although the tasks are delegated to the followers, he also has to take responsibility at all times. What is more, a leader must accept accountability for mistakes, problems or wrong decisions. If any problem arises, leaders should be problemsolvers, not problemblamers, or problemavoiders.ii. Conflict ResolutionConflict, which is a clash between opposing ideas, is present in every organization and is unavoidable. However, some degree of conflict can be helpful to the organization to bolster innovation and performance through competition and higher productivity. In fact, good leaders should not avoid conflict, but should embrace it as a means for organizational change and growth.iii. Team BuildingNo one can do it all. That is why a team, comprised of others with different skill sets, is essential. If teams involve more people, there will be more resources, ideas and energy. Teams provide multiple perspectives on how to meet a need or reach a goal, thus devising several alternatives for each situation. Teams divide the effort and multiple the effects. A leader must know how to build and nurture such a team. The leaders who create and work in teams would benefit from enhanced team building skills. Through team building, leaders include others in participative management. The best leaders are good followers when needed. A good leader knows when to be a leader and when to be a follower. iv. Strategic PlanningStrategic planning skill involves translating long-term objective into realistic business strategies, making certain assumptions about the future and taking actions in the present to positively influence that future. Leaders who are highly competent in this area typically develop plans that balance long-term goals with immediate needs, update plans to reflect changing circumstances, and develop plans that contain contingencies for future changes.v. Effective CommunicationEffective communication is another leadership skill that must be cultivated by all leaders. Poor communication can waste time, create conflict and undermine teamwork. To become a great communicator, continually attempt to improve the verbal, non-verbal, and listening skills. It includes being able to clearly and specifically convey vision, goals, intentions, and expectations to followers. Also, eye-contact is a major part of non-verbal communication. In addition, the followers must involve in the conversation, not simply hear the message. A talented leader should provide the followers with an opportunity to discuss and listen carefully with respect. If the leader listens to the followers, they may be able to make valuable and effective suggestions. Hence, listening to followers is also one of the most important practices for successful communication.2.8 Political Leadership SkillsPolitical leaders are vitally important as they make decisions that can have great impact on the well-being of a country and its people.The first and most obvious skill of political leadership is having interpersonal influential power. Leaders with this skill tend to have good judgment about when to assert themselves, which in turn, results in more cooperative relationships. Secondly, leaders who possess a strong networking ability build friendships and beneficial working relationships by garnering support, negotiating and managing conflict. Skilled networkers know when to call on others and are willing to reciprocate. Thirdly, to sharpen political leadership skills, leaders should display high levels of integrity and sincerity. As a final point, politically skilled leaders need to have impulse control. Leaders should consider whether or not to voice a thought or a feeling, and should be thoughtful about the timing and presentation of what they have to say.3. Research MethodologyIn order to collect the data for this term-paper, questionnaire method is used. The questionnaire (see Appendix) includes 20 questions which focus on the leadership skills that are expected from a leader. The targeted people are 350 students from different universities, who are in 16-25 age range. The results are shown in the Findings and Discussions section.4. Findings and DiscussionsThe rankings and ratings of the leadership skills that students expect from a leader are shown below:

According to the data collected, 91% of the students expect impulse control from a leader, the factor that people regard as the most important skill for a leader, and so we must be aware of our manner and speech to control ourselves. Next, continuous learning and vision follow impulse control at 89% and 80% respectively. We should not be reluctant to learn everyday and should try to have a clear vision for the future if we would like to become an admirable leader. After that, 79% of the students agree that leaders are mentors as well as 78% suppose that leaders must be competent in time management. Furthermore, 77% students are in agreement that a leader should have creativity. Thus, leaders must see the things in a different way that others cannot see. It is also discovered that 75% acknowledge the influential power of a leader, 74% of students respect confident leaders, 73% believe honesty is essential for a leader and 70% appreciate leaders positive attitude. In addition to this, 59% assume leaders are responsible for anything including mistakes. Lastly, only 38% of students are looking forward to delegation from a leader. In conclusion, it is observed that about half of the students understand the leadership well and one third of the students suppose to apply leadership skills in every field.5. ConclusionStudents need to learn leadership skills so that they can help their communities. Community groups and companies equate leadership with the ability to work well with other people. Unless we are aware of the leadership skills and activities that need to apply these skills, we are unlikely to achieve the goals and objectives we desire. It cannot be denied that leadership skills are so important for everyone in order to keep pace with the rapid development of the world. If we consider the usefulness of the leadership skills for students, we can notice a number of reasons why leadership skills are required. Students should be given opportunities to perform group work activities in the classroom. By recognizing the obvious importance of such work, students would gain a new appreciation for group work in classes. In this way, they would fully understand and apply the leadership skills in every field.Students need to seek participation in student organizations during their college years. Obviously, students need to select the organizations carefully; they need to find groups that are devoted to leadership development among its members and that provide a nurturing environment. By doing this, they will be able to develop and improve the leadership skills.In this way, leadership skills are important not only for a person himself but also for his community. It can be noted that developing and applying the leadership skills would be the basic need for everyone to accomplish challenging activities in students life, to make progress in career, and to be able to help community.

AcknowledgementsFirst of all, we offer our deepest gratitude to Dr. Maung Maung Oo, Professor and Head of English Department, Mandalay University of Foreign Languages, for his kind permission to write this term-paper on the topic Effective Leadership Skills. We are grateful to Dr. Zaw Win, Associate Professor of English Department, and Daw Kyu Kyu Myint, our supervisor, for their guidance and support. Our sincere appreciation also goes to our teachers, Daw Sandar Aye, Daw Pan Pwint San, U Tin Tun Win, Daw Hnin Hnin Khine and Daw Khin Thidar Oo, under whose encouragement and support, we are able to accomplish this term-paper. Last, but not least, we would like to express our thanks to our classmates who kindly offer their help in various ways in doing this term-paper and those who answer our questionnaire.

ReferencesAngelo Kinicki, Robert Kreitner; Organizational BehaviourDiana Chapman Walsh; Five Qualities of Leaders We Can Trust Gordon Curphy, Richard L. Hughes, Robert C. Ginnett; Leadership Enhancing the Lessons of ExperienceGlenn Omatsu, Student Leadership BookletJohn C. Maxwell; Attitude 101, Ethics 101, Equipping 101, Mentoring 101, Relationships 101, Self-Improvement 101, Success 101, Teamwork 101Lyndon Jones, Dr. Penelope Hood; Effective Listening, Time Managementwww.ehow.comwww.filestudy.netwww.google.com

AppendixTick ( ) if you agree.1. Leadership is the same as the management. ( )2. An effective leadership is measured by the success of the team. ( )3. Taking part in volunteer activities strengthens leadership skills of a student. ( )4. Leadership skills can be applied in every field. ( )5. A leader should set a high and difficult goal for the team to achieve. ( )6. Setting clear vision for teams future is an important skill of leaders. ( )7. A leader must be able to think differently and see things that others cannot see. ( )8. To know, develop and encourage the followers is a leaders important task. ( )9. A believable leader has honesty. ( )10. Accomplishing tasks by the followers is better than doing them by leader. ( )11. A leader should have a positive attitude and sense of humour. ( )12. Self-confidence can attract people to follow a leader. ( )13. Time management is useful for a student to become a great leader. ( )14. A leader must make decision quickly and stick to that decision. ( )15. Leaders dont have to learn as they have natural ability and intelligence. ( )16. A good leader allows and takes advantage of conflict among his followers. ( )17. Listening skill is equally as important as verbal communication. ( )18. In a team, a leader should take responsibility for all things including mistakes. ( )19. One of the important skills of a political leader is his influential power. ( )20. A political leader should control his words and consider before telling something. ( )