But first, what is leadership? Leadership is a process whereby one group member influences and coordinates the behavior of other members in pursuit of the group's goals. This specific group member, the leader, provides guidance, specialized skills, and environmental contacts that help obtain the goals of the group. Some activities, or responsibilities, of the leader are planning, organizing, and controlling group activity (DeLamater and Michener 373). More specific responsibilities will be discussed later in the paper.

Now that we know what leadership is and some of what a leader's responsibilities are, let's find out what it takes to be a leader. Think about someone you know who's in a leadership position. What are some characteristics they possess that make them a leader? There are many qualities that make a good leader, but there are four main ones: the leader has a goal and knows what to do to achieve it, the leader

Third, the leader is honest, trustworthy, and respectful. Who wants a leader that is going to abuse his position by doing things for his/her own self-interest? A leader should be someone you respect and can trust to do the right thing to the best of their ability. After all, s/he's the main representative of the group, and the way s/he acts directly reflects on the group.

Probably the most influential reason people follow leaders is the effectiveness of the leader. "A leader's effectiveness in directing a group depends both on his or her style and on the circumstances of the situation" (DeLamater and Michener 374). The situational characteristics referred to are the leaders' personal relations with the group members (good or bad), the degree of structure in the groups tasks (structured or unstructured), and the leaders power position in the group (strong or weak) (DeLamater and Michener 376). Based on these three characteristics and the style of leadership used, an individual decides whether or not s/he will follow the leader.

So why do people follow someone? Usually it's because they have elected/chosen, or wanted the individual as their leader. So they follow because they share the same ideals and/or goals. Other reasons people follow are because they are told to, out of fear (itself or of punishment), or just because they have no other choice. Now, not all of these reasons are good, but they are none-the-less real reasons why some people follow certain leaders.

Leaders fulfill their responsibility through the way they lead. Two forms of leadership are transactional and transformational. Transactional leadership is based on an exchange between the group and the leader, whereas transformational leadership creates new ways of thinking, creates structural changes, and institutionalizes new practices within the group which strengthens group productivity (DeLamater and Michener 373). Other types and styles are instrumental and expressive, and authoritative, democratic, and laissez faire.

In contrast too instrumental leadership is expressive leadership. Expressive leadership focuses on collective well being, maintaining group moral,

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