Think of a leader you identify with. How would you define their leadership? Were they a born leader? Did they develop into a leader because of their environment? Were they named to a leadership position in an organization?
In general, leadership can be described in the following ways:
| Trait | Individuals might have inherent traits or characteristics that make them good leaders |
| Process | Traits or characteristics are possessed by individuals in different degrees; leadership arises in a context and can be learned |
| Assigned | An individual’s formal position as designated within an organization |
| Emergent | How a group responds to and perceives a person to be their leader |