What Leaders Do

Define and explain What Leaders Do in your own words
Use key terms such as leader accurately
Apply what you have learned to new examples and questions
Avoid the common mistakes learners make with this topic

Leaders are the people who help groups make decisions and get things done. From the class monitor to the prime minister, leaders guide, organise and take responsibility for others. In this chapter you will meet different kinds of leaders, see how they are chosen, and learn what makes a leader truly good.

This lesson focuses on What Leaders Do: describes how leaders make decisions, look after people and take responsibility.

Definition: What Leaders Do

Describes how leaders make decisions, look after people and take responsibility.

Key ideas

Leaders make plans, solve disagreements and look after the people they lead. A headteacher organises the school, a team captain encourages players during a match, and a prime minister leads the country's government. Good leaders also listen, because decisions work best when they reflect what the group needs.

Leaders come in many sizes

Leadership exists at every level of life. A class rep speaks for thirty pupils, a mayor looks after a town or city, and a prime minister leads the whole country. Each leader has different responsibilities, but all of them are trusted to make fair choices for the people they serve.

Key term — leader: A leader is someone who guides a group, makes decisions on its behalf and takes responsibility when things go well or badly.

Worked example: What Leaders Do

What is the main job of a leader?

To guide a group, make decisions for it and take responsibility.

Answer: To guide a group, make decisions for it and take responsibility.

Common mistakes

'The loudest person should lead' Being loud is not the same as being a good leader. The best leaders listen carefully and think before they act.
'Leaders get to do whatever they want' Real leaders serve the group, not themselves. A leader who only does what they want is not leading well.

Practice

Which is a better quality in a leader: honesty or bossiness? Why?

Which one builds trust?

Honesty, because leaders need people to trust them.

Name one leader from your school and one leader from your country.

Think small, then big.

For example, a school council member and the prime minister.

Why is voting a fair way to choose a leader?

What does everyone get?

Because everyone gets an equal say through one vote each.

Your class must choose between two playground games. How could a leader help?

Think about listening and deciding.

The leader could listen to both sides and organise a fair vote.

Quick check

What Leaders Do — quick check

Which of these best defines "leader"?

A leader is someone who guides a group, makes decisions on its behalf and takes responsibility when things go well or badly.

A mayor and a prime minister both lead. How are their jobs different?

A mayor looks after one town or city, while a prime minister leads the whole country.

Key takeaways

What Leaders Do: describes how leaders make decisions, look after people and take responsibility.
What leaders do: Leaders make plans, solve disagreements and look after the people they lead.
decision: A decision is a choice made after thinking about the options — leaders often make decisions that affect many people at once.
Watch out for: 'The loudest person should lead'

Different Kinds of Leaders →Back to Grade 7 chapters Related resources →