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Highlighting the attributes of leadership, analyse why it is important for a civil servant.

Leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal. Though there are numerous styles of effective leadership, there are certain common attributes for an effective leader such as, being ready for change, willing to redesign and innovate. A leader leads by example displaying highest level of skill and competency, thereby acting as a role model for others. He establishes a culture of openness, honesty and integrity. Further, leadership is characterized by a high level of emotional intelligence, decisiveness and confidence. Effective leaders often possess a long-term vision with a clear focus.

Civil Servants around the world are under increasing pressures to perform and provide quality services with ever-fewer resources and face additional stress emanating from increasing global economic, social, political, and cultural integration.

In this context, leadership in civil services acquire much importance as:

• The growing complexity of issues requires team building and networking among different agencies. Coordination and cooperation requires leadership abilities to not only establish links of communication but also a culture of tolerance to diverse opinions. For example, tackling cybercrime requires coordination across departments ranging from finance to home department.
• In the age of rapid technological changes, civil servants need to innovate and be open to

changes so as to ensure efficiency and effectiveness of the public delivery systems. For example, a district collector in Manipur used social media for crowd funding for construction of a 100 km road.

• In crisis situations, civil servants must be able to take decisions and ensure efficient utilization of public resources. They must be able to motivate and inspire sub-ordinates in these situations. For example, in disaster relief operations, quick response and effective coordination is required to mitigate the damages.
• They hold public office having direct interface with the people. Therefore to maintain the credibility and trust of the people, they need to lead by example upholding the highest values of the land. The operation Sulaimani is a case in example led by the District collector of Kozhikode, where hungry people are fed in the most dignified manner.

The Nolan Committee on common standards in public life considered leadership as one of the foundational values in civil services. Therefore, efforts must be made to instil and promote leadership qualities in civil servants.