Leaders need both a firm knowledge base and a command of psychological, political, and human relations skills to be successful. Leaders function within groups and do not perform their leader behaviors in isolation. Leadership is effective interaction among people, and effectiveness results when the leader influences others to achieve goals or to accomplish tasks. Subordinates must first be willing to be influenced and then believe that the target objective is both reasonable and beneficial.

When people perceive that they are treated fairly, they are more willing to consent to the request from authority. They must be able to see the direct benefit of their participation and receive honest information. Leadership has been defined as influencing, persuading, and directing individuals or groups to achieve the goals of the leader and the organization. Cultural leaders stimulate the culture in the organization. They should observe the behaviors and identify certain assumptions held by its membership and determine whether they are vision oriented or not.

Visionary leaders are leaders who "think" about their decisions before they act and anticipate the responses of others. They reflect on the possible long- range outcomes and effect on both people and programs. Moral leadership holds that leaders and followers have a relationship based on mutual needs, aspirations, values, and beliefs. In moral leadership, leaders take responsibility for their acts and fulfill promises. Leader success is thought to be attributable to distinctive characteristics in the situation in which the leadership act is performed. Certain variables affect the leadership function, which have relevance to leader behavior and performance.

Contingency leadership is an area of research that investigates leadership traits, leader-follower conditions, and leader behaviors resulting in effective action or behavior. Leadership traits and characteristics of the situation interact to precipitate leader behaviors and effective outcomes.