Leadership is the ability to understand people's motivations and leverage them to achieve a shared goal. Skilful leaders can contribute to positive outcomes for individuals, teams, organisations, and communities. It's important to develop leaders who can address the needs of an organisation, and to create an environment that allows them to be effective. 

This factsheet explores the concept of leadership, and different approaches to leadership development. It also discusses how to use a principle-based approach to develop leadership skills in people professionals. 

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