American Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Sciences ISSN (E): 2832-8019 Volume 33, | February - 2025 P a g e | 79 www.americanjournal.org LEADER AND LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS Arzimatova I. M. Associate Professor, Fergana State University, Candidate of Philosophy A B S T R A C T K E Y W O R D S The article discusses the concept of leadership and the personal characteristics of a leader, management skills, independent decision- making, adaptability to changes and innovative thinking, the most important characteristics for leadership - strong communication skills, the ability to solve problems, motivation, at the same time, the moral and spiritual potential of a leader, the ability to be an example for the team are among the important characteristics that determine his leadership reputation. Leadership, leader, management, effectiveness, important factor, strong communication skills, the ability to solve problems, motivation, making fair decisions. Introduction The concept of leadership and the personal characteristics of the leader are important factors in the effectiveness of organizations. Effective leadership depends not only on management skills, but also on personal characteristics. Leadership theories have evolved historically. Max Weber's bureaucratic theory, Kurt Lewin's leadership styles, and modern transformational leadership theories reveal different aspects of leadership. Each theory emphasizes different characteristics of a leader: strategic thinking, empathy, integrity, etc. Modern research also emphasizes the ability of leaders to make balanced decisions, adapt to change, and think innovatively. Transformational leadership theory emphasizes the ability of leaders to inspire and develop employees. According to the research, the most important characteristics for effective leadership are: strong communication skills, problem-solving skills, motivation, and fair decision-making. In addition, personal responsibility and effective communication with the team are key success factors for leaders. Research has also shown that emotional intelligence and empathy skills are also important for leaders. Leadership depends not only on management skills, but also on personal characteristics. For effective leadership, the leader's personal values and the ability to correctly assess his place in the team are of great importance. The leader's desire for self-development and adaptability to change determine his success. Also, the leader's ability to establish open and trusting relationships with his employees helps to create a positive atmosphere in the organization. The problem of leadership has been relevant in all eras. Leadership, as a social phenomenon related to human development and society, has been of great importance in all eras of human development. Because the leader, leader or head of states and nations is one of the important subjective factors that determine the development of society, nation, state. The role of the subjective factor in historical American Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Sciences Volume 33 February - 2025 P a g e | 80 www.americanjournal.org development is enormous, it affects the strategic directions of society's development and in many cases determines not only the development of the nation and state, but also its fate. According to Abu Rayhan Beruni, the activities and essence of those who govern and manage society should be to protect the rights of those who have suffered for certain reasons, to work for the peace of others, and to give up their own peace in this way [1]. If we pay attention to the origin of leadership, we see that it is associated with the process of socialization based on the life of a person in society. Socialization is an objective process that occurs on the basis of the interaction and organization of each person with the majority, in relation to a certain conscious activity being carried out. This process takes place on the basis of a person’s needs, activities, culture, values, and conscious labor activity in society. As a result, a person increasingly joins society, becoming a participant in the social relations formed in it. This process is associated with the transformation of a person into a person, and the formation of a person takes place only in society. Society is a socio-anthropological entity that regulates human life, directs it in a certain direction, forms its requirements and needs, and ensures the implementation of conscious activity. Society carries out an objective process associated with the fact that a person is born in a space of certain socio-cultural values, enters this space, is educated in it, and makes an appropriate axiological choice for himself. Therefore, a person is simultaneously a social person. He is formed in society and becomes a person. The needs of a person direct him to engage in useful social labor and activity. A specific social and praxeological orientation arises in him. Society is the result of social-economic, political-legal, cultural-spiritual, religious-moral, aesthetic, etc. relationships between people. The creator of these relationships is a person, and his creativity is formed in the socio-cultural space that has arisen as a result of the development of society. In this process, people's personal and social experience increases. They become more and more active based on their needs. In the above process, gradually the active among the activists - leaders (leaders) are formed. Groups of supporters and followers appear, who support the life and activities of the leaders based on their relationships. Thus, groups united on the basis of certain social labor and activities, goals and needs, interests, and their leaders appear in society. A leader is a social person who has actively worked in the mentioned social groups, is distinguished by his intelligence, thinking and foresight, is able to unite others on the basis of common goals and interests, and is able to think about strategic interests. He stands out from others and is ahead of the curve with his intelligence, knowledge, and intellectual potential. In modern philosophical literature, the concept of “leader” is used in the same sense as the concepts of “sardor”, “rahbar”, “yulbashichi”. Currently, the concept of “leader” is more often used. Of course, it can be said that today, due to the historical period, the definition, characterization and role of a leader have also changed relatively. Philosopher scientist K. Nazarov defines a leader as follows: “A leader (leader, sardar, leader) is a person who has a permanent and decisive influence on society, state and organization. A leader is a management employee who knows the business and acts in the interests of the team and the industry. Leadership requires intelligence, energy, research and resourcefulness, constant work on oneself, and entrepreneurship”[2]. We will describe the following aspects of the characteristics and activities of a leader that distinguish them from other employees. American Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Sciences Volume 33 February - 2025 P a g e | 81 www.americanjournal.org First, a leader must have leadership, strategic thinking, and organizational skills. One of the main characteristics of a leader is his ability to combine existing material and spiritual resources and human resources, based on the interests of the team. He must be able to set clear tasks and goals for the team and show the ways to achieve them. Therefore, it is important for the leader to correctly imagine the tasks that are important for the team and himself to implement, to distinguish the most important and urgent of them, and to propose specific methods for their implementation. Secondly, the organization of a clear mechanism for the team's work by the leader further develops the team's activities. The leader's ability to correctly distribute tasks when organizing the team's work, and to correctly distribute and correctly deliver the tasks assigned to them, based on the capabilities of team members, also depends on the leader's organizational capabilities. Completing assigned tasks on time also increases the efficiency and effectiveness of teamwork. Thirdly, the compliance of the leader's mind, thinking, oratory and worldview with the requirements of the time, the correct understanding of the requirements of the time, the ability to convey to the team the importance of not lagging behind them, depends on the intellectual potential of the leader. A leader with high intellectual potential is not afraid of employees who are strong in all respects like him, but rather strives to increase such employees in the team, organize their activities, and reveal and realize their potential. “Since we have set ourselves the goal of turning Uzbekistan into a developed country, we can achieve this only through accelerated reforms, science, education and innovation. To do this, first of all, we need to increase the practical effectiveness of reforms, make our population more active and more proactive in promoting new initiatives in the localities. At the same time, we need to educate a new generation of reformers, who think strategically, are knowledgeable and qualified” [3]. It is clear that this task, set by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Sh. Mirziyoyev, requires a leader to have high potential in all aspects. Fourth, the leader must have the qualities of an innovator who regularly introduces innovations into his or her own and the team's activities. Because the regular spread of innovations in the team's work encourages team members to be progressive, enterprising and creative, develops their competitiveness, risk-taking, entrepreneurial nature, as well as the desire to master new technologies and increase their knowledge without lagging behind the times. "Today we are moving towards an innovative development path aimed at radically renewing all spheres of state and social life. This is not without reason, of course. Because in the current era, when times are rapidly developing, who will win? The state that relies on new thinking, new ideas, and innovation will win. Innovation is the future. If we start building our great future today, we must start it on the basis of innovative ideas and an innovative approach" [4]. Fifth, one of the important personal qualities of a leader is to have an independent mind, to be able to make independent decisions when necessary. The leader's decision can affect the activities, results of his work, and the future of the team, sometimes having the opposite effect. From this point of view, the leader's assumption of all responsibility and accountability for a possible situation is a phenomenon related to the life and fate of employees. Sixth, another important characteristic of a leader is the civic position he occupies in the social life of society. The leader's attitude to social phenomena occurring in the life of society and its members, his understanding of the ongoing modernization and renewal processes and his ability to ensure his role in them, the team's active participation in these processes, also have a strong impact on the social position of the team he leads. American Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Sciences Volume 33 February - 2025 P a g e | 82 www.americanjournal.org Seventh, the moral and spiritual potential of a leader, his ability to be an example for the team, is one of the important characteristics that determine his leadership authority. “Spiritual potential is the sum of the capabilities, means, and resources of a society that can be used to develop forms of social consciousness, elevate the worldview and spiritual world of its members, preserve and pass on centuries-old spiritual heritage to future generations, and ensure spiritual security” [5]. Nowadays, the humanistic qualities associated with a leader and his activities are becoming an increasingly urgent problem. Especially in the modernizing Uzbekistan, this problem is taking on a new meaning. The recent abundance of information on the Internet about the leader and his culture and spirituality, the reaction of people to these processes and the active expression of opinions require a modern leader to have strong cultural and spiritual potential, to express his leadership potential as a spiritually mature person. The creation of a new Uzbekistan depends on the fulfillment of the above- mentioned tasks. In conclusion, the characteristics of a leader directly affect the overall success of the organization. Therefore, it is necessary to pay special attention to the development of these characteristics in the training and development of leaders. The introduction of special training and development programs for leaders will serve the sustainable development of the organization. References: 1. Topics from the history of world philosophy. Part 1. T.: "Publishing House of the National Society of Philosophers of Uzbekistan", 2004. - P. 122. 2. Nazarov K. Encyclopedia of World Philosophy. II.O-H. Tashkent: "Publishing House of the National Society of Philosophers of Uzbekistan", 2019. - P.100-101. 3. Mirziyoev Sh.M. Strategy of the New Uzbekistan. T.: "Ozbekiston" Publishing House, 2021. - P. 23. 4. Mirziyoev Sh.M. The consent of our people is the highest assessment of our activities. - T.: Uzbekistan, 2018. - P. 88. 5. Jabborova S.S. The role of the state in improving and managing spiritual potential. // Current Approaches and new Research in Modern Sciences. International scientific-online conference. - Poland, 2023. - P. 32-35.