The image conjured up by the word "leader" is one of charisma and power, of leading followers, of wisdom and knowledge, of being responsible for taking the organization forward, while also guiding and helping people to achieve goals, develop themselves, maximize their professional potential, and learn. Among the many roles that a leader plays, one of the most crucial is the possession and effective imparting of knowledge-in other words, teaching. Now, whether this is referred to as coaching, guiding, or mentoring, the basic premise is that the leader is imparting the sum of his or her knowledge and experience in order to steer people in the right direction.

People today have a cornucopia of knowledge at their fingertips, thanks to various media, including the World Wide Web and advanced methods of communication. This knowledge, however, needs a tremendous amount of distilling and careful analysis. In the past, the possession of knowledge was considered a source of power. Today, the ability to analyze the huge amounts of available information and sift out the vital components and then share them with others is the source of power for an individual. The leader is in a position to empower people, and thus indirectly the organization, by sharing this type of knowledge.

Types of Knowledge
According to the study of knowledge management, knowledge can be divided into two types: tacit and explicit. The former is implicit or inherent knowledge that represents the sum total of a person's experiences and wisdom gleaned over time. In the organizational context, this includes the knowledge about the culture of the organization that an employee learns with time while working there for a while, or why a certain approach to something will or will not work. Explicit knowledge, on the other hand, is that which can be taught-in an organization, this includes processes or software used, best practices, etc.

There are myriad pieces of knowledge that a leader can pass on-explicit knowledge like data and factual knowledge, and the tacit knowledge born of his or her vast experience. This knowledge is most effective when imparted in the correct context and within the frame of reference that makes the most sense for the organization. The leader can also impart to people the tools or knowledge they require to think, to analyze, and to act. Another area in which knowledge is imparted is associated with behavioral aspects; whether those are in interactions with the leader or the entity in which people are working. A third, and extremely crucial level at which a leader teaches is by creating a knowledge base that is like a legacy to all in the organization. The constant sharing of knowledge and expertise leads to it being debated, challenged, and refined upon, and eventually becoming a part of the organization's wealth of knowledge. As the organization grows and evolves, it is changing and there are new areas of knowledge that employees need to learn about. At the same time, remembering lessons from the organization's past experiences is also necessary. This type of knowledge transmission is ideally a collective responsibility of all individuals in any leadership role in the organization.

The fourth area of teaching deals with the impact that certain actions or behaviors might have. If the organization follows a certain code of ethics, or is still fairly rigid in terms of hierarchies, or prefers using formal terms while addressing colleagues, then this knowledge has to be shared with new employees by their immediate leaders. The fifth area addresses knowledge breakthroughs. In the process of teaching, the leader learns new facts about the employees, about clients, about happenings within the organization. The leader then needs to be able to collate all this data and maybe act on it in order to move the organization forward. Thus, the leader is in a position to create, develop and articulate the direction in which the organization is evolving. Here, beyond the articulation of vision and mission, there is the further notion of pushing the knowledge frontiers forward. Another significant area of knowledge is life lessons. There may be many cases where the leader has a direct report who has a body of knowledge and expertise in their particular area of work that far exceeds the leader's knowledge in that area. Here, the leader's teaching comes through in the form of individual development of that person. The leader learns what that person is trying to achieve, what his/her professional aspirations might be, and what his/her strengths and weaknesses are. The leader can then play a crucial and tremendous role in using his/her own experience and knowledge to help the person's professional development.

Benefits of Teaching
The power of learning and teaching is immense. By consciously making efforts to teach both formally and informally, the leader develops a strong personal relationship with followers and earns their profound loyalty as well. This is probably exemplified by the fact that when one is young, other than parents and friends, it is usually our teachers that make the biggest impact on our lives and frequently leave a lasting impression. Similarly, in one's career path, the managers best remembered are the ones who taught something valuable-not necessarily the ones who paid the most. Creation of this kind of a bond can help create a tremendous engagement, and overshadow any weaknesses the leader might have, like abruptness or forms of disengaging behavior. The one-on-one interaction enables the leader to gain a deep insight into the follower's thought processes, skills and latent leadership qualities that can be harnessed for both the employee's personal development and the benefit of the organization.

If the follower is not learning from the leader, then the only level of loyalty the leader will garner is either through some sort of payment (whether monetary or otherwise), or some sort of recognition or appreciation. This means the leader is limiting the tools he or she has in terms of motivating and inspiring, helping people grow and encouraging high performance, and is thus losing the opportunity to engage with them.

Viewing this through another lens, you realize that when you teach you are, yourself, learning valuable lessons. As an individual, some of your biggest moments of revelation happen when you are teaching because your brain has to go through a cognitive function of precisely, logically outlining the essence of your message. And in that process you find yourself learning because you are reinforcing your knowledge. The second remarkable thing that happens in terms of learning is that when you teach, you are questioned-and frequently, the questions thrown at you address an angle you haven't thought of. Unlike in a sales presentation, where one generally knows what questions are likely to be asked and is prepared with answers, situations like this require one to contemplate in a critical manner and maybe come up with an unexpected answer that opens up whole new possibilities and opportunities. Not having the answers can create a journey for both the teacher and the student-they might individually try and figure out the answer, or work together to come up with the answer. Alternatively, the question might trigger off a debate where people express differing viewpoints and talk about their experiences that substantiate these, and the interactive discussion that results raises the level of thinking to a higher plane. At the same time, the people being taught perceive that their thoughts and opinions are valued, which also helps increase their level of engagement.

Thus, by being a good teacher, a leader empowers people, which in turn gives them the confidence to grow, and gives them the incentive to strive, to improve themselves and to be outstanding at their work. A long-term outcome of fostering learning in an organization is that this helps develop leaders for the future. Another long-term consequence of effective teaching is that if many employees are inspired by the leader to strive for excellence, this automatically raises the standards of the company as a whole. Finally, the process is also one of learning for the leader, who is continuously assessing people whom he/she teaches, recognizing the areas in which teaching needs to occur, learning to recognize and capitalize on "teachable moments," and honing the art of asking good questions so that the learner becomes skilled at thinking and analysis. To conclude, the one overriding quality other than knowledge and good communication skills and willingness to learn that helps a leader to become an exceptional teacher is a great passion for the work and the organization, which transmits itself to the learner.