ABSTRACT:

One of the major debates in organizational change relates to the contributions made by those who lead it.  Leaders have major roles to play in management of change in every establishment.  Leaders can shape organizations and a country as a whole by influencing and directing the beliefs, style and values of those inside and outside the organization. The research intend to explain effective leadership and how it can bring about positive change that help the  attainment of sustainable developmental goals in Nigeria, the  paper also discuss the followings; What is leadership, what are the characteristics of a good leader, the element of successful and effective leadership, leadership styles and behaviour for effective management of change. Thus the behavioural leadership theory was used in an attempt to explain distinctive styles used by effective leaders. A qualitative approach based on an extensive review of relevant literature is used for the paper. The finding revealed that the importance of leadership is commonly judged in terms of its impact on the effectiveness of an entity that is led and the ability to sustain superior result over an extended period of time. Conclusively, the paper stresses that effective leadership is the key to success of every organization, for Nigeria to achieve sustainable development, our leaders have greater role to play.