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This paper is concerned with the role of leadership in community organisations in Thailand. While previous studies of leadership have focused on leadership theories influenced by male‐dominated North American studies, the present paper aims to demonstrate that it is necessary to take the influence of cultural, historical and social structure into account. The purpose is to develop a model of leadership constructed through accounts of the leaders and their subordinates. The model of leadership can potentially enable the leaders, and their subordinates to have a better understanding of the qualities, structure, boundaries and processes of leadership, which can be useful in testing the application of the model in other settings and contexts.

To support the aim, the study uses two main qualitative methods of data collection, which are in‐depth semi‐structured interviews and a focus group. These two methods offer insight and help to explore unexpected phenomena and the complexity of leadership.

The results and analysis lead to the conclusion that there are three levels of leadership process beginning with the benefits to oneself, the benefits to others and mutual benefits. The findings suggest that “philanthropy” and “thinking beyond self‐interest” are the crucial qualities of leadership that make other people want to follow a leaders' path.

The process of leadership will help leaders and their subordinates to be more self‐reliant and develop themselves in the long term.

The paper highlights the influence of Buddhism on the role of leadership in community organisations in Thailand.