to lead / conduct
Loading your saved state.
to lead
To have responsibility for an organization, department, project, or group and to lead and organize it.
Sie leitet das Unternehmen seit über zehn Jahren erfolgreich.
She has successfully led the company for over ten years.
'Leiten' (to lead / conduct) is the base verb for many words related to leadership and direction. These include 'die Leitung' (management; pipe), 'der Leiter' (leader), and verbs with prefixes such as 'umleiten' (to redirect) or 'einleiten' (to introduce/initiate).
Die Leitung der Firma hat entschieden, neue Mitarbeiter einzustellen.
The management of the company has decided to hire new employees.
In the meaning 'führen' (to lead), 'leiten' is often combined with organizations or events. Typical phrases are: 'ein Unternehmen leiten' (to lead a company), 'eine Abteilung leiten' (to lead a department), 'ein Projekt leiten' (to lead a project), or 'eine Sitzung leiten' (to lead a meeting).
Er leitet ein kleines Team von Softwareentwicklern.
He leads a small team of software developers.
In a technical or physical context, 'leiten' means to transmit energy. Signal words for this are 'Strom' (current/electricity), 'Wärme' (heat), 'Energie' (energy), or names of materials such as 'Metall' (metal).
Salzwasser leitet elektrischen Strom.
Salt water conducts electric current.
This meaning describes guiding in a physical direction. For example, you can say 'den Verkehr leiten' (to direct traffic), 'Wasser durch ein Rohr leiten' (to channel water through a pipe), or 'Besucher durch ein Museum leiten' (to guide visitors through a museum).
Ein Polizist leitete den Verkehr an der Kreuzung.
A police officer directed traffic at the intersection.
The expression 'sich leiten lassen' (to be guided) is reflexive and is used with the preposition 'von' + dative. It means that one allows one's actions to be influenced by a principle, feeling, or person.
Bei wichtigen Entscheidungen lasse ich mich gerne von Experten beraten.
When making important decisions, I like to get advice from experts.
to lead
'führen' and 'leiten' are close in meaning in several senses. Both can mean that someone has responsibility for a group, project, or organization. In this sense, they are often very similar. 'leiten' especially suggests organizing and being responsible for something, for example 'eine Sitzung leiten' (to lead a meeting) or 'ein Projekt leiten' (to lead a project). 'führen' is broader: you can also 'eine Person an einen Ort führen' (guide a person to a place) or 'ein Gespräch führen' (have a conversation). Learners may confuse the words because both have to do with direction and leadership. Pay attention to the context: for projects and meetings, 'leiten' often fits; for people, groups, and conversations, 'führen' often fits.
Alina leitet das Projekt, weil sie viel Erfahrung hat.
Alina is leading the project because she has a lot of experience.
Nach dem Unterricht führt die Lehrerin ein Gespräch mit den Eltern.
After class, the teacher has a conversation with the parents.