The English word is leader. What the in Mandarin?

Here's a breakdown:

* 领导 (lǐng dǎo) means "to lead" or "leadership".

* 人 (rén) means "person".

So, 领导人 (lǐng dǎo rén) literally translates to "leading person", which is how the word "leader" is expressed in Mandarin.