Chapter 1: Leadership theories
Leadership theories are attempts to answer some of the question people have about leadership. These theories range from simple “armchair philosophies” about the personal characteristics and effect relationship between leaders and followers and situations.
Great man theory
Thomas Carleyle, an influential Scottish historian, is given credit for the dictum: “the history of the world is but the biography of great men”. We can easily relate to Carleyle’s view since specific examples of men who seem to have changed the course of history come readily to mind de Gaulle, Hitler, Jesus Christ, Lincoln, Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Lenin, and Martin Luther King. Winston Churchill, a man who for many personifies the great man, is the main subject of a recent book, the great man. On a less grand scale, there have been great man leaders in business and industry Rockefeller, Carnegie, Ford, Mellon, Gould, Sloan and Harriman.
In great man theory the emphasis is on the person, who he is and what makes him the way he is. Presumably, through studying the personality, behavior and characteristics of these great men, we can acquire greater awareness of leadership. This view implies that we can learn from how to become effective leaders by studying these men and emulating those characteristics that seem to account for their successful leadership.
Very often, when people lament the critical shortage of leadership in American society, they are referring to the great man type of leader.
What often is overlooked is that the demands on today’s leaders have become incredibly complex broad in scope. Contemporary society is less responsive to the appeal of great man leaders and is less willing to play a docile follower role,...
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...l in cases of intergroup competition. The point is that, even though universal traits cannot be found, it may be possible to find personality traits that are common to homogeneous types of groups or situations.
Third, for purposes of personal selection in an organization there often will be reliance on an appraisal of personality traits.
Finally, in spite of lack of agreement on a complete list of leadership traits, there is some agreement on a few: intelligence, social maturity and breadth, inner motivation and achievement drives, and human relations attitudes. These traits are in no sense “universal” traits. However, as Keith Davis notes in his discussion of these traits, “Studies show that there is a better than chance probability that a leader will have more of these traits than the general population and sometimes even more than the average of his followers”.
Throughout 2016, many different people will claim they can lead America to greatness again just as they do each election year. This directs attention towards leadership, and most Americans simply trust that these potential candidates display leadership characteristics. Unfortunately, politicians don’t always exemplify leadership, and many Americans experience poor leaders daily such as dreadful bosses. Because of these commonplace experiences, leadership may not appear as a direct character trait. Adaptable communication, the ability to inspire, a clear passion, and professional attitudes all characterize a true leader.
All of these traits begin with the individual realizing who he is and where he stands to become a leader. Like Jack Welch said, “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” Works Cited Machiavelli, Niccol. The Prince of the Sea.
Simon Klinek discusses about how as well as why respectable leaders are leaders the reasons behind why they do what they do and the reactions these leader’s actions cause to those surrounding them. The fact in which a person becomes a leader is a matter of choice, and a willingness to put another person before one’s self the idea of getting the fall so that another is able to triumph and succeed. Simon utilizes ethos, pathos, and logos in an effective manner during his presentation examples are as follows.
Kirkpatrick, S. A., & Locke, E. A. (2001). Leadership: Do traits Matter? Academy of Management Executive,5,, 48-60.
The most effective leaders know better than to try to be someone they are not. They should always be searching for opportunities to reinvest in their strengths. Leaders need to stay true to who they are and make sure they have the right people around them. The book says those who surround themselves with similar personalities are at a disadvantage to those who are secure enough to be surrounded by people who strengths will compliment theirs.
The Taoist philosopher Lao Tzu put it best when he said, “A leader is best when people barley know he exists, When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, They will say: We did it ourselves.” Often when a person thinks of a leader they think of such great leaders as George Washington, George Patton, and Thomas Jackson. The word “leader” itself will invoke images of die-hard men with the charisma to command anyone and overcome anything. Yet despite this common image there was no theory of leadership that covered this common belief in a “super” leader.
The trait theory prevailed until the forties, passing these characteristics to be studied within a universalistic perspective....
When people think of leadership so many things rush through their heads. For example am I a leader, am I apart of a group that has a leader, and what does being a leader mean? A common definition of being a leader is a person who leads or guides a group of people. So now knowing the definition of a leader who pops into your head; Phil Jackson, Mike Krzyzewski, Martin Luther King Jr.? All of these people are great leaders, but the real question is why are they so great? One very important thing that all these men have in common is they have a philosophy of leadership. This philosophy is going to help guide these men during turbulent times, or when they need guidance themselves. Nobody is perfect and everyone needs direction no matter how wise or gifted you are. I am no different, which is why writing this philosophy of leadership is going to be a fruitful experience for years to come.
“Our leader” is “no better than a criminal.” A true leader emboldens his people and knows his position or as Douglas MacArthur once said, “A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent.” When power is the motivation of a leader, he becomes a dictator. In World War II, the world saw the uprising of the most notorious dictators – Adolf Hitler.
As Yukl (2010) indicates, such factors (e.g. personality, values and capacities) attributed to a leader. Normally it is widespread acknowledged that someone is born to be a lead...
As a growing debate, the question at hand is whether great leaders are born with specific leadership traits, or if one can be taught certain traits over time. According to (Wikipedia.com) the approach of listing leadership qualities, often termed "trait theory of leadership", assumes certain traits or characteristics will tend to lead to effective leadership. I believe that leadership traits such as honest, competent, initiative, inspiring, hardworking, intelligent, and the ability to lead the masses, are some of the leadership traits one should possess. Within this paper, I will examine the overall concept of leadership traits, while observing the traits that were, or can be associated with successful leaders.
Traits of a good leader are trustworthiness, respectfulness, honesty, and be stern. When you have leaders that take their role seriously, you can form a backbone to an organization that cannot be broken. You have born leaders and you have trained leaders. Martin Luther King was a natural born leader for the Civil Rights movement. King saw there was something that needed to be changed and he took the steps to change the world.
We can divide the theories that deal with leadership in 3 chronological groups. First were the trait theories. Until the 1940's, research in the field of leadership was dominated by these theories. Second came the behavioral theories which were very influent until the late 1960's. Finally, contingency theories are the most modern theories about leadership.
Since 1869, leadership trait theories have been explored to determined what qualities make a good leader. Sir Fancis Galton explored the theory that genetic leadership characteristics were passed down from generation to generation (Manning and Curtis, 2015). Through continued exploration of leadership traits, it has been proven that these traits are not necessarily genetic, but are behavioral in nature, and can be taught.
There are many different types of theories on leadership. There is Fiedler’s contingency theory, situational theories of leadership and House’s path-goal theory. These theories are used to make an individual or manager a more effective leader. They can be used as a guide for individuals and help them achieve whatever goal is set out by their organization or group.