The Pros And Cons Of Leadership

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“Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal.” (Northhouse, 2013, P.5) This process of leadership is not a trait or characteristic that the leader possesses. It is an interactional experience between the leader and their followers. This interaction means that the leader has an effect on and is affected by their followers. Leadership is an interactive event between the leader and their followers. Followers are individuals who the leader guides towards achieving goals. They are the people the leader uses to accomplish the goals. Context is the setting in which work is performed. It could just be a normal work day or it could be a long term project. It could also be the work environment and the resources available to accomplish goals. Outcomes are the results of the leadership process. It could be reaching certain goals, developing a new product, or resolving problems in a company or organization. Leadership outcomes could also mean improving team moral or trust and respect between the leader and their followers. Leadership is a complex process with many different approaches. This is a summary of the leadership literature including the pros and cons of each approach. The trait approach implies successful leaders are born with those traits. This theory focuses on identifying certain traits that make people great leaders. Some of the major leadership traits identified in the trait approach are intelligence, self-confidence, determination, integrity, and social ability. There are many advantages to the trait approach. “First, it is intuitively appealing because it fits clearly into the popular idea that leaders are special people who are out front, leading ... ... middle of paper ... ...eption, and laissez-faire.” (Northouse, 2013, P, 214) The pros with the transformational approach are that it put importance on the significance of followers in the leadership procedure and how they want followers to achieve more and have increased job satisfaction. The cons with the transformational approach are the validity of the MLQ, and how effectively it determines good transformational leaders. Some researchers have also claimed that transformational leadership could be used in damaging ways and would be result in negative outcomes for companies and organizations. Servant leadership is an approach that goes against most leadership styles because it has the lead being the servant to their followers. This style of leadership wants the leader to be focused on the needs of their followers, empower their followers, and help realize their full capabilities.

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