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Assignment aim and structure:
The aim of this assignment is to analyze the relevant concepts, theories and models about leadership and describe one person who could be identified as leader and analyze how effective this person’s leadership is and why it is effective. Defining what is leadership comes first, second will provide an overview about my organization and the importance of leadership. Moving forward will address the different type of leaders and the difference between management and leadership. We will address as well, the theories of effective leadership; and last but not least, identify our leader and conclude a summary of this assignment.
What is leadership and how is effective:
It is much like the words democracy, love and peace, although each of us instinctively knows what we mean by such words. The words can have different meanings for different people, and the same holds true when defining leadership. More than a century has lapsed since leadership become a topic of academic introspection, and definitions have evolved continuously during that period. According to Donelly et al (1985)” Leadership is an attempt at influencing the activities of followers through the communication process and toward the attainment of some goal or goals”. There are as many definitions of leadership as there are people who have attempted to define the concept (Stogdill, 1974).
Over the years, a number of theoretical models have been produced each trying to understand when and how leadership is effective. The trait approach is one of the early content theories, focusing on “what” and affective leader is, not on ‘how’ to effectively lead. This approach assumes that certain physical, social and personal characteristics are inherent i...
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...rship and Organization: A Behavioral Science Apprach. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1961
Jaques E. & Clement, S.D. ‘Executive Leadership: a practical guide to managing complexity’ Cambridge, MA: Carson-Hall & Co. Publishers (1994, p.4)
John c. Maxwell. (1993). ‘Developing the leader within you’, Thomas Nelson Inc. Publishers, 1993
Gupta, A. (2012) ‘The role of a leader’ [online], available: http://www.practical-management.com/Leadership-Development/Role-of-an-Organizational-Leader.html [accessed 16 March 2013]
Kendra, C. (2011)’ Leadership Theories - 8 Major Leadership Theories’ [online], available: http://psychology.about.com/od/leadership/p/leadtheories.htm [accessed 14 April 2013]
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Introduction According to the Oxford Dictionary, a leader is defined as “the person who leads or commands a group, organization, or country” (Oxford Dictionaries, 2013). Though there is a definition for what a leader is, people still have different ideas about what a leader should be and how he or she should act. There has never been a concrete idea of what a leader is; the only thing we know is that this person is the one in charge of the unit. We look at characteristics of those people we see as leaders and use those attributes to compare other people to see if they are able to be as good as, or even better than, those aforementioned leaders. We have to keep in mind that in different situations, leaders must do different tasks which indicates the need for different qualities.
Before you can summarize the concepts related to leadership theory, you have to define what leadership is. Leadership is a process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task or goals. The fundamental concept of leadership is indirection. In any organization, the leader indirectly impacts the performance of the organization through the performance of individual team members. To make that impact, the leader takes on the role of the coach, and the inspiratory. As the coach, the leader improves the performer's skills. As the inspiratory, the leader inspires the passion required for optimal performance. A good leader can make decisions with a clear mind and will listen to theirs but can run through every consequence and possibility in their head. They take every angle and come out with the best answer for the majority of the people or situations it effects. And will not let their emotions be shut off but will have feeling where it is needed.
Leadership can be defined as the method in which one influences a group of individuals for a common goal. There have many great leaders in the world but these leaders are not born leaders. One must have willpower and the desire to become an effective leader. These leaders become dependent upon based upon their abilities and their success. A leader is looked upon for guidance and the inspiration to know what the right thing to do is. The theoretical foundations of the research of leadership are firmly supported. To better understand the foundations and understand the focus of leadership, it is essential to have knowledge of the history of leadership, the meaning and concept of leadership, types of leaders and leadership styles, and issues in leadership such as issues with culture and gender. According to Antonakis (2004), “leadership researchers have struggled for most of the last century to put together an integrated, theoretically cohesive view of the nature of leadership, invariably leading to disappointment in those who studied it” (p.4). An overview of the history of leadership is necessary to understand the concept of leadership because it also provides a framework for other areas of leadership. In any conventional group, individuals fill different role and one of those roles must the leader which is essential for the group to achieve it purposes.
1. Leadership is not only a talent. It is also a science that it can be taught, 2. Mobilizing others is the key world of leadership theory. Inspiration is the basic tool that a leader can use, 3. Leadership is not dictatorship. It is a common effort that aims to a common goal, 4. ethics is a significant issue in leadership theory, 5. leadership is interesting to the feelings of the employees who work in a project. People are not numbers but personalities with particular characteristics and wishes, 6. a leader does not need types to be respected by the employees. He gains them with his personality and they follow him because they agree with his recommendations and they trust him.
A leader can be defined as a person who influences a group of people, organization, etc. in to achieving a set out or common goal. The aim of this paper is to identify the different approaches to leadership, but there is no single definition of leadership, as it can mean many different things to many people depending of their profession, environment and leadership style (Mielach, 2012).
Clark, D. (1997, May 11). Concepts of Leadership. Retrieved from Performance, Learning, Leadership, & Knowledge Web site: http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadcon.html
Leadership is derived from the Latin word laedere, which roughly translates as “to show the way” and if someone were to look it up in the dictionary, it would come up as “the position of a leader, the ability to lead, and direction.” However, for some this word can be arguable because everyone thinks differently. Leadership or leader itslef can be described or defined as someone promoting good character, a trustworthy person as well as a person who has dedication and takes responsibility for not only him or herself but also takes responsibility for the people surrounding them.
In chapter one, the concept and definition of leadership was introduced and according to the text, more than one hundred definitions of leadership have been identified by scholars and academic studies. What is clear is that leadership requires certain skills and traits of an individual that give them the ability to influence others in a way that motivates them to work toward and accomplish a common objective and goal effectively. While most traits seem to be somewhat inborn and natural to most leaders, it is true that others can be taught and develop the skills over time.
Managers are not only interested in status quo, but also production, expansion and growth. Management was a system to control machines. Leadership can never be controlled. Where one sits in life determines what you see. To be a good manager one must look at views from different perspectives. As situations change, leadership relations change. Leadership cannot be transactional. It can only work if both parties keep their agreements. A class survey was held to compare leaders to managers. The overall opinion was that they are similar in many ways. A leader and a manager can be one in the same. The difference be...
Leaders are the individuals who help to create options and opportunities. They help in identifying the choices and solve the problems. They build commitment and coalitions. Leaders do this by inspiring others and working along with them to construct the shared vision of the possibilities and commitments of a better group, organization or community. They engage the followers in such a way that most of the followers become leaders in their own right. The variety of demands of an increasingly complex world very often require that leadership be shared by most of the members of an organization, in appropriate ways for different situations. A leader is the on...
There has been various theories on leadership by leading management scholars attempting to review, explain and define leadership. Cole (1996, p.51) defines leadership as a “dynamic process in a group whereby one individual influences the others to contribute voluntarily to the achievement of group tasks in a given organisation.” He further argued that leadership is not just personality or by accident or appointment but linked with behaviour, clearly a stand against the “great man” philosophy (Cole, G.A., 1996).
Leadership Theories Comparison and Contrast Melissa A. Swinson Barry University Abstract This paper will identify different leadership theories that have I have felt have been most helpful as well as least helpful in relating to leadership insights. There is a wide variety of theories to explain the concepts and practice of leadership. I will provide an overview of the more dominant or better known theories.
”Leadership involves the exhibition of style or behavior by managers or supervisors while dealing with subordinates; leadership is a critical determinant of the employees ' actions toward the achievement of the organizational goals” (Saeed, Almas, Anis-ul-Haq, & Niazi, 2014). Leadership is a strength that initiates, inspires, and guides the cooperation and attitudes of others on the way to set vision. Leadership is influential and involves several styles of approaches that involve trust, accomplishment and focus to reach a projected result. Using and implementing the ideas of others motivates new thinking and gains the confidence to build the trust and encourage everyone to work to the same goals (Northouse,
Leadership Theories and Studies. (2009). In Encyclopedia of Management. Retrieved July 20, 2011 from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G2-3273100155.html
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.