Perceptions of leadership vary in terms of the emphasis on the leader abilities, personal traits, influential relationship, cognitive versus collective interest. Also, they vary in whether they are normative or descriptive in nature as well as their relative emphasis on behavioural styles (den Hartog & Koopman, 1999). Due to this, various leadership theories have emerged leading to different approaches of studying leadership, namely, Great man, trait, behavioural and relationships. These different theories expose a dire need for the recipe of an effective leadership.
2.4.1 Great Man Approach
The origins of leadership study lie in the 17th century and aimed at distinguishing leaders from followers. During this era, the business environment was not too complex as organisations were small and managed by one individual and thus the predominant view of leadership was based on the individual, control and centralization of power. The Great Man approach holds that there is one best way to lead and
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Nonetheless, the limitations and flaws of the trait approach does not nullify the work done and this is seen from Stodgill’s review of several studies, Kouzes and Posner (2002) as well as Zaccaro (2007), wherein it is established that there are universal characteristics associated with effective leadership such as: Vigor and persistence on pursuit of goals, self-confidence, tolerance for uncertainty and frustration, drive, desire to lead, forward-looking, honesty and integrity, self-confidence, cognitive ability and knowledge of the business, high-energy levels and stress tolerance, internal locus of control orientation, emotional maturity, social power, moderate achievement motivation, and a low need to
(Kerfoot 1998) (Evans, 2003). The Personality traits for good leader are activity level or energy, adjustment, dominance, assertiveness, emotional balance and emotional control, self- confidence, originality, intelligence, tolerance of stress, personal integrity, independence, achievement motivation, sociability, responsibility, initiative, and diplomacy (NYSTEDT 1997). Furthermore, Agreeableness and conscientiousness is perceived as a trait for transformational leaders (ARTOG2 et al 2005).
Wherever human beings are accumulated together in large numbers, they need leadership. Even a school needs a principle to mentor and escalate the school’s rank. Armies need generals to lead them to a courageous victory. Civilians need governments, captains of industry and intellectual leaders of thought as well. However, There are characteristics common to most great leaders that can be picked out.
This is a valuable trait of a leader that I embody. Another trait that is vital is responsibility. To keep up with my busy schedule that includes schoolwork, sports, service, as well as being social, I stay very organized and responsible. This helps me greatly in my endeavors as a leader, as do the other qualities I
In developing this paper on leadership, I examined what was most important to me as a leader. As I reflected on my leadership philosophy, I thought about my experiences and the principals that I have learned through my own self-discovery and the observation of other leaders that I have had throughout my life. My leadership philosophy paper will focus on what leadership is to me, core values, and knowledge of others. In thinking about my definition of leadership, I thought of what was most important to me in and as a leader.
Leadership Thought Prior to 1900 The earliest study of leadership thought would be the “Great Man Theory. This theory conceptualized leaders as a single “Great Man” who knew everything and influenced others to follow him. In leadership discourse, the Great Man theory—an assertion that certain individuals, certain men, are gifts from God placed on earth to provide the lightening needed to uplift human existence—is associated mainly with Thomas Carlyle (Spector, 2015, p.250). The focal-point of this theory is that leaders’ skills are inherent and set that them apart from those around them and that these traits enable them to assume roles of power and authority.
In spite of the fact that’ leadership analysis’ is the art of breaking down a leader into basic psychological components for study and use by academics and practitioners, a sound leadership analyses
Today, leadership is considered to be more art than science. Equally observable is that those who engage in leadership invoke a variety of leadership styles and traits that can vary greatly, and yet can be equally successful in a variety of situations. No one could deny the tremendous leadership skills of Martin Luther King, but at the same time, for example, do not highlight the skills and success of General Schwarzkopf in crushing the army of enemies. As is generally known, the personal motives affect the leadership preferences. For example, some people choose adventurous and strict leadership style, while the others prefer peaceful and continuous.
In this regard, leaders and managers can appear at any level of an organisation and are not exclusive of each other (Germano, 2010). Leadership theories identify leaders based upon traits as well as how their influence and power is used to achieve organizational goals and objectives (Germano, 2010). As such, trait based characteristics include leaders such as autocratic, democratic, bureaucratic and charismatic. On the other hand, leadership that is viewed from the perspective of the exchange of power and its utilisation to secure outcomes, are situational, transactional and transformational leaders (Germano, 2010). It is of paramount importance to consider the different types of theories of management and leadership and their potential impact on organizational strategy being that management and leadership plays a vital role in the success of businesses.
Individual Reflective Paper Introduction Leadership, a controversial concept, has been studied for centuries. Scholars who study leadership have argued with the insight of leadership for many decades and finally promote a wide range of understandings of it. This course “values and leadership” introduces the basic principles and concepts about leadership, and provides us with some conceptual knowledge and practical approaches to be an outstanding leaders. I chose to take this course because I am interested in the topic about leadership.
Relationship between Leader Traits, Motives and Effectiveness Introduction The presence of certain inherent traits and their impact on leadership has been one of the earliest topics of research into leadership. After a long period of being relegated to the background, the importance of leadership traits is being appreciated by recent scholars. This paper addresses how leader traits continue to determine the effectiveness of leaders, however, within the constraints imposed by the environment and situation.
LEADERSHIP Ogbeidi (2012) found that leadership is referred as “ability to lead, direct and organize a group”. The study of leadership has developed scientifically through changing paradigms during its history where several models and theories have tried to explain the concept of leadership. Kuchler (2008) acknowledges that although subject of leadership is diverse and somewhat scattered but it tends to be one of the most widely discussed topics by the researchers all over the world. We found myriad definitions of leadership after studying detailed literature on it. The concept of leadership is described by different researchers with different perspectives.
This paper will examine the three leadership theories, identify how they apply to my practice, and explore how these theories interact with each other. The Trait Leadership Theory is based on the belief that a person is born with special traits contributing to natural leadership abilities. Studies of famous historical leaders have been used to identify various traits for this theory. Although the list of traits differs from study to study, there are five major traits that are consistent throughout most studies.
The Great Man approach is a perspective that identifies inherited traits that leader possess. These traits are optimism, Self-confidence, honesty, integrity and drive. All the traits are critical for successful leaders, and evidenced in the Apollo 13 and Annapurna case. However, it is paramount that the leaders have relevant, mission specific knowledge as well. If Eugene Kranz did not have an expansive knowledge of his team, technical skills and flight director experience, the mission could have failed.
Question 1 Are leadership and management different from one another? If so, how? Answer: Leadership- The ability to influence a group toward the achievement of goals.
(2007). The perception of “Leadership” evolved with man as the years progressed and as the needs , the culture and the social environment changed ,the term was defined differently by many researchers , each conceptualizing