Variety in Leadership Style is Key to Effective Leadership
Throughout history there have been many compelling leaders who, in their respective areas, have been able to motivate, compel, influence and drive their followers to success. Well known world leaders such as Julius Caesar, Nelson Mandela, Elizabeth I, and Mahatma Gandhi are remembered, among other things, for their ability to inspire their followers towards a common goal. In the past, it was often thought that leaders were born with special qualities that assisted them to become successful. However it has since been shown that leadership styles are learnt and perfected over time. While a leader could potentially learn one of the many leadership styles and progress well using that
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Often described as the ‘lazy’ style, Laissez-faire leaders aim to allow their followers to make decisions and complete their tasks as they see fit (Linstead, Fulop & Lilley, 2009). Dwyer (2009) states, that although the followers make their own decisions, the leader will still support and coach their followers when required. The benefits of this are undoubtedly clear; followers become more involved and are more invested in reaching a successful outcome. However this style can be quite ineffective when used with inexperienced groups that are lacking in direction and motivation (Kossen, Kiernan & Lawrence, 2013). This leads to followers not completing their tasks and becoming resentful towards their leader for leaving them with more than their skill level is equipped for (Dwyer, 2009). A Laissez-faire style would work best in a small group, with a high skill set, who have potentially worked together previously. An example of a leader who successfully used the Laisse-faire leadership style is Warren Buffet. Surrounding himself with followers who were highly skilled in their areas, Warren was well known to allow his followers to make mistakes so they could learn from them (Advise America,
Where does our leadership style develop from? Many of us will readily agree with the idea that the presence of certain personality traits will positively influence a leader’s style or successfulness. Determining exactly which personality traits are conductive to successful leadership is more difficult. For example, although many support the idea that charisma is a key trait for leadership, Komives et al. argue that the presence of charisma in a leader can actually be a negative influence in leadership, citing Adolf Hitler as one such case (66). Therefore, the question becomes not only if personality determines who we are as leaders, but which personality traits determine who we are as leaders. In my opinion, leadership is determined by the
An effective leader is a person who is capable of making others follow him. A person who leads people becomes a leader. The quality of life of followers depends upon the quality of leader they have, so, it becomes important for a leader to be effective. Leaders possess certain traits that can be defined as relatively coherent and integrated patterns of personal characteristics, reflecting a range of individual differe...
Something that I can truly attest to is that people are not born with these leadership qualities, they must be inspired. Inspiration is a positive influence to the mind or soul of a person that usually comes from the people around them. People can be inspired by teachers, family members, friends and even strangers. My inspiration comes from my family members and my CNA instructor because their urge and passion for education has lead to their success. Deriving from a family of nurses, professors, principals and business women, I have nothing but all the motivation I need to succeed. They want nothing but the best for me and that is why their lives and decisions have such an impact on my life.
The leadership is a result of a combination of traits, with special emphasis on the personal qualities of the leader, which he should possess certain personality traits that would be special facilitators in leadership performance. This theory shows that leaders are born as such, there is no likelihood of 'making' them later with personal development techniques.
Webster’s dictionary defines Laissez-Faire as “a philosophy or practice characterized by a usually deliberate abstention from direction or interference especially with individual freedom of choice and action.” Webster’s goes on to say “Laissez-Faire is a French word meaning let the people do as they please.”(Miriam-Webster, 2014) This leadership style is “a style in which the leader provides little or no direction or supervision, and prefers a hands-off approach.” (Frandsen, 2014 p 2) As we can see decisions are not usually made or if they are, they aren’t completed. This style is often seen with new leaders who have not explored other leadership options, have little knowledge of the goals the group is seeking, an older leader who is ready to turn the reins over to his successor. This style seems doomed from the very start. If the group is left to do as they please with no direction from the leader, the group’s decision making ability is endangered by the very fact there is no true
The world of today is filled with successful men who have become great leaders in their field of expertise and achieved many extraordinary and remarkable things. People usually wonder what these great men have that they lack and what should they do in order to even achieve similar feats. The answer to such an intriguing and complicated looking question is surprisingly simple! It is to have a heart and the attitude of a great leader. Young men are taught that if they study hard enough and long enough, they might be able to achieve some things in life which, unfortunately, is a wrong notion proved wrong by a remarkably successful man named Bill Gates. He was a college dropout but still managed to be the founder of one of the biggest IT Mammoth – Microsoft. He is just a famous example, but there are thousands other in every corner of the world, making a mark for themselves despite their poor qualifications. Their amazing ability to manage and lead is what really sets them apart. There are sayings that leaders are born, not made, but, if you follow the life of any great leader and ask them, most will give you an answer that they learnt everything they knew through the lessons of life, an open mind & positive self motivation. These points are important if you aspire to become successful and be the guy everyone else looks up to for inspiration. There are various kinds of leadership techniques that can be learnt and imbibed by anyone who is willing to go the distance. Among the many ways of being a leader, the one that seems to be the most promising is a lately evolved concept of authentic leadership.
Leaders do not just appear out of thin air and automatically start making great things happen in the world. A leader must learn from prior leaders or role models that they are surrounded by that they look up to. Not everyone can be a leader, only some people have the correct characteristics it takes to lead others in the right direction. Those who do great things, for example volunteering at a homeless shelter, are not leaders. Many people mistake a “great person” as being a leader, which is completely incorrect (Kouzes and Posner, p. 3). While playing an active role in your community is a positive thing it does not make someone a leader of that community. All leaders have a group of people they have inspiration too and that is a good way of determining who your personal leaders are. My mother, brother, and grandfather are my leaders because I have always looked up to them and tried to mimic some of the great things that I have seen them do. My mother has always been an independent women with goals and an action plan to accomplish those set goals. Stephen, my elder brother, is outgoing and tends to have a leveled head when it comes to evaluating stressful situations. My grandfather is the most caring person I know and he is amazing at keeping situations under control in order to please everyone. These are all the qualities I want to combine into my own leadership style. I know I am not a efficient leader of these actions yet, but I plan on growing into this as I more on into my career, fulfill my set goals, and adjust to the curve-balls that life throws at me.
Jim Jones, Martin Luther King Jr., and Gandhi were each charismatic leaders though they were very different in what they preach. They had a gift to touch people’s hearts and change them. This change may not always be welcomed and some may see it as a test of loyalty. However, whether a person likes it or not, there will be a time when the words of another encourages them to stand up, to change, to fight. True power tends to gather around great leader.
With this particular style, leaders are known to have a hands off approach when guiding others, and usually they do not provide the support that may be needed. Furthermore, Laissez-fair leaders allow individuals to make their own decisions without much interference or feedback. In addition to a Laissez-fair leader, there is also the transformational method of leadership. A Transformational leader can be described as a person who “persuades their subordinates to take on the organizational revolution as their own” (Rana, Malik, & Hussain, 2007, p. 163). In addition, transformational leaders also formulate challenging purposes in order to pave the way for others. For example, although Abraham Lincoln was the president of the United States, he volunteered in the Blackhawk War, which proves how caring and selfless he was. He was able to sympathize and relate to others, although it may have been considered as politically incorrect. The last leadership style that has been discussed is known as transactional. With the transactional method of guiding others, there is a “reciprocal exchange” (Rana, Malik, & Hussain, 2007, p. 164) that exists between a leader and subordinates. Focusing on the desired outcome is the main objective with transactional leaders as opposed to focusing to the individuals
Great leadership is not achieved over night, and it is not something that one achieves and stops. Great leaders spend entire lives building and growing their leadership skills. It is not likely that a leader will one day wake up with all of the vision, influence, knowledge, respect, and momentum necessary to be great; these take time to develop. “It is the capacity to develop and improve their skills that distinguishes leaders from their followers.”
Perhaps the most important qualities of a leader are passion and motivation. Especially when leading a group for a particular cause, a leader must be personally attached to that cause. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., for example, is a legendary leader because he fought for a cause that directly affected him. had he not been pushing for a personal reason, his actions would not have been as passionate. This would have caused a lack in motivation, another essential leadership quality. A leader faces many roadblocks and opposition and thus, must be motivated to continue fighting and leading. A leader’s attitude and opinions are valued by the group and therefore, if a leader is motivated, the group will be, too. The continued actions and successes, no matter how small, which move the group closer to its goal also help its motivation and drive.
Leadership can be traced back to many ideologies over the history of time. There have been individuals that have achieved great success and accomplishments through inspiring others to believe and follow their leadership. This paper will explain some of the theories that philosophically explain how those great people inspired others to believe in their vision and goals.
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.
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...
...rmine a successful outcome. Hence, a laissez- faire approach to leadership was successful in small groups. Overall, the democratic approach, like the laissez- faire approach, was enjoyable and good for conflict resolution, however using this approach we also achieved a solid team score.