Leadership has been described as a “complex process having multiple dimensions” (Northouse, 2013). Over the past 60 years, scholars and practitioners have introduced a vast amount of leadership models and theories to explain this complex field and examine its many perspectives. Numerous leadership theories and models have attempted to define what makes a leader effective. From the early 1900s, the trait paradigm dominated leadership literature, focusing on inherited traits of leaders and suggesting that “leaders are born, not made”. However, during the 1950s, the trait approach lost enthusiasm as focus shifted to the behavior of leaders. Similar to the trait theory, the behavioral paradigm was based on general effective leadership behaviors
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.
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,...
Leadership is portrayed at its pinnacle in William Bratton’s Turnaround, Rudolph Giuliani’s book Leadership, Oren Harari’s book The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell, and David Lipsky’s book Absolutely American: Four Years at West Point. In each of these works, the author does an exceptional job of depicting the various traits and characteristics necessary for being a powerful and effective leader.
Leaders have those indispensable qualities of contagious self-confidence, unwarranted optimism, and incurable idealism that allow them to attract and mobilize others to undertake tasks these people never dreamed they could undertake. (To Lead or Not to Lead, Unit One 36)
Throughout the centuries, this world has maintained various leaders that have ruled far and wide, or a small domain. All of which had various roles, morals, goals, etc.; some infamous, some admired, and some truly despised. There is a vast amount of written works pertaining to become a great leader. Lao-Tzu and Niccoló Machiavelli are prime examples of people who have written works about the topic, yet their views and ideas differ greatly. Yet, despite their opposite views, their intake and thoughts about leadership, both Lao-Tzu and Machiavelli’s indulge logically and carefully on a more personal and human level.
Kouzes, J., & Posner, B. (2008). The leadership challenge. 4th ed. San Francisco, CA Jossey-Bass. ISBN: 9780787984915
The leadership style combination between autocratic leadership and empowerment leadership would give the futuristic cutting edge per se, to create a diversified ultimate decision making policy. Autocratic leadership, which is a style that leaders who make decisions on their own without consulting employees enjoy and empowerment, which is a practice in which managers lead employees by sharing power, responsibility, and decision making with them (Boone, L. E., & Kurtz, D. L. 2009 p. 260-270). This mixture creates responsibility and accountability. If the leader is made to lead then, in return they will make certain key decisions based on experience, proven results and a “pocket” of advisors that will guide them based on their on comprehension of the field along the way. This creates a “hierarchy” which is necessary to let the employees who are coming up on the ladder to have a cause and effect “history” so to speak, for many different common and uncommon situations to use in the future.
Leadership style is the manner in which a leader provides directions, implement plans, and motivate people or a team to achieve a goal (Newlink, 1997). After reading the course work study and taking a leadership style quiz on the web. (About.com, 2014). It is my conclusion that my leadership style is participative. In Participative leadership style, members of the group are allowed to identify goals and develop strategies to reach the goal. As a participative leader, I do not shove my ideals into my member’s throats or impose my decision on everyone. Though the final decision rested with me, each member of the group is still giving an opportunity to express their view and knowledge of the task at hand. Each member’s suggestion is taken into account and the final decision is made based on the suggestions. Therefore, I serve as a facilitator, not a dictator.
Presently, most organizations emphasize extremely about leadership in organizations. Leadership means that ability, capability, and skills of leader to guide members of organizations to success or achieve objectives and destination. Leadership studies are interesting in several organizations. According to Walters (2009), “Leadership has been an intriguing and important part of human interactions for as long as people have lived and worked together in groups” (P.1). Some organizations have studied about leadership for long times to know what elements and significant factors of leadership is. Those elements will help leaders to have ability, capability, and skills to suggest members of organizations or being leaders efficiently.
Leadership is necessary for a group to accomplish goals. Leadership according to Lamberton and Minor (2014), is the ability to impact people to attain a goal. A leader according to Gaiter (2013), sets direction and influences others to accomplish goals and directs cohesiveness. A leaders’ goal is not just the success of the team but, also the success of individuals on the team, a leader must motivate, inspire and empower others for success (Gaiter, 2013). To accomplish these goals a leader will utilize a leadership style.
In this book, the authors Tom Rath and Barry Conchie examine the question “What are the keys to being an effective leader?” To answer this question they had a team that reviewed data collected from Gallup polls. The data came from interviews from 20,000 senior leaders, over a million teams and more than fifty years of Gallup Polls of the most admired leaders in the world. The authors then had the team do a study of more than 10,000 followers to find out why they follow the influential leaders in their life.
A great leader is someone who can remain effective in the face of adversity. I have always admired the leadership of Ronald Reagan, the fortieth president of the United States. To understand Reagan’s influence as a leader of the American people, we must first understand leadership. There are many published theories about leadership including the theories of Dr. Bernard M. Bass. Additionally, there are follower-focused studies that have produced additional theories that expand and compliment Bass’ theories.
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.
This paper is intended to explain where collaborative leadership is used, what characteristics it possesses, and the benefits and disadvantages of using it. It will also summarize what types of people are collaborative leaders and the qualities they have that make them one.