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Leadership trait theory paper
Leadership trait theory paper
The essence of leadership is trust
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1. The Art of Leadership asks the question “What does it take to be a successful leader?” Early studies showed one of the two main theories was called the “Leadership Trait Theory”. This theory focuses on the qualities of a leader as opposed to their actions. Additionally, this theory prominently factors in psychological and physical traits when determining the effectiveness of leadership. When discussing the various studies that have been conducted, the texts states: “Almost always included in these and other lists of important leadership traits are (1) basic intelligence, (2) clear and strong values, and (3) high level of personal energy” (Manning and Curtis, p.18, 2012). A prime example of this theory is Steve Jobs: an enigmatic, sparkplug …show more content…
The second theory is the “Leadership Behavior Theory.” This theory focuses directly on leadership actions rather than qualities. “Behavioral leadership theories assume that there are distinctive actions that effective leaders take” (Manning and Curtis, p.19, 2012). This theory is special since it involved researchers monitoring the behavior and actions of specified leaders. Researchers would assess a leader’s responses, consequences, rewards and patterns to determine how effective their leadership style was on individuals.
3. The third theory of leadership is called the contingency theory. This theory understands that there is no universal, default leader; what works for one organization will not always work for another. “Forces in the leader include personal values, feelings of security, and confidence in subordinates” (Manning and Curtis, p.25, 2012). Leaders who use this theory need the ability to adapt to changes in circumstances within the workplace. Essentially, the leaders, followers and the organizational situations must all align for effective leadership to be
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Although it is imperative to learn about leadership characteristics, those of followers are equally as important. Respect for authority and interpersonal trust are two characteristics that influence the leadership process. “People who respect authority figures and have a trusting nature are led more easily than people who disregard authorities and are suspicious of others (Manning and Curtis, p.35, 2012). In today’s society, there is a steady decline in the level of trust employees place in their leadership team. Factors such as family structure, social structure, shared values, selfish agendas and self-interest all cause employees to distrust their leadership team. This shows how important it is for a leader to be transparent and customize his or her leadership approach to fit the mold of their
They have profound convictions for for their leadership; Their behavior always reflect their core values and they view themselves as individuals that “lead with their hearts as well as their heads while also building enduring organizations” (George 2003). Leaders are encouraged to maintain the perception of authenticity but making sure that their words are consistent and reflect their action or intentions. They should not be so pompous and arrogant that they cannot relate to or find mutual and common ground with their staff. (Goffee & Jones 2005)
A leadership theory is a clarification of some features of leadership; theories have practical importance as they are being used for better understanding, anticipating, and controlling successful leadership. Hence, the main principle of any theory is to inform practice(Lussier and Achua 2009). Leadership theories could be classified into eight main categories: Great man, trait, behavioral, contingency, Situational, Participative, Relationship , management (Cherry 2010).
Up until this point, much of the focus has been centered on defining effective leadership from characteristics and traits that have been identified through research and behavioral science, but what do the followers have to say about the leader’s characteristics and traits? Furthermore, what makes someone want to follow a leader? Thus, there are five specific traits or characteristics a leader must display before being followed, and the first characteristic or trait is honesty (Shead, 2016). While people desire to follow an honest leader, honesty is the key trait that allows the leader to influence others besides power; however, leaders have very few opportunities to demonstrate honesty, especially in large organizations (Shead, 2016). Therefore,
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.
For example, under this theory the leader would employ High Directive/High Support leadership behaviors to the Disillusioned Learner. Ideally, the leader helps the followers as they progress through the stages to achieve the Self-Reliant Achiever/Delegating level. While I do not necessarily fully subscribe to the theory, it does seem to have merit and I do believe that it is important for an effective leader to have the capability and flexibility to adapt his or her style to the needs of the followers in order to encourage everyone’s success. I also believe that an effective leader plays a significant role in promoting and molding individuals’ readiness as it relates to motivation and commitment. As such, I developed my leadership assessment with these points in mind. The assessment focuses on 14 attributes that I believe are important not only for a leader to be successful within the parameters of the SLT, but...
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.
The learning obtained from the Leadership and Organizational Behavior course has been valuable. From this course, I have learned that while someone can be a manager or a leader, it is better to be both. The various topics discussed throughout the eight week course have provided the unique insight necessary to be an effective leader. The insight gained allow for the identification of the behaviors that an effective leader must possess and continually develop. By identifying these behaviors, I am better able to shape my leadership style and goals so that I can achieve my full career potential as a leader within my organization. Ultimately, I realize that it is important to both do things right and do the right things in all my actions within an organization.
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.
Some people believe leadership and management are one in the same; however, this is not true because management involves planning, staffing, directing and controlling and, a manager is a person who performs these functions (Leadership Theories and Studies, 2009). The term manager is a formal title given to a person who has authority by virtue of his or her position or office. (Leadership Theories and Studies, 2009) Leadership, by contrast, is about influence; leaders use factors other than just their formal authority to influence subordinates. There are three major leadership theories developed from the 1930s to the 1970s which attempt to explain why some leaders are better than others, these theories are: trait leadership (1930s and 1940s), behavior leadership (1940s and 1950s), and contingency leadership (1960s and 1970s).
There are different leadership theories developed throughout the history. Most popular ones are trait theories, behavioral theories, contingency theories, and leader-member exchange (LMX) theory. The author of the post will briefly discuss two theories, Fiedler contingency theory and Leader-Member Exchange (LMX), and compare and contrast their strengths and weakness.
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.
Fiedler’s theory is a trait-based, leader-match theory, meaning that leader selection depends on that person’s compatibility to the situation (Kelly 200). The Vertical Dyad Linkage Theory model is based on the belief that “leaders and followers mutually influence each other’s behavior, and focuses on the dynamic interchange between leader and follower dyads” (Kelly 202). The Vroom-Yetton Contingency Theory is a behavior theory that mainly focuses on improving the effectiveness of leaders by encouraging their examination of situational characteristics (Kelly
The behavior approach refocuses the interest from the traits to the leaders ' behavior. Leaders ' behavior becomes more important than their physical, mental or emotional traits. Ohio State University and the University of Michigan developed the two main studies of this approach in the late 1940s and 1950s. The studies have recognized two main behaviors: people-oriented and production-oriented behavior. According to the leader behavior approach, there are several behaviors that would be invariably effective for leaders, but empirical research does not show a strong relation between task-oriented or person-oriented leader behaviors and leader effectiveness.
The primary leadership theory I believe in comes from John Maxwell and speaks to the dual nature of leadership: leaders are both born and made. I believe that some individuals are born with innate leadership qualities and that those characteristics, though infantile, if cultivated, evolve through lifelong experiences, training and development. Maxwell asserts that born leaders require cultivation: “Leadership is developed, not discovered. The truly “born leader” will always emerge; but to stay on top, natural leadership characteristics must be developed”(Maxwell, 1993 p. viii). Maxwell indicates that individuals who want to become leaders fit into one of four categories: the leading leader, the learned leader, the latent leader or the limited leader.
There are many different types of theories on leadership. There is Fiedler’s contingency theory, situational theories of leadership and House’s path-goal theory. These theories are used to make an individual or manager a more effective leader. They can be used as a guide for individuals and help them achieve whatever goal is set out by their organization or group.