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,
As Warren Bennis, a scholar on the subject of leadership, once said, “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” This statement certainly holds true no matter what type of leader you look at. From cruel dictators such as Joseph Stalin, who fought and killed to stay in power, to peaceful leaders like Mohandas Gandhi, who used nonviolent tactics to emancipate India from the United Kingdom, to Jesus Christ, who started a religion and spread his message of love and forgiveness far across the globe, they all had a vision of how they wanted to change the world, for the better, or for the worse.
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.
Our world is filled with many successful leaders. The gift of being a leader can be learned; however some individuals have a natural born talent to be a leader. Each leader has his or her own unique leadership style. The gift of being a leader can be learned. Certain individuals are born with a charismatic style and can easily be a leader. A successful leader is one who can inspire and motivate people towards a goal. Martin Luther King Jr. was an individual with a born gift to lead people. The following paper will discuss how Martin Luther King Jr. was able to inspire and motivate people with his effective leadership style.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Throughout life, there are and have been leaders who have helped change and shape others view of the world by their charisma, strength, morals, and kindness. These particular people can help to create a vision along with intellectually stimulating people to broaden their horizons and to be successful in business and personal accomplishments. At one point of time, there was someone who I considered a leader, who motivated me by applying what is known as the Transformational Leadership Theory. Transformational leaders “inspire and empower” (LugoSantiago, 2016, p. 18) other individuals to become more well-rounded along with helping to achieving overall goals. With the Transformational
Leadership is the glue that binds any business together, identifying and understanding your type of leadership style can ultimately aid you in becoming a better leader in your professional career. A successful business cannot function without leadership therefore this is a crucial aspect of internal employee development for businesses striving to stay relevant in a crowded marketplace. In addition to recognizing your leadership style every leader needs to look to them and identify what type of personality they have. By becoming an informed business leader you will gain trust and respect of your team to guide them into the future and maximizing potential growth. Throughout this paper I will identify my leadership style and also personality type and how it has affected my personal career growth. Identifying these conclusions is extremely important in crafting company culture.
Throughout history, there have been leaders who are considered as admirable due to positive influences over other individuals. For example, in my opinion, Abraham Lincoln was able to influence the masses of people because he chose to think and behave differently from other leaders before him. When a person is considered as a leader, there are several responsibilities and qualities that will attract others to follow after the teachings that are demonstrated. Leadership can be described as the process for “guiding individuals, groups, and entire organizations in establishing goals and sustaining action to support goals (Shockley-Zalabak, 2015, p. 220). Additionally, each leader will usually have a distinctive
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.
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
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...
This book emphasizes on theories of becoming a leader, it is not a “how to” book by any means. Bennis states how leaders contribute to society and how crucial they are, along with the characteristics that come along with being a leader. He provides intriguing insight about leaders and emphasizes the integrity and authenticity that such people carry. In this reading, Bennis (the author) recognizes an immense amount of traits/characteristics a leader possesses which are: maturity, curiosity, trust, passion, guiding vision, candor, self knowledge, and daring. Bennis claims that people are not born with these traits, and that people gain these traits by pushing themselves to exceed others.
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.”