What is Leadership?

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What is leadership? When examining this question it is important to understand what it means to be a leader within an organization. “Leadership is the influencing process of leaders and followers to achieve organizational objectives through change (Achua, 2010, p. 6). Leaders serves people best when they help them develop their own initiative and good judgment, enable them to grow, and help them become better contributors (Thomas S Bateman, 2010, p. 66). Unlike management leadership flows from the core of a personality and cannot be taught; although leadership can be learned and may be enhanced through coaching and mentoring. Leadership involves unique processes that are distinguishable from basic management processes (Thomas S Bateman, 2010, p. 123). Leadership can be divided between supervisory leadership and strategic leadership in order to distinguish between the two. Supervisory leadership occurs when a leader possesses behavior that provides guidance, support, and corrective feedback for day to day activities. Strategic leadership occurs when a leader’s behavior gives purpose and meaning to an organization envisioning and creating a positive future (Thomas S Bateman, 2010, pp. 95-96). A leader “keeps people focused on moving the organization towards its ideal future, motivating them to overcome whatever obstacles lie in their way”. Leaders capture the hearts and minds of their employees and stir up a desire to be part of something big. They clearly see the future of the organization, the changes that need to occur to get there, and they sell the vision with such compelling belief that others begin to see and believe it as well (Thomas S Bateman, 2010, p. 156).

Are leaders born or created? This is the most frequently aske...

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...s something we see every day in nuclear families between parents and children.

Works Cited

Achua, L. /. (2010). Leadership Theory and application. Ohio: South Western Cengage Learning.

Arvey, R. (2009). Are Leaders born or made? The Straits Times (Singapore) , 939-989.

Blake, A. (2007). Leadership can come naturally, but leaders should also be trained. The Western Mail , 68-989.

Braid, M. (2007). Are Good Leaders Born or Created? The Sunday Times (London) , 31-989.

Caulkin, S. (1998). Some are born to it, some have it thrust upon them but very few do it well. The Observer , 164-989.

O'Reilly, S. (1998). Leaders are developed, not born. The Sunday Times , 283-989.

Shane, S. (2010). Born Entrepreneurs, Born Leaders. New york: Oxford University Press, inc.

Thomas S Bateman, S. S. (2010). Leading & Collaborating in the Competitive World. Ohio: McGraw-Hill.

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