Leadership Theories

There are successful leaders and then there are leaders who fail. Some people think of it as luck, but the truth is that there is no out of the world combination of characteristics that make some leaders successful. Often different characteristics matter at different situations. So what makes a great leader? Is it the personality traits of people or characteristics of the situation that makes people better than others? Studies conducted to find out how exactly certain people excel in their positions have given birth to a number of formal leadership theories. In this paper I will discuss about three different leadership theories; behavioral theories, contingency theories, and power & influence theories. Behavioral Theories As the name suggests behavioral theories emphasis on how leaders behave. For example; some leaders get involved with their team and some dictate terms in decision making. According to Kendra Cherry “Behavioral theories of leadership are based upon the belief that great leaders are made, not born” (para 9). This particular theory mainly focuses on the actions of leaders. An assumption of this theory is that people can learn to become leaders through teaching and observation. Three types of leaders can be identified under the behavioral theory; I. Autocratic leaders II. Democratic leaders III. Laissez-faire leaders A study conducted by the Ohio State University, have found two groups of behaviors strongly correlated among the behavioral style; I. Task Oriented Leaders These leaders focus more on the organizational structure, operating procedures, and they like to keep everything under control. They are concerned about their teams’ level of motivation, but it may not be their core concern. Instead they focus on behaviors that are parallel to (Behavioral theories of