...The Great Man Theory “The history of the world is but the biography of great men,” said Thomas Carlyle, “19th-century commentator and historian,” and developer of the Great Man Theory. (Princeton). Thus is the premise of the Great Man Theory; Carlyle believed that “great men and women shape history rather than being merely shaped by it” (Turak). “Great leaders are not made but born with unique characteristics which allow them to rise to the occasion during difficult periods in history to overcome obstacles” (Great man theory of leadership). In other words, each person’s attributes are what make each person successful as opposed to external forces. House Path Goal Theory The House Path Goal Theory was developed by Robert J. House and has four different leadership behaviors. “Each leadership behavior aims to maximize worker outcomes by recognizing the impact of both environmental factors and worker characteristics in job performance” (The Path-Goal). The four leadership behaviors are achievement-oriented behavior, directive path-goal clarifying behavior, supportive leader behavior, and participative leader behavior. Achievement-oriented behavior is based on “setting goals that challenge employees” (The Path-Goal). Directive path-goal clarifying behavior is defining functions and expectations of employees so that there is not any confusion. Supportive leader behavior is “support[ing] a subordinate’s psychological well being” through “stress reduction and frustration mitigation”...
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...leadership needed content and definitions, and this led to the emergence of early theories of leadership known as The Trait Theories. In the absence of a well-documented research on the subject the researchers looked at live subjects (leaders) around the world and came up with most common traits among them (Costa and Mccrae, 1998). Kirkpatick and Locke (1991) concluded that the great leaders may have many different traits but common traits among them make them great leaders. Some of these traits were recognised as honesty, confidence, job related knowledge, and ambition. The trait theories simply perceived the appearance of leadership. They helped to make leadership an academic subject and laid the foundation for further research. The theory looked at the aspects which distinguished the leaders from their followers and came up with certain traits. The theory's basic assumption was that since traits are acquired by nature, leaders are born. Anyone who possess specific traits can become a great leader (Northouse, 2012) . However the theory came under criticism in the 1940's when researchers started proving that not everyone with these traits can go on to become a leader let alone a great leader. The specific criticism of the theory was that if traits are the only facet predicting the leadership then organisations just need to hire the people with the right traits and achieve great results with exceptional leadership, however in reality this was not the case ( Hogan et al.,...
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...| “Are Good Leaders born, or can they be Made” | For decades researchers have been trying to find the answer to the question “Are good Leaders born, or can they be made?” However it is my belief that, it is a little of both, Leaders are naturally born and they can be made. Firstly, let us define who is a leader, Peter Guy Northouse – (2009) postulates that “a leader is any person who guides others towards a common goal, showing the way by example, thus creating an environment in which other team members feel actively involved in the entire process of goal achievement. A leader is not the boss of the team but instead, he/she is that person who is committed to carrying out the mission of the venture. He further defines leadership as” a process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task” which in short would mean working through others to achieve goals or objectives . With these definitions, it would be safe to say that anyone whose accomplishment necessitates the sustenance of others can be a leader. The same is true of many who are presently working with and through others to achieve a common objective that they are indeed leaders, whether they consider themselves to be eccentric or catastrophic leaders. Mahatma Gandhi once said that, “We must live the change we want to see”. This quote brings new meaning as it embraces the fact that we are leaders of any change in our lives, therefore logically...
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...Professional and Staff Development FSPSD200 Leadership Theory Simplified Allisen Penn Assistant Professor Leadership Development “Pop leadership” philosophy abounds in our culture today. Book stores have shelves full of books on leader ship. Leaders and leadership are discussed daily on tele vision, radio, newspapers, magazines and on the web. As a result, many mixed messages about leadership are expressed. So – how do you decide what is accurate? Read the inside cover of a leadership book and you may find that the book is more about manage ment and business than leadership. A magazine or newspaper may just express the opinion of a famous person about leadership. While the perspective of a well-known leader or the insight offered in a book may be valuable, you may want to ask – is this information supported by research? An understanding of the existing leadership research may help you shape your own opinion about what is good leadership. Once you determine what is good leader ship, you can begin to develop your own leadership approach. Write your definition of leadership: A commonly accepted definition of leadership is a process used by an individual to influence a group of members toward a common goal (Bass, 1990; Howell and Costley, 2001). Maxwell (1993) simply states that leadership is influence. The following overview of leadership theories is intended to provide a synopsis of some of the research conducted on leadership in the last 50 years. There is...
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...Theories Overview What makes a great leader? Are there certain skills or common traits good leaders possess that others don’t? What makes a leader stand out? These questions have fascinated humans throughout history. There have been many studies about leadership and a host of researchers and philosophers have tackled this subject and published their findings. Much of the interest in leadership started around the beginning of the twentieth century. Early leadership theories primarily focused on identifying qualities that distinguished leaders from followers. Subsequent leadership theories addressed more of the leadership skills. This paper is an overview of eight leadership theories that incorporate both germinal and current research and findings. Great Man Theory The Great Man Theory evolved around the 19th century (1847 – 1960). This theory asserts that leaders are born – not made and that leadership skills and attributes are inherited. While there were many historians who supported the Great Man Theory, it is Thomas Carlyle, a commentator and historian, who has been most associated with this theory. Carlyle stated, “The history of the world is but the biography of great men.” Carlyle and others like him felt that history was directly influenced by great men and heroes and their leadership characteristics. (Great Man Theory, n.d., para. 1) There are five fundamental axioms that characterize this leadership theory. (Bass, 1990) Axiom 1: Leaders possess unique qualities that...
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...Table of Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION 7 2.0 WHAT IS LEADERSHIP AND CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE LEADER? 7 2.1 WHAT IS LEADERSHIP? 7 3.0 LEADERS IN REVIEW: WHO IS MORE EFFECTIVE LEADER? 9 3.1 BIOGRAPHY - RICHARD BRANSON & VIJAY MALLYA 9 3.2 WHO IS THE MORE EFFECTIVE LEADER? 10 4.0 CONCLUSION 14 5.0 REFERENCE 15 1.0 INTRODUCTION The objective of this research paper is to analyse the differences between the leadership qualities of Richard Branson and Vijay Mallya and come to the conclusion as to who is more effective leader. The paper first defines the leadership and then briefly discusses the concepts associated with the leadership. It then presents two leaders with some brief biographies, characteristics and their contribution to their individual company. It would then conclude who is the more effective leader by providing with some aspects of leadership and leadership framework. 2.0 WHAT IS LEADERSHIP AND CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE LEADER? 2.1 WHAT IS LEADERSHIP? Leadership is an interesting and widely discussed subject and has been described by James MacGregor Burns (1978) as “one of the most observed and least understood phenomena on Earth”. Northouse (2010) defines leadership being a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. The leadership definition that I favour and think is more suited to the 21st century is “The process by which an agent induces a subordinate to behave in a desired manner”...
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...various approaches to leadership. The definitions of leadership create a universal truth that leaders must lead individuals toward a common goal. The paper below describes the trait, social exchange, substitute, and transformational approaches to leadership as well as a discussion of the similarities and differences of the theories. Leadership Theories Trait Approach to Leadership The trait theory of leadership originated with Thomas Carlyle's Great Man theory centralizing around the idea that individuals have innate traits that distinguish him or her as a leader. Since the Great Man theory, the trait theory of leadership has evolved into its current state described below. The proponents of the trait theory are individuals maintaining that a leadership role is innate. A comparison between trait theory and a college course can assist in understanding the basics of the theory. Courses generally have prerequisites in which students must obtain prior to enrolling; thus the traits instilled into a leader are the prerequisites of becoming a successful leader. Kirkpatrick and Locke (1991) established that the traits of a leader do not determine that the individual will be a successful leader, just as the grades in previous courses do not determine the grade in which the individual will achieve in the current course (p. 49).Specific traits linked to successful leadership consist of drive, aspiration to lead, honesty, self-confidence...
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...attitudes, and understandings in the larger world of change. Throughout the centuries leaders have adapted in response to these changes. Northouse (2007, p3) defines leadership as a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. A person’s ability to influence others to accomplish an objective and direction are key processes in leadership. There are many great leaders and leadership styles that can be easily discussed. Twenty-first century leadership has developed useful and simplistic ways to determine and exercise their leadership styles on their way to developing and understanding their leadership styles based on the situation and the organization. Leadership is a very dynamic and diverse process, This literature selection by selection, as introduced by the editor, presents enlightening thoughts on a different aspect of leadership. Over the years, many researchers have developed various leadership theories, notably great scholars such as, Plato, Aristotle, Lao-tzu and others. Scholarly researchers like Machiavelli, Tolstoy, Ghandi, and W.E.B. Du Bois discuss the flip to the other side of leadership thought process. These scholars addressed from their perspectives a range of insights into the eternal practice and problems of leadership providing a wide range of insights into the eternal practice and problems of leadership. Leaders of the modern era of leadership...
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...leadership suggests that possessing certain quality’s will allow the leader to lead with authority and not just power. In this paper, we will examine servant leadership and how servant leadership is used in a business setting. We will also compare and contrast an example of servant leadership using the Maxwell leadership bible and Jim Beam Brands in Frankfort KY. Finally, we will discuss how Rick Purvis uses servant leadership in his place of employment. Now, lets get started by describing what servant leadership is. Servant leadership is described in an essay published by Robert K. Greenleaf. In his essay, Robert Greenleaf said: The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature (www.greenleaf.org, 2008). Servant Leaders are respected, listened to, and valued, even though they may not manage others (Davies, 2006). In short, servant leaders are individuals that lead by asking how they can help. They are not motivated by personal goals to gain authority. True servant leaders are motivated by a personal need to help others and create a positive...
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...Introduction： Consequently, to be an effective leader, the manager must impact of his associates in a positive way to accomplish the organizational goals and now there are mainly three main approach applications in leadership of organization, including trait approach, situational & contingency approach and transformational approach. And this style of leadership is more inclined to believe that the qualities a person is born, not developed or the relationships develop followers. The concept is that humanity is born with certain personality traits, called “a born leader” (Fred, R). For example, like these well-known people, Catherine the Great, Mohandas Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Joan of Arc, Napoleon Bonaparte and Steve Jobs, the common ground is that they are born leaders, the people are willing to follow with them because of the charisma (Bass, 1990; Jago, 1982). Next, situational leadership was developed by Paul Hersey, a professor, and Ken Blanchard, a leadership expert in 1977, and this theory focuses on the action of the leader depends upon the situational and followers (Cynthia, M). Closely related to the situational approach is what has become know as the contingency approach. The contingency theory of leadership was presented by the Austrian psychologist Fred Edward in 1964. Compared to situational approach, the contingency approach while emphasizing the situation, but also emphasizes the leaders personality (Sirje, V, 2009). Last, in the past two decades, a new paradigm...
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...defined as the capacity to influence a group towards the realization of a goal. Leaders are required to develop future visions, and to motivate the organizational members to want to achieve the visions. According to Keith Davis, “Leadership is the ability to persuade others to seek defined objectives enthusiastically. It is the human factor which binds a group together and motivates it towards goals.” Characteristics of Leadership 1. It is a inter-personal process in which a manager is into influencing and guiding workers towards attainment of goals. 2. It denotes a few qualities to be present in a person which includes intelligence, maturity and personality. 3. It is a group process. It involves two or more people interacting with each other. 4. A leader is involved in shaping and moulding the behaviour of the group towards accomplishment of organizational goals. 5. Leadership is situation bound. There is no best style of leadership. It all depends upon tackling with the situations Importance of Leadership Leadership is an important function of management which helps to maximize efficiency and to achieve organizational goals. The following points justify the importance of leadership in a concern. 1. Initiates action- Leader is a person who starts the work by communicating the policies and plans to the subordinates from where the work actually starts. 2. Motivation- A leader proves to be playing an incentive role in the concern’s working. He motivates...
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...commonalities, and distinguish the differences. Synthesis requires one to combine two or more separate entities in order to form one. The journal articles had more in common than I thought at first glance. The first article was about fearless dominance. I didn’t have a lot of experience and/or knowledge about this topic, but after reading I was surprised at how interesting and powerful it was. The second article was about transactional and transformational leadership. These forms of leadership are opposite types of leadership that collective make up an amazing leader. The final article is about leadership identity and the importance of self-awareness in leadership. In my paper, I will give a brief overview of the three articles and discuss the similarities. Fearless dominance and the U.S. presidency: Implications of psychopathic personality traits for successful and unsuccessful political leadership. It has been said that fearless dominance has an association with strong rated presidential performance, leadership, persuasiveness, crisis management, congressional relations and allied variables. Fearless dominance appears as a characteristic frequently among presidents and has a correlation to job performance ratings. Also, psychopathic characteristics other than fearless dominance were common among the officials with poorer performance. Therefore, the boldness associated with fearless dominance is necessary for a successful presidency. Although psychopathic...
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...Leadership: Are Good Leaders Made Or Born? Heather Brown Social Psychology Dr. Alyson Kohl National University Abstract Many studies have taken place to decide whether people are naturally born to lead or whether those traits are developed and taught over time. Different traits combine to make good leaders, such as ambition, intelligence, and self-confidence. In this paper I will discuss whether these traits are naturally within someone or can they be taught over time. Leadership: Are Good Leaders Made Or Born? How is a good leader defined? Are they charismatic, smart, an over achiever? A Leader, is defined as a person who is “appointed, elected, or informally chosen to direct and co-ordinate the work of others in a group”. A leader and leader-ship are two very different things. To lead you need to be able to influence groups of people socially [ (Kassin, Fein, & Markus, 2014) ]. Without influence, it would be hard to have people want to follow you. Leaders influence people to work together to accomplish a variety of goals. Leaders can be found in all aspects of life, at work and at play. Psychologists have conducted studies to identify what traits are common to “natural-born leaders”. Some of the common traits that great leaders have been defined in the Great Person Theory of history ( [ (Kassin, Fein, & Markus, 2014) ]. Ambition, intelligence, and self-confidence are just a few of traits that great leaders throughout time have had in common. The ability...
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...Paper Leaders aid a group in achieving a common goal. Leaders have new ideas and goals they introduce to the group and motivates the group to work on the new ideas and achieve the goal. Leaders also inspire the group to perform at their best and assist them in their performance. Leaders have leadership skills and approaches that help them to be successful. The trait leadership approach is based on the theory that leaders are born with the leadership characteristics that enable them to be great leaders, instead of being developed or taught into the leadership role. There are strengths and weaknesses in the trait approach concerning leadership. Strengths There were several characteristics founded to be very strong in the trait leadership approach. “This approach emphasizes attributes of leaders such as personality, motives, values, and skills” (Yukl, 2010). The personality of a leader has a large role in his or her success. The personality of a leader can be very valuable when interacting with individuals, the personality of a leader can set the mode within the workplace. A leader with a positive personality will create an encouraging atmosphere where goal accomplishment and motivation will be successful. There are strong abilities identified in the trait approach of leadership, such as continuous force to get the job complete, sharp perception, and influential power. The abilities assist a leader in being flexible, enervative, and achievement motivated. The trait approach...
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... Leadership: Leadership is the process by which a manager directs guides and influences the work of others in attaining specified goal. Leadership involves 1) Exerting influence over other members of a group 2) Helping a group achieve its goals. Leadership and management are two terms that are often confused. John Kotter of the Harvard Business School argues that “Management is about coping with complexity. Good management brings about order and consistency by drawing up formal plans, designing rigid organization structures, and monitoring results against the plans. Leadership, in contrast, is about coping with change. Leaders establish direction by developing a vision of the future; then they align people by communicating this vision and inspiring them to overcome hurdles." Robert House of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania basically concurs when he says that ‘Managers use the authority inherent in their designated formal rank to obtain compliance from organizational members. Management consists of implementing the vision...
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