Premium Essay

Managers Born or Made?

In:

Submitted By Akuzike
Words 1110
Pages 5
The key to a successful organization is said to lie within a good manager. It is in fact the effectiveness of this manager and the qualities that they possess that are vital to the development and preservation of an efficient management system within a corporation. The question remains however, as to whether or not these good managers are born, if they possess qualities that will mould them into exceptional managers. Or are they made? Is it possible to develop and acquire the necessary skills to become the good manager a successful organization needs?
It is of importance that we define what a manager is before taking any steps further. According to Tripathi, (2008, p.2) “a manager is one who contributes to the organization's goals indirectly by directing the efforts of others-not by performing the task himself”.
Leadership and management are closely interrelated because if you are a manager of an organization, you are in essence the most important leader (Kouzes & Posner 2010, p.338). The most obvious distinction between a leader and a manager lies within what ‘leadership’ refers to. Leadership does not refer to a position at the top of an organization and just because a manager holds that specific position, it does not mean they are leading. Leaders have willing followers where their right to lead is earned from those followers through their influence. They intend to make change using their personal power and cannot use coercion but instead inspire with their vision (Huth 2001). A manager on the other hand, must hold the authority to achieve results through other people whereby their right to manage is granted by ownership. Managers must be in a position of power where they can use coercion and coordinate activities (Huth 2001). However, nobody can deny that one compliments the other. It could appear that based on the above one could quite possible be born a

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Leadership

...Leaders Are Born Not Made Introduction: The factual analysis about leader ship in this essay is based on results published in Journals and books published in various time-periods and by a variety of respected people belonging to the Psychological societies around the world. The fact being that no Leader is identical to an other so deriving a conclusion from any particular theory has always been a question mark. Although one may comment about the innate genetic factors which has given raise to “Born Leaders” and the “Made Leaders” by their choice and opportunities to improve their skills and work towards a goal. Born and Made Concept: According to “Fielder”, 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”. So one has to understand leader and leader-ship are two very different concepts. With reference to the statement leaders are “born not made”, certain predispositions such as personality characteristics, could add an additional advantage of being a leader. The other factors such as family genes which one may procure are definitely cannot be argued upon. Intelligence, religion-growth-status, society, education, training, job etc... remain as external factors influencing ones Leadership. Therefore a change and a conflict is simply evident. The recent break through of a concept called “Cloning” has stirred a wider controversy about replicating a “LEADER”. Although the research is banned in...

Words: 1707 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Three Leadership Approaches

...many different situations. This approach is based on belief that ability to lead was something that people were simply born with. Trait approach focuses on the personal attributes of leaders, such as physical, personal characteristics; competencies and values. This approach gives more credit to the qualities a person was born with rather than what they develop in a relationship with followers. This style is characteristic of ones who others see as “born leaders”. This theory believes that if you can identify people with right traits, you can identify leaders. Research was done, and it was found that traits can be learned as well. Traits are strongly associated with person’s perception of leadership. One doesn’t become a leader based on traits, but working relationship between leader and group members, and changing situations. Trait leadership approach works well for organizations with managers in leadership position that have specific traits. School is a good example of an organization in this position. Behavioral leadership approach focuses on the study of specific behavior of leader. Leader’s behavior is the best predictor of his influence on followers. As we can see, we go from leaders were born (trait approach) to the point that anyone can be made a leader (behavioral theory approach). Behavior approach is based on belief that great leaders are made, not born. This approach focuses on actions of leaders, not mental qualities. According to this approach, people can...

Words: 471 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Leadership

...Are Leaders Born or Made It seems as though everyone has something to say about leadership - even if what they are saying is based on misunderstanding and misconception. Sometimes we accept ideas as facts and let them rule our behaviors without taking the time to really think about them. Therefore, when we hear people saying this or that about leadership, we may be tempted to just accept it as truth. This is unfortunate, as leadership is something everyone could use a little more in their lives, whether it is at work, with their families or in the sports community. Webster's defines a leader as simply being, a person or thing that leads. While leadership is defined as being the function or position of a leader, but it is more complex than that. Leadership is a behavior we exert when we take responsibility for our actions and their consequences. It is about being accountable when we assume responsibility for guiding others. Leadership is often the difference between success and failure. It is what separates the doers from the observers, and it is what gives positive direction to individuals and organizations. However complex or simple the definition may seem to an individual, leadership becomes much more complicated when attempting to define the origin of leaders. In other words, where do leaders come from? Are they born or made? It is impossible to decide one way or the other without appreciating the fact that there must be integration of both parts before arriving at a conclusion...

Words: 662 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Born Global Literature

...THE BORN GLOBAL LITERATURE The emerging scholarly literature presents born global firms as an entirely new phenomenon. Traditionally, international business scholars have argued that firms venturing abroad follow a set process of development, beginning at home, with clearly defined stages which unfold sequentially.12 This conventional view was challenged by Oviatt and McDougall’s seminal 1994 analysis,13 which argued that these firms commence their internationalisation at inception, because local competitive forces prevent them from beginning operations within their domestic economies. Additionally, focus Oviatt and McDougall maintained that internationalising firms focus on controlling resources rather than owning them. Traditional international business theory was also questioned by the ‘innovation models’ approach, which identifies managerial innovations within the firm as the driving force of international expansion.14 The observations made in the present investigation accord in part with both the established view of internationalisation and its critics, as the additional extension of born global firms beyond exporting is characterised by impersonal processes as well as entrepreneurship. What is evident, however, is that the firms examined here did not follow a linear path of expansion. Rather, the processes they went through often occurred simultaneously and in a compressed period of time. Existing literature on born global firms lapses into...

Words: 4748 - Pages: 19

Premium Essay

Essay

...Good Manager To Be Effective Leader Management Essay It is a matter of great discussion nowadays whether good managers can be effective leaders. An organization needs both good management and effective leadership to achieve business success, but in real life it is hard to find someone who has both. It is true that a good manager needs to be an effective leader, according to Pettinger (2001), leadership is one of the most important assets of management. However, leadership itself is a skill and not a profession. For example, the ex-Italian president Silvio Berlusconi was the leader of the country and of his political coalition, however, the day to day government managerial role was undertaken by his minister of economy, Giulio Tremonti. On the other hand, Sergio Marchionne, the CEO of Fiat and Chrysler Motor companies, takes both an active leadership and managing role in both companies. By having leadership skills, it is possible to be a good manager and an effective leader at the same time. In this essay I aim to give definitions of both leaders and managers as well as making a clear distinction between the two, followed by how the theory of leadership has changed over time, starting from 'leaders are born' to 'leaders can be made'. A manager can be defined as 'To manage is to forecast and plan, to organize, to command, to coordinate and to control' (Fayol, 1916) and that 'management is a social process…the process consists of… planning, control, coordination and motivation'...

Words: 1507 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Leaders: Born and Made

...Born and Made (Gentry, Deal, Stawiski, & Ruderman, 2012) (Gentry, Deal, Stawiski, & Ruderman, 2012) Leaders: Born and Made Joseph Eric Williams Saint Leo University Leaders: Made or Born Vince Lombardi once stated, “Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.” For centuries, this has been a debate one that continues into society today. There are many opinions on this topic, but one thing is certain; all leaders are born, effective leaders are made. Every leader must be born with certain characteristics that distinguish them above their peers. One such characteristic is intelligence. Effective leaders aren't necessarily the smartest people, but they have to be smart enough to do the job they're assigned. Another trait is the ability to motivate others and themselves to achieve results, and to make decisions. These essential traits, ones that any leader must possess, are the foundation for the making of an effective leader. Not a single leader was ever born with all the necessary skills to be an effective leader. Leadership is an apprentice trade, and most leaders learn more than 80% on the job. To become effective leaders must do one important thing; take responsibility and seek self-improvement. The most successful leaders seek out training that provides them an opportunity to expand their leadership abilities. Goldsmith and Morgan studied the progress...

Words: 525 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Main Diffirence Between Manager and Entrepreneur Is Risk Taking Propensity.Doc

...utilize opportunities and willing to take risks. Whatever the definition of entrepreneurship, it is associated with creativity, literacy, innovation and change that are in turn vital for competitiveness in the wake of increasing globalization. Therefore preparing successful entrepreneurship means advancing the competitiveness of a business. SME and entrepreneurship development are two very important factors in reducing the poverty of any country. For many countries SME is the backbone of their economy. In the wake of rising importance of entrepreneurship, various disputes over it, have increased. One such dispute is weather the entrepreneurs are born or made. The primary objective of this work is to compare and contrast the two schools of thought and based on the research make a reasonable conclusion. Entrepreneurs: born or made? Firstly it is worth to identify what actually entrepreneurship is. Generally talking, there are many definitions of entrepreneurship. Many authors are still struggling with relevant definition. Many recognize three important themes deriving from various definitions – namely, that entrepreneurship involves risk and uncertainty, managerial competence and creativity. According to Kent (1990) ‘entrepreneurship is drawing from a wide range of skills capable of enhancement to add value to a targeted niche...

Words: 1660 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Leadership

...QuickView Leadership Series Helping you navigate the leadership landscape Are Leaders Born or Made? Perspectives from the Executive Suite By: William Gentry, Ph.D., Jennifer J. Deal, Ph.D., Sarah Stawiski, Ph.D., and Marian Ruderman, Ph.D. Issued March 2012 Introduction Do you think a leader should be a hero or a negotiator? Out in front leading people or coordinating the work of the group? Destined to be a leader or developed to be a leader? The way we think about leadership affects how we perceive the leaders around us. For instance, if we expect a leader to be a hero, we are likely to see someone who takes charge to save the day as a good leader and someone who asks everyone’s opinions and lets the group make decisions as weak. Alternatively, if we think a leader should be collaborative and focused on making sure decisions arise from the group, we would view someone who is directive as aggressive or a tyrant. our beliefs about how people become leaders affect how we evaluate people’s leadership potential. Believing people are born leaders is likely to result in a focus more on selecIn the same way, tion (identify the right people) rather than on development (develop the people you get). On the other hand, believing that people are made into leaders by their experiences would be more likely to result in a greater focus on making sure people had the right opportunities to develop into leaders. Consider United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin...

Words: 3707 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Chanda Kochhar

... Submitted by- Mrs. Nidhi Niti Dua(079) MBA(3B) Chanda Kochhar Born On: November 17, 1961 Born In: Jodhpur, Rajasthan Career: MD, CEO, ICICI Bank In India's male dominated banking sphere, Chanda Kochhar carved a niche for herself. This was no easy task. In her career which extends to over three decades of experience, she remained strong willed and alert. Her determination to make it to the top only grew from year to year. Kochhar's career growth can be traced along with the expansion of the bank over the past several years. She never stuttered in her growth and was one of the few who kept up with the aggressive development run of ICICI bank. It was her sharp strategic planning which made the ICICI bank the 'Best Retail Bank in India' for five consecutive years. As per Forbes, It's no wonder then that she has been ranked 20th amongst the most powerful women in business and in the world. Read on to find out more about how Chanda Kochhar made it to the top of the corporate pile. Early Life Chanda Kochhar was born in Jodhpur in Rajasthan on November 17, 1961, but was raised in Jaipur in Rajasthan. She then joined Jai Hind College in Mumbai for a Bachelor of Arts degree. After completing her graduation in 1982, she pursued cost accountancy (ICWAI). Later, she did her Master's...

Words: 958 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Innovation

...individuals who are willing to follow. Third leaders tend to take the lead when there’s an issue or problem to solve. Lastly, successful leaders have a great understanding of what they want to achieve and how to get it accomplished. Hence, leaders are individuals who are able to look outside the box and take action in non-routine situations. As effective leaders they try and persuade the actions, approach, and values of their followers. Being a leader of this sort is shown as personal and comes from the traits and qualities the leader currently holds. The traits and qualities possessed by leaders can also be linked to other roles such as managers or subject matter experts. This can provide individuals with a lot of confusion because according to Doyle, not all managers are considered leaders and in the same token all leaders aren’t necessarily managers. (Doyle and Smith, 2001) The different leadership models discussed in Business and Integrative Approach shows how certain techniques extensively influence a...

Words: 1502 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Entrepreneur

...Entrepreneurs are born and not made An entrepreneur is ‘a person who has possession of a new enterprise, venture or idea and assumes significant accountability for the inherent risks and the outcome.’ So are entrepreneurs born? Or made? There have been many debates from businessmen to academics alike on whether entrepreneurs are born or made, but is it as straight forward as that? In this essay I will evaluate arguments both for and against this statement and conclude it with my own personal observation. The argument for this statement that entrepreneurs are born is a scientific one, with the questions being are there specific entrepreneurial genes and/or chromosomes. Some of the characteristics credited to entrepreneurs include extroversion, risk taker, persistence, independent, innovative, opportunistic and the need for achievement. These skills are the reason many believe they are from nature as they go above and beyond those of an ordinary office manager. Many believe that these are skills are innate in a person, that they are born with them and they are skills and characteristics that cannot be taught. (Scott Shane, wall street journal) ‘40 percent of the variation in the tendency to be an entrepreneur is inherited.’ Some people say that not anyone can become an entrepreneur; they have to have the right innate qualities from birth alongside the external influences for their talents to be recognized in business. “If the environment is not conducive then entrepreneurial talent...

Words: 322 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Relational Leadership

...Running Head: In Support of Relational Leadership In Support of Relational Leadership By Gail S. Pasley Submitted in partial fulfillment of The requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts Human Resources Development Under the direction and Guidance of Dr. Barbara Seifert, Ph.D. Human Resources Professor Webster University Orlando Metropolitan Campus April 12, 2011 In Support of Relational Leadership What does Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Jr., Margaret Thatcher or John F. Kennedy have in common? The answer appears to be obvious—they are great leaders who possess great intellect, persuasive ability, charisma, etc. And, most of us would even dare to say that Adolph Hitler and Osama Bin Laden were also great leaders—after all, look at the empires they built, and the great following they commanded. Jim Jones, leader of the People’s Temple was hailed by many as a great spiritual leader until he led a “revolutionary suicide”, that became known as the Jonestown Massacre in 1978, which left nine hundred and eighteen people dead (Rosenberg, para. 1). What separate these two groups of leaders from the other? What truly makes a great leader? Or is the idea of the great leader, in the words of Levi and Ritti (2002), “one of America’s most cherished myths.” Even with this assertion Levi and Ritti do not totally deny the influence of leadership in the success of an organization, but cautions that it is challenging to measure its efficacy because...

Words: 3317 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Leadership and Change Management

...Leadership And Change Management Leadership is "a sequence of multidirectional, reciprocal influence processes among many individuals at different levels, in different subunits and within executive teams" (Yukl 1994, p. 459). It is the way to acheive the gaol and motivate the people to do best. Leadership is the source of inspiration and it shows the action and way of acts to do. Leadership is considered as a product of complex social relationships (Dachler 1988). Current theoretical approaches on leadership research is concern about a greater extent role of leadership research which describe and give some understanding and recommends for effective leader behaviour and normative models. They focus more on explanations of leadership processes, describing leader behaviours, and present why behaviours occur in certain situations. If there are behavioural recommendations are available it means this is usually done more carefully and rarely without any philosophy that anything is possible. Current leadership theories are accepting the limits which have leader influence. "The best leaders are those most interested in surrounding themselves with assistants and associates smarter than they are. They are frank in admitting this and are willing to pay for such talents."(Amos Parrish). Leader is a "person who rules or guides or inspires others"(Andrew, 2007). A leader is a person having personality which others want to follow him. They may not always make right decisions but they...

Words: 2378 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Leadership

...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...

Words: 1997 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Case Study on Ob

...like planning organizing, controlling. So we can say management is science as well. The managers should adopt the situational approach, cope with environment, working with others, now how his art will support him, he will do the Task accordingly. By using his art he will be able to achieve organizational objective. For this he has to follow scientific method being guided by theories and principles. Can managers be developed? Yes of course managers are developed. Someone would say mangers are born but I would say managers aren’t born they are made. One can be a manager if he has a quality inside him. To be a manager one need to learn about the managerial issue from the grass root level. Managers are the one responsible to get the maximum output from optimum utilization of resources he is provided with. Learning is the way that leads a person to the position of manager. For example some has entered into hotel organization in junior assistant position. Now he can learn the way of working, learn about the norms and culture of organization, and he can observe the managerial activities, after a certain interval of time he can gain up the qualities in him to be a manager. Finally he will be appointed as manager. Characteristics of successful managers. 1. Good communication skill: Unless and until a manager is able to communicate efficiently he cannot be called as successful manager. Manager should be able to...

Words: 683 - Pages: 3