...most important and hardest to develop skill of a business leader. Abstract Leadership is more than a skill set. It is both an art and science which is including combination of various skills and gracious spirit. There are many researches, books about leadership and how to improve leadership skill. The purpose of this research is to identify whether ability to influence others is an important skill of a leader in business and how to improve that ability. By analyzing leadership in different theory and books from different sources, I clarify that the most important skill of business leader is to influence others and the ability to influence others is also very hard to develop. Data have been collected from books, interviews, newspapers and published reports. INTRODUCTION What is a good leader? Many books, researches and articles have talked about what is leadership and what makes a good leader. On daily life, leadership can mean teaching, guiding, correcting, observing, protecting, explaining, etc. A leader in business must have ability to see fundamental change, think about the future, make decision, and resolve conflict. Many theories have also been developed to determine and break down secret equation to a great leader. In most of these theories, integration ability in general and ability to influence others in detail is the common point. In this research paper, I will clearly state the definition of leadership in business and influencing and the role of ability to influencing...
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...Leadership: Born or Made? Table of Contents ODT Map 3 What Makes an Effective Leader? 4 Communication 4 Motivation 5 Vision 5 Decisiveness 5 Leadership Behavior 6 Scenario 1: One-on-One 6 Born or Made 8 The Team Consensus 9 Appendix A: Leadership Traits 11 Appendix B: References 12 ODT Map As shown above, the Outcome-Directed Thinking (ODT) is a way for an organization and or an individual to be able to work together towards a common objective. ODT was created for leaders to get things done by effectively utilizing its resources and motivating its employees to reach its objectives. To do this, we have created an ODT map to create an action plan and accomplish our team objectives. This plan is designed as a motivational plan of action to accomplish our positive outcome statement “Create the most complete and convincing paper about leadership qualities”. What Makes an Effective Leader? If you ask an individual what makes an effective leader, more often than not you will probably not receive exactly the same answer. Everybody interprets this question differently; it could be due to past experiences or knowledge you have acquired during your career of what a leader should be. One of the most debatable questions regarding leadership is, is a leader born or made? We will reveal this later in the discussion, but what we can say is there are so many traits mentioned when defining a leader. We have decided that these below make a significant impact on leadership...
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...1. Introduction Leadership is a subject that has long excited interest among people. The term connotes images of powerful, dynamic individuals who command victorious armies, direct corporate empires from atop gleaming skyscrapers, or shape the course of nations. The exploits of brave and clever leaders are the essence of many legends and myths. Much of our description of history is the story of military, political, religious, and social leaders who are credited or blamed for important historical events, even though we do not understand very well how the events were caused or how much influence the leader really had. The widespread fascination with leadership may be because it is such a mysterious process, as well as one that touches everyone's life. Why did certain leaders(e.g., Gandhi, Mohammed, Mao Tse-tung) inspire such intense fervor and dedication how did certain leaders (e.g., Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great) build great empires? Why did some rather undistinguished people (e.g., Adolf Hitler, Claudius Caesar) rise to positions of great power' Why were certain leaders (e.g .• Winston Churchill. Indira Gandhi) suddenly deposed, despite their apparent power and record of successful accomplishments? Why do some leaders have loyal followers who are willing to sacrifice their lives, whereas other leaders are so despised that subordinates conspire to murder them? 1.1 Definition of Leadership There are various definition of leadership. Among all definition...
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...Running head: Leadership Theories Leadership Theories Latrina George Amberton University April 30, 2014 Leadership 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...
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...submission of this assignment on Managing and Leading Strategically module is the result of our own work. Primary and secondary sources of information and any contributions to this work by third parties other than the tutor’s have been fully and properly attributed. Should this declaration prove to be untrue, We recognise the right and the duty of the Board of Examiners to take appropriate action in line with the University of Gloucestershire regulations upon assessment. Signed....................................................... On the ..................day of........................... 2012 Executive Summary The following report is an analysis of the contribution that Jim Collins has made to the literature and field of leadership. It has been written by the two authors in response to assignment requirements for the Managing and Leading Strategically module which is a partial fulfilment for a Masters in Business Administration degree with the University of Gloucestershire. Olivine Industries is a wholly owned Zimbabwean company, that is a key player in the manufacturing of cooking oil margarine and soaps The business is headed by the managing director Jonas and his supporting executive team. The business is currently implementing a turnaround strategy in an effort to recover from the effects of the 9 years of economic meltdown the country experienced between 2000 and 2009. The report begins by exploring the theoretical...
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...Leading like Madiba: Leadership Lessons from Nelson Mandela Posted on August 17, 2011 by Martin Kalungu-Banda The world is in dire need of great leaders, ones who inspire people not through words but by serving them. The cutting edge in leadership discourse is the old fashioned idea of leadership through service. The whole human race, we could say, desperately needs these servant-leaders who really attend to others and are beacons of hope in our search for a world society where justice, fairness, care for the weaker members of our communities, and love flourish. The call for leaders who genuinely serve their people is obvious in social and political communities. We can see it equally in the economic sphere, in business organisations or corporations. The high turnover of staff in many work places suggests that people are looking for what Lance Secretan, a Canadian guru on leadership, calls ‘soul space’[1] – an environment where they will not simply be cogs in the wheel of production but can live full and happy lives. In my book, Leading Like Madiba: Leadership Lessons from Nelson Mandela[2], published in March 2006, I have attempted to present through stories the type of leadership that will take our world a higher ground.[3] What is so extraordinary about Mr Mandela’s style and practice of leadership is that it crosses the boundaries of culture, gender, race, religion and age. Madiba (as he is fondly referred to in his home country) has done so in a society that was once...
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...An Effective Leader Being an effective leader means different things to different people. While researching this topic, I found that lots of the articles about effective leaders include some of the same key factors. According to Hill, “Some say great leaders are born, not made. And while there are some born leaders, many more have honed their leadership skills through extensive practice (Hill, 2009, p. 1).” I, personally, agree with that statement. I think that some leaders are born that way, but most people that are leaders are trained and taught to be that way. Leadership success always starts with vision. Effective leaders periodically take stock of their personal strengths and shortcomings. They ask: “What do I like to do? What am I really good at?” “What are my areas of weakness, and what do I dislike doing?” ("Three Fundamentals," 2009). Knowing your areas of weakness does not make you weak; on the contrary, it allows you to delegate to others who have those abilities, in order to achieve the common goal. Rather than clinging to the false belief that they can do it all, great leaders hire people who complement, rather than supplement, their skills. Working on your areas of weaknesses will improve your leadership ability – and recognizing them makes you more human. Effective leaders lead by example and merely invite others to come along with them (Kerfoot, 2012). Keeping promises is another sign of effective leadership. They believe in others and never fail to reward...
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...LEADERSHIP 1 LEADERSHIP 2 Abstract What comes to mind when the words leader or leadership are heard? Usually a president, a teacher, a C.E.O, a work supervisor or a prime minister comes to mind. Well these are people who are considered to be leaders because they work to achieve a positive change for a particular organization or community. Leadership is the process in which a particular individual influences others to achieve an objective or a common goal. This paper will explain what the term leadership means, the key factors that make up a true leader and the impact as well as the importance that leadership has in our lives. LEADERSHIP 3 Leadership describes the influence certain individuals have on others to carry out a specific objective or goal. According to authors Susan Komives, Nance Lucas, and Timothy McMahon (2007); “leadership is a relational and ethical process of people together attempting to accomplish positive change” (p. 2). This practically means that leadership is mostly about the kind of relationships a person has with others. Personal awareness and personal development are key to learning leadership, which at the end it focuses on the development of relationships with others. A leader is not someone who just tells someone else...
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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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...DEVELOPING LEADERS I/O Psychology Annotative Bibliography Myatt, M. (2012, December19). The #1 Reason Leadership Development Fails, http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemyatt/2012/12/19/the-1-reason-leadership-development-fails/ The main focus of this article is to make companies understand the difference in training and developing leaders. What does these meaning? Well according to dictionary dictionary.com the difference between training and development is: Training is the education, instruction, or discipline of a person or thing that is being trained. Developing is having a standard of living or level of industrial production well. See most companies think to have good leadership you need to training, but in reality these leaders need to be developed. This one reason why this is the # 1 reason why leadership fails. For example in the article it explains that training takes place within a monologue (lecture/ presentation) rather than a dialog. This article wants company to understand the difference and help make better leaders. Cattrell, D. 2002, 2009.Monday Morning Leaderships; Corner Stone Leadership Institute In the book “Monday Morning Leadership” this is based on a manger named Jeff who was successful for years and then had a turn of events happened and he was starting to fall in a slump. With meeting Tony, who was a semi- retired business leader, who spent time writing books and coaching top executives? He helps...
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...Evolution of Leadership Theories Author University Leadership is, and always has been, a vital aspect of social and economic constructs. It is essential to the survival of societies, industries, organizations, and virtually any group of individuals that come together for a common purpose. However, leadership is difficult to define in a single, definitive sense. As such, theories of leadership, what constitutes a great leader, and how leaders are made have evolved constantly throughout history, and still continue to change today in hopes of improving upon our understanding of leadership, its importance, and how it can be most effective in modern organizational cultures. This evolving trend of leadership can generally be seen throughout four distinct eras, the Great Man Leadership era, the Rational Management era, the Team or Lateral Leadership era, and the Learning Leadership era (Daft, 2008, p. 21). Each era utilized a different way of thinking about leadership and leaders than the others, with each new era implementing a unique trend for leadership theories, and sometimes adapting and building upon existing leadership theories. The Great Man Leadership era was the earliest era, employed first by ancient philosophers, such as Plato and Aristotle, who believed that leaders were naturally born with special abilities that made them inherently great leaders (DeGrosky, 2007). The first leadership theory, called the Great Man theory, outlined that these “great men” were simply...
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...Leadership in Management Aljenette M. Brown MGT 521 Professor Charles Cattermole March 31, 2014 Leadership in Management “The successes and failures of projects, organizations, community development and even wars have all been attributed to the effectiveness of the leadership in place at that time. It is then with no surprise that leadership has been the subject of study throughout history. Thomas Cronin stated, Leadership is one of the most widely talked about subjects and at the same time one of the most elusive and puzzling” (What Makes a Great Leader?, 2012) Being a leader entails more than just giving orders and managing others. Being a leader is being able to help people, listen to them and being understanding of their situations. Not everyone is born to be a leader, but over time it is something that I feel can be learned if taught right. I have always viewed myself as a leader because I am not a follower and I know how to stand up for people that are under me when they are being told to do something that is not in their job description or if it is just something that is not important to the goal at hand. “Power is the ability of one person (the agent) influencing the behavior and/or attitudes of others (the target). Thus, power is not exclusive to leaders and managers. Authority on the other hand, is the power vested in a position and therefore, is exclusive to that position” (Power and Leadership, 2011). Having power and always work in one of two ways; good...
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...THE LEADERSHIP EFFECT 2 Leadership plays a significant role in a company’s ability to succeed or fail. Having a proper selection of a leadership staff that is reflective of company established values will ensure that the employees are guided in the direction in which the company has established. Understanding the diversity of leaders, benefits of great leadership, ability to implement change, company sustainability and employee success is all what great leaders do. Large and small companies have a variety of employees that we can divide into three groups; those that manage, those that lead, and those that follow. Typically leaders have a clear understanding of what they believe their abilities are, however while in leadership roles at times can find themselves struggling to lead due to management expectations and direct group needs. Leadership type qualities can be known as leading by example and doing what employees are expected to do before they do it. Per the University Alliance® (2015), Good leadership qualities can be; o Communication – Good communication talents are mandatory for all stages in a growing work industry; nevertheless leaders need to own exceptional communication abilities. o Motivating teams – Leading by example and showing the group that you are part of the team by executing and not simply directing. o Team building – Knowing your groups strengths and weaknesses will allow the assembly of strong teams that work well together is another...
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...Leaders of Today By Christopher L. Stephenson Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to high sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations. —Peter Drucker Leadership is the ability to influence followers to achieve common goals through shared purposes (Rost, 1993; Rost & Barker, 2000). Throughout time, we have seen good and bad examples of leadership that has influenced us all. The time has been able to tell a tale of leadership throughout the ages and where implementation of innovative ideas can take an organization. Ethical leaders of today have big shoes to fill, but courage will be the driving force to see each vision precisely administered to grasp success. So what makes a good leader versus a bad one? The importance of ethics would be the foundation for truth and clarity in a good leader. Ethics is the discipline dealing with what is good and what is bad, with moral duty and obligation. I feel that ethical leadership is important because it builds the foundation for others to believe in you as a leader and their willingness to follow. If you maintain this critical value, others will trust in you as you make tough decisions not only for yourself but the organization as a whole. “This sense of connectedness fosters trust, which leads to commitment, loyalty, and closer relationships...
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...Title: Who is the more effective leader? Executive Summary “Leadership is a complex phenomenon involving the leader, the followers and the situation” (Hughes, Ginnett and Curphy, 2012, p3). This paper will look at two leaders, one from the corporate sector and the other from the not-for-profit sector, Gail Kelly and Ian Cox. Both have developed styles of leadership to ensure they interact with their followers within particular environments and situation. Interactional framework needs to be taking into account, rather than looking at leaders, followers or situation in isolation, as this provides a complete view of the leadership process. The interactive nature of leader-followers-situation helps understand the changing nature of the leader-follower relationship and the increasingly greater complexity of situations leaders and followers face. An analysis of Gail Kelly’s and Ian Cox’s leadership styles exposes some similarities, within vastly different situations and followers. Daniel Goleman (2000) identified six different leadership styles, authoritative, affiliative, pace-setting, democratic, coaching and coercive. Both Kelly and Cox employ different styles in their attempt to gear the followers towards attainment of a goal, objectives and the fulfillment of a vision. The organisations that Ms Kelly and Mr Cox are employed have defined their leadership. Kelly heads and organisation who main goal is to make profits for its shareholders, whereas Cox’ role is...
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