Premium Essay

The Concept of Leader

In:

Submitted By md585876
Words 440
Pages 2
Malcom Dennard
Professor gay
Eng. 1101
17 October 2013

The concept of leadership

What defines leadership to you? What exactly is a good leader? Well if you ask me I would say anyone can be a leader, it just depends on the situation. To me, a great leader was Martin Luther King Jr. I say him because, at the time of the situation he lived in they needed someone to step forward and help lead others. When is the best time to be a leader instead of a follower. I would say that the best observer is the best leader. Since they can see when and where leading is needed. For instance when Mahatma Gandhi decided the time was right for him to step forward and lead his people. What caused Gandhi to stop watching and start leading was when the British had colonized India. Gandhi had seen how unhappy the people of his country really were. I feel like what Gandhi did was awesome, along with many other great leaders.
When I ask myself what a great leader consists of I would say it doesn’t matter and this is my opinion due to my leadership training. You could also, look at history a see all of the people who became leaders by the circumstances not by choice. Such as George Washington and how he became president due to how he handled the war. Not by his chose, because he did great with the pressure at the circumstances. Even though some may say he was dishonest, he was all for himself and very uncaring. Although, I would say that not every person is a great leader at all situations. The thing I would say that mostly defines a leader, is there personal experiences. Along with their knowledge of different situations and there vast understanding of what people go through personally. I say this to say that a good leader to me must be understanding and willing to listen to all other ideas. Not just always thinking they are the only one with a good idea. Or the right way

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Value Centric Leaders

...The Real Value of Authentic Leaders: A Values-centric Model to understand Follower Behaviors Abstract Deriving from the literature on values, we propose a model which answers the call from scholars to examine the underlying processes through which authentic leadership impacts followers’ behavior and performance. We propose that by developing intrapersonal and interpersonal continuity in their followers’ values (value salience and person-supervisor value congruence respectively), authentic leaders could enhance followers’ task performance and organizational citizenship behavior, and reduce counterproductive work behavior. The model also contributes to research on values by examining the psychological and contextual factors, i.e. person-organization value congruence and self-concept clarity, which moderate the relationship between authentic leadership, value congruence and follower outcomes. Introduction Having witnessed several failures of corporate and economic machinery in the recent past, management scholars have been forced to look into the underlying reasons thereof from several different perspectives. As a fundamental shift in focus onto softer aspects of corporate leadership, leaders are being increasingly scrutinized for their leadership styles and moral values. Through this paper, we aim to contribute to a growing area of research in this domain by proposing a theoretical model to understand how leaders’ attitudes and values impact followers’ behavior and performance...

Words: 8787 - Pages: 36

Premium Essay

Transformational Models

...that follow him or her. This style of leadership helps each member of a group or organization succeed. In 1978 James MacGregor Burns introduced the concept of the transformational leadership. According to Burns this concept is visible when leaders and followers advance to a higher level morally and through motivation. Burns introduced a concept that was further researched by Bernard M. Bass. Bass developed the Bass Transformational Leadership Theory. Bass, transformational leadership is defined based on the impact it has on followers. Transformational leaders possess certain characteristics charisma, inspirer, and intellectual stimulation, and individual consideration, high ethical and moral standards. They are role models, visionaries and most of all empowering. The transformational leaders desire to make things happen and to change the way things are. Transformational Leaders inspire a shared vision. Transformational Leadership Model: Inspirer Transformational leadership theory is about leadership that promotes positive changes. Followers take care of each other’s interest and that of the group. The leader enhances motivation, morale and performance of his followers. The original theory evolved from preceding leadership types, such as trait and behavioral theories, charismatic, situational and transactional leadership. The concept of transformational leadership was introduced by James MacGregor Burns in 1978. Burns served in World War II and served in combat units. He realized...

Words: 1041 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Distributed Leadership Case Study

...instead of just an individual leader. This would mean leadership development being focused on structure and systems, as well as people and social relations (Hartley and Hinksman, 2003 in Bush 2008). This aligns with Tusting and Barton (2006 in Bush, 2008) argument that there is a movement away from the individual towards the emergent and collective as well as providing greater recognition of the significance of the context for leadership learning. This is related to interactive learning-networking and community learning, which has surfaced in recent years. This shows that good leadership is not solely based on the individual leader, but on followers, structure and system as a whole, reducing the importance of leadership being embodied. This section shows the different situations where the physical body does not play, or plays a small role in being a successful...

Words: 2763 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Management and Leadership

...management concepts discussed in the paper apply to Apple too, as it is a multinational giant which has been successful over the past years. There is a common misconception that leadership is always better than managerial process; as matter of fact this statement does not hold any credibility. In reality leadership is actually an added component/ feature of any business and it is not considered as an essential part (Richardson, 2007). If the managerial structure of any company or business is sound then the company can survive on its own, earn profits and even follow the path of growth. But without proper management even the strongest of leaderships can falter and even fail in the process of achieving the set goals and fulfilling the vision. Thus leadership in an organization is an asset whilst management is an essential component. Although, the concept of leadership and management are different from each other, both of the terms are often used interchangeably. The characteristics of both the concepts are quite same as each other similarly; both the concepts are used for similar purposes. The difference between management and leadership can be defined as: Leadership provides new vision or direction to a group of people (followers) and this group generally follows the leader; who acts as a spear head in moving towards the new direction. Management is the process of monitoring and controlling any resources according to already established values and/ vision. The concept of...

Words: 2020 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Leadership Supporting Innovation in Organizations

...Innovation in Organizations Introduction Leaders come in all shapes and sizes; this is evident from the many varieties of leaders in many different organizations. Whenever there is a crisis, all leaders have to step up and become innovative thinkers in order to successfully achieve the goals set forth. But there are some leadership practices that support and foster innovation within organizations. “Among the factors that influence employees’ creative behaviors and performance, leadership has been identified by many researchers as being one of the most, if not the most important” (Jung, Chow, & Wu, 2003, p. 526). Leaders have the ability to affect an employees’ creativity by catering to their needs and motivation, and by setting up an organizational culture and environment that will allow for employees to attempt different methods of thinking and speaking up with ideas or concepts without fear of being punished. (Jung, Chow, & Wu, 2003, p. 526) Leadership Practices Supporting Innovation A few key practices particular, in my opinion, spurs innovation, including leading people, strategic planning, participative management, and change management. A final leadership practice – transformational leadership – is an essential practice in supporting innovation in organizations. Leaders who can effectively lead their members ensures that members are motivated and develops an environment that supports innovation. “Leaders who have good skills in directing and motivating...

Words: 1912 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Definition of Leadership

...research, and my own self-reflection, to write a paper that addresses what is my definition of leadership; How important is it to have a definition of leadership; How does my definition support my perspective on the concept of leadership; What is my approach to understanding leadership; Does it start with a definition, or do I simply follow my instincts; What is my definition of management; And what do I see as the differences between leadership and management. Definition of Leadership Definition of Leadership For me, leadership is defined as the ability to influence others to allow you to guide them. What this means is that although you may not have the actual authority to do so, you are put in charge of a group of others. As leader you are allowed to make decisions that affect the group. Importance of Leadership I view leadership as a very important element of any group and society as a whole. Leaders help guide others, allow society to progress in an orderly direction, and allow for speedy decision making. A leader also helps others acquire the tools they need to complete a task. Groups usually function better if there is someone in charge, and that person is usually the designated leader. Concept of Leadership The concept of leadership is a simple concept. You must start with at least two people. There must be a need in one of the individuals to be guided or led. The must also be a willingness for one of these people to take on the responsibility of guiding and...

Words: 669 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Doc, Pdf

...Journal of Knowledge Management Practice, December 2002 Socialising Knowledge Management: The Influence of The Opinion Leader Cheng MingYu, Multimedia University, Malaysia ABSTRACT: This paper looks at knowledge management and the importance of knowledge management in today’s organisations. Even though knowledge management has gained its popularity recently due to the drastic changes in business ecology, there is still confusion on how to implement the knowledge management strategy successfully. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate and suggest possible ways to communicate the concept of knowledge management more effectively so that the knowledge management concept could be implemented more successfully. The communication of knowledge management concept is done through knowledge management socialisation process and it is suggested that the socialisation process be carried out by the so called “opinion leader” who is presumably to be a more knowledgeable person and be able to influence others in changing their perception and behaviour. Introduction Today organisations are fundamentally different as compared to organisations existed in one or two decades ago in terms of their functions, structures and style of management. The new organisations put more premium on understanding, adapting and managing changes and competing on the basis of capturing and utilising knowledge to better serve their customers, improve the operations or to speed their products to markets...

Words: 3202 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

Leadership

...semester I was exposed to the concepts of leadership and the qualities that will make or break good organizational leaders. Moreover the ability to understand a person’s personality trait and how we can use to our advantage was also an important part of this course. To showcase my understanding of the subjects learned so far, I will review all the chapters done one by one and share my findings. We will start with our textbook by Lussier & Achua. Chapter 1: Who is a leader? According to Lussier and Achua (2014), in this chapter we try to understand what leadership is about, the three levels of leadership analysis, and four major leadership paradigms. In this chapter we studied why leadership is important and how companies like GE and Domino’s enhance their employees’ leadership skills set and become leaders in their industry. According to George (2015), gone are the days when managers could ensure success by relying on their knowledge of local markets, operating skills, technical understanding, and financial acumen. Today they must be skilled in aligning their multicultural organizations around the company’s mission and values. Hence this chapter helps an individual to understand the different types of leaders and their quality, and when to use them based on the situation. In this chapter we learned about the five key elements about leadership such as leader-follower, influencing, organizational objectives, change, and people. Understanding these concepts allowed me to enhance...

Words: 1604 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Good to Great Book Review

...Management at Claremont Graduate University. In 1995, he founded a management laboratory in Boulder, Colorado where he continues to perform research and discuss his findings with executives from social and corporate areas. Collins has worked with CEOs in several companies and social sector organizations. He is the author and co-author of five books that revolve around his research including Built to Last, with Jerry I. Porras, which covers visionary companies in their battle against the challenges of time. Collins describes Good to Great as the prequel to Built to Last, as he claims it reveals how a company can leap to greatness and maintain that status. Firstly, Collins defines creating a great company as having a great leader, which he calls Level 5 Leaders. Subsequently, the author reveals that companies...

Words: 1737 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Biblical Inte

...Biblical Integration Project BUSI502-D02 Abstract The concept of Servant Leadership was pioneered by Robert Greenleaf in 1970. According to Greenleaf’s original concept, through the act of servant leadership we, as contemporary Christians, are attempting to lead as Jesus did. In short we are striving to be leaders/managers who serve instead of being served. Specifically, there are 10 Principles which are considered to be important characteristics of the servant leader. According to Spears’ article Practicing Servant-Leadership, these include listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of people, and building community. Servant Leadership as a whole concept is deeply rooted in Biblical principles. Further, each of these individual traits are ‘backed up’ by Biblical doctrine and support. Through the utilization of these ten traits, the Servant leader is able to not only lead their team/people from their head, but to lead them with their heart. While the concept of Servant Leadership is relatively simple, it can be hard to apply to our everyday lives. In short, if we lead like Jesus; we will become more like Him. (Blanchard & Hodges, 2008) Spears (2004) summed up Greenleaf’s 10 characteristics of a servant leader. Listening The first trait is listening. A servant leader must listen to their co-workers ideas. Through this action, the leader is able to ascertain the will and needs of their group...

Words: 1117 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay



...(2001) 133 ± 152 Leadership, values, and subordinate self-concepts Robert G. Lorda,*, Douglas J. Brownb a Department of Psychology, University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-4301, USA b University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Abstract This article discusses two means by which leaders can impact on subordinate self-regulatory processes Ð making particular patterns of values salient and activating specific subordinate selfconcepts. Research indicating compatible structures among values and self-identities is discussed, and it is suggested that such structures are automatically related by networks of mutual activation or inhibition. The potential of this framework for advancing leadership practice and research is also discussed. D 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Most definitions of leadership share the common assumption that leaders influence subordinate's task and social behaviors (Yukl, 1992). However, the leadership literature, in general, has paid little attention to understanding the intervening mechanisms by which leaders influence followers. Instead, much of the research has focused on the relationship between a leader's behavior or traits and subordinates' satisfaction, behavior, and performance (Lord & Maher, 1991). In the present paper, we attempt to partially bridge this gap by focusing on two key intervening mechanisms Ð values and self-concepts Ð that link leader characteristics and important outcomes. We focus on these...

Words: 9884 - Pages: 40

Premium Essay

Cross Cultural Motivation

...(2001) 133 ± 152 Leadership, values, and subordinate self-concepts Robert G. Lorda,*, Douglas J. Brownb a Department of Psychology, University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-4301, USA b University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Abstract This article discusses two means by which leaders can impact on subordinate self-regulatory processes Ð making particular patterns of values salient and activating specific subordinate selfconcepts. Research indicating compatible structures among values and self-identities is discussed, and it is suggested that such structures are automatically related by networks of mutual activation or inhibition. The potential of this framework for advancing leadership practice and research is also discussed. D 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Most definitions of leadership share the common assumption that leaders influence subordinate's task and social behaviors (Yukl, 1992). However, the leadership literature, in general, has paid little attention to understanding the intervening mechanisms by which leaders influence followers. Instead, much of the research has focused on the relationship between a leader's behavior or traits and subordinates' satisfaction, behavior, and performance (Lord & Maher, 1991). In the present paper, we attempt to partially bridge this gap by focusing on two key intervening mechanisms Ð values and self-concepts Ð that link leader characteristics and important outcomes. We focus on these...

Words: 9884 - Pages: 40

Premium Essay

Not Who You Are but What You Do Determines Effective Leadership

...within them. Many people believe it is who you are the shows what type of leader a person may be. Is it the status of wealth, power, and looks? It is not what your wealth but what you do as a leader that will make you a leader of men. It is the decisions that someone makes in confidence that will show your true leadership quality. It is those importance decisions that someone makes and how they engage it. A action centered leadership role is what will help those in leadership and those wanting to become effective leaders. John Adair proposed a model in 1973 on what a leadership role should have looked like. He argued that it is not who you are but what you do will establish you as a leader. He believed that leaders should balance the behavior needs of task, team, and the individual within a diagram he created and the center of that diagram was the best approach to balancing those needs. Under the behavior task circle a leader had to provide clear objectives, provide appropriate procedures, evidence of progress, and deadlines are being met. A leader’s behavior under team a leader should commitment, trust& openness, sense of purpose, stability, and fun. Last a leader’s behavior under individual should be to include, make contribution, to be respected, receive feedback, feel safe, and grow. Adair believe if a leader carried out these behaviors and balanced them it would help them to become an effective leader. Harlen Williams wrote an article called Profess the Ingredients...

Words: 533 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Importance of Leadership

...| The Importance Of Leadership | Theory & Concepts | | The definition of leadership and a look into the classical leadership theories and concepts. | | Toni James | 10/29/2012 | | Contents Introduction p.2 Defining Leadership p.2, 3 Introducing Theory and Concepts p.3 Traits Theory p.3, 4 Behaviour Theories p.5, 6 Contingency theory p.5 Transactional and Transformational Theory p.5, 6 Conclusion p.6, 7 Reference List p.8, 9 Bibliography p.9 Appendix 1 p.10 Introduction The following report will focus on defining leadership, research and comparison into leadership theories and concepts. It will look at appropriate leadership concepts that can be applied to Paragon Software in order to help grow market share. Defining Leadership Leadership is viewed in a number of different ways and there are many interpretations of its meaning. Leadership may be exercised as an attribute of position, or because of personal knowledge or wisdom. Leadership may be based on a function of personality, or it can be seen as a behavioural category. It may also be viewed in terms of a leader’s ability to achieve effective performance from others. (Mullins, 2009) Stogdill (1974, p.259) concluded that there are almost as many definitions of leadership as there are persons who have attempted to define the concept. (Stogdill, 1974) There lie two fundamental difficulties in defining leadership. Firstly, leadership is open to subjective interpretation...

Words: 1787 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Critical Analysis of Nelson Mandela's Leadership

...EUSEBIO AFRICANO DOS REIS VARELA Leadership Concepts, Theories And Issues CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF NELSON MANDELA’S LEADERSHIP STYLE 1. Introduction Leadership is a concept that has evolved over time. Individuals such as Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King and Mother Theresa have emerged as defensors of the social issues of their time. This essay looks at one of the most prominent leaders of our time Nelson Mandela, from 1963 to 1999. First it will critically analyse Mandela’s Leadership style in the perspective of two leadership theories: Leadership as a Career, including its four stages of leadership: Formation, Accession, Incumbency and Divestiture. Then it will analyse it in terms of Transformational Leadership Theories, which was Mandela’s Leadership style during his governance. This will cover aspects of Idealised Influence, Inspirational Motivation, Intellectual Simulation and Individualised Consideration. Ultimately, this review will show that Mandela’s chosen leadership style reveals both his successes and failures as a leader. 2. Nelson Mandela and his Social Context When the National Party achieved power in South Africa in 1948, the government usually composed by “white people” created a policy of racial segregation under a legislated system denominated by apartheid. According to this regime the black South Africans were forced to live in separate areas from whites and to use separate public facilities. Despite consistent struggles to defeat the apartheid...

Words: 2760 - Pages: 12