Thesis statement: Leadership depends on the leader’s leadership style and there way of communicating ideas rather than the leader themselves. Both women and men believe in similar leadership styles however women prefer a more participative leadership approach.
According to organisational behaviour by McShane, leadership is defined as influencing, motivating and enabling others to contribute towards the effectiveness and success of the organisation of which they are members (page 382, McShane).Becoming an effective leader depends on the leader’s leadership style. Successful leaders have vision and charisma, also the leader should have an ongoing personality, talkative, careful and self-disciplined. The leader must also have self-concept
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Albert Einstein was a very influential leader in the modern era, as he transformed humanity’s understanding of the universe. In the 1920’s he become an active leader of international movement (The guardian, 2012). A path goal theory is based on the expectancy theory of motivation which relates to several types of leadership styles that relates to specific followers. In the path goal theory there are three leadership styles that make an effective leader, these include, the leader must be directive, and this includes clarifying performance goals, using rewards and being task orientated. Leaders should also be supportive this means the leader should be friendly and approachable, treats everyone equally and with respect. The last leadership style if participative, the leader should consult employees, ask for suggestions and take their ideas into consideration (McShane, p388). Albert was a good leader due to his excellence in leadership qualities which where it was an excellent listener, he was always motivated and have good knowledge, power and influence in how to lead. Einstein always listened to everyone and never ignore them, however he learnt from them on how to improve his leadership styles, therefore making him a good leader. He was also motivated in discovering new ideas regardless of how many people put him down, and he also had a clear relationship between leadership and ethics which was significant in keeping a lasting impression as the world leader (Iain hay,
McShane and Von Glinow, 2010:360 argued that leadership is influencing, motivating, and enabling others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organizations of which they are members. It is the dual focused management approach that works towards what is best for individuals and what is best for the group as a whole simultaneously. According to Kotter he suggested that leaders establish directions develop strategies influence others to follow energize people. Effective leadership builds on important underlying competencies such as the Self Awareness it sees things clearly and strengthen Analysis and problem Evaluation beyond the immediate and short term .Interpersonal Effectiveness based on listening and communication skills to increase understanding , motivation and commitment .Personal Conviction concerning possibilities and objectives with the resilience to overcome setbacks. In addition to setting clear direction, effective leaders develop employee competence by building self-belief and capability; support autonomy encourages employees to take control, build a culture based on positive relationships .The steps are anchored in meaningful activity and a sense of shared purpose, managers need to identify the steps that move employees from satisfied to motivated and then help people become fully engaged. Relationship management is increasingly important in organizations , effective leaders are aware of individual difference , but also work to
Hayward (2005) pointed out that the studies on leadership have been ongoing as far back as early 1900. This is prompted by the fact that man has always sought to answer what is it about a leader that distinguishes him or her from another leader, what it is about an individual that makes him or her a leader, why do some leaders fail and why do some other leaders excel etc. In attempt to provide answers to these questions, several leadership theories and approaches has been established. It is for this reason that the review of related literature for this study is based on the following subheadings:
Men and women take on different roles in regards to leadership. Men tend to be thought of as leaders more often than women are, and when women are leaders, they are responded to harshly, not given the same consideration that a male leader is given. When men are leaders, they take on a more autocratic role- they do not want their followers to participate in decision-making; women, however assume to take on a more democratic role- they encourage input from the whole group. Perhaps the difference in leadership styles can be attributed to the fact that women leaders are looked down upon, so to not look as "harsh," they take a more tentative approach to leadership.
There are so many dimensions and concept to the very idea of what is leadership, how to define leadership, what traits and characteristics makes a great leader, and what is the purpose of leadership. It can be about perspective and whom it is that defines what makes a leader because in some environments the term leadership and management are interchangeable. A leader is more than the authority figurehead that controls the decision-making and direction of a group of people. According to Fairholm & Fairholm (2009) a leader will create a culture of trust, progress, and growth that enables the workers/followers to grow mature and develop to their fullest potential and at the same time to develop the leader skills (Fairholm & Fairholm, 2009, p. 2).
Looking at the significant body of research on the topic of gendered leadership, the overwhelming opinion is that men and women are thought to behave differently in leadership positions. Analysis of the key traits of masculine and feminine leadership models shows that masculine models value “assertiveness, aggressiveness and a task-focused orientation” while feminine approaches value “empathy, cooperation, and collaboration with an intrapersonal orientation”. Men are thought to bring a “command and control” style to leadership and women a “mentor and coach.”
It is important to note that by establishing these new relationships leaders can influence people to take the path that will lead to the success of the organization. It is the differences in gender characteristics that lead to different style of leadership among women and men. Eventually these different styles and approach to leadership will produce a different organizational culture and there different results.
Upon review of chapters 1 and 2 of Leadership and Practice, 7th edition, by Peter G. Northouse, one can gather more information to what leadership is and the practice/s associated with this particular concept/process. On page 6, it states leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. It is better for one to have better leadership skills, which is different from management skills. This essay will explore how the text divulges into the many concepts of leaderships and practice, how leaders differ from followers, how leaders differ from managers, trait versus process leadership, coercion and leadership, and major leadership traits, and so on. If one is a better leader, one has a better chance of getting a job. Besides this importance of being a leader, the essay will describe how in the text by Northouse illustrates how leaders influence groups to achieve goals and there may be some characteristics of leaders that may come off as surprising. Leaders may be depressed or anxious people, but at the same time they are very encouraging and determined group that inspires others around them and acts as a role model for other individuals looking to better themselves, and their respective companies. Being a great leader of a team, a town, or a retail store, are all entirely different leaders. One should consider all the considerations when discussing particular and specific distinictions between leaders and different types of
Talking about leadership, all the major theories in this field point the attention tend on specific and peculiar characteristics owned by one person who has the capacity to lead a group of people to achieve a specific goal. So that, the researchers are concentered on defining what are the personal element and competences which let a person to succeed as leader without considering aspects related instead to the role of the followers and type and degree of relation necessary to reach the goal as a team.
Organisations are made up of people and people are a huge asset to any organization. To be more successful in achieving their goal and objectives; organisations needs to have an understanding about their human assets, their behavior, tendencies, best practice etc..” Leadership is the ability of one person to influence
Discussions in what makes effective leaders are ones as long as history itself. It is a topic of constant study and debate where everyone seems to have a view and where definitions of leadership are as varied as their explanations. More recent day definitions and studies have focused on leadership and change, vision building and empowering others. Thus, leaders are people who are able to think and act creatively in non-routine situations – and who set out to influence the actions, beliefs and feelings of others. In this sense being a leader is personal. It flows from an individual’s qualities and actions. However, it is also often linked to some other role such as manager or expert. Here there can be a lot of confusion. Not all managers
Leadership topic is among the highly ranked in management. A literature review of leadership in the past was more of characteristic and traits (Bass, 1990). Leadership research has evolved from the different theory which includes great man theory to most recent of transactional and transformational leadership (Bolden, et al 2003). Thus for a company to successful it must emulate the best traits to enhance meeting its set goals. Leadership is defined as the process by which an individual influences a group of individual in
According to the Business Dictionary (2015), leadership is defined as the management staff that typically provides inspiration, objectives, operational oversight, and other administrative services to a business. Effective leadership can help prioritize objectives for subordinates and can provide guidance toward achieving the overall corporate vision. Both definitions are gender-free; however, in both cases, the leader is typically male. As women increasingly enter leadership roles that traditionally are occupied by men, the possibility that the leadership styles of women and men differ continues to attract attention. Whether these gender differences exist in the way in which they communicate, influence, or lead, men and women have always been viewed as different and unique sets of people.
The debate about the difference in leadership style of women and men continues to attract attention since women make strides into leadership position dominated mainly by men. Men have long been holding these leadership roles and have defined styles accepted by people. Therefore, it is not surprising that women are usual the focus in terms of the discussion on gender difference in leadership styles. There seems to be great disagreement about the behaviour of women and men actually performing such roles (Eagly, 2001). This disagreement on this focus can be divided into two groups. One is the no-difference camp, who commonly agreed that there are few differenced in the leadership style of female and male leaders. The other is the gender-stereotypic camp who believed the existence of crucial differences in the leadership style between both (Alvesson, 2009).
Leaders aren’t necessarily born, they are made. Over time they inquire a different perspective of the world, which helps them gain, and equipped the leadership role. The topic that I’m going to cover throughout this paper is the idea of leadership under a woman or under a man. The question that I am asking is do you think that a male makes a better leader or do you feel that a woman makes a better leader.
Men tend to take leadership roles over women, but why? Do they lead differently where one is better than the other? In Reframing organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership, Bolman and Deal discuss the possibilities of men and women leading differently, and estate that, “for the most part, the available evidence suggests that men and women in comparable positions are more alike than different” (pg 352). Men and women share leadership styles, but when you look at how each implement the style then differences show up. The authors noted that women tend to score higher in different measures when compared to men, but the differences are not as significant that one would say one leads better than the other. More women are being seeing in a high leadership position. Females in the field of mathematics are not very common. I interviewed three females who are in the field of mathematics. Females are making their way up in the fields that are dominated by males, and are slowly proving that females are very much capable of leading an organization.