Leadership Is A Complex Social Phenomenon

There has been vast amounts of research done on the topic of leadership, and yet despite this it continues to be ‘‘riddled with paradoxes, inconsistencies, and contradictions’’

Leadership might be the most discussed and written about topics in our modern society. Thousands of books have covered this topic and people are often using this term correctly as well as in the right format. But what does it really mean? Strength? Power? Leadership could be as simple as holding the hand of a small child crossing the street, or as complex as signing the Declaration of Independence. A leader is not someone who cheats their way to the top, or tricks others into doing things. Being a leader is also not all about power and control. Power is not leadership because leaders don’t necessarily need any source of “power,” but instead are looked up to by their followers. The assertion of power can create feelings of fear, betrayal,

The theme of leadership is relevant today for many areas of life. After consulting the dictionary, one can construe the leadership as an inner force that manifests in the ability to influence and to control others. A person possesses this quality when he/she can guide masses and move them to the goal, take the consequences and realize the responsibility for himself/herself and others. Shakespeare once remarked that to be a good leader, first of all, one should serve faithfully and loyally. Otherwise, leadership is a destructive force: either you succeed, or it destroys you. “Macbeth” and “Lord of The Flies’ are epitomes of both leadership patterns and worth.

This report reviews and examines the theories behind leadership; identifying and analysing the concept of leadership and leaders from an analytical perspective. Some of the key points will focus on areas I have particular disputes with. Areas such as:

This paper will highlight the world's leading psychologist's thinking and research towards leadership who examined leadership as the psychological process (Bligh and Meindl, 2005) .This paper will cover the diversity of topics covered in this field including; psychological concept of leadership; major key psychological theories underpinning leadership behavior, power and influences; cognitive process that categorize individuals as leaders and

The principal aspects of leadership are oft debated; to attempt to define what leadership is would most certainly result in broad and varied definitions dependent on who is queried. Nonetheless, in the preeminent

There are many qualities that come to mind when a person thinks of a good leader. It may not be an actual person that is pictured when term “leader” comes in casual conversation, but instead just a series of characteristics or experiences that might make a person fit to be in charge. Or rather instead there are some that see themselves when they think of authority and power, still even those that imagine what they could become if given the proper training. The emphasis society places on leadership is undoubtedly instilled within the minds of every child from a young age that are urged that having a sense of leadership is the only way to be successful. Despite this, only few are really fit for a position where

What is leadership? How does people perceive leadership in their everyday Life? Can we still today, in a world oriented more an more towards individualism and commitment to achievement of personal goals, talk about leadership?

Chapter 1: The Nature of Leadership 1. What is the best explanation for so many different definitions of leadership? a. scholarly nitpicking about trivial issues b. disagreement about what should be included in the definition c. little opportunity for rigorous scientific analysis d. leadership is a very old topic with centuries of definitions Answer: b. 2.

A quick Google search for “Leadership” will yield over 490 billion entries with results ranging from Forbes Magazine to the Harvard Business Review, and on Amazon.com there are over 140,000 books written on the topic. If you limit your query to trying to find a definition of leadership the results be come only slightly clearer, with 298 billion results and thousands of websites trying to clearly articulate the definition of a leader. This focus on building great leaders stretches throughout history with philosophers like Plato extolling the virtues by which good leaders could be identified, and examples like Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, and George Washington litter the annals of history giving us living examples by which to model leadership.

For many years, I have been told by teachers, family, and friends that I am a good leader. Until fairly recently, I had never truly thought about what it means to be a good leader and just took it as a compliment. Leadership is an intangible concept which cannot be properly outlined in a dictionary, but one which must be formed and explained only through one’s own philosophies and experiences.

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.

The word ‘leadership’ often times triggers a preconceived image of an ideal leader—typically accompanied by the aura that the effective leader should be at the top of the hierarchy, ready to produce the solutions to complex problems. However, this is not true of leadership, given that effective leadership is not achieved by position but rather through style and situational awareness. Examining leadership requires the consideration of the catalysts for different types of leaders. Popular leader development theories tend to focus on the natural servitude of the leader, his or her capability to manage, and leader behavior.

For centuries, leadership has been studied and used as a theme in many works of literature. The Egyptians had the word “leadership” written in hieroglyphics. The Chinese studied and wrote about the responsibilities of its leaders to the people. Homer, Plato, and Aristotle wrote about leadership in their literature. Authors such as “Caesar, Cicero, Seneca, and Plutarch wrote about leadership as it related to administration.” (Bass & Bass, 2008). By 1948, Stogdill was able find 128 studies of leadership that he classified according to the traits of importance of leadership: capacity, achievement, responsibility, participation, and status.” (Bass & Bass, 2008). Leadership will continue to be studied as more questions arise about its importance in public administration.

First of all, according to Matthew R. Fairholm, (Fairholm, 2004) there are two different approaches to studying leadership. First one and the most popular is a focus on the leader, suggesting that the best way to understand leadership is when we studying concrete individuals in concrete situation. In addition, supporters of this method mainly focus on the qualities, behaviours of those who state to be or are given the title of leader. (Fairholm, 2004). In other words,