Leadership

PJ Labuschagne

9809715R

Turnitin score: 9%

Leadership

Part One:

The question has always been: What makes a good leader? Does a leader have a great personality or do the circumstances of the situation dictate who is going to be the leader and who the follower (Cherry, 2015). Can one learn to be a leader?

(Core leadership theories, 2016) found that one can learn to be an effective leader, as long as one understands the various approaches to leadership. There are many leadership theories but all are rooted in four core theories:

1. Trait theory:

This theory assumes that certain people inherit leadership qualities and that this makes them better equipped to be leaders. Certain qualities like self-confidence, courage, etc. were thought to be innate qualities of leaders (Cherry, 2015).

Coupled with trait theory is “the great man” theory. This theory is similar to trait theory in the sense that it is believed that leaders are simply born with leadership qualities (Cherry, 2015).

But, possessing these “natural” skills/traits, will not guarantee success as a leader (Core leadership theories, 2016). If having these traits can identify leaders, why are not all people with these traits leaders (Cherry, 2015)?

2. Behavioral theory:

This theory can be seen as the flip side of trait theory in that leaders are made and not born. This theory is based on the action of leaders and not mental qualities (Cherry, 2015).

In the 1930s, three different types of leaders were identified based on behavior:

i) The autocratic leader – contrary to popular belief, this is not necessarily a bad type of leader. This leadership style is useful when decisions need to be make quickly and the agreement of the team is not needed (Core leadership theories, 2016).

ii) The democratic leader – this leader allows the team to provide input, but it could be difficult to make a decision when different opinions have to be considered (Core leadership theories, 2016). Similar to...