What Is Leadership

Leadership

According to Cherry and Jacob (2008), leadership is the act of guiding or influencing people to achieve desired outcomes and it occurs any time a person attempts to influence the beliefs, opinions, or behaviors of an individual or group. There are individuals who are gifted with leadership skills, i.e. have intrinsic traits. However, for the most part, leadership is a learned behavior. Based on interactional leadership theory, effective leadership depends on several variables including organizational culture, values of the leader and values of the followers, influence of the leader, complexities of the situation, work to be accomplished, and the work environment. Cherry and Jacob (2008) mentioned two types of leadership: transactional and transformational leadership. A transactional leader is someone who is concerned with the day to day operations, whereas the transformational leader is committed to the organizational goals, and has a vision and is able to empower others with that vision. Cherry and Jacob stated three leadership skills that are essential to effective leadership. They include technical skills (technical know-how and ability to train staff members), human skills (effective interpersonal relationships), and conceptual skills (ability to have an overall picture and understanding of complexities in an organization).

According to Sullivan and Decker (2009) and Humphrey (2010), leadership is viewed as a combination of trait, behavior, and contingency theories. Contemporary leadership theories include:

• Charismatic leadership is based on the leader’s personal qualities that arouse affection for and commitment to the leader and his/her beliefs.

• Transactional leadership is based on social exchange theory. Successful leaders understand followers’ needs and use incentives to enhance employee loyalty and performance, and to maintain the status quo.

• Transformational leadership is based on inspiration of the followers to perform...