Introduction To Leadership PDF

Introduction To Leadership  What is Leadership? For many centuries, leadership was seen just as a personal quality. Confucius, the great Chinese thinker who lived about 2,500 years ago, did not propose any definition of leadership but insisted on leaders’ need to be virtuous and l...

Introduction To Leadership  What is Leadership? For many centuries, leadership was seen just as a personal quality. Confucius, the great Chinese thinker who lived about 2,500 years ago, did not propose any definition of leadership but insisted on leaders’ need to be virtuous and look after the people around them. For him, a leader’s primary purpose is to serve the people. For Plato, which many recognize as the founding father of philosophy, the leader should be wise. Machiavelli stated that the leader should have good virtues and should be intelligent to have the support of the people. Definition: Leadership is one of those concepts that are very hard to define 1. In politics, leadership generally refers to the exercise of influence. 2. leaders induce followers to act for certain goals that represent the values and motivations … of both leaders and followers. 3. A leader is anyone willing to help. 4. Leadership is the process of leaders collaborating meaningfully and progressively with team members to realize  Leadership is the process of interactive influence that occurs when, in a given context, some people accept someone as their leader to achieve common goals. Process Interactive influence Given context Achievement of common goals  Evolving of Leadership Before the Industrial Revolution: Throughout the centuries, there have been leaders. We are social animals who bond together, but we look for order against the chaos of life. Society looks to organize itself to accomplish tasks that individuals cannot perform individually. As a result, someone inevitably ends up in charge. The evolution of leadership gave rise to different types of leaders. Leaders in the past have generally belonged to one of three categories: Political, Military, or Religious  Political: Around 1790 B.C., Babylonian ruler Hammurabi created the codified laws, which unified his empire in what was seen as a fair order as all people were subject to the same rules. Military: Sun Tzu was a military general in China from 500 B.C. He wrote The Art of War, and although he was a great military leader, his book is actually about how to not use armies except as a last resort, focusing more on wise political policies and strategies to prevent war. Religious: It may be said that religious leaders have had the greatest impact on their societies, with results that last for centuries. After the Industrial Revolution: With the rise of the Industrial Revolution, We have also seen an Evolution of Leadership, a new kind of leader emerged: Economic. The so-called Captains of Industry found they could build an empire based on modern technology instead of swords. Oil barons, railroad magnates, and factory owners amassed large fortunes without relying on armies; often, this occurred at the expense of the people they employed. This situation led to the rise of union leaders and various movements aimed at promoting justice where perceived abuses occurred The Industrial Revolution also increased the number of Scientific Leaders, as scientists now had easy access to a wide range of new materials for their work. Leadership and Management MANAGERS DO THINGS RIGHT... LEADERS DO THE RIGHT THING (WARREN BENNIS) The manager administers; the leader innovates.” “The manager is a copy; the leader is an original.” “The manager maintains; the leader develops.” “The manager focuses on systems and structure; the leader focuses on people.” “The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust.” “The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective.”  “The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.” “The manager has his or her eye always on the bottom line; the leader’s eye is on the horizon.” Trait Versus Process Leadership: We have all heard statements such as “He is born to be a leader” or “She is a natural leader.” These statements are commonly expressed by people with a trait perspective toward leadership. The trait perspective suggests that certain individuals have special innate or inborn characteristics or qualities that make them leaders and that these qualities Some of the personal attributes used to identify leaders include unique physical factors (e.g., height), personality features (e.g., extraversion), and other characteristics (e.g., intelligence and fluency. To describe leadership as a trait is quite different from describing it as a process. The trait viewpoint conceptualizes leadership as a property or set of properties possessed in varying degrees by different people, This suggests that it resides in select people and restricts leadership to those who are believed to have special, usually inborn, talents. The process viewpoint suggests that leadership is a phenomenon that resides in the context of the interactions between leaders and followers and makes leadership available to everyone. As a process, leadership can be observed in leader behaviors and can be learned. Assigned Versus Emergent Leadership: Some people are leaders because of their formal position in an organization, whereas others are leaders because of the way other group members respond to them. These two common forms of leadership are called assigned leadership and emergent leadership. Leadership that is based on occupying a position in an organization is assigned Importance of Leadership  Principles of a Good Leader ✓ Know yourself and seek self-improvement: You can strengthen your leadership abilities by reading, self- study, taking appropriate classes, etc. ✓ Be technically proficient: As a leader, you must know your job and have a solid familiarity with your employees’ jobs. ✓ Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions: Search for ways to guide your organization to new heights. And when things go wrong, do not blame others. Analyze the situation, take corrective action, and move on to the next challenge. ✓ Make sound and timely decisions: Use good problem- solving, decision-making, and planning tools. ✓ Keep your people informed: Know how to communicate with employees, senior management, and other key people within the organization. ✓ Develop a sense of responsibility in your people: Develop good character traits within your people that will help them carry out their professional responsibilities. ✓ Ensure that tasks are understood, supervised and accomplished: Communication is the key to this responsibility. ✓ Train your people as a team: Although many so-called Leadership and Power: The concept of power is related to leadership because it is part of the influence process. Power is the capacity to influence. People have power when they have the ability to affect others’ beliefs, and attitudes. Judges, doctors, coaches, and teachers are all examples of people who have the potential to influence us. When they do, they use their power, the resource they draw on to effect change in us. Although there are no explicit theories about power and leadership, power is a concept that people often associate with leadership. It is common for people to view leaders (both good and bad) and people in leadership positions as individuals who wield power over others, and as a result, power is often thought of as synonymous with leadership. In addition, people are often intrigued by how leaders use their power.