Is there a line that divides a bad leadership from a good one and what defines that line?

The “trait” leadership theory suggests that certain characteristics needed to be found in an individual in order for him/her to be marked as a good leader.

Lists of traits and characteristics are made by the advocates of this leadership theory and these lists are said to contain what a leader should be like.

If a person possessed these traits, then that person would be able to take control of a situation when needed.

If you look at the list, those traits seem sensible enough and the leadership theory seems sound from one perspective.

Here are just some of those traits:

*Flexibility/Adaptability
*Trustworthiness
*Motivated by the need to achieve
*People skills
*Competence
*Intelligence
*Physical Fitness
*Courage
*Decisiveness

Other traits have been added and removed to this list.

The main intention of the people who presented this leadership theory was to separate and define the leaders from the followers.

The knowledge of what makes a leader and what makes a follower, as defined by this leadership theory was supposed to help the people to define the term “leadership”.

The thinking during the introduction of this theory was that any leader who did not conform to the standards set by the leadership theory was not really a leader at all and so his leadership is unacceptable.

However, many people observed that great leaders really did have very little in common with the lists that were presented by this leadership theory.

In fact, some people who do have the traits written in the provided lists did not even prove to be good leaders.

The problem with making a list that defined a leader is that no human being can ever truly be defined.

Every human being is unique in every unique situation. Thus, no leader will ever be truly conformed to this leadership theory’s list.

However, there are also some traits that a leader might possess and yet remain unwritten on the list.

And so the situation gets even more complicated than before.

This leadership theory also does not take into consideration the fact that every situation calls for a different type of leadership.

The leadership traits of men are defined by the needs of the people around them, so the fact remains that an absolute list of the traits of leadership is just impossible.

Each great leader became who he was because of his ability to lead in the face of the situation. To believe that leaders should act the same during different situations is just plain ridiculous.

Some parts of the list though are not totally wrong. There is some truth to the traits written in this leadership theory.

Some traits given can be adapted to change with every given situation and yet still remain to be effective.

And some traits are really inherent in every great leader. These skills are preserved and put to heart to be the world’s greatest leaders. And so this leadership theory does not seem that ridiculous now.

Although the question still remains whether this leadership theory should be believed in or not, three fact remains that we are rational thinking beings, we can pick out what is right in the theory and use it, while discarding those parts which we think folly.

Tags: leadership, trait,, charismatic, leadership,, people, skills,, competence,, motivation

This fuss about leadership has created the need to use terms that have not really been part of people’s vocabulary before the boom of leadership skills. Among the increasingly getting popular terms is charismatic leadership – a leadership style that uses charm and personality to attract people and influence them to follow the leader.

Charismatic Leadership

Much has been said about the value of charismatic leadership. It allows people of authority to influence people not only by making subordinates conform, but more of making followers adhere willingly to the precepts imparted or imposed by the leader. Rather than just wielding power and creating an environment of compliance, the charismatic leader first attracts, and then entices followers to imbibe the principles being projected, which in turn would make them viable to follow instructions.

True enough, charismatic leadership has been proven to be quite effective for various organizations worldwide. However this does not mean that it would follow for each and every enterprise that exists. One has to know who needs charismatic leadership before it is implemented in any entity, whether in business, the academe, or politics.

Who Does Not Need Charismatic Leadership?.

While many leaders would greatly benefit from charismatic leadership, not all need it, some might even find it to be disruptive to their cause. Leaders who are more responsible for nitty-gritty details might probably need an approach which is different from charismatic leadership.

Bankers for example do not need to be charismatic as the financial duties that they are trying to fulfill need so much seriousness and impartiality. The requirement for those in the financial field to be more focused with technicalities such as numbers crunching would not give them much room to add charm and personal touch to their line of work. At worse, a charismatic leadership might even hinder them from working efficiently and imparting strict strategies needed in such a sensitive area such a finance.

Who Needs Charismatic Leadership?

Charismatic Leadership is needed by leaders who are required to be more in contact with their subordinates. These are leaders who are expected be the source of inspiration and motivation for workers. Those who are involved with teams, which are very much dependent on interaction fall under this category.

Examples of leaders who need charismatic leadership are human resource managers who are considered to be the ones responsible for the personal development and involvement of employees. The same is true with operations managers who need to help workers be inspired to work well and provide great contributions for the production of the company. Leaders of large organizations also need charismatic leadership in order to connect with each and every member of the institute, from the lowest ranking constituents to the ones on top.

Charismatic leadership can be a very useful tool in many organizations. It is just necessary to know that this leadership style would be appropriate in any given entity. With the right implementation of strategies using the suitable leadership style, an organization may very well reach success.

Charismatic Leadership.

Tags: types, of, leadership,, leadership, styles,, leadership, development

Most people are emotionally charged when asked to define leadership; after all, leaders are always looked upon with glamour and grandeur. People who aspire to be leaders often just copy the actions and behavior of admired leaders without knowing what it really means to be a good leader. Some think it is a talent one is born with, some think it is a skill that can be acquired. Either way, leadership, particularly business leadership has a straightforward and simple meaning. Leadership is the ability to influence others. Business leadership is therefore the ability to influence others at work.

Oftentimes, people think of complicated ways to define business leadership. However, the bottom-line is that business leadership is the power to make people at work follow. This could be done through several ways and by many means. The important matter is that when one knows the definition of leadership, one would also know how to be a leader. Knowing what business leadership is can help one identify the goal to reach, which is to influence others.

A lot of aspirants think that leadership is about reaching the highest ranks or achieving elevated positions. This has created what is now known as the bureaucratic tendency; they strive to rise among others only for the sake of being on top. Employees at the bottom of the hierarchy often believe that leadership is about being promoted or being among the top management. While getting high positions are among the many perks of business leadership, escalation is not the end all and be all of leadership.

This is why a lot of managers who got hasty promotions fail. Once on top, they do not know what exactly to do. They are not aware that the point of being on top is to be able to let other follow – to take charge and influence others to be part of the success of the entire organization. When one’s goal in becoming a business leader is only about gaining fame and recognition, the position might easily be taken away. Being on top but not being able to influence others will make the ones at the bottom lose confidence on the leader. In this case, the position can be withdrawn as leadership cannot be sustained since the point of being a leader was not there in the first place.

Business leaders have different techniques of influencing their followers. Some use force and coerce employees to do their work by wielding power. Some use their charms to inspire workers to be enthused with their jobs. Some persuade personnel by showing them the potential merits of good efforts. There are other ways that business leaders use to influence their charges but the important thing is that they are able to make people to follow them.

Business leadership cannot be acquired quickly, however it is also not impossible to achieve. With the correct knowledge of what business leadership is and the appropriate techniques to implement it, one can achieve business leadership and exercise it accordingly.

Business leadership.

Tags: Business, Leadership,, corporate, leadership,, charismatic, leadership,, leadership,, leadership, activities,, leadership, management, training