My Personal Theory of Leadership
After a semester long class on leadership, I have come to define my own definition of leadership. It can be found below:
1.0 Introduction
Leadership is among one of the most difficult topics to define. Bernard Bass said it best with his quote, “There are almost as many different definitions of leadership as there are persons who have attempted to define the concept” (Bass, 1974, p. 38). Indeed, throughout the semester we have examined numerous different definitions. A preliminary definition provided by Hackman and Johnson stated, “Leadership is human communication which modifies the attitudes and behaviors of others in order to meet group goals and needs” (Hackman and Johnson, 1991, p. 428). Rather than opting for a simple definition, Nadler and Tushman described two types of leaders: the charismatic leader and the instrumental leader. According to them, the charismatic leader was exemplified by the qualities of envisioning, energizing, and enabling while the instrumental leader is structuring, controlling, and rewarding” (Nadler and Tushman, 1990, p. 109). Lastly, John P. Kotter differentiated leaders from managers by noting that leaders are concerned with setting a direction, aligning people, and motivating people. Managers deal with planning and budgeting, organizing and staffing, and controlling and problem solving (Kotter, 1990, p. 114).
After reading numerous views on leadership and coupling them with my own personal experiences, I have developed my own theory on leadership: Leadership is the ability to set a vision for the group while simultaneously inspiring the individual to want to achieve that vision. In the course of this essay, I will examine the main characteristics of leadership, the importance of leadership, and the uses of information and communication by a leader.