Understanding leadership effectiveness assignment (pdf)

Running head: LEADERSHIP
LEADERSHIP
Name of the student:
Name of University:
Author Note:

LEADERSHIP1
Leadership is an art of motivating people or a group to act and achieve the common
goal. Leadership captures the essentials of being capable to encourage others and being
prepared to influence others all the time. Effective leadership enables the individuals to set
and challenge the professional and personal lives of others by making swift decisions and
pivotal functions. The leaders are capable of performing better than the competitors and
motivate others to follow the best path. It is the capabilities that guide the followers with
vision, charisma and ideologies to easily reach the goals without any additional pressure
(Favaro 2013). The effective leaders take all the responsibilities of their followers and lead
them from front. These leaders recognise the efforts of their followers and always consider
their headwork which ultimately help the followers to stay motivated. The efficient
leadership ascribes that the leaders make right decision at the right time. The roles, jobs and
the responsibilities of leaders are combined with the interpersonal motivations. Efficient
leaders work incessantly with their assistants in the development process (Ghemawat 2012).
The aim of this particular essay is to analyse the qualities and theories of leadership which
will help to comprehend the standards of being an active leader. It will also focus on the
personal insights of the abilities of ideal leaders and required enhancements of personal
efficiencies.
There are a huge number of leadership theories have been introduced for properly
explaining exactly how and why certain people become great leaders (Johansen 2012). Early
leadership theories used to focus only on the qualities that distinguished the leaders from their
followers, on the contrary, subsequent theories has captured the other variables for example
situational factors along with skill levels. The important leadership theories are as follows-
Great Man Theory

LEADERSHIP2
The contemporary theorists have pointed out that there some qualities which the
leaders possess that distinguish them from the rest of the employees. These leaders may not
have exceptional intellect in them nor they are omniscient prophet who guide people but they
have in born capabilities which they expose when needed (Kennedy and Chen 2015). The
great heroes of the history have some exclusive qualities which apprehend the imagination of
the multitudes. Initially, the men were the leaders but in contemporary world, there are great
women leaders for whom this theory has been changed for great person theory.
Trait Theory
This particular theory discusses that the characteristics and behaviours of the leaders
both successful as well as unsuccessful. It is used to predict leadership efficiency (Landis,
Hill and Harvey 2014). To the theorists of trait theory of leadership there are some trait
approached which differentiate the thought process of the leaders and reflect in their actions.
These traits can be physiological, demographic, intellective, task-related and social
characteristics. The most important traits of the leaders are Achievement drive, Leadership
motivation, Honesty and integrity, Self-confidence, Cognitive ability, Knowledge of
business, Emotional Maturity, creativity and flexibility.
Behavioural Theory
This theory is based on the belief of the leaders are created but not born or inherent
qualities. This particular theory is rooted in behaviourism hence focuses on the decisions and
functionalities of the efficient leaders (Latham 2014). To this leadership theory, no mental
qualities and internal states can make effective leaders. According to the theorists, people
learn to be leaders through teachings and observations.
Contingency Theory

LEADERSHIP3
Contingency theory focuses on some specific variables which are connected to setting
which might govern the best suited leadership style for the situation. According to the
theorists, no leadership style is best suited for in all the situations. Therefore, good
leaders are capable to assess needs of the followers and the needs of the
situation, then adjust own behaviours accordingly.
Situational Theory
Situational theory suggests that the effective leaders select the best
course of action grounded upon the situational variables (Lisak et al. 2016).
Various styles of leadership can be more appropriate for specific types of
decision-making. Established on the situations, the leaders opt for
authoritative and democratic styles.
Path Goal Theory
This theory is founded on the concept that the acuity of the expectancies of the
followers between their efforts and performances is significantly affected by the leader’s
behaviour. The leaders clarify the paths to goals by removing obstacles to perform effectively
(Wambugu 2014). The leaders do so by sharing needed information, support as well as other
resources that are required by the employees for completing the task.
Various leadership styles:
There are numerous styles of leadership exist in the organisational process. The
culture as well as objectives are the actual determinate of the style of the leadership best fit in
that context. Some of the global companies apply several types of leadership styles in their
organisation whenever needed (Wang et al. 2016).
Laissez-Faire Leadership style: