The Essence of Leadership: A Literature Review

This literature review explores the essence of leadership, including concepts, theories, and traits. It also discusses the differences between leadership and management. The review covers topics such as the Great Man Theory, trait theory, and behavioural leadership theory. The document type is a literature review, and the subject is management. The course code is 26MANAGEMENT.

0
MANAGEMENT
The essence of leadership
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

1
MANAGEMENT
Table of contents
Literature review........................................................................................................................2
Introduction............................................................................................................................2
Concepts of leadership and management...............................................................................3
Theories of nature and exercise of leadership in the organisation.........................................5
The Great Man Theory.......................................................................................................5
Essence of leadership.............................................................................................................6
Trait theory.........................................................................................................................7
Behavioural leadership theory............................................................................................9
Evaluation of the behaviour of selected leaders.......................................................................12
Behavioural evaluation.........................................................................................................12
Codification of the behaviour...............................................................................................15
Behaviour specifications......................................................................................................16
Control..............................................................................................................................16
Emotional stability...........................................................................................................16
Power motivation.............................................................................................................17
Specialized role or shared influence process...................................................................17
Influence and emotions....................................................................................................18
Summary of the learning..........................................................................................................19
Development of leadership capabilities...............................................................................19
References................................................................................................................................22

2
MANAGEMENT
Literature review
Introduction
The leadership is an effective process that allows an individual within the organisation
to act as a role model and direct, guide as well as influence the behaviours of employees and
also direct them towards the right direction, furthermore, ensure accomplishment of specific
goals and objectives with much ease and efficiency. The manager or any individual holding a
higher authority and power is associated with the management of leadership skills to perform
to their potential with confidence and zeal (Rothaermel 2017). The leadership is also an
important concept related to the influence of behaviours and also guide them in the right
direction by persuading others to seek the goals and objectives in a committed and
responsible manner. The manager or leader of the organization holds the roles and
responsibilities of guiding the employees toward successful achievement of goals and
objectives while at the same time, use the skills, knowledge, expertise and maturity to tackle
critical situations with much accuracy and prominence (Wyatt and Silvester 2018).
The essence of leadership is also related to the way the leader maximises the
efficiency of workforce and ensures achievement of goals and objectives with the help of
initiating actions through communication policies and plans to the employees and also by
creating a sense of motivation and encouragement. The leaders also are responsible for the
management of monetary as well as non-monetary rewards and benefits for keeping the
workforce consisting of employees motivated and encouraged, while even creating extensive
scopes and opportunities for them to prove their potential and ensure influencing them to
commit fully towards the organisation (Ghasabeh, Soosay and Reaiche 2015). The leader is
not only responsible for keeping the employees motivated, but also to build their morale by
arranging training sessions and also by improving their skills, knowledge and expertise. With
this, the leadership perspective also focuses on the development of a positive working

3
MANAGEMENT
environment, where the employees feel free to perform and also make sure to acquire the
desired level of coordination, which is a primary motive of the leader and also a major aspect
of management within the organisation (Spector 2016).
Considering the aspect of management within the organisation, the managers also sometimes
play the role of a leader but they are more associated with the delegation of authorities and
power along with the management of responsibilities for developing a vision and mission that
are communicated with the employees of the organisation as well (Storey 2016). Moreover, it
is also a fact that the management is associated with the focus on planning, organising and
staffing the candidates along with managing necessary direction and control so as to prioritise
on team building relationships and also facilitate the teamwork that could persuade and
motivate the employees effectively and in a responsible way within the organisations
(Dartey-Baah 2015). There are few other differences between leadership and management
aspect too such as the leadership is based more on the verbal communication whereas the
management duties and roles are more centred around the management of communication
that is written down on paper or in the form of documents.
Concepts of leadership and management
According to Clampitt and Dekoch (2016), leadership has been considered as an
effective process for influencing the individuals and accomplish the goals and objectives
through management of business functions and processes in a more coherent and cohesive
manner. Here, the leadership skills, traits and behaviours allow for influencing the employees
to work towards a shared vision and mission, furthermore, acquire social influence and
maximise the level of efforts put for getting the things completed and accurately done too
(Clampitt and Dekoch 2016). The leaders’ skills, knowledge and expertise are also
influenced, as stated by Sohmen (2015), including the different sets of values, beliefs, ethics
and character needed to remain unique and also differentiable from others. The leader should

4
MANAGEMENT
utilise the traits and skills for counselling and also guide the employees of the organisation in
the right direction for accomplishment of the objectives, thereby, facilitate communication
and also deal with different situations at different times (Sohmen 2015).
As stated by Antonakis and Day (2017), leadership comprise of various components
including the leader himself, his followers, communication managed and the entire situation.
The leaders must be honest and know about what to do and how it should be done for
assisting the subordinates and at the same time, inspire them to follow the leader and move in
the right direction. Considering the application of theories based on leadership aspects, we
need to determine how the leadership and management differ based on certain contexts
(Antonakis and Day 2017). It has been found that the leadership is necessary for
communicating the vision, mission and goals to be achieved to the employees while the
management has laid the foundation for delegating power and authority along with
management of individual roles and responsibilities. The manager has also been associated
with the management of staffing process, organising, directing and controlling along with
facilitation of better control and authority whereas the leadership has been more centred
around the development of relationships with the employees, building networks, facilitate
teamwork, motivate and encourage the employees to perform to their potential as well
(Ospina 2017). The managers are also responsible for following the organisational policies
and principles while the leaders have been more concerned about following their own instinct
and also ensure focusing on the performance of employees as well as measure their potential
to deal with the future and performance of theirs in terms of extraction of potential and skills
from them to achieve the business objectives with much ease and efficiency (Bush, Bell and
Middlewood 2019).
It is also a fact, according to Hallinger et al. (2015), that all the managers are not
effective leaders. There are few managers who have poor leadership qualities and thus

5
MANAGEMENT
employees need to follow their orders as they are bound to do so. The management roles also
include managing the description of jobs and creating designation for the employees,
furthermore, ensure undertaking the right actions for which, they have been held responsible
for. Moreover, the managers also hold the rights and responsibilities of hiring candidates
within the workplace, promote, terminate as well as manage discipline and reward based
systems based on their behaviour and performances for keeping them motivated and
encouraged as a whole (Hallinger et al. 2015).
On the other hand, based on the statement of Armstrong (2016), leaders have to
maintain good personality, behaviours and also manage values and beliefs for guiding the
employees and even inspire and motivate them. Due to this, the leaders believe in inspiration
and have challenged the status quo too, which represent change savvy, creative, innovative,
visionary as well as adaptive to different situations (Armstrong 2016). The leaders should
remain honest, integral and inspire others along with management good communication skills
and behaviours for better authority and control along with inspiring trust to understand the
employees well and keep them engaged within the workplace much more efficiently.
Theories of nature and exercise of leadership in the organisation
The Great Man Theory
Leaders display distinctive characteristics for influencing others, which makes them
great. The aspect of earning respect through the display of distinctive characteristics affirms
the statement, “leaders are born and not made.” According to Chang (2016), the behavioural
approach of the leaders is directed towards influence through motivation, which is a
cornerstone for accomplishment of the goals and objectives. Exposure of the critical incidents
reveals the true identity of a leader. Clarity in the motives is one of the traits, making the
leaders great (Chang 2016). One of the other dimensions in this context is that of the
emotional stability, which makes the leaders rational. Ejimabo (2015) statement is of the

6
MANAGEMENT
view that this rationality enhances the self-confidence of the leaders and maximises their
leadership potential to drive the behaviours of employees largely.
If the internal locus of control is considered, then the managerial effectiveness is
enhanced through the means of “oriented approach towards executing the operations. This
approach stabilizes all of the parameters and dimensions of the managers, driving them
towards the path of leadership. Consciousness towards evaluation of the behaviour maintains
the balance between the emotional stability and maturity, adding value and weightage to the
personality of the managers (Connolly, James and Fertig 2019).
The dimension of “great” is also measured through the level of power and authority
exposed. Higgs and Dulewicz (2016) also stated the fact that influence can also be exerted
while being in power. However, consciousness is to be maintained towards ensuring that it
does not hurt the individual sentiments of the subordinates and peers. This consciousness
makes the managers a people’s leader, enhancing the accessibility. Earlier, the males were
considered as individuals holding leadership skills and qualities but afterwards, with the
equal growth scopes and opportunities created for the women individuals, they were also
provided with the roles of a leader (Higgs and Dulewicz 2016). Due to this, the Great Man
theory has been considered as the person theory, where individuals possess strong skills,
knowledge and expertise to gain good positions of power and authority, furthermore,
accomplish the goals and objectives with the involvement of the employees too. Based on
this theory, the leaders hold skills and traits, which remain stable or consistent over time and
thus great leaders share these vital characteristics and skills, regardless of whether they
belong from and their roles in the history that have been fulfilled (Harris and DeFlaminis
2016).

7
MANAGEMENT
Essence of leadership
Leadership is a process, in which influence is exerted on others for luring them
towards the satisfaction of self-desires and motives. This exertion of influence needs to be
rational for earning the respect of others. Therefore, Higgs and Dulewicz (2016) states that
effective managerial skills leads the managers towards the path of leadership. Supervision is
one of an important trait, which is associated with leadership in terms of guiding and
supporting the subordinates. Conducting need analysis prior to the provision of support is
beneficial in terms of assessing the requirements (Bolden, Witzel and Linacre 2016).
Consciousness in this direction is effective, as it enhances the skills, competencies and
abilities of the managers.
There are different perceptions related to leadership, which ranges from exertion of
power and authority to guiding others. The difference lies in the thoughts, rather perspectives,
which helps in accomplishing the goals. As per the arguments of Holzmann and Golan
(2016), the main essence of leadership is reflected from the traits, which one exposes in a
group, with shared values. On the contrary, By, Hughes and Ford (2016) stated that leaders
are formed when they shape the identity of the others. In this context, a clarified vision,
motive and values help in formulation of a congenial working environment. Adding meaning
to the vision enhances the productivity. Similarly, adopting causal effect relationship for
every action and achievement, adds value to the leadership dimension in the behaviour of the
managers (By, Hughes and Ford 2016).
Trait theory
Trait theory of leadership relies on the fact that leaders are born with innate qualities,
which makes them stand out from others. These qualities are intelligence, emotional stability,
sense of responsibility, creativity among others. In this context, () adds the dimensions of
social, mental and physical, which helps in gaining a deeper insight into the behaviour of the
leaders (Decman et al 2018). Similarity in the traits places the leaders into the group of

8
MANAGEMENT
people, searching to add meaning into their meaningless existence. However, Rothaermel
(2017), is of the view that people succeeding in adding constructiveness into their personality
are the leaders, as they possess the essential traits of commitment, dedication and
commitment to accomplish the goals and objectives.
Some of the characteristic traits are valid, as it correlates with the cultural norms as
prescribed by the society. In some of the circumstances, the leaders fail to accomplish their
traits, as they encounter dilemmas regarding intelligent handling of the situations. In this
case, support from the experts is necessary for averting unwanted instances. Reflective
observation is an agent in terms of concretizing the experience towards effective handling of
the situation. Evaluation in this context is cornerstone towards enhancing the personality
(Wyatt and Silvester 2018). This aspect brings great man theory into the discussion.
Ghasabeh, Soosay and Reaiche (2015) states that every individual has certain distinctive
characteristics, but all of them do not incline towards the path of leadership.
One of the other aspects of trait theory is subjective judgement regarding the
effectiveness of managerial roles and responsibilities. Situational leadership is a typical
exemplar, which helps in detecting the intellectual maturity of the managers in terms of
resolving the potential issues. The main essence of trait theory is the behaviour of the leaders,
side lining the followers (Clampitt and Dekoch 2016). However, the theoretical aspects and
leadership theories and concepts are of the views that created the identity of the followers is
the real and true self of the leaders.
As per the arguments of Bush, Bell and Middlewood (2019), overlapping of the traits
can lead to an exclusive quality, enhancing the personality of a leader. However,
consciousness is needed for ensuring that the balance is maintained between the goal and the
performance. Skill mix is a relevant aspect in this context, which helps in adding to the

9
MANAGEMENT
personality. Moreover, the leaders hold certain important skills and traits including the
achievement drive, leadership motivation, self-confidence, honesty and integrity and
cognitive skills and abilities along with emotional maturity and knowledge of business,
according to the trait theory of leadership for maintaining trustworthiness and reliability too
(Bush, Bell and Middlewood 2019). Based on this trait theory of leadership, the managers or
leaders also have specific sets of skills, knowledge and expertise along with personality traits
that are responsible for bringing the best of leadership potential by endowing people together
within the workplace (Hallinger et al. 2015). Based on this theory, the leaders possess high
ambition and energy, which allow them to put high level of efforts and at the same time,
maintain trustworthiness, reliability and openness so as to utilise the strong analytical skills
properly as well as facilitate innovation, creativity and flexibility, thereby, exercise good
judgement and also make good decisions in business. Not only does this trait theory allows
the leader to manage the employees properly, but also his own leadership qualities are
improved, which ensures exploitation of greater scopes and opportunities required by the
business to sustain in the long run (Connolly, James and Fertig 2019).
Behavioural leadership theory
Behavioural theories delve deeper into the mind-set of the leaders for handling of the
situations. The main essence of this theory is that leaders can be successful through the
exposure of distinctive skills, abilities and competencies for influencing others. Oriental
approaches towards handling the situations add to the managerial effectiveness in the
organizations (Higgs and Dulewicz 2016). Learning from every situation add value to the
personality of the leaders, upgrading the standards and quality of their performance. This
theory is different from trait theory, as abilities are to be learned. However, according to
Bolden, Witzel and Linacre (2016), the various leadership traits are one of the shades of the
behaviour, enhancing the personality as a whole. Stimulus governs the behaviour, which

10
MANAGEMENT
limits the expression according to the desires, adding compulsion towards working as per the
expectations (Bolden, Witzel and Linacre 2016).
Observation and reflection are the cornerstones for altering the patterns of
approaching the situations. However, application of intellectual creativity is effective in terms
of gaining mass support. This approach concretizes the experiences driving the personality
towards ambitions. Causal effect relationship is relevant, as it helps in measuring the impact
of the actions on the propositions. For this, participative management style is crucial in terms
of assessing whether the plans are feasible in the current situation (Decman et al. 2018). This
inclusive practice diversifies the scope and arena of the thought horizons, enhancing the
creativity and imagination skills of the leaders towards accomplishing the identified and the
specified goals.
Behavioural theory could be considered as the general transition to the Trait theory of
leadership, which represents the fact that leadership skills and capabilities are acquired rather
than being inherited, which n allow the leaders to respond to certain stimuli. Due to this, their
performance are influenced and also they remain flexible to different behavioural styles,
which could facilitate their ability to respond to different situations much more
comprehensively (Chang 2016). Few advantages of this kind of leadership theory are that the
emphasis is on the people and collaboration while it also promotes effective decision making
along with support provided to individuals for aligning their efforts with the company goals
and objectives to be achieved. One of the drawback could be that the leadership promotes
good leadership skills and behaviours though the lack of guidance provided to the
subordinates can be a major problem sometimes (Antonakis and Day 2017). The trait theory
of leadership also has helped in making leaders enough competent of using the natural
intelligence and make action oriented judgements through acceptance of own roles and
responsibilities required to become strong and efficient leaders. The leaders should acquire

11
MANAGEMENT
the desired level of skills and have been capable of handling critical situations with the help
of understanding the followers and their needs quite easily, which also raised the chances and
scopes for committing towards the milestones’ achievement and also maage perseverance
during any obstacles experienced thereafter (Bush, Bell and Middlewood 2019). Due to the
self-confidence and self-assurance, the leaders have been assertive and this has made them
capable of adapting quickly to the changing situations as well as maintain flexibility all
throughout. This should also bring better emotional stability and highlight the chances of
better innovation, creativity and fostering collaborative teamwork within the organisation too
(Wyatt and Silvester 2018).

12
MANAGEMENT
Evaluation of the behaviour of selected leaders
Behavioural evaluation
The behaviour of the leaders are measured in terms of inspiring vision, follower
efforts, and training, coaching and follower skills. Conglomeration of all these aspects leads
to quality and productivity of the business. These aspects are inculcated into the causal chain,
where estimations are done for deducing the relevant outcomes. Inspiring visions adds value
to the aspect of goal setting, which concretizes the experience needed for embracing the path
of leadership. Training and coaching the followers is a means of empowering them, which
relates to the concept of emergent leader (Hassan et al. 2013). Spontaneity is one of the other
aspects, adding to the effectiveness of the behaviours exposed by the leaders. Delays in
completing the projects adds to the complexities, indicating the degrading stability in the
relationship with the clients and the customers.
According to the causal relationships cycles, external and situational variables
contribute and influence the thought process of the leaders. These aspects relates to the
approaches, which needs to be exposed by the leaders. Among the five approaches, power
influence approach is the most relevant in case of the leaders in terms of managing the
performance of the employees. The managers need to possess efficient skills for creating a
positive image in the minds of the employees. There are certain traits, which are essential for
the managers to influence the thoughts of the employees.
According to the arguments of Yuk et al. (2013), these traits differ in their intensity.
Dispositions and stability govern the traits, giving rise to certain stimuli upon exposure to
different behaviours. This exposure results in the formation of values, indicating the clear
difference between the right and wrong actions. In this context, mention can be made of the
ethical code of conduct, which the managers need to follow for averting the instances of

13
MANAGEMENT
dilemmas, misunderstanding and others. Ability to perform the duties in an efficient and
effective manner adds the skill competencies and requirements.
My interactions with Manager Y and Leader Z of the non-governmental organization
X. The way in which they approach the tasks reflects their leadership skills, abilities and
competencies. Partnering with the managers has enhanced my awareness about their
managerial skills (Yukl and Michel 2014). Discussions have helped me to gain an insight into
their thought processes and areas of specialization in the management. Working with him has
assisted me to learn about the basic leadership skills and traits, which needs to be exercised
while executing the operations.
According to Bennis and Nanus (1985), three factor taxonomy of the broadly defined
skills consists of the technical, interpersonal and conceptual skills. I think, in this context,
interpersonal skills are relevant in terms of mapping the approach of leaders like leader Z
towards handling of the situations. I got to learn that he indulges in strategic alliance with the
non-governmental organizations. After conversing with Manager Y, I found that he possesses
conceptual skills regarding management of the situations. I can cite the example of personal
visits, which helps him to assess whether the operations are being conducted according to the
requirements. This assessment is further assistance in terms of clarifying the doubts of the
employees towards accomplishing the goals and objectives. I personally consider him as a
role model, as he was patient to all my queries and concerns. Every time I approached him,
he greeted me and entertained my queries. This approach enhanced his personality, making
him a People’s Leader.
According to the arguments of Covey (2013), some of the leaders practice emergent
behaviours amidst the groups. I think leader Y emerged as a result of the discussions, which
were held for upgrading the knowledge regard making error free data entries. I particularly

14
MANAGEMENT
liked his negotiator approach towards including the staffs in the mainstream decision making.
He involved all of the staffs in meetings and decision-making process. He was an epitome of
leadership, as he provided proper guidance, support and motivation. Yip, Ernst and Campbell
(2011) takes a cue from Stodgill’s research, regarding perceptions, to establish leaders as
someone who accomplishes the goals through strategic approach. In this context, the relevant
traits are intelligence, awareness, understanding about tasks, initiative towards persistence
and commitment, self-confidence, self-control and desires towards undertaking challenging
and enduring tasks.
I can apply McClelland’s research on managerial motivation for specifying the
behaviour of Leader Z. Thematic Apperception Test adds value to the personality of the
leader. The major drive behind this is the strategies, which helps him to organize the
behaviour according to the requirements. Picturing the situations helps him to seek effective
solutions for handling the issues. He governs the situations through the consideration of three
needs: power, achievement and affiliation. Here, Gill (2011) states that Maslow’s Hierarchy
of Needs can be related, especially the need for self-esteem, which is one of the essential
traits of leaders. () is of the view that the persons with greater need of power attains
satisfaction by influencing others.
Presence of large workforce aggravates the complexities in terms of exercising the
managerial skills. However, leader Z is aware of the fact that strategic approach is needed for
effective handling of the situations. In the discussions, the responses aligned with the scores
and codes of TAT. His awareness towards strategic management can be considered as
‘socialized power orientation’, adding value to the traits of self-control and motivation. This
approach contradicts the aspect of ‘personalized power orientation, where satisfaction is
exposed towards fulfilling the authoritative needs. The major drive behind this is the

15
MANAGEMENT
consciousness towards influencing others. Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee (2002) states that
one of the aspects regarding the selfish approach is satisfaction of the hedonistic desires.
Managerial effectiveness is one of the other aspects, which is crucial for mapping the
roles and responsibilities. Optimal pattern of needs results in socialization of the power,
which makes leader Z approachable. In this context, the consciousness towards
accomplishment of the goals is moderate, as the main aim is to enhance the personality.
Clarity in the approach towards goal setting reflects a more stabilized relationship between
employees and managers. Buchanan and Huczynski (2019) elaborates Miners’ research on
the managerial motivation, which is governed through the means of power, desires,
competition with the peers and positive approach. Desire to stand out from the group is
reflected in the personality of leader Z, which can be detected from the awareness about
prioritization of strategies before initiating the operations.
Codification of the behaviour
The behaviour exposed by leader Z can be classified as ‘strong efficiency orientation’.
In this case, the thirst of accomplishment of the goals and objectives is high along with high
working standards, concerns for fulfilling the objectives. Awareness about strategies and their
application is the socialization, which reflects the assertive behaviour. Kotter (1990) is of the
view that this assertion is related with the exertion of power and authority, sidelining the
process of influencing others. Interpersonal skills accompany communication skills, which
was present on a higher level in case of leader Z. The understanding towards the behaviour of
the staffs was governed through maturity, skills and experience. Mixture of the skills, traits
and competencies helps the manager in expressing the thoughts, feelings and emotions in an
assertive manner. Emotional stability is another of the aspects, which leader Z was aware of,
in the process of decision-making. Integrity is one of the essential behavioural trait of the
leader, which reflects the progression towards accomplishment of the goals by satisfying the

16
MANAGEMENT
needs, demands and requirements of the staffs. Northouse (2018) highlights a perception
regarding career enhancement at the expense of others, which is fruitful if motivation,
encouragement and support is provided to others.
Behaviour specifications
Control
Prioritization of the strategies in the discussions relates to the high energy level
towards effective handling of the organizational issues. Self-evaluation is considered to be an
effective tool in terms of tolerating stress, which arises due to the strenuous operations, which
needs to be executed. Emotional maturity is also reflected from the efficient means of
negotiation for averting the instances of conflicts, dilemmas and others. The attribute of self-
confidence is reflected from the assertion of the thoughts and communicating it to the staffs.
Rationality is one of the crucial aspects, which helps in influencing the thought processes of
others. Bass and Riggio (2006) states the importance of design thinking, which enhances the
value of creativity and innovation.
In case of manager Y, personal visits are one of his characteristic trait, relating to the
‘internal locus of control’ over the organizational issues. Providing motivation and
encouragement to the staffs makes him a people’s leader, adding value and weightage to his
personality. Practical demonstration of the skills, expertise and knowledge and consistent
evaluation of the performance upgrades the approach towards executing the tasks. Occasional
visits to the staffs and supervising on their performance enhances the positivity towards the
internal controls. This control projects a simultaneous growth, adding to the effectiveness in
the managerial roles and responsibilities.
Emotional stability
Orientation towards self-improvement drives the behaviour of the managers towards
leadership. According to the arguments of Belbin (2010), people with high emotional
maturity are less self-centred. On the contrary, self-control is high, which is reflected from

17
MANAGEMENT
the consideration of consistent evaluations. Along with this, the defensive rates are also high,
which reflects the willingness towards learning from modifying the mistakes of others. One
of the other important aspects is that of cognitive moral development, which reflects the
importance of training for enhancing the learning. In this context, Pardey (2016) highlights
the aspect of cognitive learning theory, which concretizes the experiences of the manager Y
and leader Z through the means of reflective observation.
Power motivation
A strong need for power is correlated with the requirements of the managerial role,
responsibilities and competencies. Assertion of the plans to the staffs is one of the forms of
exercising the power and authority on the staffs. Negotiation is an important aspect in terms
of averting the instances of conflicts, discriminations, dilemmas and others. Once need attains
expression, managerial effective is enhanced in terms of efficiency in executing the allocated
duties and responsibilities. Personalization of the power orientation is assistance for manager
Y in terms of gaining familiarity with the status and self-esteem. In this context, Yukl and
Lepsinger (2004) highlights the importance of Maslow’s hierarchy of Needs, where
demarcation between needs, expectations and requirements.
Specialized role or shared influence process
As per the arguments of Belbin (2010), there are several controversies in the basic
role of a leader. The parameters of the assessment are separate entity or emerging as a result
of the influence process. Some of the tasks needs to be completed through self-efforts and
negates the aspect of team work. However, assistance can be taken in terms of assessing
whether the assumed plans and techniques of Manager Y and Leader Z are correct for
accomplishing the goals and objectives. Other perceptions are directed towards individual
role specifications within the groups, from which leaders emerge. Herein lays the
effectiveness of the trait theory and great man theory, which adds value to the personality of
the leaders.

18
MANAGEMENT
Northouse (2018) is of the view that persons executing the responsibilities is termed
as a leader and the people following the instructions are the followers. If leadership is equated
with the dimension of specialized role, then the traits get highlighted. On the other hand, if
the aspect of shared influence process is associated with leadership, then creation of the
separate entity is a complex process, which requires dedication, commitment and
perseverance towards executing the operations. In this context, diffusion in the social systems
is considered in terms of measuring the extent to which the leaders are successful in making
practical application of the learnt skills towards executing the responsibilities. Type of
influence also matters, which highlights the characteristic traits contributing in the
enhancement of the skills, competencies and abilities.
Influence and emotions
In the process of influencing others, emotions attain a negative connotation, as the
main aim is extraction of the required labour. However, Buchanan and Huczynski (2019)
states that emotions of others need to be catered for ensuring that their individual sentiments
are not hurt. For this, emotional stability is an important dimension in the behaviour of
Manager Y and Leader Z. Control over the emotional outbursts is vital for earning respect,
trust, dependence and loyalty from the subordinates. If the emotions come in between the
process of influence, then it is problematic for deducing the outcomes regarding upgrading
the skills and knowledge. Willingness towards undertaking challenging and enduring tasks
and projects negates the aspect of emotional inflexibility in case of the leaders. Instead, it
adds value to the personality in terms of a successful entity. Indirect leadership is the essence,
which measures the way in which the leaders shape the identity of the subordinates
(Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee 2002). Mention can be made of the Leader Z, who
conducted personal visits for gaining an insight into the progress reports.

19
MANAGEMENT
Summary of the learning
Development of leadership capabilities
For developing leadership skills, competencies and capabilities, I indulged in
discussions with the experts regarding approaching the activities. I also collected essential
information through websites articles, journals and books regarding leadership and
management. I prepared notes on the gathered information and synthesized them for
deducing new insights and facts regarding managerial leadership. I applied continuous
learning strategies with reflective observation, which upgraded the standards and quality of
my performance. Acquiring internet search and keyword search optimisation, I came to know
about new leadership skills, abilities and competencies, which are required for embracing the
path of leadership. I also experimented with current capabilities, which helped me to assess
their effectiveness in terms of handling the situations with rationality.
I also adopted social media for gaining an insight into the actions undertaken by the
leaders for managing different situations. In this context, my focus was on the capabilities
exerted by the leaders for upgrading the current skills, expertise and knowledge. Affirming
with the arguments of Yip, Ernst and Campbell (2011), this observation helped me to learn
the basic skills of conflict resolution. For this, I indulged in interactions with the experts,
which helped me to assess the effectiveness of the skills gathered. I have decided to
undertake more projects on leadership and management. Preparation for this project would
help me to gain an insight into the managerial roles and responsibilities. I think application of
the problem solving skills, conflict resolution skills would help me to detect the obstacles in
the path of leadership.
Goals Resources Concerned
persons
Time Actions Comments
To upgrade project Guides, Managers 6 months Projects, Acquisition of the

20
MANAGEMENT
management skills Project
Management
Book of
Knowledge
presentations,
seminars
project management
skills guidance would
enhance the
knowledge regarding
the basic ways of
handling the
organizational issues
To improve conflict
resolution skills
Progress
reports of
the
meetings,
approach of
the staffs in
the meetings
Staffs,
external
agencies,
managers
3 months Discussions,
sessions,
forums
Increasing the
frequency of the
discussions and
sessions would
increase the
adjustability skills of
the employees.
Rationality in this
approach would be
beneficial for reducing
the intensity of the
conflicts,
discriminations and
harassments
To inculcate self-
organisational skills
Routines,
personality
tests
Seniors,
experts,
managers
3 months Behavioural
tests,
personality
tests,
Evaluation of the
exposed performance
would be effective for
ensuring whether they

21
MANAGEMENT
evaluation are feasible to be
exposed in the current
situation of the
organization.
The plan consists of the acquisition of the problem solving, conflict resolution and
self-organizational skills. The time estimated is that of 1 year, which I think is feasible for
upgrading the current skills, expertise and knowledge. If I consider the goal of acquiring
project management skills, I think acquiring Project Management Book of Knowledge
(PMBOK) would be effective in terms of gaining the basic skills needed for handing the
business projects. Bennis and Nanus (1985) assumes that synthesizing the self-perceptions
with the information of the book would assist me to deduce new insights into leadership and
management, which would enhance my creativity and imagination skills. Record keeping of
the information gathered would be crucial for aligning the assumptions with the objectives.
In case of conflict resolution skills, I intend to make use of the Ethical Code of
Conduct, which would be effective for standardizing the organizational behaviour. In this
context, I would make specific mention of the Data Protection Act (1998), which would be a
cornerstone in terms of enhancing the security and privacy of the information shared by the
clients and the customers. Along with this, I would also indulge in one to one sessions with
the staffs for gaining an insight into the issues, which they are facing while executing the
allocated duties and responsibilities. Yukl et al. (2013) opines that these sessions would
provide a platform to the staffs for voicing out the opinions about the organizational issues. I
think rational approach in handling the issues would be a keystone for earning trust, loyalty,
dependence and respect from the clients and customers.

22
MANAGEMENT
In case of the self-organizational skills, I can say that routines are essential for turning
the approach towards handling the tasks into a disciplined one. In this context, my focus
would be on the tasks, which needs to be completed on a priority basis. Interaction with the
junior staffs would help me to gain an insight into their style of handling the roles. This
insight would in turn act assistance in driving their personality towards the path of leadership.
Hassan et al. (2013) is of the view that guiding them about organizing the activities would be
an agent in terms of luring them towards disciplined life. Through discipline, I would be able
to gain an insight into policies and regulations, which is needed in the process of embracing
leadership. Evaluation would be an integral part of my behavioural approach, indicating the
need for modification and alteration in the current condition of the performance. Consistency
in the evaluation would assist in upgrading the standards and quality of the performance. This
consistency can be collaborated with the traits of commitment, dedication and perseverance
towards altering the current personality. This upgradation, if accompanied by concretization
of the experience, would drive the personality towards leadership, enhancing the personality.
This enhancement, in turn, makes the managers a People’s leader.

23
MANAGEMENT
References
Antonakis, J. and Day, D.V. eds., 2017. The nature of leadership. Sage publications.
Armstrong, M., 2016. Armstrong's handbook of management and leadership for HR:
Developing effective people skills for better leadership and management. Kogan Page
Publishers.
Bass, B.M. and Riggio, R.E., 2006. Transformational leadership. Psychology press.
Belbin, R.M., 2010. Management teams. Routledge.
Bennis, W. and Nanus, B., 1985. The strategies for taking charge. Leaders, New York:
Harper. Row.
Bolden, R., Witzel, M. and Linacre, N. eds., 2016. Leadership paradoxes: Rethinking
leadership for an uncertain world. Routledge.
Buchanan, D.A. and Huczynski, A., 2019. Organizational behaviour. Pearson UK.
Bush, T., Bell, L. and Middlewood, D. eds., 2019. Principles of Educational Leadership &
Management. SAGE Publications Limited.
By, R.T., Hughes, M. and Ford, J., 2016. Change leadership: Oxymoron and myths.
Chang, Y.Y., 2016. Multilevel transformational leadership and management innovation:
Intermediate linkage evidence. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 37(2),
pp.265-288.
Clampitt, P.G. and Dekoch, R.J., 2016. Embracing Uncertainty: The Essence of Leadership:
The Essence of Leadership. Routledge.

24
MANAGEMENT
Connolly, M., James, C. and Fertig, M., 2019. The difference between educational
management and educational leadership and the importance of educational responsibility.
Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 47(4), pp.504-519.
Covey, S.R., 2013. The 7 habits of highly effective people: Powerful lessons in personal
change. Simon and Schuster.
Dartey-Baah, K., 2015. Resilient leadership: A transformational-transactional leadership mix.
Journal of Global Responsibility, 6(1), pp.99-112.
Decman, J.M., Badgett, K., Shaughnessy, B., Randall, A., Nixon, L. and Lemley, B., 2018.
Organizational leadership through management: Superintendent perceptions. Educational
Management Administration & Leadership, 46(6), pp.997-1013.
Ejimabo, N.O., 2015. The influence of decision making in organizational leadership and
management activities. Journal of Entrepreneurship and Organization Management, 4(2),
pp.1-13.
Ghasabeh, M.S., Soosay, C. and Reaiche, C., 2015. The emerging role of transformational
leadership. The Journal of Developing Areas, 49(6), pp.459-467.
Gill, R., 2011. Theory and practice of leadership. Sage.
Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R.E. and McKee, A., 2002. The new leaders: Transforming the art of
leadership into the science of results.
Hallinger, P., Wang, W.C., Chen, C.W. and Liare, D., 2015. Assessing instructional
leadership with the principal instructional management rating scale. Dordrecht: Springer.
Harris, A. and DeFlaminis, J., 2016. Distributed leadership in practice: Evidence,
misconceptions and possibilities. Management in Education, 30(4), pp.141-146.

25
MANAGEMENT
Hassan, S., Mahsud, R., Yukl, G. and Prussia, G.E., 2013. Ethical and empowering leadership
and leader effectiveness. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 28(2), pp.133-146.
Higgs, M. and Dulewicz, V., 2016. Developments in leadership thinking. In Leading with
emotional intelligence (pp. 75-103). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Holzmann, V. and Golan, J., 2016. Leadership to creativity and management of innovation?
The case of the “innovation club” in a production company. American Journal of Industrial
and Business Management, 6(01), p.60.
Kotter, J., P.(1990) A Force for Change: How Leadership Differs from Management.
Northouse, P.G., 2018. Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications.
Ospina, S.M., 2017. Collective leadership and context in public administration: Bridging
public leadership research and leadership studies. Public Administration Review, 77(2),
pp.275-287.
Pardey, D., 2016. Introducing leadership. Routledge.
Rothaermel, F.T., 2017. Strategic management. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
Sohmen, V.S., 2015. Reflections on creative leadership. International Journal of Global
Business, 8(1).
Spector, B.A., 2016. Carlyle, Freud, and the great man theory more fully considered.
Leadership, 12(2), pp.250-260.
Storey, J., 2016. Changing theories of leadership and leadership development. In Leadership
in Organizations (pp. 17-41). Routledge.
Wyatt, M. and Silvester, J., 2018. Do voters get it right? A test of the ascription-actuality trait
theory of leadership with political elites. The Leadership Quarterly, 29(5), pp.609-621.

26
MANAGEMENT
Yip, J., Ernst, C. and Campbell, M., 2011. Boundary spanning leadership. Center for Creative
Leadership.
Yukl, G. and Lepsinger, R., 2004. Flexible leadership: Creating value by balancing multiple
challenges and choices (Vol. 223). John Wiley & Sons.
Yukl, G. and Michel, J.W., 2014. A critical assessment of research on effective leadership
behavior. Advances in Authentic and Ethical Leadership, p.209.
Yukl, G., Mahsud, R., Hassan, S. and Prussia, G.E., 2013. An improved measure of ethical
leadership. Journal of leadership & organizational studies, 20(1), pp.38-48.