Foundations of Leadership

Leadership

As the world becomes more populous, busy, and interconnected, the need for good leadership will grow. Furthermore, this leadership will be needed in a number of different social and cultural contexts. (Gibson & McDaniel, 2010, 451-452). Fortunately, we are undergoing a renaissance in the study of leadership and our notions of leadership are becoming more diverse and, at the same time, more fundamental.

Leaders are produced by their environment, which includes their personality, their experiences, and their organizations. Leaders tend to grow out of organizations in which they embody the core values and ambitions shared by the organization.

The Traditional Models of Leadership

The traditional view of a leader is someone who is dominant, competitive, and authoritarian. (Medina, et. al., 2008, p.249). Although most leaders do exhibit these qualities, that does not mean that a leader must have such qualities. The reason these types of leaders are prevalent is because of the types of groups people form. The types of groups people form is determined by the types of interests and motives people have.

The Evolution of Leaders

In any society, the prevailing drive for most individuals is to achieve a feeling of self-worth. Because of our hyper-competitive society, individuals in pursuit of this feeling are encouraged to achieve it by distinguishing themselves from the crowd in their professional life, social life, family life, or even spiritual life. The ambition to distinguish oneself causes one to value a particular set of traits useful for achieving distinction in this society, such as aggressiveness, competitiveness, and assertiveness.

The groups that individuals form are typically based on their core ambitions and values. The leaders that these groups select are usually people who embody the group's common, core ambitions and values to a remarkable degree. That is why they are often seen as figureheads and symbols of the organization. Most organizations, especially business organizations, are driven by the desire for distinction and value competitiveness, assertiveness, and even aggressiveness both in the organization itself as well as in its employees. (Medina, et. al., 2008, p.254).

If groups were formed for motives such as the community service, appreciation of nature, or spiritual perfection, you would probably see different sorts of leaders. The leaders of these groups might not be competitive or aggressive because the groups might not want or need those traits. (Hooper, et. al., 2010, 634). Instead, they would look for traits that remind them of their core ambitions and values, that remind them of why they formed the group.

The Transformational Leadership Model

Analysis of Each Leadership Style

Relationship Theories of Leadership and the Transformational Leadership Model

During the past century, a number of different theories about leadership and leadership styles have appeared. Relationship theories, also known as transformational theories, focus upon the connections formed between leaders and followers. Transformational leaders motivate and inspire people by helping group members see the importance and higher good of the task.

Relationship theories, or transformational theories, are the most valuable because they get to the most fundamental aspect of leadership. After all, an organization is merely a web of relationships. Thus, relationship theories of leadership have utility outside of traditional organizations and are applicable in most interpersonal settings. As has been demonstrated, leaders exist in all sorts of contexts, not just in work settings, including families and social circles. Other theories, such as transactional theories and bureaucratic theories are difficult to apply in informal contexts.

The Transformational Leadership model which grows out of relationship theories contain the most accurate vision of leadership dynamics. Transformational leadership posits that a leader leads by enhancing motivation, morale and performance of followers. (Cheung & Wong, 2011, p. 661). Transformational leadership is concerned with the transformation of the followers in pursuit of a common goal. Transformational leaders inspire their teams with a shared vision of the future. (Cheung & Wong, 2011, p. 662).

Servant Leadership

The Servant Leadership model is another progressive theory on leadership that contradicts the traditional notion of the dominant leader. In fact, the Servant leader appears to be just the opposite of the leader. Instead of being dominant, selfish, and competitive, the servant leader is submissive, generous, and cooperative.

The servant leader bases judgments on what is best for the group in relation to attaining its goals. At times, this suppression of personal ego and selfish motives may be quite obvious, as when a corporate leader voluntarily offers to take a miniscule salary while his or her company is recovering from difficult economic times. At other times, the actions of the servant leader may be hidden almost entirely, observed only by those who are approached by the servant leader and asked, "How can I help you do your job?" (Bell & Smith, 2010, p. 7)

The servant leader bases judgments on what is best for the group in relation to attaining its goals. (Bell & Smith, 2010, p. 6). Leo, the servant from Hesse's novel, is the perfect allegory for this concept. Leo, the revered leader of the order, understood ego-centric or authoritarian leadership would do his followers no good because the whole purpose of their pilgrimage was self-realization, which must be learned through one's own experiences. Thus, Leo poses as the servant in order to help them without directing them and without their knowledge that they are being helped. (Bell & Smith, 2010, p. 6)

The Servant leader is created through the merging of an individual's interests with the interests of the group. The servant leader derives fulfillment and personal satisfaction by seeing his or her supportive role pay dividends in the confidence, creativity, and productivity of others. (7). Proud, loving parents exhibit this quality of servant leadership, as their satisfaction comes from the influence they have had on the lives of their children and the level of development that their children have reached. (Bell & Smith, 2010, p. 7).

Ideal Leadership Style According to Admired Qualities

The ideal leadership style, from my perspective, depends on the context in which the leader has to operate. For example, the leadership qualities that I admire most in political leaders is the ability to overcome obstacles, ability to achieve goals, ability to fight for a cause, and courage. (Bell & Smith, 2010, p. 11-12) The leadership qualities that I admire in nonpolitical leaders is the ability to inspire others, ability to listen and understand, sacrifices made for others, patience, and high moral standards.