Explain clearly what is understood by the meaning of Leadership. What Essay

Explain clearly what is understood by the meaning of Leadership. What is the distinction between Leadership and Management - Essay Example The paper will discuss certain leadership taxonomies and definitions and will also explore a few leadership theories in order to get an insight into leadership. The second part of the paper will strive to find out the main discrepancies between management and leadership and the reasons as to why both are assets to an organization. Both functions are complementary to each other and without the existence of any one of the two it becomes impossible for the other to perform effectively thereby impairing organizational growth. Contents Abstract 2 Contents 3 Introduction 4 Insights into leadership 5 Leadership theories 6 Leadership and management – a distinction 8 Conclusion 10 Reference 11 Introduction One of the most popular and discussed topic is leadership. Scholars have tried to define leadership in several manners. In an examination of 587 publications, at least 221 definitions of leadership had emerged. Leadership is the manner in which an individual induces aspects of respec t, obedience, cooperation and loyalty among followers. Leadership in the 1930s was considered to be an area where organizations had to move depending on specifications provided by the leader. The 40’s definition of leadership focussed on the constructs of power, authority, circumstances and position. The 1950s definition emphasized on the essentials of team building and the authority the leader commanded on team members. The 1960s definition of leadership influenced followers to shared goals and vision. The 1970s leadership definition viewed a leader to have discretionary powers and 1980s the leader inspired the followers to conduct meaningful activity. The 1990s defined leadership as a combined task accomplished by both followers and leader to make certain modifications impacting common purposes. The first ten years of the twenty first century witnessed the leader to be solely accountable and responsible for all activities conducted in an organization. From the above, it may be observed that there are certain themes in leadership. These are as follows: a) Leadership is not limited to senior management members or the top boss b) Leadership helps in excelling performance level in followers c) Management and leadership are two distinct constructs d) There is a humanistic and sensitive dimension to leadership e) Leaders need to apply a host of skills, capabilities, qualities thereby undertaking a holistic approach f) An individual who has expertise in implementing, initiating and anticipating change is a successful leader (Bass & Bass, 2008) Insights into leadership Leadership styles vary from person to person. However, the manner in which one may be able to aptly distinguish various leaders depends on the manner in which they act on logic. This is the skill to interpret and analyze surroundings especially when they are challenged by some external or internal issues. Academic scholars have observed that leaders who delved deep within them to develop and un derstand themselves can transform their own capabilities as well as the capabilities of the organization. The effectiveness of organizations mainly depends on coordinated leadership which stems from leaders having varied levels of hierarchy. Their skills help in impacting individuals, units, teams and the overall organizational results. Academic study on leadership has highlighted that leadership significantly impact units, teams and the entire organization. Although there is vast literature on the outcomes of effective