Leadership As A Leader - 1348 Words

Introduction The term leader and the concept of leadership are used in virtually every aspect of human life. We are captivated by leaders and leadership to the point of obsession. Consider our fascination with business leaders such as Warren Buffet, Sir Richard Branson or Steve Jobs. Do a Google search for movies on Steve Jobs and the results will include several documentaries and feature films over a twenty year period. Our lives are filled with guidance, suggestions and direction from leaders such as Deepak Chopra, Jeff Bezos, Oprah Winfrey, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and Pope Francis. These leaders are viewed as the embodiment of the traits, behaviors and attitudes of great leaders. They provide a blueprint for those aspiring to become†¦show more content†¦There is an old adage that says â€Å"some were called, some were sent, and some just jumped up and went† (Howard Howard, 2014, p. 166). This quote is often used to illustrate the concept of â€Å"the many and the few† parable as taught by Jesus in the bible. Non-religious usage illustrates the importance and significance of leadership. Not everyone who claims to be a leader is a leader. Therefore could becoming an effective leader be a choice? Traits, Behaviors and Attitudes What makes a good or great leader? According to DeRue, Nahrgang, Wellman Humphrey (2011), leadership effectiveness was evaluated based upon personality traits /characteristics and behaviors (p. 9). In studying leadership traits, researchers hoped to identify which traits distinguished leaders from non-leaders and to what degree. Conversely, in studying leadership behavior, researchers hoped to identify which behavior oriented type (i.e. task-oriented) affected leadership effectiveness. Prior research established the correlation of both leadership traits and behaviors in terms of influence on leadership effectiveness. However, the correlation between traits and behaviors wasn’t as clear. Moreover, the characteristics of the traits and or behaviors aren’t categorized universally. For example, another meta-analysis on the types of leadership behavior s that impact team performance divided leadership behavior into two categories; task-focus ed and person-focused (Burke et al.,