Abstract This paper discusses the traits that a leader should possess in order to be a superior leader. It begins by presenting a description of a fictitious leader and then analyzing the characteristics that he shows. The paper discusses introverted and extroverted personalities, looks at various theories of personality and analyzes where the fictitious superior leader fits in to the descriptions.
From the Paper "It is evident that the two traits of high ethical standards and balance within the mental arena of the individual's mind are important for the identification of a superior leader. This is because these traits only can be apparent when the individual is a self-assured and balanced human being that is capable of inner peace, which allows this person to completely focus on the people within his country. Other leaders that may be inundated with personal issues or matters of ethics may not be superior leaders. However, because of these qualities in the fictitious leader, the man is capable of leading his fellow countrymen with dignity and self-confidence that will assist him in making the right decisions that will benefit everyone."
Abstract This paper examines a number of well-known leaders with an special focus on the traits they shared that are necessary in individuals who lead others. The paper further describes their leadership styles, the impact that they had or are having on leaders today, and the kinds of leadership tools that many of them used. This is followed by a brief literature review that addresses leadership and why it is crucial to have strong leaders in the world today. Some of the leaders discussed include General Colin Powell, who lived by the 18 rules of leadership which are listed in the paper. Dr. Martin Luther King's life and leadership role is also described. The paper concludes with a bullet point literature review.
From the Paper " This is not only good in many instances when nothing happens on a large scale, but it can be very important to individuals that need good leadership for them to understand that a smoothly running business, life, or country usually does not experience large-scale happenings, although sometimes they are necessary when they are for the greater good, as will be seen. Those that crave excitement, danger, and risk-taking all of the time are not generally good candidates for most kinds of leadership because they try to change too many things too quickly and this stops them from stopping and thinking long-term about what it is that they might be affecting by their actions. Good leaders, however, have to be willing to 'make a fuss' when the need arises or when they see something that must be changed and cannot be changed through any other means."
Tags:leaders, religion, politics, personal, qualities, charisma, General, Colin, Powell, Dr., Martin, Luther, King
Abstract This paper tackles the eternal question of what makes a good leader by focusing on this classical philosophical work by Plato and some writings of Socrates. These two believed that a truly good leader's actions must be informed by knowing how good and evil are different from each other.
From the Paper "The question of what a leader should do and be is, of course, hardly a new one. It lay at the heart of some of the most important debates of the classical world. We cannot help but, when we read Plato's political and moral philosophy as he expresses it in The Republic, to find some of our questions being asked. Plato, and Socrates as he is represented in this text by his student, argues that a leader must understand the nature of goodness, that his or her actions must be informed by knowing how good and evil are different from each other. I would agree with these great philosophers. This does not mean that a leader may never do something wrong or even evil: There is a difference (as we all know from our personal experiences) between knowing what is right and actually doing it all of the time. But any legitimate leader must know the difference between right and wrong."
Abstract This paper analyzes the major themes in John Steinbeck's short story "The Leader of the People." The paper looks at the story's themes and characters and focuses on the author's concept of America's past versus America's future.
From the Paper "John Steinbeck's "The Leader of the People" is a sentimental and symbolic story that expresses a longing for America's past. It is the final part of "The Red Pony" story cycle, a collection of tales that all center on the character of Jody Tiflin, a young boy who comes of age during the course of the stories. The "Leader of the People" stands as a complete story on its own as it details a day that Jody's grandfather visits the family farm."
Tags: steinbeck, leader of the people, grandfather, jody, carl, past, westering, america
Abstract This paper discusses the need for the character of leaders to include a broad range of attributes in order to serve the organization and the workers in a positive manner. The paper discusses various views on the elements of characters that leaders should possess, focusing particularly on the characteristics of modern business leaders and their organizations.
From the Paper "The research indicates that the character of leadership is a significant element, not only for the person that is deemed the leader, but for the entire organization. Leaders with character are servants to those around them, striving to meet the needs of people in a manner that is beneficial to all. Yet, character in leadership also requires that leaders have a strong ethical base, as a means of considering the impact of business decisions on all parties and attempting to achieve results in a manner that leads to worker and organization success. While it was once believed that leaders had to drive workers, forcing them to accomplish tasks, without concern for their personal needs, theorists such as Maslow and Marks allowed society to comprehend that these practices were detrimental to industry over the long term."
Abstract This paper concerns itself with applying Thomas H. Green's taxonomy of revolution leadership, "Comparative Revolutionary Movements" to two cases in a comparative manner: the enigmatic personas of Samora Machel and Sam Nujoma. The author provides extensive background information on the revolutions and revolutionaries in question. The paper discusses how Green sets out an analytical framework for comparing revolutions based on the comparison of leadership, support, ideology, organization, techniques and external support.
From the Paper:
"Revolution has pervaded the landscape of modern African history with a plethora of different examples. To be sure, from Algeria to Guinea Bissau, Angola to Mozambique and Zimbabwe to Namibia, Africa has seen her fair share of transformation-orientated uprising. Each of the myriad of African revolutions has their own story to tell regarding causes, characteristics and outcomes. This paper concerns itself with the characteristics of revolution. To be specific, the leaderships aspects of revolution. Now, African history is colored with many great revolutionaries: Hendrik Witbooi, Joshua Nkomo, Robert Mugabe, Jonas Savimbi, Ben Bella, john Chilembwe and Bambatha all invoke in their own right memories of the some of the greatest African leaders of our time and that of the generations before us. It is important to understand the socio-psychology of this very unique type of leadership. To this end, we can employ the criterion of Thomas H Green, developed in his seminal work "Comparative Revolutionary Movements."
Abstract The paper describes how Oprah Winfrey has attained wealth, success and fame, but asserts that more importantly, she has used the seven characteristics of leadership; vision, perseverance, performance, principals, passion, education of subordinates and leader selection/development. The paper relates that by internalizing these seven key strengths, Winfrey has a proven record of turning weaknesses into strengths, and this is how she became one of the world's most prominent leaders.
From the Paper "A troubled youth and sexually abused teen, Oprah Winfrey certainly had humble beginnings. Out of those humble beginnings, however, Winfrey has risen to the position of network owner, television star, multi-millionaire, and international philanthropist. Though some might call it luck, Oprah's rise to fame, fortune, and consequence is no accident. Her adherence to the seven characteristics of leadership, and strengths within each characteristic, directly resulted in her success. Though one can evaluate Winfrey as sufficiently strong in each of these seven areas, her leadership characteristics can be ranked from strongest to weakest beginning with vision and ending with leadership selection/development."
Abstract This paper looks at what good leadership encompasses. The author provides various theories of leadership, such as the contingency theory and the transformational leadership theory. The paper looks at why leadership is important for success and provides guidelines for successful leadership. Included is a comparison between managers and leaders, female and male leaders and various leadership styles.
Table of Contents:
What is Leadership?
Theories of leadership
Purpose of Leadership
Effective Leadership
Why Leaders are Important
Understanding the Basics
Are Leaders Born or Made?
Differences between Managers and Leaders Male and Female Managers How Different Are They?
Forging the Future
New Definitions for Leaders in the 21st Century
From the paper:
"In this society, leadership is dispersed through out all segments of the society ?government, business, organized labor, professions, the minority communities, the universities, social agencies, and so on. Most leadership today is an attempt to accomplish purpose through large, intricately organized systems. Individuals in all segments and at all levels must be prepared to exercise leadership taking initiatives and responsibility using their knowledge to solve problems at their level. (R.G. Lord, 1991)."
Abstract This paper details the rulers of America today. The writer explores what makes a leader and then uses examples of current American leaders to illustrate those traits. The paper takes the reader on a tour of leadership roles by today's societal standards. Leaders examined are Jesse Jackson, Bill Gates, George Bush and others.
From the Paper "The United States is considered by many to be a leader in the world. Other nations turn to the states for guidance and assistance. Being the leader is a burden that America has born nicely and lived up to the challenge. America is considered the strongest powerful nation in the world so it is easy to understand why it is a leader. The leader of America are also strong and powerful people. To be able to lead the most powerful nation in the world the leaders of the nation have to share some common traits."
Abstract This paper examines the following questions: What makes a successful leader? Are there certain traits and distinctive characteristics known as "dispositions" that make one person a leader over another? Or does the leader evolve out of the situation. In effect, this is a question of is a leader made or is he or she born? The paper answers these questions according to leading theorists in the field.
From the Paper "In the self-concept-based motivational theory of charismatic leadership, George & James (1993), argue that charismatic leadership has the effect of strongly engaging followers' self-concepts in the interest of the mission articulated by a leader. The theory suggests that charismatic leaders increase the intrinsic variance of efforts and goals by linking them to valued aspects of followers' self-concepts."
Abstract This paper examines the personality of a business leader and how a company can discover the leader amongst its employees. It investigates standardize and psychological testing, leadership training, and argues that each company needs a leader specific to its particular business. The paper's author defines the dynamics of leadership as understanding how to work with people, observe others and keep the lines of communication open.
From the Paper "Business leadership is both a science and an art. Yes, there are successful executives who just seem to be born with the knack, just as there are painters who seem to have been born with a brush in their hand, and great musicians who were composing before they could walk. But, we can?t all be Mozarts, most of us must observe, study, and practice the techniques of success. Business is a skill, and like any other skill, its secrets can be learned. First off, however, we must take a look at what exactly constitutes this elusive concept we call ?leadership.? What exactly is a leader?"
Abstract This paper discusses how the role of a leader in foreign policy decision making is often complicated by the need to balance both the leader's political base at home with the nation's best strategic interests and the best interests of allies in the geopolitical power structure abroad. This paper provides examples to demonstrate the fine line a leader must walk while making foreign policy decisions and how foreign policy decisions may backfire on the leader and, indeed, on the nation, later on.
From the Paper "The first U.S. president to initiate an intervention into Iranian affairs was Dwight Eisenhower, in 1953, Ike's first year in office. His Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and his national security advisors counseled Eisenhower that a covert foreign policy aimed at Iran was in America's best national interests. The CIA, according to well-known, oft-published documents, indeed planned and pulled off a bold coup in Iran (EIU.com, 2003), the first successful overthrow of a foreign government by the U.S. The operation was code-named TP-AJAX (Iranchamber.com, 2003), and it was implemented in order to depose Iran's nationalist leader, Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq, who had nationalized the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company ? much to the chagrin of the U.S. and British governments, both of which were intent on keeping a hand on the rich oil supply gushing from Iranian wells. And as a replacement for Mosaddeq, the CIA's mission was to install "The Shah of Iran" (Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi)."
This paper discusses that managers and leaders are not the same thing; the two are related, but their central functions are different. It concludes that both are needed by the organization.
Abstract This paper explains that a leader is someone who can offer a compelling invitation for others to take action, while managers manage and accomplish work through others. The author points out that today's leader needs a multitude of characteristics, but most important is the ability to develop a vision and to articulate it. The paper stresses that managers often rely on their legitimate power or authority by very virtue of their position in the organization; leaders rely on other sources of power to accomplish their work.
From the Paper "Some of the personal traits of effective leaders are that they are honest in dealing with others. This includes being fair with a good sense of right and wrong. In the broadest sense of the word, these leaders are honest in their views of the world. The perceptive leaders also possess a great deal of energy. This means working at an exceptionally high energy level. The excitement of the work and enthusiasm keep the leader going and able to sustain the necessary high energy level. Commitment is also an essential quality in the effective leader. Commitment helps others to see the vision. Finally, the great leader has a thirst for knowledge that drives everything that is done. That is, the perceptive leader recognizes the value of knowledge and understands that learning is a life-long process."
Abstract This paper examines the research article, "Development of the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire", that focuses on finding the most effective traits of leadership. The paper discusses the study's conclusions on considerate leaders, structured, task-oriented leaders, leadership by numbers and leaders failing to perform.
Outline:
Purpose
Rationale
Procedure or Process
Methodology
Results
Conclusion
Discussion
From the Paper "The researchers and authors of this paper and experiment obviously feel it is important to file through the good leaders from the bad. With a simple behavioral test, when perfected, the authors believe they can find an ultimate, fool-proof remedy in saving organizations time and money when choosing their next leader. Undoubtedly, the effectiveness of such a test is only hypothetical and could not be used as liable, but singling out specific leadership traits and abilities could up the chances of a person capable of becoming a good leader. The authors believe this is where time and money will be saved and the diagnosis to gaining that edge could be found in simple characteristics and traits a potential job candidate possesses (Hemphill 48)."
