Essay on Leadership
“Leaders are born, not made”
When referring to leadership, the most influential figures come immediately in minds, like for examples Martin Luther King, Hitler or Mother Theresa. In business, leadership is often associated with the concept of management. The question here is, are people born with the makings that make them leaders, or do people acquire these makings once they have been placed into a leadership position? Are leaders born, not made?
In this essay, a definition of leadership and management would be appropriate to distinguish these concepts that are closely related and possibly confusable. To argue this statement, we will refer to the description of the main leadership theories, using resources to support arguments, together with a critical evaluation of these theories. The reasons advanced for or against this statement and their relevance will guide our assessment of which opinion is preferable.
Becoming a manager implies to be placed in a powerful position. Rosemary Steward (1967) expressed the idea of manager as being someone who ‘gets things done with the aid of people and other resources’. In this process of getting things done, all managers face the challenge of influencing others. Influence is defined as the process by which one party attempts to modify the behaviour of others by mobilising power resources. (Boddy, David; 2008)
A leader can easily be described as an influencer, as it is someone others are willing to follow because leaders are recognised, not choosen. A leader is a person who guides, rules or even inspires others. Even after some mistakes, a true leader will not lose his or her followers. Peter Drucker (1999) describes leadership as being ‘the lifting of people’s vision to a higher sight, the raising of their performance to a higher standard, the building of their personality beyond its normal limitations”.
There is no real distinction between managing and leading as they both depend on being able to
When referring to leadership, the most influential figures come immediately in minds, like for examples Martin Luther King, Hitler or Mother Theresa. In business, leadership is often associated with the concept of management. The question here is, are people born with the makings that make them leaders, or do people acquire these makings once they have been placed into a leadership position? Are leaders born, not made?
In this essay, a definition of leadership and management would be appropriate to distinguish these concepts that are closely related and possibly confusable. To argue this statement, we will refer to the description of the main leadership theories, using resources to support arguments, together with a critical evaluation of these theories. The reasons advanced for or against this statement and their relevance will guide our assessment of which opinion is preferable.
Becoming a manager implies to be placed in a powerful position. Rosemary Steward (1967) expressed the idea of manager as being someone who ‘gets things done with the aid of people and other resources’. In this process of getting things done, all managers face the challenge of influencing others. Influence is defined as the process by which one party attempts to modify the behaviour of others by mobilising power resources. (Boddy, David; 2008)
A leader can easily be described as an influencer, as it is someone others are willing to follow because leaders are recognised, not choosen. A leader is a person who guides, rules or even inspires others. Even after some mistakes, a true leader will not lose his or her followers. Peter Drucker (1999) describes leadership as being ‘the lifting of people’s vision to a higher sight, the raising of their performance to a higher standard, the building of their personality beyond its normal limitations”.
There is no real distinction between managing and leading as they both depend on being able to