Leadership Theories – The Ultimate Guide

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Many leadership theories have been suggested since time immemorial. Early leadership theories focused on the behaviour and qualities of successful leaders where as later theories gave more importance to the role of associates and followers. Some of the leadership theories are as follows:

Great Man Theory. According to Great Man theory, a leader is born and cannot be made. This theory believed that leaders are people who have inborn exceptional qualities and are destined to lead. Here the term “Man” is used since leadership was considered as a concept that would be primarily dominated by males. Great leaders would arise only when there is an urgent need of it. It also suggests that leadership qualities are inherent.

Trait Theory. According to Trait theory, few people are born with qualities that are suited to leaderships. People who transform into good leaders posses right combination of leadership qualities. Through this approach, people with such leadership qualities could be separated and then people with such qualities could be recruited or selected into leadership positions. This approach was commonly used in military and is even today used to recruit candidates for commission.

Self Investment Theory. From visiting organisations, I’ve found that the happiest employees and managers regularly invest in themselves and their personal leadership training. People have often sought out useful leadership books and learning material that will help them along the path to happiness and leadership. Leaders invest in their own development either through leadership training or leadership coaching.

Contingency Theory. This leadership theory focuses on variables that are related to environment and that would determine which style of leadership is suitable for a particular situation. It says that it is impossible to determine which leadership style will suit best for any situation. Success depends on qualities of followers and other variables.

Situational Theories. This theory suggests that on the basis of situational variable, leaders should choose the course of action. Diverse styles of leadership will me more suitable to make certain types of decisions

Behavioral Theories. This leadership theory believes that great leaders are not born but are made. The prime focus of this theory is on actions of leaders. The focus is not on internal states or mental qualities. This theory believes that people can become leaders through the process of teaching, learning and observation.

Participative Theory. This theory defines ideal leadership style. An ideal leadership style takes into consideration the input of its associates. Such leaders encourage contribution and participation from group members. The leader also has the right to say no to any suggestion of other team member.

Management Theories. This collection of leadership theories gives more importance to the role of organization, supervision and most importantly the group performance. This theory is based on the system of punishment and reward. Managerial theory is often used in many companies. When employee’s performance is very good, he or she is given a reward. If the employee’s performance decreases below a certain level, he or she is punished.

Relationship Theory. This theory also called Transformational theory focuses on the connections that are formed between followers and leaders. These leaders inspire and motivate people. They also help group members in case of any difficulty. Such leaders focus on performance of of members of group. These leaders have high moral values.

Path Goal Theory. This theory focuses on what leaders should do to motivate and inspire people so that the employees can perform well.

3 Ways To Boost Your Career With Leadership Skills

The recession is now an economic and statistical reality. With large recruitment departments shrinking and some even making redundancies, career prospects have never looked so bleak in the corporate world.

This is why Leadership is becoming such an important skill for job seekers to have. Leadership is the key driving force that keeps businesses alive and sometimes profitable during economic turmoil. Great leaders increase motivation of workers, encourage the free flow of ideas, and improve the atmosphere of working environments. The effect of a phenomenal business leader can be felt from shop floor workers up to the board. It’s an incredibly desirable trait in any employee. So here are 3 ways to boost your leadership skills for a potential employer.

1. Take opportunities to lead teams. Leadership isn’t a characteristic you can simply claim to have, and hope nobody will call your bluff. It is such a self-evident trait, that a veteran interviewer will be able to smell it on you when you walk through the door. You need to gain experience as a leader, so grab every opportunity you can to direct, coach and lead teams in your organisation or in local clubs and societies. I suggest you have 5 varied experiences to talk about confidently with an interviewer, where you can show you demonstrated the skill of leadership.

2. Read leadership literature and invest in yourself. All excellent transformational leaders regularly invest in themselves. Leaders have often sought out useful leadership books and learning material that will help them along the path to happiness and leadership. These days, many e-courses tend to be rather disappointing, but one e-course that is still respected by leadership professionals such as myself is The 11 Forgotten Laws. It’s generally seen as an essential and core ‘crash course’ in the laws and secrets you need to know to further your leadership & career and even help find happiness in other areas of your life. Its an excellent base upon which you can build your personal development.

3. Just say yes. More often than not, people take the safe option and say ‘no’ to choices that perhaps seem to carry mediocre benefits and at the same time, plenty of risk of embarrassment or humiliation. What also is often the case however, is that these people are actually instantly sensing the risk, and then not bothering to really look for the bonuses that could come from completing such a task. Next time you’re presented with a public speaking opportunity for instance, or a chance to organise a charity event within the office. For your career’s sake, say yes. The benefits to your CV will more than justify the risk of embarrassment.

So there you have it. If you make sure you incorporate these 3 tips into your working life, you will boost your leadership skills and be able to present these effortlessly to an impressed employer. I wish you every success in your future career.

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