Leadership by birth as in dynastic rule, leadership by position as in appointment of bureaucratic heads or charismatic leadership by of dint personal attributes as in great national heroes and modern corporate leaders are all recognised forms of leadership legitimacy. Leadership style is defined as dictatorship vs. the democratic; the trait projected as masculine arrogance vs. the nurturing feminine and the approach divided into transformational (seeking changes) vs. transactional leadership (establishing the order) while additional characteristics such as empathetic, visionary, honest and motivating etc are the long wish list of leadership qualities.
Leadership evokes various theories to explain the legitimacy, the style and approach but the fact is that no leadership can be confined to one single approach, style or trait. A leader must be transactional for orderliness and also transformational to induce changes. No one source of legitimacy can claim more legitimacy than the other one. Monarchical leadership is as legitimate as the elected leadership or nominations by merit. Not just one trait is sufficient to test good leadership.
Masculine control is required to enforce discipline while the nurturing feminine trait motivates. The descriptive characteristics are too divinely for any human to adhere to. Leaders are often criticized and hardly credited for being effective because the dominant style, approach and trait inevitably leave certain areas unattended. Some leaders became a martyr because some group do not consider the leadership harmful. In the end, all leaders leave behind some unpleasant memory while leaving behind the good ones too.
The inevitable truth is that leaders are only mortal beings vulnerable to errors and are not divine beings. Leaders are not computer machine either to accept prescriptive information, store in memory and follow the command. Whether the position has been occupied by birth, merit, appointment or selection by choice under an agreed system, the leader deserved the acceptance and support of people to enable him to get the opportunity to give his best just as he would have to enable the people to give their best.
Leadership is about leading the community with vision. It is also about following the aspirations of people. For this to happen, a leader must be very broad based with little room for personal favouritism and the success of leadership judged by the legacy left behind in making a better place to live.
Now assess your present and past leaders.
Leadership evokes various theories to explain the legitimacy, the style and approach but the fact is that no leadership can be confined to one single approach, style or trait. A leader must be transactional for orderliness and also transformational to induce changes. No one source of legitimacy can claim more legitimacy than the other one. Monarchical leadership is as legitimate as the elected leadership or nominations by merit. Not just one trait is sufficient to test good leadership.
Masculine control is required to enforce discipline while the nurturing feminine trait motivates. The descriptive characteristics are too divinely for any human to adhere to. Leaders are often criticized and hardly credited for being effective because the dominant style, approach and trait inevitably leave certain areas unattended. Some leaders became a martyr because some group do not consider the leadership harmful. In the end, all leaders leave behind some unpleasant memory while leaving behind the good ones too.
The inevitable truth is that leaders are only mortal beings vulnerable to errors and are not divine beings. Leaders are not computer machine either to accept prescriptive information, store in memory and follow the command. Whether the position has been occupied by birth, merit, appointment or selection by choice under an agreed system, the leader deserved the acceptance and support of people to enable him to get the opportunity to give his best just as he would have to enable the people to give their best.
Leadership is about leading the community with vision. It is also about following the aspirations of people. For this to happen, a leader must be very broad based with little room for personal favouritism and the success of leadership judged by the legacy left behind in making a better place to live.
Now assess your present and past leaders.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Margaret_Gangte
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