Leadership Essay

Introduction

Throughout the history of management there have been debates around the definition of the essence and nature of management and leadership. There is no differentiation of the concepts of "leader" and "manager" in the works of foreign scientists. American management theorists believe that every manager is a priori a leader. Ideally, it should be like this, for this there exists a proper system of training for managers. In Slavonic management theory these two concepts are reasonably distinguished.

Most people do not notice the differences between the concepts of "leadership" "management" and "power" and believe that, being on a managerial position, the manager automatically has authority over subordinates and is the leader of the team. Technically this is true, but in practice the ratio of the three components of managerial influence is extremely diverse, as it is influenced by many factors, which include the type of organization, its scope, activities, place in the hierarchy management manager personality traits and more.

The power is an opportunity to really influence the behavior of others, therefore the power is considered to be a tool of influence. Fear, remuneration tradition, charisma, persuasion and participation are the tools that manager uses to influence workers, while appealing to their needs. The greater dependence of subordinates is, the more power over subordinates the manager has.

This paper is devoted to the question of a true leader, theories and styles of a leadership, traits that are necessary to be a leader.

I. Theories of Leadership

The question of the essence of leadership has interested many researchers. Despite some disagreements, scientists still tend to believe that leadership is the ability to influence the behavior of individuals and groups of workers using personal qualities in order to concentrate their efforts on achieving the organization's objectives [1]. Leadership is some elusive phenomenon of group dynamics, which reflects the collective desire led by the leader who is effectively implementing creative forces of everyone to join efforts to achieve common goals for the whole group and objectives [7].

Management is a kind of governing, which provides the performance of management functions, forming methods of management and their transformation into management decisions through the use of communications [1]. Management system is the unifying feature that pervades all management processes in the organization. [2]

Over the past 50 years the problem of balance of leadership and management efficiency has become one of the key points in the theory and practice of psychology and management. Any leader that cares about his effectiveness, should strive to become a leader. "Leadership" as a type of administrative relations is different from the concept of "management". Management and leadership are two different but complementary systems, each of which has its own function and characteristic activities, both are necessary components of management of any organization [2].

There are three main theoretical approaches in understanding leadership.

1. "Trait Theory" (Charismatic theory).

From the word "charisma", or "grace" that different religions explained as something that was up on people. This theory focuses on the innate qualities of a leader. The leader, according to this theory, can only be a person who has a set of personal qualities or specific set of psychological traits.

In contrast, the theory "non-trait leader" was put forward  But it does not provide answers to questions who are leaders and what is the origin of the phenomenon of leadership.

2. Situational Theory.

Trait theory is not rejected, but it is claimed that most of the leadership depends on situation. In different situations, some individual members of the group are marked  as superior to others in at least one quality. As this quality is necessary in this particular situation, the person who possesses it becomes the leader. Features, traits and qualities of a leader became relative.

For Piaget opinion, this type of leader is quite odd and strange. He becomes a "weathercock", the question of the leader activity is completely closed. As it often happens in the history of science, two quite opposite approaches have generated a third, more or less a compromise solution.

3. System Theory.

Leadership is seen as a process of organizing interpersonal relations in the group and the leader is the one who takes control over this process. Leadership is interpreted as a function of the group, and you must permanently learn in terms of the objectives and tasks of the group, although the structure of individual leaders thus should not be ignored.

The concept of "leader" in comparison with the term "manager" is broader, covering as personality traits both a manager and a leader, and this means that the manager who has the qualities of a leader can influence employees to implement changes in the organization, reaching new higher level. Not every manager uses leadership in his behavior. Productive manager is not necessarily an effective leader, and vice versa. [3]

Leader, in its impact on the work of subordinates and in building relationships among them, relies primarily on the basis of the official authorities and the sources that nourish it. Leadership is based more on the process of social interaction in the group of people which is much more difficult, because they find levers with which to influence the behavior of others, without this formal (legal) basis and not everyone may become the leader of the group.

Leadership relationships are different as the followers recognize the leader only if he proves his competence and value to the group. Thus, the leader gets his power from the followers. To maintain his own position, he should give them the opportunity to meet their needs. Instead, followers satisfy leadership need to be recognized and give him the necessary support to achieve organizational goals [2].

II. Leadership Styles

Leaders have invented all different types of styles to inspire, intimidate, or improve the people that follow them.  The reason to use these different techniques is all the same, to get more out of the people the leader is in charge of.

Authoritarian style. A leader has authority sufficient to impose his will on subordinates and easily put decisions into life using administrative methods of influence on subordinates. Such a leader solves all the issues by himself without considering the views of subordinates, often interfering in the actions with lower rank, "linking" his initiative and not allowing them to make decisions, and to do something without his awareness.