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Lesson 1: Leadership
Leadership (With Journal Entry 1)
The task of a leader is to get people from where they are to where they have not been.
—Henry Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State
The term leadership means different things to different people; there are almost as many definitions of leadership as there are people who have attempted to define it. Most definitions of leadership appear to reflect the assumption that it involves the leader exerting intentional influence over followers, who would not complete their task without such influence.
If you search “leadership” on Amazon, you will get over 250,000 hits. Many articles and books have been published on the subject, indicating that many people believe in the importance of leadership. However, debates continue over how leadership emerges:
- Can it be taught?
- Can it be learned?
- What are the critical elements that make a person effective in leading an organization?
The field of leadership has been studied for millennia and continues to evolve. We will take a look at some of the seminal studies that have laid the foundation for current practices and new theories—but first, let’s consider some great leaders from the past.
| Leader | Photo |
|---|---|
| John F. Kennedy |
Note: Image removed. You will have access to the image in the actual course.
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| Albert Einstein |
Note: Image removed. You will have access to the image in the actual course.
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| Nelson Mandela |
Note: Image removed. You will have access to the image in the actual course.
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| Margaret Thatcher |
Note: Image removed. You will have access to the image in the actual course.
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Stop, Think and Reflect: Journal Entry 1
Identify any three leaders from the past and list their distinguishing characteristics or traits. What made them notable leaders?
Pause in your work and reflect on this question. Submit your answers in the Journal Entry 1 text box before you move on to the rest of the course content.
Often, people who make lists of characteristics, as you did in your journal, will end up producing similar results. You may ask, “are these characteristics innate (nature) or are they developed (nurture)? Are these characteristics a product of the challenges these leaders faced, or would they have risen to greatness in other times and places?” These questions are at the heart of leadership theory throughout history. Lesson 2 will discuss specific leadership theories in more detail.
Focus on Research
Dinh and colleagues (2014) conducted a comprehensive review of the study of leadership over the past 20 years, titled “Leadership Theory and Research in the New Millennium: Current Theoretical Trends and Changing Perspectives.” The article uncovered 66 different leadership theory domains, which both enriches the knowledge of leadership and demonstrates the complexity in defining leadership. The authors’ meta-analysis concludes that future research in leadership theory should focus on integration that unify the diverse approaches.