Evaluating Leadership

Evaluating Leadership

Introduction

Leadership is an important human trait. Leaders not only resort to devising strategies, managing large corporations and comprising part of the top management; rather leaders are present everywhere - in classrooms, communities, police stations and the list goes on and on. It is imperative that we, as individuals remove the artificial blindfold in order to identify and appreciate the presence of leaders around us.

In order to evaluate leadership traits and dispositions, it is essential to understand the very essence of leadership. As defined by leading management gurus, the word Leadership refers to the power exhibited by an individual to socially influence and control other individuals to work towards a common goal or target. In short, leaders organize a group of subordinates or individuals, in order to achieve a short-term or long-term goal (Northouse 2007).

From time immemorial, various philosophers and thinkers, such as Plato, have explored the traits, attributes and behavioral qualities of leaders. It is important to consider the heated debate between literary authors, who argue that leaders are born and that leadership values cannot be taught. While others insist that with the right training and upbringing, any individual can be honed to become a successful leader (Daft & Lane 2005).

The 20th century, also saw the emergence of situational theory, where authors argued on the notion that an individual can exhibit unparallel leadership qualities in a particular situation; however the same individual may not necessarily be a leader in other aspects (Daft & Lane 2005).

This paper aims to critically evaluate the leadership qualities and traits of a particular individual on three distinct management philosophies, including Bases of Power, Leadership Motivation, and Leadership Styles.

Discussion

Overview of the leadership qualities exhibited by Mr. Adam

Mr. Adam (fictional name to preserve anonymity), male, 55, is a fulltime university. It is essential to note that he is a non-native individual and acquired higher education from the top universities in his homeland. He then proceeded to obtain a doctorate degree from a prestigious university in United States of America. As part of his personal passion, he quickly returned to his country of origin to unselfishly serve and to improve the dismal conditions of his countrymen. After a period of trial and error, he decided to return to America and contributed with his prolific literary, philosophical and management writings. According to his own words, the practical experience he endured after his graduation culminated a turning point in his life. Mr. Adam continues to provide his lifetime experiences in the form of management lectures. He is also continues to serve as the board member of various organizations, and had also conferred strategic advices to restructure corporations. Mr. Adam also leads an organization, which strives to improve the miserable conditions of the lower strata of the society by providing financial and management skills to launch ventures. The rest of the paper will discuss the leadership qualities of Mr. Adam in the light of three management philosophies, as well as provide certain examples and illustrations to validate the ...