Effective Business Leadership

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DEAR STUDENT:

Before giving you my take on which leadership theory is the best, there are actually eight major leadership theories, according to Aboutcom (2010).

1) Great Man Theories: which assumes that the capacity for leadership is inherent - that great leaders are born, not made leaders as heroic, mythic and destined to rise to leadership when needed. According to this site, the term "Great Man" was used because it was seen primarily as a male quality; especially in terms of military leadership;

2) Trait Theories: Similar in some ways to Great Man Theory, in that it assumes that people inherit certain qualities and traits of leadership; Trait theories often identify particular personality or behavioral characteristics shared by leaders;

3) Contingency Theories: Contingency theories of leadership focus on particular variables related to the environment that might determine which type of leadership is best suited for the situation; according to this theory, no leadership style is best in all situations; that is, success depends upon the leadership style, qualities of the followers and aspects of the situation;

4) Situational Theories: Situational theories propose that leaders choose the best course of action based upon situational variables; that is different situational variables are appropriate for certain types of decision-making;

5) Behavioral Theories: These are based upon the belief that great leaders are made, not born; rooted in on the actions of leaders not on mental qualities or internal states; that is, according to this theory, people can learn to be leaders through observation;

6) Participative theories: these theories suggest that the ideal leadership style is one that takes the input of others into active ...