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The concept of leadership is an aspect of behaviour at work, rather than personal traits or characteristics. Leadership may also be regarded as a matter of aligning people toward common goals and empowering them to take actions that are needed to solve problems and make a difference. Leadership may be defined as a dynamic process demonstrated by individuals who are able to utilise appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes (personality) as they attempt to influence group members and other stakeholders towards the realisation of organisational tasks and goals.
Modern theories on leadership
The complex leadership process has benefited from theories that have emerged in recent years. They include the charismatic, transactional, transformational and social learning theories.
Charismatic leadership relates to the belief about leaders as being those who by the force of their personal abilities are capable of having profound and extraordinary effects on followers. This concept suggests that charismatic leaders are self-confident and display confidence in others, they display an ideological vision and the use of personal example. Their followers identify with the leader and the mission. They display loyalty and confidence while attempting to emulate the leaders values and behaviour. They often derive self-esteem from a close association with the leader. Well-known examples of personalities in this category may include politicians, sportsmen and women, actors and actresses. Some negative aspects of charismatic leadership are its use of power for personal gain or impact and the promotion of a personal vision. In many instances, one-way communication is the norm and leaders are often insensitive to followers needs.
Transactional – this is a traditional form of leading which clarifies subordinates role and task requirements, initiates structure, provides rewards and displays consideration to and meet the social needs of subordinates. These leaders are hardworking types who are often tolerant and fair-minded. They stress the impersonal aspects of performance, have a sense of commitment to the organisation and therefore conform to organisational norms and values. Some drawbacks of the transactional mode are the passive form, which intervenes only if standards are not met, and the active approach, which watches and searches for deviations from rules and standards before taking corrective action.
Transformational leaders display a style that is distinguished by their special ability to bring about innovation and strategic changes. They focus on visioning, shared values, ideas and team leadership. Transformational leaders as a direct result of their approach, instil pride, gain respect and trust from those supervised. Some other characteristics are their belief in people, being value-driven and lifelong learners who promote intelligence and encourage problem solving and initiative. The transformational approach has been regarded as the modern approach to leadership of educational institutions because these leaders employ legitimating tactics and engender higher levels of identification and have better performance.