What makes a great leader? Are they born or made, or do they simply adapt to meet the occasion? Is it a list of specific personality traits that make people innately prepared to be leaders? Do circumstances of the moment dictate what types of people can best lead the team? As the interest in leadership psychology has intensified, a variety of leadership theories have emerged to explain how certain people become great leaders and why some leadership styles are effective.
What makes a great leader is a question that has occupied scholars and philosophers through the ages. It’s led to countless behavioral studies in search of the qualities and circumstances that give rise to impactful leadership.
What represents leadership theories?
Leadership theories are concepts that seek to explain successful leadership. To that end, there are analytical leadership theories and leadership approach theories.
Analytical leadership theories are hypotheses of why certain types of people become leaders. These theories focus on the traits, characteristics, and behaviors of successful leaders and the circumstances that have produced them.
Leadership approach theories put forth proposals of which leadership approach will lead to the most success. They advocate for leaders to emphasize different aspects of management, such as team-building or rewards-based motivation, as ways of achieving team success.
Key Leadership Skills of Excellent Leaders
- Understand the way to offer support. Supportive leaders are accessible to their staff, transparent about their choices, team players, and adept communicators of plans and tactics.
- Have empathy and demonstrate it
- Keep the lines of communication open
- Being capable of taking decisions
- Effective planning
Top leadership theories for managers
Let’s delve into the leadership theories for effective managers
Trait theory
The trait theory of leadership purports that great leaders are born, not made. It proposes that there are those who are simply born with the personality traits and attributes that set them apart and predispose them to great leadership skills. Similar to the trait theory, it suggests that these traits are responsible for individuals assuming positions of power.
The theory is the result of studies of great leaders throughout history, mapping both their personality and physical traits. Some of the natural qualities of a successful leader that have been identified are:
- Charisma
- Drive to achieve
- Desire to lead
- Integrity.
Contingency Theory
The contingency theory of leadership states that effective leadership is contingent upon the specific situation at hand. According to this theory, a leader can be effective in one circumstance and ineffective in another. It simply depends on whether their leadership style fits the given situation.
There are factors, it suggests, that determine whether a particular leader or leadership style will be effective in a situation: the task, the project scope, the leader’s personality, the size and composition of the team, resources, and deadlines.
Behavioral Theory
The behavioral leadership theory, as the name suggests, focuses on how leaders behave. More significantly, it postulates that these traits can be learned by observing and copying other leaders. Therefore, effective leadership is a learned behavior. In other words, as opposed to the Trait or Great Man theories, leaders aren’t born, they’re made.
The behavioral leadership theory puts forth that there are multiple “styles of leadership,” founded upon specific behavioral patterns. Some of the styles of leadership include:
Collaborative Theory
Collaborative leadership theory teaches leaders to listen to their employees and involve them in the decision-making process. It encourages an inclusive mindset, proactive communication, and the willingness to share power with team members.
It promotes accountability across the board and emphasizing finding solutions collectively. The leader’s role is primarily to facilitate conversation, gather input, and choose the best plan of action.
Management Theory
These managers place high importance on structure and utilize their authority to enforce rules to inspire staff to perform at their best. In accordance with this philosophy, workers are rewarded for achieving their given objectives. The concept also presupposes that workers must comply with managerial directives. Managers who practice transactional leadership keep an eye on their staff, making sure they are rewarded for reaching milestones and disciplined when they fall short.
Relational Theory
Relational leadership theory is all about the process of bringing people together to accomplish change or achieve a goal that benefits the common good.
In other words, the relational leader focuses primarily on their interactions with the team members. They make time to talk to their employees, listen to their needs, and develop an enjoyable work environment. Studies show that relationship-oriented managers often get better results from their teams. Employees feel confident in their leader and want to follow them. They are also inspired to be good leaders to others.
Leadership theories, like leaders themselves, come in all shapes and sizes. Some zero in on traits and characteristics and some emphasize the need to adapt to circumstances. Leadership, however, is multi-dimensional. There are many aspects to becoming a great leader. If you aspire to lead, it’s important to understand the variety of leadership theories out there to determine what kind of leader you can be.
