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How to Master Leadership: Follow These Theories
Introduction
We have often heard the terms Management and Leadership at a lot of instances but do both of these terms collude with each other? Do all the managers make robust and sturdy leaders and vice versa? This question is like that chicken and egg question that which thing came first and there is not a single clear explanation about it. Similar is the case with leadership and management but we do know that one must have to possess managerial qualities to become a proficient leader.
If the leaders want to lead every single employee in their command then they must know how to manage all of them to build an effective workforce. On the other hand, if all the managers desire to play a significant role in constructing a stout workforce then they must imbibe various quintessential leadership skills. This is how both of these terms go hand-in-hand and this approach certainly makes a more empowered, engaged, and stirred workforce which results in the success of the entire organization.
Of course, PMP Certification Training will help you in acquiring top-notch management skills but what's it going to take to learn the most indispensable leadership skills? In this article, we are going to reveal some of the finest and practically-implied leadership theories to help you master leadership. When you will understand these theories, you will certainly embark on a new journey filled with opportunities and success.
What are the Leadership Theories?
When we look at our history, we found lots of shreds of evidence that take us back to the beginning of leadership skills in people. Numerous studies took place to figure out the skills that are needed to master leadership and such studies gave birth to Leadership Theories. Many philosophers, intellectual experts, and researches gave their time to explain the terms of skills that are needed to make a leader. These theories primarily focus on the behavior and the traits of an individual to nurture the enhanced abilities to be a true leader.
Major Theories to Master Leadership Abilities
We all know that there is a lack of leadership qualities and it is highly important to master such abilities to stay at the top of the list. Therefore, we have brought the top seven Leadership Theories to help you master the skills that can help you to become a great leader in the future.
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- Management Theory of Leadership
The Management Theory of Leadership is also known as the Transactional Theory of Leadership and as the name indicates, this theory is used to develop the skills of supervision and control. This control can be established by implementing a system of reward and punishment.
According to this system, any individual who performs well will be rewarded with a prize of our own choice. On the other hand, the individual who is not performing according to the needs of an organization or a supervisor, he/she will be subjected to a penalty which has to be fulfilled.
Many organizations are incorporating a system which can help the managers or the supervisors to track the performance or progress of a particular individual. After tracking the progress, one can easily form an opinion on that employee, if he/she is worthy of getting a reward or get punished.
- Transformational Theory of Leadership
The Transformational Theory of Leadership is also popular by the name of the Relationship Theory of Leadership. This theory generally revolves around the bond that is shared between a leader and its follower. Various studies have shown that the strength of this bond highly depends on the performance of a particular individual. This means that if a bond between a leader and the follower is extremely strong then the follower will provide enhanced performance in every working.
Moreover, the followers also get motivated by the words of their leaders, and such followers get inspired by their leader and work hard to meet the requirements of their leaders. However, the moral and ethical values of such leaders are certainly unparalleled and they don't compromise their values, no matter which situation they are in.
- Participative Theory of Leadership
The philosophers have divided the leaders into two categories based on the styles that they follow and these categories are:
- Autocratic Leadership
- Participative Leadership
In the former leadership, the leaders make the decisions on their own without listening to whatever their followers have to say. However, on the other hand, the participative leadership works on getting input from its followers by making them give voice to their words. In this way, every follower has the right to speak up and give their opinions in the process of decision-making. Such leaders also have the authority to reserve this right but true leaders aren't afraid of taking criticism or excluding people from speaking who may have better ideas than them.
- Behavioral Theory of Leadership
The world is divided into two sectors in which one sector believes that leaders are born whereas the other sector believes that leaders are made. Behavioral Theory of Leadership deals with the latter one and justifies this notion by challenging the other one simultaneously. This theory of leadership deal with the behavior of the human beings and advocates the notion that all the people can learn and understand from their observations, past experiences, along with various teachings that can mold them in becoming a great leader.
- Contingency Theory of Leadership
With this theory, a whole new level of leadership gets unlocked because this is the theory that has the most practical implications in the real life. This theory states that crisis can take place one way or another but a true leader must take that way out that is acceptable for both the organization and the followers. All the situations have a large number of variables and any wrong decision can result in massive destruction. Thus, this theory helps to develop the skills of balance in the leader to make the right but effective decisions.
- Trait Theory of Leadership
The Trait Theory of Leadership helps to build the character of a particular individual who wants to be a leader. All the characteristics of a good leader such as integrity, commitment, confidence, and veracity, all of these virtues make up a true leader. However, we have seen many instances where a leader may not possess all of these qualities but a person who is not a leader may contain all of these characteristics, if not more.
We can conclude this argument by stating what Ronald Reagan said that a true leader is not the one who does great things but a true leader is the one who makes the people do all the great things.
- Situational Theory of Leadership
The Situational Theory of Leadership states that a true leader must analyze every situation logically and critically before making a decision. According to the given situation, the leader can opt for any approach for the betterment of the whole organization. For example, when a tough situation arises and the leader has to act on the go, he/she can make a decision right then and there. But if a situation demands more than two brains to work together then he/she can take some opinions from the followers to make effective decisions regarding a particular situation.
Why Do These Leadership Theories Matter?
Theories of Leadership hold an immense amount of importance which is why learning these theories is a necessity to pave the way for success.
- A good leader provides the necessary fuel to drive the entire organization because such leaders have the ability to listen to every employee working under their command. The leaders know which employee is good at which thing and then assign the tasks accordingly.
- Some tasks may be simple for one person but they can be extremely complicated to others. Therefore, it is important to help the people and make complex things easier for them and this is what true leaders do. They plan everything beforehand and make effective actions for the betterment of the organization.
- With a large number of theories present at hand, you acquire flexibility in whatever you are dealing with. Where one theory can put limits on your ideas, another theory dives in to help you out.
- Every person or employee is different from the other, thus, where one theory can be enough to deal with a certain employee, your other employee may have some speculations. He/she may need more guidance than the other and these theories are the perfect way to understand your employees which can result in enhanced performance of the whole workforce.
Final Takeaways
The aforementioned leadership qualities will certainly make you stand out in the midst of a large number of people. These are the leadership theories that will certainly polish your leadership skills and help you to become the leader that you always wanted. When these skills get coupled with the PMP Certification Training, you will not only become a good manager but it will also help you to become a true and great leader.