Leadership Comparison Paper

Leadership Comparison Paper

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………3

Summary of Authors’ Theories……………...…………………………………………………...3

Similarities Between Authors’ Theories…………………………………………………….…...5

Differences Between Authors’ Theories……...…………………………………….……………6

Reconciliation of Opposing Points…………………………………………………………….....7

Integration of Articles………………………………………………………………….…………8

Application in an Organizational Setting………………………………………..……………….10

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………….10

References……………………………………………………………………………...………..12

Introduction

Leadership is defined as the ability to direct or inspire people to attain certain goals (Boone & Kurtz, 2012). Plentiful research has been done regarding leadership, and the necessary qualities that are required for effective leadership. Although not all authors agree on the exact requirements for effective leadership, there is an understanding that leadership has the potential to make or break a business, and is of the utmost importance when carrying out organizational strategy in an ever-changing business environment.

Summary of Authors’ Theories

In What Makes a Leader by Daniel Goleman, his perspective on leadership was based heavily on the theory that traditional qualities possessed by leaders were insufficient without emotional intelligence. Goleman believed that emotional intelligence was not just beneficial, but necessary, for effective leadership. Through his studies, he developed the five components of emotional intelligence at work: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skill (82). Without emotional intelligence, leadership is ineffective, remote, and distant.

According to Zaleznik, in his article Managers and Leaders Are They Different, he theorized that fundamental differences between leaders and managers had their origin deep in their respective psyches, based on a psychodynamic approach (74).  At the core of his work, Zaleznik established the leader and the manager as two distinct personality types. Managers were defined as embracing processes, while seeking stability and control, with the goal of increasing the efficiency of output. They tend to detest chaos. Leaders, on the other hand, tolerate or even embrace chaos, and are willing to delay closure in order to understand issues more completely (Zaleznik, 1977 & 2009).