Koontz and O’Donnell, Leadership is the ability of a manager to induce subordinates to

work with confidence and zeal.

According to Keith Davis, “Leadership is the ability to persuade others to seek defined
objectives enthusiastically. It is the human factor which binds a group together and
motivates it towards goals.”

Q. “Leaders are born, not made.” Comment.

Ans:

“Leaders are born, not made.”

This underlying statement is based on the assumption that leaders are born with
certain inherited traits such as charisma, confidence, etc. which are necessary
for a person to have to become a leader.

Various Trait theories of leadership such as The Great Man Theory are based on
a similar belief that leadership has something to do with breeding.

While it is true that certain inherited traits do help to some extent to make a
person leader, however, it is not true that leadership qualities make only of
inherited traits.

Further, Trait theories of leadership confirmed the fact that having certain
inherited traits is the basic requirement of leadership, and the effectiveness of
leadership does not merely depend upon the possessed traits by birth.

Moreover, leadership is the act of influencing the behavior of a group towards

the attainment of the organizational goal, which can only be done by constant
practice and adoption of the latest skills (managerial, technical, etc.)
corresponding to the changing world.
Also, various modern Behavioral theories of leadership such as the Ohio State
Studies theory and the University of Michigan studies proposed that leadership is
a result of showing the right behavior i.e. leaders who show consideration and
structuring behavior are more effective leaders.

Further Contingency theories of leadership such as the Fiedler Contingency

Model & Path-Goal theory proposed that effective leadership is a function of right
mix of leadership styles with the situation. A leader performing well in one
position may not be suitable in another position due to situational variables.

Therefore, it can be inferred/concluded that having certain inherited traits is the

basic requirement and not the only requirement of leadership.

Leadership can be learned, practiced, and made effective by showing the right
behavior at right time, acquiring the right skills, and adapting to situational
needs.
The best estimates offered by research is that leadership is about one-third born and two-
thirds made.

 “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust
upon them.” – William Shakespeare
 “Leadership And Learning Are Indispensable To Each Other” - John F. Kennedy

Q2: A Successful leader is always an effective leader. Comment.

Leadership is defined as the act of influencing the behavior of the group towards the
attainment of organizational goals.

An effective leader is the one who inspires the team due to his or her personal power to achieve
organizational goals. An effective leader tends to positively influence not only the behavior but
also the attitude of the team members and thus causes a long-lasting effect on the team
members.

An effective leader always leads by example and tends to create a culture of participation,
democratic decision-making, constructive feedback, etc. in the working of the group.

Thus, an effective leader tends to imbibe leadership skills in their team members themselves
and as a result team members generate mutual trust, a feeling of belongingness to the
organization thus showing more productivity, higher satisfaction (both job and personal
satisfaction) leading to achievement of personal, team and organizational goals more
efficiently.

On the other hand, successful leadership is a much narrower concept than effective leadership.

A successful leader influences the behavior of the team members due to his or her positional
power. Successful leaders are in constant supervision of the working of team members. They
tend to have a short-lasting effect on the team members. They are more concerned with the
productivity of the team rather than with the consideration of team members.

They show less empathy towards team members thus not able to generate required level of
trust among team members. Therefore, successful leaders, generally, tend to achieve
organizational goals on-time, however they are not able to imbibe a culture of trust, support,
participation among team members and thus they generally do not get the extra-mile support
from their team members.

Therefore, it can be concluded that effective leadership is a much broader concept than
successful leadership. Effective leaders are always successful while the reverse is not true.
In today’s highly competitive and globalized world, we need more effective leaders than
successful leaders.

Q3: Who is Successful leader, 5 important attributes of Successful leader, How do

delegation & organizational culture play significant role in leader’s success?

Ans:

A successful leader is the one who is able to influence the team behavior positively and to
achieve organizational goals and vision without compromising on individual’s and group’s
needs.

A successful leader must be able to imbibe a culture a trust, hard work, cooperation & support
among team members and thus generate a sense of enthusiasm in individuals.

Below are the important attributes that contribute in the making of a successful leader:

1) Effective Communication: Effective communication helps in transfer of understanding

and meaning of organizational vision, goals, job allocation & priorities from team
leader to team members. It helps in bringing more clarity about job roles,
responsibilities, expectations and thus helping in achieving goals more efficiently.

2) Openness: A successful leader must be open to the ideas or suggestions given by group
members and must imbibe a culture of active participation among team members.
He or she must be flexible & creative enough to meet the demands of a highly dynamic
world.

3) Consideration & empathetic: A successful leader must be empathetic & show concern
for the team members in order to imbibe a culture of trust, concern and mutual support
among the group. Empathetic leaders are able to read the senses of their team
members in order to understand the member’s needs. Further, it has been proven by
various research results that follower of considerate leaders have high degree of
satisfaction (both personal and professional ) and have high degree of dedication, low
attrition rate and thus resulting into high group performance.
 4) Integrity: A successful leader must have integrity. He or she should be honest &
disciplined. A successful leader must be loyal to their customers (both internal and
external), stakeholders, team members and society as a whole.

5) Emotional Stability: In today’s highly dynamic and competitive work environment,

stress is inevitable. Therefore, a successful leader must be emotionally stable i.e. he or
she must be able to manage work related stresses effectively and must maintain a
healthy work-life balance in order to prioritize and delegate tasks effectively.

Delegation is a process of prioritizing and assigning certain duties, responsibilities and thus
decision making authority from manager to the subordinate.

It is one of the most important aspects of a successful leadership as it helps in maximizing

productivity from the team members, inculcating decision-making skill or behavior in the
team members, empowering employees which contribute to the overall success of the group.

Organizational culture refers to the set of values, beliefs and perceptions shared by the
members of the organization. It has a great effect in determining leadership’s success.

As suggested by various research results, if an organization practices an open, flexible,

creative, feedback oriented and relationship oriented culture then it tends to create a sense of
trust, belongingness among employees thus contributing to the leadership’s success in
achieving goals.

Moreover, as proved by contingent theory of leadership, leaders must adopt their styles as per
the situation in order to match the leadership-situation mix.

Therefore, to ensure leadership’ success it is very much necessary to adopt the leadership style
as per culture of the organization.
Q3: What is leadership style? Find differences between various leadership styles.

Ans:

Leadership style refers to the various behaviors and methods adopted by the leader while
guiding, directing and motivating a team towards attainment of organizational goal.

1. Autocratic Style:
This is also known as the Authoritarian style. In this type of style, leader tends to establish
authority and power over the group. Leader retains as much power as possible with himself.

Team members are often not consulted while making a decision.

Examples of authoritarian leadership: a police officer directing traffic, a teacher ordering a

student to do their assignment.

Authoritarian traits include: setting goals individually, engaging primarily in one-way and
downward communication, controlling discussion with followers, and dominating
interactions.

An authoritarian style of leadership may create a climate of fear, leaving little or no room for
dialogue, and where subordinates may regard complaining as futile. As such, authoritarian
styles have sometimes been associated with reduced group-member satisfaction relative to
more democratic leadership styles.

2. Democratic style:
This style is exactly opposite to the autocratic style. In this style, leader tends to create a
democratic working environment for the team, for example, team members are often
consulted in the decision-making process & their active participation is encouraged &
expected.

Leader tends to give a greater autonomy to the team members while executing the tasks.
A democratic leader acts only as a guide and directs the team members where it becomes
necessary.

A greater degree of team autonomy, empowerment is given and as a result higher satisfaction,
mutual trust and performance is seen.

Research has found that this leadership style is one of the most effective and creates higher
productivity, better contributions from group members, and increased group morale. Democratic
leadership can lead to better ideas and more creative solutions to problems because group
members are encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas. While democratic leadership is one of
the most effective leadership styles, it does have some potential downsides. In situations where
roles are unclear or time is of the essence, democratic leadership can lead to communication
failures and uncompleted projects. Democratic leadership works best in situations where group
members are skilled and eager to share their knowledge. It is also important to have plenty of time to
allow people to contribute, develop a plan, and then vote on the best course of action.

3. Laissez- Faire Style: Abdicative Leadership Style

Laissez- Faire is a French phrase which means “Let it be” which is used to describe a leader
who leaves his/her team members to get on with their work. This style is largely a “hands off
view” which minimize the amount of direction and face time required.

This leadership style empowers the employees to execute the task as there is only a nominal
supervision, however, it may frustrate some employees as there is no one to guide, support
and motivates them, as a result, rise of an informal leader may be seen among the team
members itself.

This is an effective style to use when:

 Followers are highly skilled, experienced, and educated.

 Followers have pride in their work and the drive to do it successfully on their own.
 Followers are experts, in situations where followers have more knowledge than the group
leader.
 Followers are trustworthy and experienced.

This leadership style has been associated with lower productivity than both autocratic and
democratic styles of leadership and with lower group member satisfaction than democratic
leadership. Some researchers have suggested that laissez-faire leadership can actually be
considered non-leadership or leadership avoidance.
 Q4: Difference between Transactional & Transformational leadership?

Ans:

Transformational leadership is a much wider concept than transactional leadership. However,

transactional leadership is the basis for transformational leadership.

Transactional leadership is based on the following assumptions:

a) Employees cede all the authority to their managers once they enter into the job contract
in return for the agreed pay. It assumes that it is the duty of the employees to perform
the tasks as asked by their managers.
b) Social system works best with clear chain of command.
c) Employees are motivated by reward and punishment.
Therefore, a transactional leader helps in motivating the team members to achieve
organizational goals by clarifying their roles & responsibilities.

Transformational leadership is based on the following assumptions:

a) People will follow a person who inspires them.

b) A person with a mission and vision can achieve great things.
c) The best way to get things done is by injecting enthusiasm & energy.

Psychologist Ronald E. Riggio identifies four elements of transformational leaders:

4Is:

 Idealized influence: Leaders hold, share and demonstrate core values and trust.

 Inspirational motivation: Leaders motivate workers by conveying confidence and a sense of purpose.

 Individualized consideration: Leaders are concerned with people's feelings and needs.
 Intellectual stimulation: Leaders provide opportunities for creativity and innovation and allow people to
learn, grow and try new things.

So, in transformational leadership style, a leader, provides more autonomy to the team
members, take their inputs continuously, instill more confidence and mutual trust in the team
members thereby generating more level of satisfaction (both personal & job satisfaction) &
enthusiasm among the team members.

Therefore, transformational leadership builds on the top of transactional leadership and

produces level of follower effort and performance that go beyond what would have produced
with a transactional approach alone.