What is Leading?

Leading (also called Directing) is the third basic managerial function in which it involves
Managing, Motivating and Inspiring People. It is the skill of influencing or prompting people to
work together either for a particular purpose or reason. It is required as it helps to serve
the objective of effectiveness and efficiency by changing the behavior of the employees.

Leading is considered to be the most important and challenging of all managerial activities.

 According to Richard Daft, “Leading is the use of influence to motivate employees to

achieve organizational goals". Managers must be able to supervise and create a positive
attitude towards work among the members of the organization in order to achieve your
Objectives and goals.

The functions such as Communicating, Motivating and Leadership are considered a part of the
leading processor system.

 Motivating is an essential quality for leading. Motivation is the function of the

management process of influencing people’s behavior based on the knowledge of what
channels sustain human behavior in a particular committed direction.

 Communicating is simply defined as the flow of information from one person to another.
It is the key to mobilizing your employees behind a new vision.

 Leadership is the process of influencing people so that they will perform a variety of
tasks in an effective manner. It is the process in which the managers instruct, guide and
oversee the performance of the workers to achieve predetermined goals.


Take Note:
A leader is different to a manager, since a manager is often appointed to a position of power, whereas a
leader may often emerge as the best to cope in a given situation (i.e. an employee who is very competent at
computing may well be viewed as a leader, even though he may be towards the bottom of the organizational
hierarchy).

LEADERSHIP THEORIES
What are leadership theories?
Leadership theories are schools of thought brought forward to explain how and why certain
individuals become leaders. The theories emphasize the traits and behaviors that individuals can
adopt to boost their own leadership abilities. There are five main or key Theories.

1. Great Man Theory

According to the Great Man Theory (which is also called the Great Person Theory),
leaders are born with just the right traits and abilities for leading such as charisma,
intellect, confidence, communication skills, and social skills.
 The theory suggests that the ability to lead is inherent – that the best leaders are born,
not made. It defines leaders as valiant, mythic, and ordained to rise to leadership when
the situation arises. The term “Great Man” was adopted at the time because leadership
was reserved for males, particularly in military leadership.

2. Trait Theory
The Trait Theory is very similar to the Great Man Theory. It is founded on the
characteristics of different leaders – both the successful and unsuccessful ones. The
theory is used to predict effective leadership. Usually, the identified characteristics are
compared to those of potential leaders to determine their likelihood of leading
effectively.
Scholars researching the trait theory try to identify leadership characteristics from
different perspectives. They focus on the physiological attributes such as appearance,
weight, and height; demographics such as age, education, and familial background; and
intelligence, which encompasses decisiveness, judgment, and knowledge.

3. Contingency Theory
The Contingency Theory emphasizes different variables in a specific setting that
determine the style of leadership best suited for the said situation. It is founded on the
principle that no one leadership style is applicable to all situations.

Renowned leadership researchers Hodgson and White believe that the best form of
leadership is one that finds the perfect balance between behaviors, needs, and context.
Good leaders not only possess the right qualities but they’re also able to evaluate the
needs of their followers and the situation at hand. In summary, the contingency theory
suggests that great leadership is a combination of many key variables.

4. Situational Theory
The Situational Theory is similar to the Contingency Theory as it also proposes that not
one leadership style supersedes others. As its name suggests, the theory implies that
leadership depends on the situation at hand. Put simply, leaders should always match
their leadership to the respective situation by assessing certain variables such as the
type of task, nature of followers, and more.

According to situational theory, a leader exercises a particular form of leadership based

on the maturity level of his or her team.

5. Behavioral Theory
 In Behavioral Theory, the focus is on the specific behaviors and actions of leaders rather
than their traits or characteristics. The theory suggests that effective leadership is the
result of many learned skills.

Individuals need three primary skills to lead their followers – technical, human, and
conceptual skills. Technical skills refer to a leader’s knowledge of the process or
technique; human skills means that one is able to interact with other individuals; while
conceptual skills enable the leader to come up with ideas for running the organization
or society smoothly

“Efficient managers need to be effective leaders.”

Since leadership implies fellowship, managers must first understand their subordinates'
personalities, values, attitudes, and emotions. If managers are effective leaders, their
subordinates will be enthusiastic about exerting effort toward the attainment of organizational
objectives.

References:
https://www.cleverism.com/functions-of-management-planning-organizing-staffing/
https://smallbusiness.chron.com/four-basic-functions-make-up-management-process-23852.htm
https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitstream/handle/10919/70961/Chapter%207%20Management%20and%20L
eadership.pdf?sequence=12&isAllowed=yl
https://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/business-studies/management-leadership-motivation-and-
communication/revise-it/leadership
https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/careers/soft-skills/leadership-
theories/https://iedunote.com/function-of-management-process
https://www.cleverism.com/functions-of-management-planning-organizing-staffing/