BH3319 Theory and Practice of Leadership
Five Principles of a Sustainably Effective
Leadership Philosophy
Candidate No: 879088
Word Count: 3260
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Candidate No: 879088
This inquiry is set out to define the components that make up an effective leader, whilst taking into account different situational contexts. The concept of leadership has proven highly ambiguous, where countless definitions have tried to pinpoint exactly what makes up an effective leader. The following definition has been chosen as it reflects the overall stance of the inquiry:
“Leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal” (Kruse, 2013). Following this definition, an attempt has been made to develop five principles that contribute to the philosophy of effective leadership. The five principles in question are: cognitive ability, social intelligence, personal integrity, changeoriented behaviour, and inspirational motivation.
A critical stand towards the romanticising of leadership will be taken in this inquiry. First introduced by Meindl J. R. et al., 1995. In the past, the importance has been placed on leaders in the leadership process, as opposed to an emphasis on followers and situation. This meant that the outcome – be it failure or success – was attributed to that of the leader. An attempt will be made to combine principles that speak to all aspects of the leadership process – and explain why it is important to take a holistic view when defining effective leadership; because after all, effective leadership is in the eyes of the beholder, not in the eyes of the leader.
The study of leadership occupies a central position within the landscape of social science, the concept itself has proven problematic for both practitioners and scholars (Hogan and Kaiser,
2005). Research into leadership began with the trait paradigm by Galton (1869), who defined extraordinary intelligence as one of the key leader
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