During the height of the economic crisis in United States, the financial collapse few years ago, and the millions of people lost jobs, leaderships in all types of organization – large or small business alike - have been tested and questioned. The concern about moral leadership issues has been the core issue of growing numbers of firm that are in trouble. Enron, Merrill Lynch, Bear Stern and International American Group (AIG) are few examples of companies that are in the list of firms that had highly questionable leaderships.
Leaderships in the government and politics have also gained too much attention and scrutiny based on their behaviors and handing of the crisis.
For the past few years, people have developed deep doubts and distrust in leaders both public and business. As we go through with this recession, new kind of leaders in business, in politics and government will emerge and needed for the twenty first century.
This paper reviews several articles about leadership styles. I will be exploring four general types of leaderships, namely; Authentic, Servant, Spiritual and Ethical and I will also describe several personalities and companies that use these styles of leadership.
Authentic Leadership: Leading in your own style
In 2003, Bill George’s book, Authentic Leadership: “Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value” challenged a new generation to lead authentically. Authentic leaders demonstrate vision and passion for their purpose, practice their values in a consistent basis, and lead with their hearts as well as their brain. They establish long-term, meaningful relationships with people and have the self-discipline to get results.
Authentic leaders know themselves, they are genuine, not trying to be someone else, and willing to do the right thing - even it is difficult and not popular. When President Obama put his party and his own political future on the line to defend and passed the new health care law while the United States is
References: Schermerhorn, John R.. Organizational Behavior, 12th Edition. John Wiley & Sons, 11/2011. . McCann, M. (2012). Spiritual leadership for management and activities. Mcknight 's Long-Term Care News, 33(7), 34-35. Claudel, P. (2012). The ethical leader. Training Journal, 32-35. Smith, D. (2012). AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP. Smart Business Cleveland, 24(2), 12. Four Styles of Leadership http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/1102/opinions-rich-karlgaard-digital-rules.html Ethical Leadership: An Operating Manual; By Dov Seidman on December 17, 2010 http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/dec2010/ca20101215_957125.htm Discovering Your Authentic Leadership; by Bill George, Peter Sims, Andrew N. McLean, and Diana Mayer http://hbr.org/2007/02/discovering-your-authentic-leadership/ar/1