Leadership

1. Leadership
Leadership is the ability to persuade others to seek
defined objectives enthusiastically.
Nature of Leadership: Leadership is the part of mgt. or
managership. Strong leaders can be weak manger because
they are weak in planning, organising and controlling. Yet
he is acceptable as he is able to get their group going.
The reverse is also possible. A manager can be a
weak leader and still be an acceptable manager. In fact he
should be an excellent manager having reasonably high
leadership ability.
Leadership Behaviour: Successful leadership depends
on acts(behaviour) not on personal traits. Successful
leadership require behaviour that unites and stimulates
followers towards defined objectives in specific situations.
All the three elements-leader, followers and situation
are variables that affect each other in determining
appropriate leadership behaviour. It is evident that
leadership is situational. In one situation, action A will be
the best cluster but in other situation action B will be the
best cluster. An attempt to have a common standard of
leadership for all situationsn is futile and if it is found out
it will suppress creative difference (Individual difference)
and will had no inefficiency as well.
Leadership is the part of a complex social system, so there
is no single answer to the riddle “what makes a leader?”
Types of Leadership:
Autocratic, Participative, & Free- Rein Leaders: A leader
uses all these styles over a period of time, but one style
tends to be dominant one. An illustration is a factory

2. manager who is normally autocratic, but he is participative
in determining vacation schedules and he is a free-rein in
selecting a department. representative for safety
committee. (1)Autocratic leader: Leadership typically is
negative based on threats and punishment but it can be
positive when autocratic leader chooses to give reward to
employee and thus becomes benevolent autocrat. Some
employee respond well to a benevolent autocrat. Since they
grow up in a culture of many authorities such as parents,
teachers, & good bureaucrat.
(2)Participative Leaders: They are consistent and with
supportive and collegial models of OB. Suggestions from
employee are solicitated.
(3)Free-Rein Leaders: They avoid power &
responsibility. He depends largely upon the group to
establish its own goals and works out its own problems.
Free-rein leadership ignores leader’s contribution in the
same way that autocratic leadership ignores the group.
The leader play only minor role.
Use of Consideration and Structure: Leaders are known as
considerate, employee oriented and positive
participative,and autocratic, task directed,( hard nosed
style). A manager who becomes more considerate does not
necessarily becomes less structured. He may have both
orientation in varying degrees. A rational combination of
both consideration & structure emphasising more on
consideration is used. If he is unable to develop
consideration, problem like turnover, stress etc are likely
to occur.