The power of we :
LEADERSHIP
The power of we :
How mutual efforts shape leadership and success
By Masenyane Molefe , PPS Group HR Executive
T
hroughout history , the concept of leadership has captivated scholars and practitioners alike . But what exactly is leadership ? Is it an innate gift or can it be acquired through learning and experience ? Does leadership solely depend on the individual ’ s personality or is there something more complex at play ? Furthermore , the dynamics within teams play a critical role , but how ? And how does working together towards a shared goal shape the leaders and their teams and determine their success ?
To answer these questions , one needs to look back in history and examine how our understanding of leadership has evolved .
FROM ‘ GREAT MEN ’ TO CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENTS
One of the first leadership theories is the Great Man Theory dating back to the Napoleonic Wars in the 1800s . According to Thomas Carlyle , the historian who came up with this theory , the world ’ s history is shaped by extraordinary leaders – or simply put : “ by great men ” ( a theory many women , I believe , will have a different opinion on today ). He also stated that these “ great men ” – specifically , leaders such as Abraham Lincoln , Julius Ceasar , Alexander the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte – were “ simply born ” with these leadership traits , which he believed could not be developed .
This theory then evolved into the Trait Theory in the mid-1800s , which argues that leaders can be born or made . It also identifies the “ typical traits ” of successful leaders and whether these can be inherited or learned . It identifies traits like motivation , energy , dominance , integrity and charisma as typical of leaders .
In the 1900s , the focus again shifted , this time away from “ just having traits ” and more on how leaders behaved and interacted with their followers . This led to the Behavioural Era of leadership theories – very much led by research from Ohio State University and the University of Michigan in the US .
But as we all know , leadership is not only about traits or behaviours , it is also about the context in which an individual finds themselves . Developed by Dr Paul Hersey , author of The Situational Leader , and Kenneth Blanchard , author of One-Minute Manager in the late 1960s , the Situational Theory introduced the concept that leadership effectiveness is context-dependent .
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