by Patricia Hanrahan

Created on: March 27, 2009   Last Updated: March 28, 2009

What is leadership? How is it different from management?

While it would seem that leadership should be relatively simple to describe, it is not. We know it when we see it, but what exactly is "it"? We see the external behavior and can study the traits that leaders have in common, but what is it that allows some to succeed while others flounder repeatedly?

Some have speculated that leadership is something that you either have or you don't, yet studies of leaders have shown that even the most talented go through a development process. There are no natural leaders. Everyone must work at some aspect of leadership. Potential leaders possess a diversity of traits and experiences that they must come to understand, compensating for their weaknesses and developing their strengths. It is also important to realize that those who lead effectively in one context may be ineffective in another, so understanding situations and people is a necessary element as well. Leadership does not occur naturally. If you aspire to be an effective leader, you must study leadership and leaders; you must greatly increase your understanding of yourself and others; and you must constantly strive to develop yourself and your leadership ability.

Since the middle of the 20th century, researchers and practitioners of leadership have sought to understand the nature of leadership, in particular the traits, skills, practices, and development of effective leaders. In an age of rapid change and increasing complexity, along with a diminishing trust in top level leaders, the need for engagement around the tenants of effective leadership has surged. J Thomas Wren proposes that the study of leadership must be a part of the broader context that comprises investigation of all human behavior, approaching leadership as the province of the many rather than of a few top executives. Indeed, much of the literature surrounding leadership applies its concepts to lower and middle managers. Wren defines leadership as "an interactive process in which leaders and followers engage in mutual interaction in a complex environment to achieve mutual goals." He further explains that "vitality at middle and lower levels of leadership can produce a greater vitality in the higher levels of leadership." G...Yukl and P. G.... Northouse concur with the idea that leadership is a process for achieving common goals, adding that this process involves influencing others. Still others have added to this definition the environmental context

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