Leadership: Developing Leaders and Organizations

According to a survey of over 1,200 public- and private-sector leaders, many new factors are reshaping present and future world leaders. Leaders are developed, not born, through experience and present situation characteristics. The test of leadership occurs during changing situations when risks must be taken. Leadership is an ongoing process of decision making, motivation, and innovation. Leaders do more than manage situations and people; they utilize them to meet challenges. Leaders also recognize the importance of coworkers and involve them in decision making. Instilling leadership qualities into the members of an organization so that they continue and flourish is another characteristic of a leader. The new influences of requirements, relationships, and resources are changing leadership. Developing leaders is an ongoing process and involves five stages: temporal leadership, transactional leadership, transitional leadership, transformational leadership, and total leadership. Each of these stages is defined and discussed in this article. (JPT)