Lesson One: History and Definition of Leadership

• “The history of the world is about the biography of great men.”– Thomas Carlyle

• “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”– Lao Tzu

• Our goal this semester is to improve your ability to fish-or improve your personal leadership skills!

What is Leadership?• People who research leadership actually

disagree more than expected about what it really is.

• Leadership is a complex discipline involving a leader, the followers and the situation.

• For our purposes in class, leadership is: the demonstrated ability to influence others towards a goal.

• A goal can be a task, objective or mission.

1. Why is understanding the history of leadership

important?A. To understand how and

why events and societal development happened.

B. To look at the past based on culture and the structure of a society.– It’s important to seek to

learn from the lessons of the past.

– And also to apply what is most applicable.

2. When did leadership begin?

Leadership has been studied since the earliest civilizations.– Humans have ALWAYS

organized themselves with some type of structure.• Mayans & Aztecs•Great Wall of China•Moses and Hebrews•Ancient Pygmy societies.

3. How did leadership begin?

A. Having an effective leader was critical for survival for early civilizations.– Tribes and nomadic groups.

B. The qualifications were based on skill, strength, size, agility, knowledge.– Leaders were usually male.– This existed since the

beginning of mankind.

4. What are the three historical types of

leadership?A. Leader-centric.

– more of a fixture- kings and queens.

– they were born into this role.– men were primary in control

of government, business, and family units.

– Citizens simply followed directions caused segregation of social classes.

Leader-centric

• According to ancient legend, God held royal families in favor.

• Because of this, they believed that the most capable leaders would be the children of these leaders.

• This happened mostly in Biblical, Dark Ages and Renaissance times.

• Blood lines do not always make good leaders though.

B. Follower-centric.– During the industrial

revolution, there was more technology, and therefore, more workers were needed.

– Before, workers only followed what the leaders said. With the need to produce more, workers wanted to regain the control the felt they deserved.

– By late 1800s, psychologists and sociologist began to present ideas to increase worker productivity and boost revenue.

Follower-centric– Many leaders were unwilling to give up

total control and give power to their followers.

– Leaders discovered that increasing the responsibility of workers did in fact increase productivity.

– A study done in the 1920s proved that when supervisors gave personal attention to workers, job satisfaction increased. This changed the way leaders focused! They involved the people who worked for them!

C. Situational-centric.– By the 1970s, a

growing workforce was turning leadership over to groups, committees, and key employees.

– Instinct was used as part of the leadership process. It was no longer a pattern.

Situational-centric– Leadership changed into a focus on

flexibility and recognized that leadership can be seen and described with many different models in mind.

– Leaders began to realize that one specific way is not always the best way to lead all the time.

Defining Leadership

“Lives of great men all remind us, we make our lives sublime. And, departing, leave behind us, footprints in the sands of time.”-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

5. What is leadership?A. Leadership is a complex

discipline.B. The best way to study leadership

is by looking at popular and most accepted definitions by well-known leaders.

C. Various definitions help appreciate a multitude of factors that affect leadership.

D. There is No one, single “correct” definition for leadership.

E. Our definition: Demonstrated ability to influence others toward a goal.”

6. Is leadership a science or an art?

A. Leadership is a field of scholarly inquiry, as well as an art.

B. There are approximately 8,000 cited studies on leadership.

C. You do not have to be an expert to be a good leader. Studying the research will help in giving leaders insight.

D. “Results” & “Effectiveness” describe impact of leadership.

7. Leadership vs. Management—A

Difference?A. Many distinctions between managers and leaders.

B. “Management” suggests words like efficiency, process, regulations

C. “Leadership” suggests words like risk, creativity, vision

D. Leadership: “Doing the right things” vs. Management: “Doing things right.”

• Leaders can be managers, and managers can become good leaders. It is the difference between the Shepherds and sheepherders.

• Here is a quick excerpt of a leader talking about shepherds and sheepherders.

• “One thing I remember best about Provo Canyon is the experience encountered when driving around a bend near Vivian Park—to meet on the road a large herd of sheep. Have you ever seen a sheepherder in one of our western mountain canyons directing the sheep? He is usually at the rear of the flock, slouched down on his horse, sound asleep. And doing the work are half a dozen small dogs yapping and barking at the heels of the sheep. He is a sheepherder. “A few months ago in Munich, Germany, I saw a true shepherd. There he was with staff in hand, singing, walking in front of his flock; and the flock followed behind him. When he turned to the left, the sheep turned to the left; when he went to the right, they went to the right. There were no dogs barking at the heels of his sheep. They indeed knew their shepherd and were following the pathway he took.” Now, what was the difference between the shepherd and the sheepherder? It was leadership! And how does that difference apply, and why is it so important to you? Because you, my friend, are a leader! (Monson, Thomas. Pathways to Perfection, p. 93.)

8. Are leaders born or made?A. You develop into a leader by

acquiring traits, attributes, and experiences over a period of time.

B. Good leaders are made, not born! If they have the desire and willpower, skills and attitudes of being an effective leader can be acquired.-The best leaders are continually working and studying to improve their leadership skills.-Consider “Leadership” as a “Work in Progress.”