Have you ever heard, “His leadership is due to his innate ability, which is very difficult to imitate…”?
Is it really true?
There are two hypotheses when considering “What is leadership?”
A : Leadership qualities are innate (leadership trait theory)
B : Leadership qualities can be learned through experience (negation of the trait theory)
Now, which do you choose?
Since the modern era, many intellectuals and scholars have studied leadership in order to establish it as a theory. Based on this, hypothesis A was the mainstream view until around 1940.
Based on the “image of a good leader” that has been portrayed in history books and other literature, this leadership is based on the viewpoint that leaders are not created, but are attributed to the abilities that they originally possess. Therefore, today, it is accepted as “separate from theory.
A charismatic corporate executive is a human being. However, people tend to imagine that the total personality of a “successful person” is wonderful. And they respect them. As a result, their leadership figures may also be portrayed as “biographies of great people” with a hero/heroine-like overall view.
Therefore, regarding the two hypotheses, I would say that viewpoint B is the better of the two.
The study of leadership as a theory is progressing. After the “trait theory,” it has undergone the following evolution.
Leadership Behavior Theory : 1940s-1960s
↓
Leadership Conditional Conformance Theory : 1960s-1970s
↓
Transformational Leadership Theory : 1980’s and beyond
Transformational Leadership Theory is a leadership that takes the VUCA era head-on.
It is based on the principle that in order to adapt to a drastically changing environment and to survive, companies must demonstrate resilience and continue to transform themselves.
コーチング情報局を運営する株式会社コーチビジネス研究所では、企業を対象としたコーチング研修、ビジネスパーソンを対象としたビジネスコーチング、個人の方を対象としたライフコーチングを提供しております。その他、コーチングを学びたい方のためのコーチングスクールの運営、経営者やビジネスリーダー向けにセミナーを開催しています。興味や関心がございましたら、お気軽にご相談・お問い合わせください。
This article was written in Japanese and converted into English using a translation tool. We hope you will forgive us for any inadequacies.
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