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What are the qualities of an effective leader? Cite examples from current day leaders. 

            According to Hoffman, Woehr, Maldagen-Youngjohn, and Lyons (2011), there are two theories as to what makes a good leader. One of them is called the “Great Man” theory, which involves the concept that leaders are born and not made. According to this train of thought, a person possess certain trait-like qualities that contribute to their natural ability to lead. The authors identified 16 of these qualities. The other theory of what makes a good leader is the possession of state-like qualities. These are learned or acquired qualities that contribute to a person’s ability to effectively lead, and the authors identified nine of these qualities. They found that both types of leaders are effective.

Meng, Berger, Gower & Heyman, (2012) discuss important leadership characteristic. The participants in their study identified what they considered to be the three most important: effective decision-making, problem-solving, and knowledge and expertise. Two of those fall under the category of state-like qualities that Hoffman, Woehr, Maldagen-Youngjohn, and Lyons (2011) talk about. I think a person who displayed those qualities well and had a huge influence on modern technology is Steve Jobs. Many people today are benefitting from his excellent leadership skills. He was a brilliant man who led his company to the top, and Apple products are one of the leading products in terms of number of sales and best in technology.

Steyrer (1998) discusses charisma as important quality in effective leadership. Charisma is trait-like quality that is effective in winning people over and contributing to overall likability. Tom Hanks is a charismatic leader who contributes to philanthropic organizations and tells the public about certain causes involving animal rights. Tom Hanks is very well-liked, so people are willing to listen to him. Another quality that is important for effective leadership is communication (de Vries, Bakker-Pieper & Oostenveld, 2010). The ability to communicate well is crucial in order to get people to listen to you. Andy Stanley is a well-known pastor that leads a mega-church in metro-Atlanta. His church has created church plants all over the Southeast. He is popular because of his amazing ability to communicate. I think it is hard to pin down a few specific qualities as being the most important. I think that all of the qualities mentioned in the article by Hoffman, Woehr, Maldagen-Youngjohn, and Lyons are important; I think it just depends on the type of leader.

References:

de Vries, R. E., Bakker-Pieper, A., & Oostenveld, W. (2010). Leadership = communication? the relations of leaders’ communication styles with leadership styles, knowledge sharing and leadership outcomes .Journal of Business and Psychology, 25(3), 367-380.

Hoffman, B. J., Woehr, D. J., Maldagen--‐ Youngjohn, R., & Lyons, B. D. (2011). Great man or great myth? A quantitative review of the relationship between individual differences and leader effectiveness. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 84(2), 347--‐381. Doi: 10.1348/096317909X485207

Meng, J., Berger, B. K., Gower, K. K., & Heyman, W. C. (2012). A test of excellent leadership in public relations: Key qualities, valuable sources, and distinctive leadership perceptions. Journal of Public Relations Research, 24(1), 18-36.

Steyrer, J. (1998). Charisma and the archetypes of leadership. Organizational Studies, 19(5), 807-828.