Leadership theories have significantly evolved over time. The early belief that leaders were “born, not made” has been dismissed as research failed to support it. Instead, studies started focusing on what leaders do, leading to the categorization of leadership behaviors and the recognition that leadership skills could be trained.
Fred Fiedler (1967) introduced a situational approach, emphasizing adaptability in leadership. Further studies, like those of Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus (1985), and Kouzes and Posner (1987), advocated transformational leadership and offered models outlining key leadership practices.
Common themes across leadership theories include the potential for leadership in everyone, the importance of a leader’s values, a leader’s role as an organization’s steward, transformational influence, team participation, empowerment, shared authority, and competency-based leadership.
Leadership Competencies
Competency-based leadership models allow organizations to identify potential leaders and cultivate their skills. Key leadership competencies are classified under three categories: leading the organization, leading the self, and leading others. These involve skills like managing change, making decisions, influencing, strategizing, demonstrating ethics, self-management, adaptability, effective communication, and team management.
Global Leadership
With globalization, leadership competencies needed to expand to address unique challenges such as managing diverse groups, adapting to new cultures, and handling different business pressures. Key global leadership competencies include developing a global mindset, cross-cultural communication, cultural respect, flexibility, resilience, and integrity. Successful global leaders often exhibit these skills, suggesting that they contribute significantly to success in a global environment.
