A leader is a phenomenon that has been following human society since ancient times. Any society needs a leader to give the system an orderly look and maintain its integrity. He has a specific set of qualities that distinguishes him from an ordinary individual.
Leadership exists in any society and is its constant attribute. A leader is a person for whom this community recognizes the right to make the most significant decisions.
Political Leadership Approaches
Leadership exists in any society and is its constant attribute. A leader is a person for whom a given company recognizes the right to make the most significant decisions.
Interest in leadership was shown by ancient historians. They paid dominant attention to political leaders, seeing them as creators of history. In the Middle Ages, the idea of God's chosen leader dominated.
Nietzsche made a great contribution, who formulated two theses, which were further developed in political psychology. The first thesis concerns the nature of leadership as an irrational, instinctive force linking a leader and followers. The second - ascribes to a person outstanding qualities that turn him into a superman. Subsequently, many psychologists insisted on the irrational origins of political leadership.
The first holistic concepts of political leadership were formulated in the late 19th - early 20th centuries. Regarding the essence of political leadership, there are different opinions among scientists, depending on the alignment of emphasis on a particular leadership factor. There are points of view according to which leadership is classified as a kind of power. Others understand leadership as managerial status related to decision making. Political leadership is also considered as entrepreneurship in which leaders in the competition exchange their programs for leadership positions.
Formal and Informal Leadership
Two types of leadership are distinguished: this is “face-to-face leadership” carried out in small groups, and “distant leadership” or leadership of leaders. In the first case, all participants in the process have the opportunity to directly interact with each other, and in the second they may not be personally acquainted. In the second case, an indispensable attribute of a leader is the institutionalization of his role, i.e. he must occupy some kind of power position. Thus, his personal qualities may fade into the background, especially if the power position is not elective. But informal leadership in the group reflects the willingness and ability to perform leadership functions, as well as recognition of him and the right to leadership on the part of members of society.
Typology of Political Leaders
There are various approaches to the classification of leaders. The most famous was the theory of M. Weber, who singled out traditional, charismatic and bureaucratic leadership. Traditional leadership is characteristic of patriarchal societies. It is based on the habits of submission to the leader, the monarch, etc. Legal leadership is impersonal leadership. In this case, the leader only performs its functions. Charismatic leadership of the personal qualities of a leader and his ability to unite people and lead them along.
Leadership can be authoritarian or democratic in terms of decision-making style. By the nature of the activity, leadership can be universal and situational when leadership qualities are manifested in a certain external environment. Leaders can be classified as a leader-reformer, revolutionary, realist, romance, pragmatist and ideologist, etc.
Theory of personality traits of a leader
The most common theories of political leadership are theories of personality traits, situational and situational-personal theories. "Trait Theories" arose under the influence of the biologist F. Galton, who explained leadership on the basis of heredity. This theory considers the political leader as a carrier of aristocratic qualities that elevate him above other people and allow him to occupy an appropriate position in power.
Proponents of the approach believed that observing a leader would determine a universal list of qualities and ensure the identification of potential leaders. American scientists (E. Bogdarus, C. Byrd, E. Vyatr, R. Strogill and others) identified dozens of leadership qualities: mind, will, initiative, sociability, sense of humor, enthusiasm, confidence, organizational skills, friendliness, etc. By time, the traits identified by researchers began to coincide with the general set of psychological and social qualities. However, many great leaders did not have all the qualities of this set.
Situational Theory of Leadership
A situational theory of leadership has emerged to address the drawbacks of trait theory. According to her, leadership is a product of the current situation. In various situations, individual people stand out who are superior to others in their inherent sets of qualities. Those. the fact that a person becomes a leader is associated only with external factors, and not his personal qualities.
