Define Leader and Leadership and explain why managers should be leaders - Essay Example

DEFINING LEADER AND LEADERSHIP and LEADER AND LEADERSHIP Leadership and management play fundamental roles in today’s world. As a concept and a practice, leadership can be defined in different ways.in one way, leadership denotes the position held by an individual, for which that individual is responsible for the activities and operations that fall within his or her docket. In a more detailed perspective, leadership encompasses more than just occupying a given team or organizational position. Performance is central as far as leadership is concerned.

Functional, effective, and successful leadership builds and maintains both transactional and transformational practices (Kuckartz, 2010).Leaders are the actual players behind leadership and all the activities and operations that come with it. A leader is a visionary, strategic, goal-oriented, and value-driven individual who sets the pace for his or her followers and goes a step further to guide them through that pace. Naturally, leaders avoid conflicts while executing their mandate, or effectively manage and control disputes or conflicts whenever they arise (Kuckartz, 2010).

It is important for managers to be leaders. This is because management and leadership are fundamentally intertwined. The administrative duties and responsibilities of a manager are more effective and efficient when leadership principles are incorporated in management. In this respect, managers ought to practice their authority within transactional and transformational aspects (Armstrong, 2011). In so doing, they manage the organization and lead their followers at the same time.ReferencesArmstrong, M. (2011). How to Be an Even Better Manager, London: Kogan Page.

Kuckartz, R. (2010). Transformational and Transactional Leadership, London: LAP Lambert Publishers.