Blog 1

 

As you can see in the picture above, the man commands his troops courageously from the front. He actively shows his men how to fight for their country by facing the enemy headfirst and achieving victory through diligence and fortitude.

Although this particular example demonstrates one particular style of leadership, the history and the evolution of leadership has shown to have a multitude of very different styles of leadership. Leaders may choose to lead from the front or from behind, democratically or autocratically, marginally or vastly, traditionally or charismatically, and much more. Leaders may choose to lead differently depending on the individual situations in which they are expected to lead. Some leaders choose to lead with admiration and respect, while others choose to lead with fear and violence.

While the complete origins of leadership remain unidentified, most scholars agree that all leaders share some psychological and behavioral traits which allow them to take on special leadership roles. These traits may include motivation, temperance, dominance, and knowledge. These traits may be combined with many different styles of leadership to create collaboration and social change. Although no particular leadership style is good or bad, each style may lead to a more or less desirable outcome which determines the success of a leader. For example, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Abraham Lincoln demonstrated very different styles of leadership. However, they were both extremely successful in creating mass social change.

In conclusion, leadership has evolved immensely throughout history. Previously in America, people who held leadership positions were primarily white males (as shown in the picture above). However, through civil rights movements and positive social change, as a society we now see that people of all races, ethnicities, genders, ages, and economic standing hold leadership positions successfully.

 

Andrew J. King, Dominic D.P. Johnson, Mark Van Vugt, The Origins and Evolution of Leadership, Current Biology, Volume 19, Issue 19, 13 October 2009, Pages R911-R916, ISSN 0960-9822, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2009.07.027.

(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982209014122)