Leadership is a topic that never fails to stir the imagination, and consequently get people’s attention. There are very few management concepts with as many meanings as leadership, or as value-laden for that matter. Everyone has a theory about what the concept entails and what leaders are, or ought to be like. The quest to define this nebulous term has been going on for centuries. In the leadership course that I teach, I refer to the definition as the “Holy Grail” of management. The never-ending search is fuelled by the notion that if we could only identify the essence of leadership we might be able to identify those who have leadership qualities or potential and have them lead us the right way. Alas, that may never happen. Leadership, you see, remains a concept that is as elusive as love, God, evil, etc. (ok, that’s probably too philosophical).

The above paragraph is meant to draw your attention to a very important point. You already had an idea about what leadership was, even before you read the chapter. Of course you are entitled to that opinion, and your opinion is as valid as anyone else’s - I suppose. However, don’t let those opinions interfere with your approach to learning more about leadership, or learning it the OB-approved way. You will not be tested on your opinions about leadership. Instead, you will be tested on the material in the chapter. There’s a big difference between the two. There’s probably no other chapter in the text where your preconceived ideas are more likely to hamper your academic performance than this one. Those are my words of wisdom, based on over 20 years teaching this stuff at various universities. – heed the advice, if you want to do well.