Term Paper on "Nature of Leadership by John Antonakis Anna T. Cianciolo and Robert J. Sternberg"

Term Paper 4 pages (1242 words) Sources: 1 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Nature of Leadership written by John Antonakis, Anna T. Cianciolo, and Robert J. Sternberg. Specifically it will contain a book review that addresses the major themes, concepts, and critiques (positive or negative) as they pertain to public administration, policy, and/or decision-making. "The Nature of Leadership" defines and enhances the roles of leaders in society, and gives some excellent examples of key leadership development. This is not a light reading "self-help" volume; it is a serious look at leadership and its place in the modern workplace.

Early in this leadership text, the authors define leadership and its history. They write, "The study of leadership rivals in age the emergence of civilization, which shaped its leaders as much as it was shaped by them" (Antonakis, Cianciolo, and Sternberg 3).

The text covers a short history of leadership, including several different schools of leadership that have developed and evolved throughout the last few decades. This is a reference book, rather than a quick-fix type of self-help book and it is more scholarly in its nature. It is the kind of book a leader might keep on a reference shelf, to turn to during times of difficulty or simply for inspiration. It is not a simple read, but the information it contains is worth the effort of concentration and comprehension.

It is important to note that the terms "leadership" and "management" are not interchangeable. In fact, the authors tend to agree that leadership is one of the roles of a manager, but they are not the same. Essentially, they believe managers help make their operations run more smoothly, while leaders produce change (Antonakis, Cianciolo, and Sternberg 27). This is important for just about every sector of business and industry, because change is the most constant aspect of any successful enterprise. It must be able to recognize change and adapt to it to remain successful in a changing marketplace, and this applies to public administration, as well, since there is always change in the dynamics of the public sector, from budgeting to growth, as well.

Perhaps one of the most interesting and helpful areas of this book are the sections which define the characteristics of a leader. The authors discuss the new wave of personality testing, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), to define the personality of a leader, but they also discuss other characteristics throughout the book, helping the reader to define a leader's characteristics while analyzing if they embody those characteristics, as well. The four characteristics they define as the most important are 1)Emotional maturity, 2) Integrity, 3) Cognitive ability, intelligence, and social intelligence, and 4) Task-relevant knowledge (Antonakis, Cianciolo, and Sternberg 33). All of these characteristics are clearly visible in many of the world's most well-known and admired leaders, and they exist in America's corporate leadership, as well. They all make sense, but sometimes it is easier to identify with characteristics and information when it is presented in black and white like this, which is one of the things that makes this book valuable for anyone who aspires to a leadership role in business or society.

This book is especially insightful for the public administration leader, because the roles of leaders in this field, while always challenging, seem to be reforming themselves in the current landscape of leadership. The book notes, "[N]umerous leaders' jobs, in a wide range of organizations, have broadened to cover, among many other things, services to subordinates, forming cross-functional teams, shaping organizational and sub-unit strategy, and helping clients in the field" (Antonakis, Cianciolo, and Sternberg 21). This is especially true of many public administration agencies today, who are facing budget shortfalls due to lower revenues, and must essentially "do more with less," including many of their… READ MORE

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