Leadership and Authority
The topic of great or not so great leaders is the stuff that floods newspapers, best selling book lists, the History Channel, social media, college courses… we talk about it alot. According to the text, authority or leadership comes down to this:
1) Authority refers to power that people accept as legitimate rather than coercive.
2) Traditional authority is power that is legitimized on the basis of long-standing custom.
3) Charismatic authority is power legitimized on the basis of a leader’s exceptional personal qualities or the demonstration of extraordinary insight and accomplishment that inspire loyalty and obedience from followers.
4) Rational–legal authority is power legitimized by law or written rules and regulations.
Discuss a leader that you admire and what has made that person effective within this context.
