Foundations
Leadership
A process in which a person influences others to achieve a common goal together. In the Gospel perspective - giving direction, developing people, making decisions and building a culture grounded in service.
Christian leadership
An understanding of leadership rooted in the Gospel: authority as service, the leader as shepherd and steward, leadership grounded in character, community and accountability before God.
Leadership and management
Management copes with complexity - it plans, organises and controls. Leadership copes with change - it sets direction, aligns people and motivates. An organisation needs both.
Trait theory
The oldest approach in leadership research, looking for traits that distinguish leaders from others. From the “great man” theory to contemporary personality research.
Behavioural approach
A research stream from the 1940s-60s that studied leaders' behaviour instead of traits. It identified two basic dimensions: task orientation and people orientation.
Power and influence
The sources from which a leader draws the ability to influence others. French and Raven's classic typology distinguishes reward, coercive, legitimate, expert, referent and informational power.
Followership
The other side of leadership: the active and responsible role of those who are led. Robert Kelley showed that a good follower is not a passively obedient executor but an engaged, critically thinking partner.