Question Details

Who do you see as having a successful leadership style? Why do you consider him or her a successful leader? What management and leadership theories does this person use? Provide an example of a historical figure or someone you know.
Review the results of your Leadership and Team Self-Management Assessment. How does your leadership style compare to the successful leader you identified? What traits does the successful leader have that you need to develop? What strengths do you have from which your example leader could benefit? 

MACHIAVELLI: NARCISSIST THEORY (1530)
Although leadership has been discussed from the earliest times, one of the first formal documents written about leadership and organizational structure was Niccolo Machiavelli- The Prince (1527). Machiavelli suggested that the qualities of a good leader were to be malevolent and feared. The major theme of Machiavelli- work was “The end justifies the means.” Although behavioral discussions are presented in Machiavelli- work, the overtones of trait and great man approaches are clear throughout his book. At the same time, the lack of consideration of consequences and the inherent immorality of his strategies should be apparent. Strengths of this work are its pragmatic approach, which served as fodder for political science thought; its weaknesses are the cynical nature of the discussions. Also, the focus on leaders’ use of fear as a motivational tool is clearly suspect.