Leadership is a person or group of people who have taken a position to assist others through motivation, good decision making, and a strong commitment to promoting change. Leaders are considered one of the keys to successful management of organizations and businesses. An effective leader sets clear direction, sets goals, empowers their team for success, and leads by example. Leadership and motivation styles vary between individuals, it is essential that managers know and understand leadership, and in particular how leadership impacts countries and the workplace. However, followers are equally important, without followers there would be no leaders. Leadership has changed a lot over time. Historical views of leadership differ radically from views of modern times. In the past, leaders were seen as powerful and authoritative. Historical leaders were usually dictators, kings, prophets, or priests. They were not just any people and no one could learn to be a leader, it was an innate characteristic. Almost all historical leaders were also men. They were rulers and used force and manipulation to assert their reasons and convince individuals to follow them. Historically leadership began with the trait approach. This approach is what led to the theory that leaders are born and never made. Another name for this approach is the great man theory. Much of the research on the trait approach was conducted in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. This theory does not consider the impact that situations can have on leadership, but only traits. There were no empirical results from the trait approach, so the research ended in the 1950s (Barnett, 2003). Modern leaders are very much about… middle of paper… Leadership. (n.d.). Retrieved June 1, 2010, from Changing Minds: http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/theories/great_man_theory.htm and http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/theories/contingency_theory.htmDuBrin, A. J. (2004). Applying psychology: Individual and organizational effectiveness (6th ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall Gardner, J. W. (1995). Leaders and followers. In J. T. Wren, The Leaders Companion (pp. 185-188). New York, NY: The Free Press. Kelley, R. E. (1995). Praise from followers. In J. T. Wren, The Leaders Companion (pp. 193-204). New York, NY: The Free Press. Mohr, B. (2000, January). Leadership: genetic or learned. Program Manager .Pascale, R. (1990). Manage to the limit. Penguin Books.Resnick, H.S. (2003, January 3). Can leadership be developed, learned? Jacksonville Business Journal, pp. 11-13.