The Measure of a Leader: A Review of Theories About Leadership and a Methodology for Appraising Leader Effectiveness

What makes a great leader? Personality? A response to the demands of time and circumstance? Where is leadership located in modern organizations? Has it a place in the management of corporate enterprise? What contributes to a leader's control? These and many other questions are explores in the theoretical background of this work. An examination of twentieth century theories about the sources of personal powers, the social forces that enabled it, the psychological roots of leader relationships, the ingredients of leader style and quality, and the conduct identified as a leader behaviors is directed at identifying the measurable elements of this social phenomenon.

Three chapters document experimental attempts to analyse leader performance, recognizing form, style, and quality in quantifiable detail. The use of descriptive questionnaires as means of labeling leader performance and quantifying its characteristics provides definitive insights into the nature of this social phenomenon.

Finally a unique system for leader appraisal, the Leader Appraisal Questionnaire (LAQ), based upon sound theoretical principles and twenty years of experimental research with the questionnaire methodology, is detailed. This novel system, adaptable to all kinds of organizations and enterprises, provides a unique tool for leadership evaluation and development. Given that leadership is a primary consideration in all kinds o organizational pursuits, this book is a must for every major institutional ans corporate executive office, every government administration, institutions of higher learning and research, and any person who wishes to undertake and make success of a group enterprise.

Robert Mann's engagement with leadership issues was a prime element in his career as a school teacher, secondary school principal, trainer of educational leaders, superintendent of schools, university professor, and consultant in organizational development. Augmenting this career was election to local government for twelve terms. Such involvement stimulated the writing of this book.