Introduction to Leadership: Concepts and Practice

by Peter G. Northouse

Overview

New chapter on Working with Groups!

The Sixth Edition of Peter G. Northouse′s best-selling Introduction to Leadership: Concepts and Practice provides readers with a clear, concise overview of the complexities of practicing leadership and concrete strategies for becoming better leaders. The text is organized around key leader responsibilities such as creating a vision, engaging strengths, and managing conflict. Case studies, self-assessment questionnaires, observational exercises, and reflection and action worksheets allow readers to apply leadership concepts to their own lives.

Grounded in leadership theory and the latest research, the fully updated, highly practical new edition includes a new chapter on working with groups, 2 new cases, and 6 new Leadership Snapshots.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781071884959
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	11/09/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	408
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

Peter G. Northouse, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Communication in the School of Communication at Western Michigan University. Leadership: Theory and Practice is the best-selling academic textbook on leadership in the world and has been translated into 15 languages. In addition to authoring publications in professional journals, he is the author of Introduction to Leadership: Concepts and Practice (now in its sixth edition) and co-author of Leadership Case Studies in Education (now in its fourth edition) and Health Communication: Strategies for Health Professionals (now in its third edition). His scholarly and curricular interests include models of leadership, leadership assessment, ethical leadership, and leadership and group dynamics. For more than 40 years, he has taught courses in leadership, interpersonal communication, and organizational communication on both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Currently, he is a consultant and lecturer on trends in leadership research, leadership development, and leadership education. He holds a doctorate in speech communication from the University of Denver, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in communication education from Michigan State University.

 

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Special Features xii

Audience xii

Acknowledgments xiii

About the Author xv

1 Being a Leader 1

Defining Leadership 1

"Leadership Is a Trait" 2

"Leadership Is an Ability" 2

"Leadership Is a Skill" 2

"Leadership Is a Behavior" 2

"Leadership Is a Relationship" 3

Global Leadership Attributes 3

Practicing Leadership 5

Summary 5

References 5

1.1 Conceptualizing Leadership Questionnaire 6

1.2 Observational Exercise 8

1.3 Reflection and Action Worksheet 9

2 Recognizing Your Traits 11

Historical Leaders: What Traits Do These Leaders Display? 12

George Washington (1732-1799) 12

Harriet Tubman (c. 1820-1913) 13

Eleanor Rossevelt (1884-1962) 14

Winston Churchill (1874-1965) 15

Mother Teresa (1910-1997) 15

Nelson Mandela (1932-) 16

Bill Gates (1954-) 17

Oprab Winfrey (1954-) 18

Summary 19

Leadership Studies: What Traits Do Effective Leaders Exhibit? 20

Intelligence 20

Confidence 21

Charisma 22

Determination 23

Sociability 23

Integrity 24

Summary 25

References 26

2.1 Leadership Traits Questionnaire 28

2.2 Observational Exercise 31

2.3 Reflection and Action Worksheet 33

3 Recognizing Your Philosophy and Style of Leadership 35

What Is Your View of Human Behavior at Work? 36

Theory X 36

Theory Y 38

Styles of Leadership: Authoritarian, Democratic, and Laissez-Faire 40

Authoritarian Leadership Style 41

Democratic Leadership Style 42

Laissez-Faire Leadership Style 42

Box 3.1 Leadership on the Silver Screen 43

What Is Your Style of Leadership? 45

Summary 46

References 47

3.1 Leadership Styles Questionnairs 48

3.2 Observational Exercise 50

3.3 Reflection and Action Worksheet51

4 Attending to Tasks and Relationships 53

What Is Your Personal Style? 54

Task-Oriented Style 54

Relationship-Oriented Style 55

What Kind of Leader Are You? 55

Task Leadership 56

Relationship Leadership 57

Task and Relationship Leadership 58

Summary 58

References 58

4.1 Task and Relationship Questionnaire 59

4.2 Observational Exercise 61

4.3 Reflection and Action Worksheet 63

5 Developing Leadership Skills 65

What Are Your Core Leadership Skills? 65

Administrative Skills 66

Interpersonal Skills 69

Conceptual Skills 74

Summary 79

References 79

5.1 Leadership Skills Questionnaire 81

5.2 Observational Exercise 83

5.3 Reflections and Action Worksheet 85

6 Creating a Vision 87

What Are the Characteristics of a Vision? 88

A Picture 88

A Change 89

Values 89

A Map 90

A Challenge 90

How Is a Vision Articulated? 91

Box 6.1 "I Have a Dream," by Martin Luther King, Jr. 92

Box 6.2 Inaugural Address, by President John Fitzgerald Kennedy 94

How Is a Vision Implemented? 96

Box 6.3 Marathon of Hope 97

Summary 98

References 98

6.1 Leadership Vision Questionnaire 100

6.2 Observational Exercise 102

6.3 Reflection and Action Worksheet 103

7 Setting the Tone 105

Provide Structure 105

Clarify Norms 106

Build Cohesiveness 107

Promote Standards of Excellence 110

Summary 116

References 117

7.1 Setting the Tone Questionnaire 118

7.2 Observational Exercise 120

7.3 Reflection and Action Worksheet 121

8 Listening to Out-Group Members 123

Who Is the Out-Group? 124

Why Do Out-Groups From? 124

What Is the Impact of Out-Groups? 126

How Should a Leader Respond to Out-Groups? 129

Strategy 1 Listen to Out-Group Members 129

Strategy 2 Show Empathy to Out-Group Members 129

Strategy 3 Recognize the Unique Contributions of Out-Group Members 130

Strategy 4 Help Out-Group Members Feel Included 132

Strategy 5 Create a Special Relationship With Out-Group Members 132

Strategy 6 Give Out-Group Members a Voice and Empower Them to Act 133

Summary 134

References 134

8.1 Responding to Members of the Out-Group Questionnaire 136

8.2 Observational Exercise 138

8.3 Reflections and Action Worksheet 139

9 Overcoming Obstacles 141

Obstacle 1 Unclear Goals 142

Obstacle 2 Unclear Directions 143

Obstacle 3 Low Motivation 144

Box 9.1 Car GPS Systems-You Gotta Love 'Em 145

Help Others Feel Competent 146

Help Others Get What They Expect 146

Help Others Value What They Do 147

Obstacle 4 Complex Tasks 147

Obstacle 5 Simple Tasks 148

Obstacle 6 Low Involvement 149

Obstacle 7 Lack of a Challenge 150

Summary 151

References 151

9.1 Path-Goal Styles Questionnaire 152

9.2 Observational Exercise 154

9.3 Reflection and Action Worksheet 155

10 Addressing Ethics in Leadership 157

Ethical Leadership Is About the Character of the Leader 159

Ethical Leadership Is About the Actions of the Leader 161

Ethical Leadership Is About the Goals of the Leader 163

Ethical Leadership Is About the Honesty of the Leader 164

Ethical Leadership Is About the Power of the Leader 166

Ethical Leadership Is About the Values of the Leader 167

Box 10.1 Live Strong-Lance Armstrong's Story 169

Summary 169

References 170

10.1 Core Values Questionnarie 172

10.2 Observational Exercise 174

10.3 Reflection and Action Worksheet 177

Index 179

Questionnaries 187

Editorial Reviews

"The book is a staple for an introductory course on leadership. The author introduces theory in manageable chunks and provides valuable support with questionnaires, snap shots and case studies, making the work come alive for students."

Barbara H. Zwadyk

"A great introduction textbook to demystify the concepts of leadership and who can/should be leaders. The short inventory in each chapter to help students assess their own strengths and areas of development."

Yuying Tsong

"A practical guide to leadership – what it is, what it looks like, and how to develop it."

Susan Epps

"Well written overview of leadership practice, models, and theory."

Katya Armistead

"This book is straightforward, simple, and accessible. It is easy to read, meaning that for undergrad classes, it's a great text for the class. For graduate classes, it allows entre to the topic of leadership and since it is easy to read, it's no problem to also assign additional reading that delves into the specific topic of the course."

Sally Deck

"This text provides a great start in introducing students to leadership theory with some hands on activities for reflection and connection to their own practical experiences. It provides examples of leaders, case studies and suggested steps for solving leadership challenges in and out of the classroom."

Jamie Brown

"It is an excellent text and includes an excellent learning platform (SAGE Vantage) that integrates easily with any Learning Management System. Theoretical research is covered, but students also have the opportunity to complete self-assessments and are given feedback for practical application on those assessments. The instructional resources are fantastic – Power Point slides, lecture notes, case studies, class activities, web exercises, and a test bank. In addition, students love SAGE Vantage. Each section of a chapter is broken up into manageable reading with Knowledge Checks and Video Activities to immediately assess learning."

Kim C. Roberts

"Northouse's Introduction to Leadership: Concepts and Practice is among the best primers available on the subject. Well-grounded in up-to-date leadership theory based on the latest research, it is at the same time elegantly practical. This book is aimed at leadership practitioners seeking an accessible text that's more substantive and comprehensive than a mass media leadership self-help guide."

Wayne Sass

"This is a great book that you can use for teaching or self-learning about leadership."

Hilda Cecilia Contreras Aguirre

"It provides a basic but solid overview of the discipline of Organizational Leadership. It is easy to read and understand. Students like the text and feel that they are immediately able to apply what they have learned."

Jessica Hirshorn

"If you want to use a textbook that presents leadership concepts that are challenging and make your students stop and think then this is the textbook you need for your course. The textbook also highlights real-world examples so students can apply to their current lives, families, communities, career and future careers. In addition the writings are clearly articulated and easy to read. We need to give our students the tools they need to be successful and impactful leaders in the 'real-world' and this textbook is their ‘toolbox’ in helping them strive and thrive as leaders."

Kelly Coke

"The book provides an accessible overview of the various components of leadership. The chapters are easy to understand, very practical, and aren't bogged down with nuanced details. It gives the big picture information about what it means to be a good leader and how to develop those skills."

Haley M. Woznyj

"A good overview of leadership with many relevant exercises to drive the message of the material to relevancy for the students."

Paula White

"This textbook is one of the best text books for courses in which students get their first lessons / contact with the topic leadership. Nearly all relevant aspects of leadership are covered."

Jens K. Beyer

"A coffee table leadership text that highlights the important leadership concepts at a reasonable price."

Dr. Ron Cugno

I like both of Northouse's textbooks. I find the content thorough and written with clarity.

Barbara Collins

"The theoretical concepts are brought to life through the readings and there's more "how to" info to actually become a better leader as opposed to just studying the theories, all of which have many, many gaps anyway. Moreover, with only 10 chapters and a CLU 11 week term, the flow of the book makes it easy to cover 1 chapter per week (no cramming). "

Karen Hanen

The Northouse text offers students and faculty an appropriate text for a Leadership survey course. Students will greatly benefit from the text’s ability to apply the concepts of leadership to their individual lives.

Jane Murtaugh

Low cost; easy to read; each chapter provides a baseline of leadership principles that can be points of departure for thoughtful classroom discussion; rich in self-assessment exercises.

Joseph W. T. Pugh

"Peter Northouse's Introduction to Leadership is an excellent text that I have used for freshman/sophomore levels classes. It contains most of the major topics from his more comprehensive Leadership: Theory and Practice but omits much of the more academic content that we love but freshman don't. It also has 3 excellent activities at the end of each chapter for self-reflection/ application on each topic, with abbreviated versions of many typical leadership assessments."

Frank Markow

"The material is applied and very user friendly. The concepts are covered in a manner that all parties are developing a great leadership foundation."

Bryan Patterson Ph.D.

"This is a great, useable, and student friendly textbook. It provides excellent leadership/theory/ content in an understandable manner and it is broken down in to an easily understandable presentation."

Dan Cunningham

"In Northouse’s most recent publication, Introduction to Leadership: Concepts and Practices, he continues his impressive ability to render leadership theories and concepts extremely accessible. Despite the fact that this book is much lighter on theory than Northouse’s previous work, it is nonetheless better than most resources I have used in the past in addressing the personal and organizational implications of leadership in a matter-of-fact, nuts-and bolts manner. The content of the book flows seamlessly and logically. Northouse’s book gets a strong recommendation from this reviewer. He is patently passionate about communicating not only the essence of leadership but the manner in which thoughtful leadership can transform people, communities, and organizations. In this latest publication, he has done exactly that. "

Jeffrey D. Yergler

Northouse's advice to students on handling conflict is the most immediately practical and useable that I have encountered. This book is highly readable and engages the student immediately.

Terry Mullins

"I found Northouse’s style of writing to be unambiguous, complex but wonderfully understandable. His writing style stoked the fires of my imagination regarding my own approach to leadership. It also made complex concepts in leadership understandable without sullying the integrity of the academic discipline of leadership or leadership praxis. The content of the book flows seamlessly and logically. Northouse’s book gets a strong recommendation from this reviewer. Introduction to Leadership: Concepts and Practices demonstrates Northouse’s depth and breadth of experience as an academician and consultant. He is patently passionate about communicating not only the essence of leadership but the manner in which thoughtful leadership can transform people, communities, and organizations. "

Journal of Leadership Studies

“For four editions and more than a decade, its concise, intelligent, insightful introduction to the study of leadership has made “Northouse” [Leadership: Theory and Practice, Fourth Edition, SAGE, ©2007] the go-to text for students and teachers. With this book, Peter Northouse has done the same for the practice of leadership.” 

Richard A. Couto

The perfect book for an introductory course in leadership. I think it aligns well with both education and business, and could be utilized to teach leadership to all students if leadership is a part of a core curriculum.

Lou L. Sabina

"This text is critical, concise, theory based, and engages students with activities. "

Lauren Williams

"This textbook is a very useful introduction to the fundamental concepts and practices of leadership. The background theoretical inputs are short, snappy and relevant and designed to engage and inspire students towards further study...The interactive features are definitely the distinguishing factor of this textbook and allow readers to apply theoretical concepts to practice. With its use of questionnaires, reflective analyses, action planning worksheets and observational exercises, the textbook provides a valuable mechanism for transferring knowledge into practice."

Journal of European Industrial Training - David Mc Guire

"I have been looking for a good intro to Leadership [book] with class exercises—this is it! "

Richard Bell

This is my favorite book on the topic. I think Northouse has a tremendously valuable product here and the approach is very user/reader-friendly.

D. Keith Gurley

A must read for adapting individual strengths to enhance one’s leadership capacity

James L. Morrison

I absolutely love this book. My other favorite is Northouse’s Leadership: Theory and Practice which I use in my Graduate Leadership class.

Louis Rubino

“I have followed Peter Northouse's work for years. He has written another excellent book, this time a perfect introductory book for the new student of leadership.” 
 

Carl Larson

The interactive activities bring the book to life. The clear, consistent structure facilitates navigation and supports learning.

Peter Hammond

The Intro to Leadership book + e Book is a winning combination. The explanation of principles is straightforward, the self-assessments are thought-provoking, and the new media tools in the e Book are stimulating

Leon Fraser

"This textbook is a very useful introduction to the fundamental concepts and practices of leadership. The background theoretical inputs are short, snappy and relevant and designed to engage and inspire students towards further study...The interactive features are definitely the distinguishing factor of this textbook and allow readers to apply theoretical concepts to practice. With its use of questionnaires, reflective analyses, action planning worksheets and observational exercises, the textbook provides a valuable mechanism for transferring knowledge into practice."

Journal of European Industrial Training - David McGuire

Low cost; easy to read; each chapter provides a baseline of leadership principles that can be points of departure for thoughtful classroom discussion; rich in self-assessment exercises.

Joseph W.T. Pugh

"A coffee table leadership text that highlights the important leadership concepts at a reasonable price. "

Doctor - Ron Cugno

"This textbook is a very useful introduction to the fundamental concepts and practices of leadership. The background theoretical inputs are short, snappy and relevant and designed to engage and inspire students towards further study...The interactive features are definitely the distinguishing factor of this textbook and allow readers to apply theoretical concepts to practice. With its use of questionnaires, reflective analyses, action planning worksheets and observational exercises, the textbook provides a valuable mechanism for transferring knowledge into practice. "— David Mc Guire

Journal of European Industrial Training

"This is a great, useable, and student friendly textbook. It provides excellent leadership/theory/ content in an understandable manner and ii is broken down in to an easily understandable presentation. This book is student friendly, while being an excellent tool for the instructor. I recommend it without reservation!" --Dan Cunningham

"The perfect book for an introductory course in leadership. I think it aligns well with both education and business, and could be utilized to teach leadership to all students if leadership is a part of a core curriculum." --Lou L. Sabina

"This is my favorite book on the topic. I think Northouse has a tremendously valuable product here and the approach is very user/reader-friendly." --D. Keith Gurley

-This is a great, useable, and student friendly textbook. It provides excellent leadership/theory/ content in an understandable manner and ii is broken down in to an easily understandable presentation. This book is student friendly, while being an excellent tool for the instructor. I recommend it without reservation!- --Dan Cunningham

-The perfect book for an introductory course in leadership. I think it aligns well with both education and business, and could be utilized to teach leadership to all students if leadership is a part of a core curriculum.- --Lou L. Sabina

-This is my favorite book on the topic. I think Northouse has a tremendously valuable product here and the approach is very user/reader-friendly.- --D. Keith Gurley

From the Publisher