Instructor Resource
Northouse, Introduction to Leadership, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
Lecture Notes
Chapter 1: Understanding Leadership
Learning Objectives
1. Summarize the seven concepts that are essential to leadership.
Chapter Outline
I. Introduction
A. Leadership is a mutual influence process, involving both leaders and followers.
II. Leadership Explained
A. “Leadership Is a Trait”
i. Trait is a distinguishing quality of an individual and defining leadership as
a trait means that each individual brings to the table certain qualities that
influence the way he or she leads.
B. “Leadership Is an Ability”
Instructor Resource
Northouse, Introduction to Leadership, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
i. While the term ability frequently refers to a natural capacity, ability can be
acquired. For example, some people are naturally good at public speaking,
while others rehearse to become comfortable speaking in public.
C. “Leadership Is a Skill”
i. Conceptualized as a skill, leadership is a competency developed to
accomplish a task effectively.
D. “Leadership Is a Behavior”
i. Behavior is what leaders do when they are in a leadership role.
a. The behavioral dimension is concerned with how leaders act toward
others in various situations.
E. “Leadership Is a Relationship”
i. Thought of as a relationship, leadership becomes a process of collaboration
that occurs between leaders and followers.
ii. In the interactive type of leadership, authority and influence are shared.
Instructor Resource
Northouse, Introduction to Leadership, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
F. “Leadership Is an Influence Process”
i. Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of
individuals to achieve a common goal.
G. Leadership vs. Management
i. Management emerged out of the industrialization of work in the early 20th
century and its purpose is to structure and coordinate various functions
within organizations.
III. The Dark Side of Leadership
A. The dark side of leadership is the destructive side of leadership where a leader uses
his or her influence or power for personal ends.
Instructor Resource
Northouse, Introduction to Leadership, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
i. For some people, leadership is a trait or an ability, for others it is a skill or
a behavior, and for still others it is a relationship or a process.