An Essay on Leadership, Especially through South African and New Zealand Cultural Lenses

After reviewing the literature on the topic of leadership, Simkins (2005) confirmed what the author finds to be true; that there is an over-abundance of models and theories of leadership in the literature. More concerning is that some of these models and theories disappear as quickly as they appear. Learning about leadership develops through practical experiences, and so models of leadership potentially create incorrect assumptions that "change is foreseeable, prediction is possible, boundaries are definable, identity is assumed, and outcomes are more important than process." In searching the literature the author found that her values most closely identify with transformational leadership perspectives, but implementing these values requires identifying what transformational leadership looks like in practice. In this essay, the author focuses on leadership through South African and New Zealand cultural lenses. The author makes a clear distinction between leaders and leadership and discusses seven major themes of transformational leadership. The author views leaders as "one of us" and leadership as a means through which people collectively achieve certain objectives. She contends that leadership is about being an equal human being with others, it is about relating to others and conversing with others, it is about shared goals and shared outcomes, and it is about achieving together for the good of all.