Leaders direct and guide followers in the organization, recognizing both roles as critical to the success of the organization. There is a positive relationship between leaders and followers in organizations, and a distinct difference between leadership and management. Leaders may be autocratic, democratic, or laissez-faire in their approach. This chapter divides leadership theories into four schemes correlating to universal trait theories, universal behavioral theories, contingency theories, and contemporary theories of leadership. Several theories are examined, and the relationship between leaders and followers is discussed.

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