He states that there will be an effective relationship as long as the relationship is mutually beneficial (Blank 11). This specific group member, the leader, provides guidance, specialized skills, and environmental contacts that help obtain the goals of the group. Theoretically, the relationship between a leader and each of his or her subordinate is formed in an individual way (Blank 11). Both, leader and follower, invest for example knowledge, abilities, trust or engagement. That means that not only one style of leading exists but as many styles as there are subordinates.
The developed relationships can be assigned into two categories. The in-group is for those relationships with a high exchange between follower and leader and the out-group are those with a low exchange. This relation affects especially supporting behavior of leaders towards their followers and is correlated to satisfaction, turnover, promotion or termination.
Now that we know what leadership is and some of what a leader's responsibilities are, let's find out what it takes to be a leader. Think about someone you know who's in a leadership position. What are some characteristics they possess that make them a leader? There are many traits that make a good leader, but there are four main ones: the leader knows that leadership occurs as an event, they use influence beyond formal authority, leaders operate outside the boundaries of organizational defined procedures, and finally, they know that leadership involves risk and uncertainty which leads to people not accepting their initiatives.
When people talk about leadership occurring as an event it means they usually view leadership as continuous-an ongoing characteristic of a great person and a set of enduring habits, values, or standards (Blank 13). The common phrase natural-born leader reinforces the belief that leadership is a durable quality. This approach fails to appreciate that leadership exists as the leader-follower field and that these alliances are transitory (Blank 13).