How Leadership Selection is essential

There are many times through history where leadership selection has been of the greatest essence. Leaders who overcame great challenges, being outnumbered as George Washington in the Revolutionary War. Leadership selection also proved itself when Lee Iacocca entered the Chrysler Corporation and did a massive turn around of its business.

The effect of a good leader

Another point to prove this is the study done by Thorlindsson in 1987 when he studied 200 nearly identic ships within the Iceland fleet for herring-fishing. Each ship usually has a team of 11 men aboard including a formal leader, in this case the captain. What the study found was that the leadership selection was vital as the captain accounted for 35 to 49 percent of a varation in the size of the catches made. This was in nearly identical fishing conditions.

More studies on leadership selection

Several other studies have proved the same point that the leadership selection is of great importance when it comes to the effectiveness of a group and an organization.

Leadership research has evolved since its early beginnings. Before 1945 most such research was focused on identifying personality patterns, behaviors and traits that seperate leaders from the non-leaders. Today a lot more diverse studies on leaders and qualities and dynamics of leadership have been made, but still there are a lot of room for guesswork.

The art and science of leadership selection

There is still not, and might never be, a book where you can flip to page 231 and find out with 100 percent certainty how to select the best leader. There is a science to it that we will continue to fill this site with and there is also a part where you just have to trust your instincts.