Leadership motivation. The pursuit of power

Seminar paper from the year 2011 in the subject Leadership and Human Resource Management - Management Styles, grade: 1,7, European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) (Lehrstuhl für BWL), course: Masterseminar zum Thema Führung, language: English, abstract: Numerous recent studies have revealed that the success of organizations largely depend on the motivation and achievement potential of its employees. In this regard, leaders hold a key role since motivated employees are one of the most important results of effective leadership. Therefore, a company`s success story begins with the selection of good and effective leaders who are motivated themselves and possess the ability to motivate their followers to successfully reach the collective business mission. The questions at issue are: What makes an effective leader? What characterizes the motivation to lead? Is successful leadership a product of coincidence or does some common grounds exist? Concerning this matter, motivation theory holds very few insights into the motivation to lead. For a start, empirical studies have revealed that outstanding leaders, regardless of their leadership style, have one thing in common: They all have a strong inner desire for power in the first place. Without this pursuit of power a person will not make an effective leader even when first-class training is provided and as a result, companies will experience great losses due to unmotivated employees through inadequate leadership. Therefore, getting an insight into power motives is crucial for understanding the motivation to lead. The present paper focuses on the importance of power motivation on the effectiveness of leadership which results in the description of successful leaders and thereby, offering companies a basis for understanding individuals with the appropriate reasons to take up a leading position. The topic is introduced by providing a brief overview of motivation and its underlying processes. The subsequent part reveals the interrelation between effective leadership and power motivation by giving a short introduction into leadership, followed by some insights into the motives to lead. Finally, a summary and implications for leadership motivation and leader selection in a corporate environment are presented.