ABSTRACT
Leaders have been referred to as ‘captains of the ship’ to denote their stewardship role in operating the organization entrusted to their care. Leadership is conceptualized as a transient phenomenon, one which can be practised equally well by different individuals, depending on the circumstances and their strength of ideas. Transformational leaders do not simply engage in an exchange of valued goods, as they engage followers and transform the followers’ vision of the world. Transactional leadership refers to the interactions between individuals and groups and by so doing, the context within which the intervention occurs needs to be taken into consideration. The interaction-expectancy perspective emphasizes the expectancy factor in the leader-follower relationship. The ‘new age’ leader requires skills such as visionary focus, creative insight, commitment, sensitivity, caring, empowerment and communication; demanding moral puritanism and superior knowledge. ‘New age’ leaders are ideological leaders robed in the transparent cloak of visionaries.
