What are the relevant personality and motivational traits of good (and bad) leaders? Do leaders possess different types of intellectual capacities? How do effective leaders behave and what kinds of people follow them? What are the contextual/situational factors that give rise to leaders? How is leadership influenced by gender, cultural differences, and social networks? Professor Michael Mumford is one of the leading researchers on the topic of leadership and organizational behavior. Mumford discusses the predominant topics and approaches to studying leadership research, including a review of research on leader traits and behaviors, situational influences on leadership, the way in which leaders think, and outstanding leadership. The text concludes with a discussion of emergent topics in the field. Embedded in each chapter is information related to improving or developing leadership through the topics discussed.Key Features A short, non-technical introduction suitable for any readerAn Introduction to the history of leadership, extant definitions, assumptions, theories and methods of studyExamines emergent topics in the fieldOffers topical applications for improving and developing leadershipThe Psych 101 SeriesShort, reader-friendly introductions to cutting-edge topics in psychology. With key concepts, controversial topics, and fascinating accounts of up-to-the-minute research, The Psych 101 Series is a valuable resource for all students of psychology and anyone interested in the field.