Now that the human element in organizations has become recognized, directing that element may have become an important issue. Hence, there is a growing attention to the topic of leadership.
Where does this attention come from? Part of it has to do with the de-layering of organizations, the increased need for flexibility and resilience, and the increased attention to the human element in the organization.
Of course, there are different leadership styles possible. Still, the leadership styles do not necessarily say much about leadership as such, but rather about the fit between the type of leader one is and the context one has to add value to; fine tuning this fit from time to time is generally a wise thing to do.
Paying closer attention to how people interact within an organization has shown that managers are not necessarily leaders and that leaders are not necessarily managers. You could say that someone what has earned authority with his or her co-workers, showing initiative and insight, and inspiring others is a leader. One does not have to be a manager to do that or be placed in some kind of formal position of power. This largely depends on the kind of people one would be leading, be they equally well trained and at various times showing leadership themselves or, on the other extreme, through lack of education or for some other reason dependant on the directions of the leader.
As stated by Manfred Kets de Vries, an essential part of effective leadership is the management of meaning. This is true regardless of hierarchy. In a flatter structure and with highly educated professionals, meaning is probably the main means of coordinating, but also in a structure where clear directives are in place, meaning is transferred and the minds of co-workers are addressed. This emphasizes again the relational character of leadership, as the meaning that leader knows to manage has to make sense with the people he or she is working with. It would have to connect to their ambitions and fears, their experiences and thoughts, and relate to the business at hand and the goals of that business. Someone who can do that has a talent, but the others still play a part in this and may have to feel invited to in fact play that part.