The latest thinking on leadership in organisations: It has gone beyond the awareness that 1) hierarchical, military-style command-and-control leadership in business is dead or dying and 2) such leadership behaviours are being replaced by a more participative style of leadership. Current ideas include: Leadership is not simply about one person being , for example, commanding (“old-school”), charismatic (“communicator school”) or visionary (“new school”). Leadership is increasingly being recognised as a complex series of interactions between people: a combination of skills, attributes, activities, relationships and influences operating on multiple levels and multiple dimensions over time. Different elements of leadership may be appropriate in different situations and at different times eg leadership in a crisis vs leadership in a successful leading-edge company or tailoring leadership styles to the needs of particular individuals. There are elements of leadership which have in the past been “invisible” or considered only in the context of, say, office politics or interpersonal skills. These are now being incorporated into leadership models. Such ideas include: many people prefer to work with people they like and who are like them and the importance of personal networks, status, reputation and image. One guru goes so far as to say that leadership in all its complexities will be the most important element of business and the attribute in executives ...