Leadership Theory Paper Milestone 9 Draft Students Name Institutional Affiliation Leadership Theory Paper Milestone 9 Draft Introduction Todays organizations need good leaders to succeed, as they are a vital part of effective business practices. Most practitioners and leaders have agreed that the progression of thinking over the years has led to a belief that leadership is a flexible developmental process, where each new research piece builds on and rarely completely ignores that which was derived previously (Ahmen, Nawaz Khan, 2016). In a leadership world, there are several theories about how leadership operates, what makes good leaders, and how to be effective. Managers can also employ different leadership styles. Their impact depends on the group being led and the industry the organization is in. Leadership theories refer to schools of thought that emerge to explain why and how certain people become leaders. They emphasize the behaviors and traits that people can adopt to enhance their individual leadership abilities. Leadership theories explain how leadership styles work within an organization to bring success. Some of the most common leadership theories are the Great Man theory, Behavioral or Style theory, Trait theory, Situational theory, Contingency theory, Transactional theory, and Transformational theory. Early studies on