%0 Journal Article %A Reser, Clarence L. W. %A Sarros, James C. %D 2017 %T The origins of leadership %U https://bridges.monash.edu/articles/journal_contribution/The_origins_of_leadership/5084713 %R 10.4225/03/593767f5de525 %2 https://bridges.monash.edu/ndownloader/files/8616955 %K monash:62804 %K 2000 %K 1959.1/468413 %X The purposes of this paper are to outline the origins of leadership and explain its role in human civilization. The methodology is analytical and discursive. The paper addresses three themes: leadership as a social institution, a field of inquiry, and as a vocation. The research is based on a survey of the leadership literature. The discussion is organized thematically. The paper offers five principal conclusions: leadership is ancient, a universal social institution, a key determinant of progress in human civilization, a new field of inquiry, and that the job of leader is poorly understood. %I Monash University