How has leadership evolved over the years and why? “Leadership is a relationship of influence between leaders and followers who intend real changes that reflect their mutual purposes” (Rost, 1931). But nowadays, leadership styles change every time a new technology is invented or discovered, so there is a lack of persistence. The only thing that manages to remain constant are the principles on which the carrying out of company activities is based. There are leadership philosophies and ideologies that can be used in any time period as they are primarily a reflection of leadership principles. Theorists and authors such as Hobbes (1679), Lewin (1947), and Aristotle (384–322 BC), in their time, produced sufficient material that can be used by modern leaders and managers. Philosophers such as Aristotle, known to be one of the most practical and business-oriented philosophers of his time, his work is still used today by businesses for their relevance as he is interested in defining principles in terms of leadership ethics (University of Santa Clara). In the essay I tried to show how the leadership has adapted to changes around it and compared to the past and what circumstances caused the need to change it. As a layperson, anyone might think that the principles of centuries ago will be very different from the ones we follow now, but after studying Hobbes, Lewin and Aristotle, this has had a great impact on my way of thinking because the work they produced still has of more relevance than some of the work produced now. I tried to explain the evolution of leadership through three aspects which are psychology, sociology and philosophy. In 1939, German-based psychologists Kurt Lewin (1947) with his team of res...... middle of paper ... ...gle-and-facebook-are-building-a-huge- headquarters-load-of-perk-2013-4. Last accessed 27 April 2014.Aristotle. [Internet]. 2014. The Biography.com website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/aristotle-9188415. Last accessed: April 27, 2014. Haslip, S. (January 2013). Aristotle's theory of the good life: a consideration of the role of luck in the good life and the concept of self-sufficiency. Available: http://www.quodlibet.net/articles/haslip-aristotle.shtml. Last accessed: April 27, 2014. Cawthon, D (2002). Philosophical foundations of leadership. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers. 45-48.Rost, J (n.d.). Leadership for the twenty-first century. West Westport: Praegar Publisher. 100-101. Malraux, A. (16 October 2012). 100 best leadership quotes. Available: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2012/10/16/quotes-on-leadership/. Last access April 27th, 2014.