First time blogger here so let’s find out how this goes for this blog about leadership traits. I’m a Captain in the Air Force, a B-52 Weapons Systems Officer by trade, and have been considered a leader since the day I commissioned as an officer. When I think of military leaders I think of Generals Dwight Eisenhower, George Patton, Jimmy Doolittle, Carl Spaatz, Colin Powell, Mark Welsh, and many more. All these men were great leaders but all displayed different leadership traits in their style of leadership. What is a leadership trait and how is it defined? Northouse (2016) says the answer is an extended list of traits that individuals might hope to possess or wish to cultivate to be perceived by others as leaders. I tend to think leadership traits are based on your own personal characteristics you’ve developed throughout your life and your experiences in leadership situations. I’m going to focus on the five major leadership traits presented in chapter 2 of Northouse which are; Intelligence, Self-Confidence, Determination, Integrity, and Sociability and how I see them as an Air Force Officer.
Let me first talk about intelligence because no one wants a leader who is not that bright correct? But can being too smart hurt you as a leader? In my nine years in the Air Force all my Squadron Commanders have been very intelligent and knowledgeable in their areas of expertise but a few lacked in intelligence about their followers. My first squadron commander may be the smartest person I’ve ever met, he knew everything about the B-52, other crew members areas of expertise, extreme tactician, and in my opinion just knew everything. However, he did have an issue communicating his ideas and thoughts to the rest of the squadron of followers. Northouse (2016) says leaders with higher abilities may have difficulty communicating with followers because they are preoccupied or because their ideas are too advanced. This was so true because so many times he would brief us on something in the squadron or something above my pay grade in which many of us would just look at him like a deer in the headlights. Intelligence to me, as a leader, means you are an expert at levels and are able to communicate to everyone on a level playing field no matter your rank.
Secondly self-confidence is an extremely important leadership trait to have because you want to see someone that has great faith in their skills and abilities. I would never want to fly with a B-52 pilot who was scared to fly the jet because as a Weapons Systems Officer I was putting my life in a pilot’s hands every time we flew. There is one pilot I never flew with who was so scared in his abilities in flying the B-52 and who had a few scary incidents with many others. In Northouse (2016) self-confidence includes a sense of self-esteem and self-assurance, which as a leader you want to see. This certain pilot I mention is the same rank as me and will continue to move up in rank because of his skills outside the jet. As he progresses people are going to notice this lack of skill and it is very hard to be a follower to a leader with no self-confidence.
Thirdly to talk about is determination and to me determination is striving to get a task or job done in a timely and efficient manner. In Northouse (2016) determination is defined as the desire to get the job done and includes characteristics such as initiative, persistence, dominance and drive. I’ll use an example of my determination while working as a flight commander in the scheduling shop in my squadron. For the longest time we could never sustain a constant aerial refueling schedule for the squadron and I was sick of it. I wanted to get my squadron personnel the training they needed to maintain their air refueling currencies and keep the squadron combat ready. So I took the initiative to set up a contract with two air refueling units in which my squadron and Bomb Wing would receive air refueling everyday. This contract took many months and was somewhat of a pain in the ass to build but in being persistent with the units I was able to finally get the job done. It worked like clock work, the contract still existing today has been an integral part in keeping the B-52 and tanker units up to date with their currencies and staying combat ready.
Next up is integrity which is pretty self explanatory, it is doing what’s right when no one is looking and when people are looking. It is the trait that allows followers to have trust in their leaders because no one wants a leader who exhibits falsehoods. Someone who tells the truth and is believable is definitely someone that can be trusted and who a follower with put their faith in. In the Air Force we have three core values and the first core value is Integrity First because without you can’t be expected to a good follower or leader. In my nine years I have a leader who has not exhibited integrity and was called out by a junior member for cutting corners. It was a very uncomfortable situation to see but that young woman had the courage to call out that leader for not being truthful.
Lastly I’ll talk about sociability and I’ll use the example of my first squadron commander again, the one who was extremely intelligent. Northouse (2016) defines sociability in leadership as leaders who show sociability are friendly, outgoing, courteous, tactful, and diplomatic. My first commander lacked just about every single one of these sub-traits if you want to call them that. He was somewhat friendly but he never wanted to do anything with his followers and he lacked being tactful in just about anything he said to us personally so it was very hard to want to approach him with any issue, problem, or to wanting to have a casual conversation with him.
Finally, as I wrap this up, all the traits mentioned are going to be an integral part of how a leader leads his people. Does every leader need to exhibit every single one on level playing field? That’s for you to decide since we all have our own definition of leadership and what traits are encompassed within that leader or yourself. I do feel like every leader should exhibit a little bit of each trait but based on how they were raised or what they have experienced as a leader will shape what traits are more prevalent in their leadership style. I would like to think I exhibit every single one of these traits but I do know which ones are stronger or weaker in my leadership style.
References:
Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice; 7th Ed. Los Angeles: Sage Publicatons
Van Zante H. K. says
Sir –
I agree with the comment posted by Shante Walker above, where the consideration for the wellbeing of staff and the application of sociability are necessary, but often ignored aspects of leadership in action. These aspects need to be fully meshed with the standards and traits that you spoke of in your entry in order to ensure a more successful outcome.
Shante Walker says
Hey Cotton,
Thanks for your posts! Unfortunately many people who are placed in leadership roles don’t necessarily belong in leadership. Most of the traits listed that are considered desirable are multi-dimensional but frankly many miss the mark. Air Force, Presidency, Major Airlines lack the traits that connect each person together as humans in in the work place rather than an employee.
Sociability is necessary and helpful but is pointless if our actions don’t have a positive outcome that benefit’s the group rather than self. Organizations all operate as best as they see fit for the organization but how many of them think about the well being of the staff in making those decisions?
Lovefourlife~
gpm5103 says
First and foremost, I would sincerely like to thank you for your service. The leaders you have chosen rose to prominence during the second World War, with the exception of Mark Welsh, who gained his 15 minutes of fame during the Gulf War. These men were put in a crisis, one of the biggest in history, where leadership was called upon. There was a situation that arose during World War II, an opportunity for leaders to emerge, the timing was right. There was a need and these were in fact the right people. These are huge factors in determining whether a leader will have his or her time in the spotlight. The five traits you selected are only but a small portion of the traits that could possibly encompass leadership. The argument that someone is “too intelligent” or “too admirable” was offset by the example of Steve Jobs. Having higher intelligence and higher abilities than your followers should include working on your communication skills to effectively deliver your “vision” or goals. Having a superior rank in the military does not always ensure that the person above you is even a competent leader. Getting promoted in the military is sometimes based on tenure, performance evaluations, or a number of other arbitrary factors. A soldier must follow orders, this does not say they have to come from a proficient leader. Due to the strong foundational structure and moral basis of our military services however, we have in fact seen some of our countries most prominent and ethical leaders emerge from within this environment.