Trait approach in leadership theory suggests that people are born with certain traits that make them leaders.
Last semester, in one of my courses we had to write about infamous leaders. Now, studying leadership theories made me wonder why certain leaders are “bad”. There are many leadership traits and characteristics identified by researches but according to Northouse (2013), the five traits that contribute substantially to one’s capacity to be a leader are self-confidence, intelligence, determination, integrity, and sociability. But what traits and behaviors make someone to become a “bad” leader, dictator for example? Dictators work in a governmental system in which the citizens do not possess the right to choose their own leaders. Based on this structure, trait approach would be appropriate to apply in this situation. Because according to Northouse (2013), the trait approach is very different from other approaches, it focuses on the leader, not on the situation or the followers.
There are many well-known dictators in the world: North Korean dictator Kim II-Sung, French Napoleon Bonaparte, German Adolf Hitler, Russian Joseph Stalin, Hugo Chaves of Venezuela, Manuel Noriega of Panama, Cuban Fidel Castro, and Iraqi Saddam Hussein. Sure, they possess necessary traits related to leadership. But what traits are they missing and what makes them different from any other nation’s leaders?
Most dictators have one thing in common. They usually rule autocracies – governments with a single self-appointed leader and no governing body to check their power. They also have similar personality traits in common such as narcissism, insecurity, and dishonesty.
Let’s look at Joseph Stalin. Joseph Stalin (1878 – 1953), was the leader of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s to his death in 1953. Stalin’s rule was characterized by state terror, mass deportations and political repression, resulting in the death of millions of Soviet citizens. Many of his victims died in Siberia, while others were executed. Stalin surely had to have some traits related to leadership. After all, he was leading the country for 25 years. But was he an effective leader? He was very intimidating (productive and feared), influential (spreading Stalinism), and very dominating (control over industry). It seems that Stalin was missing very important trait to be a great leader such as Extraversion – the tendency to be sociable and assertive and to have positive energy. Extraversion is a factor most strongly associated with leadership. From the Big Five personality traits neuroticism (emotional instability, anger, worry, and anxiety) seems as the one factor that can truly describe Stalin’s personality. Trait approach emphasizes that set of certain traits is crucial to having effective leadership. Based on this approach, I would assume that all the leaders I listed earlier missing important traits to be great, instead they have an excess of certain traits that make them who they are – dictators.
Reference:
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.