During the most recent assignment for the class I began to realize that the Trait and Skills approach to leadership are connected when reviewing a great leader. There are very few great leaders in history, but the correlation to both approaches is amazing. We see it every day in our work lives and in the sports teams we watch. How many people are appointed to their position without exemplifying what a leader is?
If we concentrate on the first approach detailed above we see the importance of intelligence, self-confidence, determination, integrity and sociability (Northouse, 2013, p. 23). Over time, each perspective details these traits in some manner. Ask yourself if you would follow someone that lacked one of these traits. Would you follow someone that was unsure of themselves, lacked similar intelligence, was not engaged to a common goal, was not trustworthy or was anti-social and kept to themselves? Perhaps one trait could be overlooked, but the core must be within a leader. They would be unable to inspire or motivate others in the common goal.
Next, we look at the skills approach. Wasted talent is a terrible thing. Without cognitive abilities, a leader would not be able to apply their intelligence nor be able to retain experiences in order to better a process (Northouse, 2013, p. 52). Without determination, a known trait, a leader would be unable to motivate others as they would be unwilling to tackle problems themselves (Northouse, 2013, p. 53). Process change is difficult and one needs to be able to pick themselves up every day and continue the pursuit. Finally, without integrity and sociability, a leader would find it difficult to have a positive personality. A team will fall apart if they do not like or cannot relate to a leader. When we picture the great leaders of our time, think about their traits and behaviors.
The best leaders must find a way to take their natural abilities and translate that into skills that are crucial in a leadership role. Inspiring people is the most difficult aspect of a leader. It takes all of the skills and traits detailed in order to be successful. Many people fail as they only have one of the approaches in their arsenal.
References
Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice (Sixth ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
What a powerful entry! I really like your observance that both approaches must be used together in order to have a great leader. A leader cannot be made in a “factory” alone. They have to have the natural abilities, the “god given” talent to inspire others to follow them. A good leader must have the charismatic traits that will allow a follower to give their all to ensure the team is successful. I agree with you totally. I’ve struggled this far in Psych 485 with the theories because not one alone does it for me. The theories are all interconnected and by molding them together we get the best product.