They are 5 main Leadership Traits of the upmost importance all leaders should possess, Intelligence, Confidence, Determination, Integrity, and Sociability. There are also 6 Dark Side personality traits to avoid that could damage ones’ leadership career, Argumentative, Interpersonal Insensitivity, Narcissism, Fear of Failure, Perfectionism, and Impulsivity. Everyone one from around the world, even high school students can benefit from knowing these traits. These are good to know, not only for someone wanting to become a leader, or in a leadership status, but for the followers as well. Lord, DeVader, and Alliger (1986) researchers found that traits were strongly associated with individuals’ perceptions of leadership (Northouse,2016). Peter Northouse wrote a book called Leadership: Theory and Practice, that referenced all the researchers since the early 1900’s that were interested in traits of a Leader. In the following paragraphs I will go over some of these traits and how they help in becoming a great leader.
We had Leaders from the beginning of time, some good, some bad, and I think it was the bad ones that made people start thinking about what they wanted in a leader. But Leadership has intrigued humankind and has been the topic of extensive literature for centuries (Northouse,2015). In theory, there are hundreds of traits researchers came up with; They argued back and forth on what they believed were the vital traits and some even thought you were born with them. Over time theorists finalized lists and ended up with five major traits a person in leadership should have to be a great leader.
The first major trait is Intelligence; having a strong verbal, perceptual, and reasoning abilities appears to make a better leader. It’s identified as a trait that significantly contributes to a leaders’ acquisition of complex problem-solving skills and social judgment skills. Becoming more knowledgeable about a leadership position gives us the information we need to become better leaders. (Northouse, 2015&2016)
The second trait is Self-Confidence; the ability to be certain about one’s competencies and skills. It includes a sense of self-esteem and self-assurance and the belief that one can make a difference. Confidence can be improved by understanding what is required of you, from having a mentor, and from practice, awareness and understanding to build confidence. (Northouse, 2015&2016)
The third trait is Determination which is a desire to get the job done. It includes characteristics such as initiative, persistence, dominance and drive. People with determination are willing to assert themselves, are proactive, and have the capacity to persevere in the face of obstacles. Determination can be strengthened through perseverance, staying focused on the task, clarifying the goal, articulating the vision and encouraging others to stay on course. (Northouse, 2015&2016)
The fourth is Integrity; which is the quality of honesty and trustworthiness, one possesses. People who adhere to a strong set of principles and take responsibility for their actions are exhibiting Integrity. They are loyal, dependable, and not deceptive. Representing reality as fully as possible and balancing openness with what is appropriate to disclose. (Northouse, 2015&2016)
The fifth would be Sociability, the ability to seek out pleasant social relationships. Whom are friendly, outgoing, courteous, tactful, and diplomatic. They are sensitive to others’ needs and show concern for their well-being. Social leaders have good interpersonal skills and have expectations of followers, they show confidence in others’ abilities and inspire others. (Northouse, 2015&2016)
There are some traits that will affect the positive ones and not all leaders are successful and fail because of the traits researchers like to call, The Dark Side of personality traits. These traits are irritating or counterproductive behavioral tendencies that interfere with a leaders’ ability to form cohesive teams (Hughes, Ginnett, & Curphy,2002). Here are the six bad traits to have described by P. Northouse.
- Argumentative: leaders who are suspicious, overly sensitive to criticism, and expect to be mistreated.
- Interpersonal Insensitivity: leaders who are aloof and unaware of how they come across to others, and have difficulty putting themselves in “other people’s shoes.
- Narcissism: leaders that are overly self-confident, self-centered, and extremely ambitious. They overestimate their abilities, have a strong sense of entitlement, and often hold others in contempt.
- Fear of Failure: leaders who dread being criticized. They tend to be overly cautious and reluctant decision makers. When forced to make decisions, they often impose old solutions to problems even when it is obvious they will not work.
- Perfectionism: leaders that are conscientious and methodical but also attend so closely to details that they have trouble setting and maintaining priorities. They maintain extremely high standards and are inflexible.
- Impulsivity: leaders that are hedonistic and often ignore the feelings of followers when in pursuit of their own pleasure. They enjoy testing limits, may fail to keep promises and commitments, and often neglect to consider the consequences of their actions
Taking this all into account, studies on leadership traits has led researchers to develop standards for a leader and how to be a great leader like, for example John F. Kennedy vs Kim Jong-un. These traits can determine who a great leader was and who wasn’t and can help leaders to become great at whatever they might do. I decided to write about this to help people understand what endures to be a great leader and make one think about themselves as a leader and for followers to know what to look for in a leader. There are other alternatives to you can take into account on who is a good Leader and who isn’t. You can look at it from a statistic point a view; variables being the number of followers or number of dislikes/likes, etc, but that is another whole subject. Learning about the five major traits and knowing about the dark side traits, helps one learn and know how to solve any problems that might arise. Leadership traits are all in theory and some can be added, removed or altered in good sense on helping you become a good leader.
This means that one must possess the five top traits to become and be a great leader. As a leader you want followers and you want them to follow your instructions. The number of followers you get depends on your leadership abilities good or bad. I believe that everyone including followers would want to know what to look for in a leader; to determine who they might want to vote for as a new leader of a state, or country to better understand their leader in a workplace and help achieve goals. I’m implicating that if you know what you need to become a great leader you will strive to know it. It has been proved by many people that knowing and having these traits will make you more successful in life. One can use these traits in all aspects of ones’ life, work or personal. It could be taught in high school, work and all around the world to help others improve their life. I think this should be applied to high school academics so everyone has an understanding of themselves and others. This article is about how to identify what the traits are and to identify a bad, good or great leader.
References
Northouse, P. (2016). Leadership Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications Inc.
Northouse, P. (2015). Introduction to Leadership: concepts and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications Inc.