Leadership Traits

Although investigate has shown that the presence of specific traits merely do not ensure booming attractionship, it has been proven that successful historical leaders shargon certain headstone traits. harmonize to Shelley Kirkpatrick and Edwin Locke, leaders do not decl atomic number 18 to be with child(p) men or women by be intellectual geniuses or omniscient prophets to succeed, precisely they do need to have the right cloth and this stuff is not equ in on the wholey present in all raft (Kirkpatrick & Locke, 1991, p. 12). despite the just about(prenominal) controversial discussions on whether leaders be born or made, the fact that efficacious leaders consume key traits remains undisputed.Some of the various traits that have an impact on exploitual leading be discussed in detail below. Ability to Listen Most populate listen actively to only a small percent of what is being said because people speak at a much slower rate than what they be able to hear. Theref ore, active audition requires concentration and attentiveness to the speaker. Effective sense of hearing involves three important elements (Greenberg, 2010, p. 241) * Being nonjudgmental maculation taking in information from others. * Acknowledging speakers in shipway that encourage them to continue speaking. Attempting to advance a speakers ideas to the next step. Listening is an important trait that underlies all leading skills. It is the key to developing and maintaining relationships, decision qualification and problem figure out (Rynders, 1999, p. 5).Gregory Rynders conducted a study on the relationship between perceive and leading. Although the research did not confirm if leaders naturally possessed superior listening abilities or if they just work harder at it, the precedes did confirm there is a positive relationship between successful leadership and impelling listening skills (Rynders, 1999, p. ). Ability to Manage Some believe you can either be a manager or a leader, but you cant be both. Although the functions of a leader and a manager differ, management skills atomic number 18 a sub compensate of leadership skills (Shead, 2010). Management and leadership are not reprinting functions. They cannot exist apart from each other. Management, it appears, is about controlling an existing system, while leadership is about invention and adaptation. (Kaplan, 1994) A good leader essential have the ability to manage and at same time h anile oneself from managing when it is not appropriate to do so.Managing typically involves the details of running the sidereal mean solar day to day operations of the line of work. In this case, it would be inappropriate for the leader to fail involved in labours that should be delegated. However, leaders who do not possess the ability to manage wishing the knowledge required to make effective decisions to lead the organization in the right direction. Balance There is an old saying, Too much of a good th ing can be bad. Water is essential to the survival of the human body and a privation of water intake can result in dehydration do serious health conditions.However, too much water can result in over hydration causing hyponatremia or intoxication. Balance is important in m all areas of life and is a key trait in being a successful leader. Technological advances, economic transports, company dynamics and pressure take aim deadlines create a difficult environment for practicing balance. Linking organizational, departmental and individual goals to the relegation of the company is important. Yet balance is required to allow interpretation and mental home of the goals in entrap to gain commitment and enthusiasm from employees.Reward systems initiate creativity and motivation. However, if the correlation between rewards and individual actions is too specific, it may impede individuals from taking actions that lead to innovation. Time pressure is another key matter that requires balance. insufficiency of time pressures may result in declining productivity while lush time pressure restraints may stifle creativity and growth (Greenberg, 2010, pp. 361-362). leading must have the ability to maintain balance in vow to achieve optimal results. Relating to GroupsIn recent years, more and more companies are adopting a squad ground work system and successful passation has been relate to leadership (Murry, Avolio, & Jung, 2002). Relating to groups requires a different flack than that of traditional leadership. In more of todays organizations, where teams predominate, leaders are called upon to provide special resources to team members, who are empowered to consume their own missions in their own ways (Greenberg, 2010, p. 330). leadership must infer team dynamics in sight to lead the various groups that make up the organization.Decision Making Process According to management experts, decision making is one of the more or less critical and vulgar job fu nctions of executive leaders (Mintzberg, 1988). lot make a routine of decisions every day however decisions made at the senior level may have a far greater impact on the organization. A general model describes the steps of the decision making mental work on as get alongs identify the problem, define objectives, make a pre-decision, generate alternatives, judge alternative solutions, make a choice, implement the chosen alternative, and follow-up (Greenberg, 2010, pp. 83-284). leadership are typically responsible for making non-programmed decisions. Therefore, they must rely on prior experience, information available and reliable sources to make decisions. In prepare for a leader to possess the trait of superior decision making ability, they must watch each of these steps and use them to evaluate the military posture of their decisions. Understanding Change Change is essential to the growth and expansion of organizations. People are creatures of habit and not always take aw aying of change.Learning organizations have genuine the capacity to adapt to continuously changing conditions through setting aside old ways of thinking, freely sharing ideas, and working together (Greenberg, 2010, p. 417). The greatest results are derived from changes that are strategically planned and systematically implemented. Organizational using is a set of social science techniques designed to plan and implement change in work settings for trys of enhancing the soulfulnessal development of individuals and improving the authority of organizational function (Greenberg, 2010, p. 17). The implementation dip refers to dickens problems associated with change the social-psychological concern of change and the lack of technical skills required for successful implementation. attracters who understand change still have an urgent sense of moral purpose and measure success in terms of results, but they do things that are more likely get the organization sledding and keep it go ing (Fullan, 2001). Charisma Charisma is defined as a mortalal magic trick of leadership arousing special popular loyalty or enthusiasm for a public figure (Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. , 1981, p. 377).A leaders possession of charisma is ground on the perception of their pursuit and may change due to actions and circumstances. just now as presidential approval ratings could change drastically from one day to the next based on the latest news and events. Charisma alone may not ensure successful leadership but it could mean the difference between an average leader and a great leader. A person may exhibit all the traits of a successful leader and propel the organization forward through market share control condition and financial growth and at the same time he may be perceived by his employees and community as a august leader.Charismatic leaders inspire enthusiasm and loyalty by engaging followers through personal connection. Transformational leaders like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and President can F. Kennedy were known for their charismatic qualities that inspired others to follow them, often in a passing emotional manner (Greenberg, 2010, p. 316). Charisma is a key leadership trait because it emphasizes the importance of focusing on the viewpoint of the employees and the community. storm Drive consists of the desire for doing, ambition, energy, tenacity, and maiden (Greenberg, 2010, p. 14). High achievers obtain satisfaction from success generousy terminate challenging tasks, attaining standards of duty, and developing break in ways of doing things (Kirkpatrick & Locke, 1991, p. 2).Individuals that desire high standards of excellence are more likely to succeed in a leadership role. They typically have a can do attitude and are unbidden to complete the inevitable tasks to achieve positive results despite the challenge. Leaders with high levels of initiative are proactive. They make choices and take action that leads to change instead of just reacting to events or waiting for things to happen (Kirkpatrick & Locke, 1991, p. 4). In our technologically advanced society, it is very easy to operate in a responsive mode, addressing issues as they arise. Great leaders have a natural drive to seek out challenges and proactively identify opportunities for melioratement. These same qualities, however, may result in a manager who tries to come across everything alone, thereby failing to develop mercenary commitment and responsibility.Effective leaders must not only be full of drive and ambition, they must deprivation to lead others (Kirkpatrick & Locke, 1991, p. 5). Self- faith In order for leaders to gain commitment from their followers, self-confidence is a necessity. A person riddled with self-doubt would never be able to take the necessary actions nor command the respect of others (Kirkpatrick & Locke, 1991, p. 7). Self-confidence has been uniquely recognized as a necessary trait of effective or emergent leaders in s ome different studies written since 1948 (Judge, Ilies, Bono, & Gerhardt, 2002, p. ). Self-confidence is an indicator of emotional perceptual constancy and self-esteem. Followers desire a sense of stability and assurance in their leaders capacity to take charge in any given circumstance. Many times leaders have to be ordaining to take risks and make quick decisions that require commitment from others. Doing so requires confidence in their skills and abilities and others must be able to sense their confidence in order to commit to the decision and take action. Integrity Integrity kernel doing the right thing for the right reason, regardless of who is watching.A leader of integrity is a leader people can trust. Integrity also means conducting business in an ethical manner because integrity requires honesty. Integrity is essential to effective leadership since people value trust and fair treatment. People command to know their leader allow for stand behind their word and do what t hey proclaim. Honesty is absolutely essential to leadership. After all, if we are willing to follow someone, whether it be into battle or into the boardroom, we first want to assure ourselves that the person is worthy of our trust.We want to know that he or she is being truthful, ethical, and principled. We want to be fully confident in the integrity of our leaders. (Kirkpatrick & Locke, 1991, p. 7) leading Theories Leadership is an intricate process that entails developing and maintaining complex social relationships. Over the years, many have studied leadership approaches and expressions in an causal agency to determine the most effective. Several leadership theories have formed out of these studies, two of which are contingency theories discussed below.A contingency conjecture is a belief that leadership is influenced by the characteristics of the individuals involved and the nature of the sites they face (Greenberg, 2010, p. 322). Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership informaling The situational leadership speculation was developed by Paul Hersey, a professor who wrote the book Situational Leader and Ken Blanchard, author of The One Minute Manager. The theory was originally introduced as The Life-Cycle Theory of Leadership and was renamed Situational Leadership Theory in the mid 1970s when they developed their own models (Hersey & Blanchard, 1969).The situational leadership theory is based on adapting your leadership hyphen to the maturity of the individual or group you are attempting to influence. It is based on the fact that each person differs in their capabilities and capacity to set goals, their willingness and ability to take responsibility, and level of education and experience. Hersey and Blanchard characterized leadership directions into four expression types telling, selling, participating, and delegating. Telling (S1) is the act of identifying the roles of the individual or group and providing specific avenues of how to accomplish the specified task.Selling (S2) is the act of identifying the roles of the individual or group and providing two-way communicating so as to allow the individual or group being influenced to commit to the process. Participating (S3) encompasses shared decision making allowing the individual or group to be a part of the identification of the task and the process. delegation (S4) provides the individual or group with the authority to make decisions about the process while the leader remains involved as a reminder of the activities taking place. (Hersey & Blanchard, 1969) Hersey and Blanchards model also identifies four levels of maturity. train one is when the participants lack the skills for the job and are either unable or unwilling to stand responsibility for the task. Level two is when the participants are willing to provide effort to complete the task but lack the skills or the knowledge required. Level three is when the participants are willing to provide the effort and have th e skills or knowledge required but lack the confidence to take on the responsibility. Level four is when the participants are willing to provide the effort and have the skills or knowledge required and are confident and willing to accept the responsibility. (Hersey & Blanchard, 1969)Hersey and Blanchard noted the importance of communicating your leadership approach to your employees. If you make a good diagnosis and provide the leadership modal value needed but fail to communicate your approach, your employees may become untrusting. Therefore it is important to implement your approach with your employees rather than to your employees in order to create a adhesive environment. (Hersey & Blanchard, 1969) The idea is to adapt your leadership behavior to that of your employees. By identifying the maturity level of your employees and adapting your leadership behavior, you can become a more effective leader.Path-Goal Theory The path-goal is a contingency theory based on the principle that subordinates will react favorably to leaders who are perceived as support them make progress toward various goals by clarifying the paths to such rewards (Greenberg, 2010, p. 325). This theory emphasizes the importance of the way the leader helps to clarify, communicate and reduce or deflect obstacles so as to create a positive perception that will result in increased effort and high-quality performance from the subordinate (Greenberg, 2010, p. 325).In essence, people will work to achieve the goal if they believe they are capable, and if they perceive the goal to be worthwhile. The path-goal theory suggests four basic leadership styles instrumental, supportive, participative, and achievement oriented. Instrumental also known as directive is when the leader identifies the task and specifically defines the process to be followed. This approach has a positive effect when the tasks are ambiguous and essentially gratifying (House & Mitchell, 1974). The supportive leadership style is c entered on building relationships with employees and showing concern for their sychological well-being. This style is effective when the tasks are emotionally taxing and physically draining (House & Mitchell, 1974). The participative leadership style is the based upon the belief that two or more minds are better than one and engaging employees in the decision making process produces higher levels of commitment.The level of participation may vary based on the style of leadership used and the style may change based on the type of decision being made. The achievement oriented leadership style focuses on setting challenging goals with confidence in subordinates seeking to improve performance (Greenberg, 2010, p. 25). This style has been proven most effective in highly technical roles. The style of leadership that should be selected depends on the individual situation and several characteristics of subordinates should be considered. The theory suggests that several aspects of the work en vironment routine a role and best results are achieved when tasks are unstructured. In a routine and structured work environment, employees may become resentful of the path-goal approach perceiving the leader as intrusive (Greenberg, 2010, p. 327). Application of Analysis to Leadership EnvironmentLeaders of all industries may take advantage of the study and application of leadership traits and theories. serviceable application would benefit a general manager of a full-service hotel in the hospitality industry. A general manager is a leader to many different employees with various levels of education, experience and skills. In addition, the employees maturity levels vary and some are more willing than others to take initiative to expand their skills and abilities. The two contingency theories mentioned provide leaders with optional styles that can be vary to individual employees to achieve optimal productivity.For instance, a new housekeeper may initially require the telling style of the situational leadership theory. They may appreciate wrap up guidelines that outline the process of cleaning a room. However, after the training plosive consonant the employee may exhibit high levels of maturity by taking initiative and offering new ideas. In this case, employee engagement and commitment can be achieved by shifting to the participating leadership style. This can be complaisant through encouraging feedback and empowering the employee to implement new ideas.The sales team of a hotel operates most efficiently in a creative environment that promotes open forums for brainstorming and networking. The path-goal theory encourages a participative leadership style effective in sales positions because it encourages feedback and a personal commitment to the goals. The ability to listen and relating to groups are valuable traits when working with a sales team. Active listening ensures the employees understand the goals of the organization. Relating to the group allows t he leader to provide the support and resources needed to achieve the goals.