Trait theory of leadership

Leaders are born not made...

The trait theory of leadership is the view that people are born with inherited traits - and that some traits are particularly suited to leadership.

Early research on leadership - which was a development of the Great man theory of leadership - was based on the psychological focus of the day, which was of people having inherited characteristics or traits.

Attention was thus put on identifying these traits, often by studying successful leaders. The focus was not [as it today] on finding way of teaching these "skills" to people to "develop" leaders, but was on finding other people with these traits who could also become great leaders.

Trait theory of leadership identifies the following traits and skills as critical to leaders [Stogdill 1974]:

Traits

• Adaptable to situations
• Alert to social environment
• Ambitious and achievement-orientated
• Assertive
• Cooperative
• Decisive
• Dependable
• Dominant (desire to influence others)
• Energetic (high activity level)
• Persistent
• Self-confident
• Tolerant of stress
• Willing to assume responsibility

Skills

• Clever (intelligent)
• Conceptually skilled
• Creative
• Diplomatic and tactful
• Fluent in speaking
• Knowledgeable about group task
• Organised (administrative ability)
• Persuasive
• Socially skilled

Four primary traits by which leaders could succeed or fail were identified by McCall and Lombardo [1983]:

• Emotional stability - centred, confident, predictable - especially under stress
• Admitting mistakes - rather than wasting energy evading discovery
• Good interpersonal skills - ability to persuade others
• Intellectual ability - to understand the wider holistic perpective

Changing views

For many years it has been fashionable to assume that inherited traits were far less important than learned and situational factors in those people fulfilling leadership roles.

However, the science and study of behavioural genetics is gradually refocusing attention on the fact that far more is to do with our genes and our inherited traits and characteristics than has been assumed or accepted for several decades.

At this point, I will re-state my own view - based on my experience - that leaders are born and not made. What's your view?

Leading your people through change, putting it all together and managing the whole messy business

By convention we speak of change “management” but the reality is that change involves leadership as well as management. The primary causes of failure in change initiatives are all people related, and to do with emotions. So [not withstanding the merits or demerits of the trait theory of leadership] change leadership requires some very special qualities in the person[s] leading the change.

This is more to do with “being” than “doing”. What you do, and how you do it will be largely determined by how you are as a person.

Change is an emotional business. The failure to address the human impacts of change is at the root of most failed change initiatives. It is not enough just to “manage” change; people need to be led through change.

Change is a messy business fraught with complexity, multiple factors and many things that can, and usually do, go wrong. There are 3 broad areas that need to be included in any successful change initiative, namely:

• Leadership that directly addresses the transitions and emotional dimension of those impacted by the change, and provides inspirational motivation
  
• A change model and methodology that covers the multiple factors that must be addressed
  
• Action management that shows and assists people with the specifics of exactly what is required of them

These are addressed in the "Practitioners Masterclass" which takes a holistic view of the key areas and shows you how to put all this into practise.

And all of this is examined, co-related and integrated with the other key areas leading your people through change, putting it all together and managing the whole messy business.

To equip yourself, stay one step ahead with the tools and processes that will enable you to manage the messy stuff - check out the Practitioners' Masterclass [or click on the image to the right].

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Rensis Likert - People before process

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