Chapter 6:Leadership Traits and Skills

Learning Objectives

After studying this chapter, you should be able to:

■ Understand how leader traits and skills are related to effective leadership.

■ Understand the types of research methods used to study leadership traits and skills.

■ Understand what traits and skills are most relevant for effective leadership.

■ Understand what traits and skills best predict success in a managerial career.

■ Understand how the relevance of a trait or skill depends on the situation.

■ Understand the limitations of the trait approach.

Specific Traits Related to Leadership Effectiveness

• High energy level and stress tolerance

• Internal locus of control orientation

• Emotional maturity

• Personal integrity

• Socialized power motivation

• Moderately high achievement orientation

• Moderately high self-confidence

• Moderately low need for affiliation

Three-factor Taxonomy of Broadly Defined Skills

Technical Skills: Knowledge about methods, processes, procedures, and techniques for

conducting a specialized activity, and the ability to use tools and equipment relevant to that

activity.

Interpersonal Skills: Knowledge about human behavior and interpersonal processes, ability

to understand the feelings, attitudes, and motives of others from what they say and do

(empathy, social sensitivity), ability to communicate clearly and effectively (speech fluency,

persuasiveness), and ability to establish effective and cooperative relationships (tact,

diplomacy, listening skill, knowledge about acceptable social behavior).

Conceptual Skills: General analytical ability, logical thinking, proficiency in concept formation

and conceptualization of complex and ambiguous relationships, creativity in idea generation

and problem solving, ability to analyze events and perceive trends, anticipate changes, and

recognize opportunities and potential problems (inductive and deductive reasoning).

Negative Aspects of Very Low or Very High Trait Scores

Self-confidence

• too little: indecisive, avoids risks, and does not seek to influence others

• too much: arrogant, acts too quickly, and takes too many risks

Need for Esteem

• too little: does not seek recognition or build a reputation for high expertise and reliability

• too much: preoccupied with reputation and status, exaggerates achievements, covers up

mistakes and failures or blames others

Need for Affiliation

• too little: does not try to form strong relationships or build a social support network

• too much: overly concerned about being liked and accepted by others, over-uses ingratiation,

and will not risk popularity by asking for sacrifices or insisting on better performance

Need for Independence

• too little: dependent on others for direction, rule oriented, avoids taking initiative

• too much: resents authority, too quick to ignore rules and standard procedures

Altruism (value)

• too little: selfish, indifferent about the needs of others, may exploit them for personal gain

• too much: overly generous and forgiving, unable to ask for sacrifices or maintain discipline

Performance Orientation (value)

• too little: the person accepts weak performance and does not push for improvement

• too much: the person is a perfectionist and is overly demanding and never satisfied

Guidelines for Understanding and Improving Relevant

Competencies

• Learn about your strengths and weaknesses .

• Maintain self-awareness .

• Identify and develop skills relevant for a future leadership position .

• Remember that a strength can become a weakness .

• Compensate for weaknesses.