Leadership Traits

2. Leadership Traits �Rule 13: When put into a position of command, take charge.� ~Norman Schwarzkopf

3. Great Man Theory The Great Man Theory attempted to prove that leaders and followers are fundamentally different. Conclusions of the research: Leaders were not qualitatively different than followers. Characteristics, such as intelligence, initiative, stress tolerance, responsibility, friendliness, and dominance, were modestly related to leadership success.

4. Leadership: Do Traits Matter? Early approach to studying leadership Had to do with innate qualities & characteristics of great social, political and military people Trait refers to a variety of individual attributes, including personality, temperament, needs, motives and values Research focuses on traits that differentiate between leaders and non-leaders Are leaders like other people

5. Personality Traits and Leadership Personality is: The impression a person makes on others. The underlying, unseen structures and processes inside a person that explain why we behave the way we do. Traits refer to recurring regularities or trends in a person�s behavior. The trait approach to personality maintains that people behave the way they do because of the strengths of the traits they possess.

6. Personality Traits and Leadership (continued) Personality traits are useful concepts for explaining why people act fairly consistently from one situation to the next. Knowing how two people differ on a particular personality trait can help us predict more accurately how they will tend to act in a variety of situations. A leader�s behavior reflects an interaction between his or her personality traits and various situational factors: Weak situations Strong situations

7. Type A vs. Type B Type A Behavior Pattern: A pattern of behavior involving high levels of competitiveness, time urgency, and irritability. Type B Behavior Pattern: A pattern of behavior characterized by a casual, laid-back style; the opposite of the Type A behavior pattern.

8. Leader Traits That Influence the Leadership Process Personality Position Experience Selection process

9. Traits indicative of leadership potential Drive (Achievement, ambition, energy, tenacity, initiative, determination) Sociability Honesty and integrity Self-confidence (including emotional stability) Cognitive Ability (intelligence) Creativity Flexibility

10. Traits and Characteristics Integrity Appearance Visionary Attitude Communications Flexibility Determination Sense of humor Tad theatrical Perseverance Confidence Intelligence Sensitivity High energy

11. Characteristics of Leaders A general summary of Executives from four semesters of �In The Executive Chair� class Passion Risk takers Humility People person Perseverance Communicators Integrity Continual learners Ethical Confidence

12. Characteristics of Leaders � cont�d Summary of Exec from Exec class � cont�d Best people Effective culture Education Balance of life Networking Mentor Passion Take risks

13. Why Do Some Leaders Fail? Approximately 50% of the persons in leadership positions may be incompetent. Reasons for high level of incompetence: Invalid selection and succession planning systems Ill-defined performance expectations Poorly designed leadership development programs EGO Over ambition Terrible people skills

14. 10 Mistakes That Leaders Make Repeating the same mistake more than once Being inflexible Trying to be what you are not Being a commander rather than a leader Failing to listen Getting caught up in your own glory Expecting it to last forever Hoarding skills or information Taking yourself too seriously Missing the gray areas Losing trust

15. COMMON MIND-SETS Give yourself permission to fail Progress is a dynamic word but change is its motivator and change has its enemies There is no such thing as over communication If it ain�t broke, break it Serve your people and they will serve you To be a good leader you must first �know thyself� Accountability with compassion

16. FINDINGS ON DERAILMENT Center for Creative Leadership Research on Leaders who Derail: Emotional Stability, Defensiveness, Integrity, Interpersonal skills, Technical and Cognitive Skills

18. Dark-Side Personality Traits The eleven dark-side personality traits are: Excitable � dramatic mood swings; emotional outbursts; argumentative Skeptical � mistrust; questioning/ challenging Cautious � indecisive; non risk taker; fear of failure Reserved � withdrawn; non communicative Leisurely � passive/ aggressive; procrastinate; �manana� Bold � narcissistic; take no prisoners; blame others Mischievous � c/b charming; non conformists; break rules Colorful � narcissistic; center of attention; unfocused Imaginative � innovative; change minds; strange decisions Diligent � perfectionists; micro mgrs; can�t delegate Dutiful � make unrealistic requests; no support of staff

19. Dark-Side Personality Traits Everyone has at least one dark-side personality trait. Dark-side traits have bigger influence on performance for people in leadership versus followership roles. The dark-side traits are usually only apparent when leaders are not attending to their public image. Dark-side traits co-vary with social skills and are difficult to detect in interviews, assessment centers, or with bright-side personality inventories. The behaviors associated with dark-side personality traits can occur at any leadership level, and many times organizations tolerate these behaviors because the leader is smart, experienced, or possesses unique skills.

20. Big Five Personality Dimensions

21. The Five Factor Model of Personality The five major dimensions of the Five Factor Model of Personality include: Surgency � ambition; dominance; sociability Dependability � credibility; conformity Agreeableness - friendly; interpersonal; empathy Adjustment � flexibility; self control Openness to experience � inquisitive; learning; intelligence

22. Implications of the Five Factor Model People tend to describe others using traitlike terms, and personality traits can be reliably categorized into the five major dimensions of the FFM. Personality traits can be reliably assessed, and these assessments can be used to make predictions about how people will typically behave at work. There is an overwhelming body of research that shows that all five of the FFM dimensions are related to leadership success across different cultures.

23. Implications of the Five Factor Model (continued) Personality traits tend to be difficult to change � people are �hard wired� to exhibit those behaviors associated with their personality traits. All behavior is under conscious control. Having insight into one�s personality traits can give people information about their potential leadership strengths and development needs and how much effort they will have to put forth to overcome these needs.

24. Guidelines for Managers/Leaders Understand your strengths and weaknesses Develop relevant skills Remember that a strength can become a weakness! Compensate for weaknesses Use the trait approach for effective selection, training and development

25. Intelligence and Leadership Research provides overwhelming evidence to support the notion that general intelligence plays a substantial role in human affairs. Intelligence is a person�s all-around effectiveness in activities directed by thought. Intelligent leaders: Are faster learners. Make better assumptions, deductions, and inferences. Are better at creating a compelling vision and developing strategies to make their vision a reality. Can develop better solutions to problems. Can see more of the primary and secondary implications of their decisions. Are quicker on their feet than leaders who are less intelligent.

26. The Triarchic Theory of Intelligence The Triarchic Theory of Intelligence consists of: Analytic intelligence � problem solving ability Practical intelligence � street smarts; what to do/ how to do it Creative intelligence � be novel and useful Divergent thinking � many possible answers Convergent thinking � single best answer (tests)

27. Implications of the Triarchic Theory of Intelligence Leadership effectiveness or emergence is positively correlated with analytic intelligence. Leadership situations that are relatively routine, unchanging, or require specific in-depth product or process knowledge may place more importance on practical intelligence than analytic intelligence. Leaders revert to well-practiced behaviors under periods of high stress and change, and leaders with high levels of practical intelligence have a relatively broad set of coping and problem-solving behaviors to draw upon in these situations.

28. The Components of Creative Intelligence Research suggests that creativity appears to be made up of seven components: Synthetic ability � skills that help to see new ways Analytic intelligence � evaluate for potential solutions Practical intelligence � relevant knowledge=solutions Thinking style � modify to what exists or start over Personality factors � higher openness to experience Intrinsic motivation � personally interesting = more creative Environmental factors � generate more creative solutions to problem,

29. Intelligence and Stress: Cognitive Resources Theory Recent research suggests that stress plays a key role in determining just how a leader�s intelligence affects his or her effectiveness. The Cognitive Resources Theory consists of several key concepts: Intelligence Experience Stress Group Performance

30. Cognitive Resources Theory Leaders with greater experience but lower intelligence are hypothesized to have higher-performing groups under conditions of high stress. Leaders with high levels of experience will have a tendency to misapply old solutions to problems when creative solutions are called for. It is not the most intelligent but the most experienced members of organizations who are selected to be leaders.

31. Cognitive Resource Theory Concerns The apparent dichotomy between intelligence and experience: Research showed not only that many leaders were both intelligent and experienced, but also that they would fall back on their experience in stressful situations and use their intelligence to solve group problems in less-stressful situations. The leader�s ability to tolerate stress: Leaders may do well in high-stress situations even when they lack experience because of their inherent ability to handle stress (when the going gets tough; the tough get going)

32. Implications of the Cognitive Resource Theory The best leaders are often smart and experienced. Leaders may not be aware of the degree to which they are causing stress in their followers. The level of stress inherent in the position needs to be understood before selection of leaders.

33. Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Emotional Intelligence is: A group of mental abilities that help people to recognize their own feelings and those of others. Another way of measuring human effectiveness and a set of abilities necessary to cope with daily situations and get along in the world. The degree to which thoughts, feelings, and actions are aligned. Two models of Emotional Intelligence: Ability model � how emotions affect thinking, deciding, planning & acting Mixed model � include all of the abilities but other attributes as well (Goleman�s 5 attributes)

34. 5 Attributes of EQ - Goleman Self-Awareness (knowing one�s internal states, preferences, resources and limitations Self-Regulation (managing one�s internal states, impulses and resources Motivation (Emotional tendencies that guide or facilitate reaching goals) Empathy (Awareness of others� feelings, needs, and concerns Social Skills (Adeptness at inducing desirable responses in others)

35. Implications of Emotional Intelligence People can be extremely ineffective when their thoughts, feelings, and actions are misaligned. Leaders who are thinking or feeling one thing and actually doing something else are less effective in their ability to influence groups toward the accomplishment of their goals. When recognized and leveraged properly emotions can be the motivational fuel that help individuals and groups to accomplish their goals. Some researchers believe that emotional intelligence is more important than intelligence when it comes to leadership success. It appears that EQ attributes would be difficult to change as a result of training intervention.

36. Weaknesses of the Trait Approach Focuses exclusively on the leader Relatively subjective determination of important traits What about the situation? Not enough research on traits and objective indicators of performance Traits may be difficult to change

37. Summary The situation will dictate which personality traits, components of intelligence, or emotional attributes will positively affect a leader�s ability to influence a group. The Five Factor Model comprises the bright side of personality, but there are a number of traits that also contribute the dark side of personality.

38. Summary (continued) The most recent theory for understanding intelligence divides it into three related components: Analytic intelligence Practical intelligence Creative intelligence Leaders who can better align their thoughts and feelings with their actions may be more effective than leaders who think and feel one way about something but then do something different about it.