Personality traits include assertiveness, dominance, creativity, self-confidence, administrative ability, and fluency of speech, social perceptiveness, and adaptability. Social traits include motivation, responsibility, initiative, persistence, task orientation, cooperativeness, and sociability (Howell & Costley, 2006). Society often believes that leadership traits, which people are born with. Typically traits are identified in people and the common misconception is those people are that they are born with those traits. With the traits as listed above it is not correct to generalize by saying that leaders are born since these traits
The traits of a good leader include personal attributes that also make you a great person overall. What makes a great leader is someone who is able to make decisions quickly and efficiently, appoint tasks to others and is generally well respected by peers. 1. A great leader is someone who respects others. A great leader must have great confidence in what he believes.
According to our textbook "Contemporary Management 5th Edition", Fielder identified three situational characteristics that are important determinants of how favorable a situation is for leading: leader-member relations, task structure, and position power. When a situation is favorable for leading, it is relatively easy for a manager to influence subordinates so that they perform at a high level and contribute to organizational efficiency and effectiveness. In a situation unfavorable for leading, it is much more difficult for a manager to exert influence. According to Fiedler, a leader’s behavior is dependent upon the favorability of the leadership situation. Three factors work together to determine how favorable a situation is to a leader.
The framework of FFM can be used to predict the personality of the ideal leader. Agreeableness refers to a tendency to be cooperative, polite, trusting and eager to help others (Costa & McCrae, 1992). Individuals high on agreeableness are more likely to help others (Jensen-Campbell & Graziano, 2001), and this trait is a key composition of a successful leadership. Judge and Bono (2000) reported that agreeableness is the most strongly associated with idealized leadership. Conscientiousness is the best indicator of performance in work place (Barrick & Mount, 1991).
Being a good and patient listener helps, not only solve many problems at work, but also to see the world through the eyes of others, opening your understanding, and enhancing the capacity for empathy. In addition, you learn a lot from listening. As simple as listening to and acknowledging other people may seem, doing it well, particularly when disagreements arise, takes sincere effort and lots of practice. This boss should also be able to listen to the staff’s ideas or requests and accepts them if he or she can. This boss should make his or her employees feel that they are respected and listened to.
Abstract A leader is someone who has the ability to influence followers that have the same determination and outcomes for change as they do. People build their leadership qualities through life experiences. Great leaders are able to effectively influence their subordinates. This influencing is usually done by using their authority. Most people tend to believe and trust in people in authority because they have reputation and rapport.
They are able to speak many languages of the individuals within the groups they lead. A good leader pays attention to the facts and then makes decisions based on objective analysis of those facts, that not to say humanitarian factors succumb to the bottom line. Effective leaders naturally motivate people from their actions, which include showing respect, listening, reflecting, and negotiating through conflict. Efficient leaders learn the strengths and weaknesses of their subordinates and cohorts and utilize group dynamics. Leaders encourage and empower people to achieve success rather than place blame.
Managing Time- A leader should be able to identify and differentiate between urgent and important issues. Sometimes a task maybe important but not urgent, while other times it can be urgent but not important. A leader is responsible to manage the flow of day to day operations and meet deadlines. Communicating Effectively – Being the main channel of communication between the team and the organisation, Leaders must possess outstanding communication skills in order to exchange information between team members on goal setting, task assignments, work scheduling, problem solving, providing constructive feedback, praise, discussions, addressing conflicts etc. A good leader should lead by asking questions, listening, and facilitating constructive communication to build trust and respect.
I enjoyed reading The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership article and found it worthwhile. “Leadership is not about personality; it’s about practice.” This statement is highlights that not all leaders are born with an innate ability to lead. The five practices of exemplary leaders are: model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, and encourage the heart. I will explain each practice individually and provide a personal prospective on how I have seen them applied. Model the way – “you have to open your heart and let people know what you really think and believe.” I found this quote very convincing.
Leaders are those people who can influence and support others in the accomplishment of a certain task. Every leader is qualified with a certain leadership style. Leadership style is the method or the style used by the leader to provide directions, apply plans, and motivate people. Out of the different leadership styles, I have chosen autocratic versus democratic style. An autocratic leader is a leader who loves to have authority and power over others.