Trait Based Leadership Theory
Leadership traits that I find most important would include drive, honesty/integrity, desire to lead, and self-confidence. I selected these because I feel they are most important and harder to consistently maintain. For example, when it comes to drive, we have to consider that some people really are content with their current position at their company and have no ambition to take on an executive or leadership role. I firmly believe that someone could hold all of the other traits, but without having the drive, they will not actually step up into the role.
Honesty and integrity for a leader should be a non-negotiable, but not all leaders operate the same way. It’s important to be able to be honest with people and to ensure that your words and your actions are consistent. Next, the desire to lead is something that we may take for granted, but not every person with leadership traits wants to lead or is at a place in their life where they feel they are ready to lead. Self-confidence is tied to this. Sometimes we lack the confidence to see ourselves as a leader. It could be that we are suffering from imposter syndrome, or that we are dealing with emotional/mental health issues from our past which could be holding us back. Having the confidence in our own ability may help us to find that desire to lead.
From the article, Leadership: Do Traits Matter? (Kirkpatrick, 1991), the authors state that “These same qualities, however, may result in a manager who tries to accomplish everything alone, thereby failing to develop subordinate commitment and responsibility. Effective leaders must not only be full of drive and ambition, they must want to lead others” which I feel is truly a large point that shouldn’t be missed. Someone can have many of the leadership traits, but without the desire to lead others, they will not become real leaders. Being an achiever is not the same as being a leader.
Trait theory is a great tool in that it gives us a solid foundation to begin identifying potential leaders. However, it’s important not to exclude someone who could be missing one or two of those traits, but with the right coaching could step into the leadership role very successfully. If someone were to follow the theory to the point where they are only searching for someone who checks all of those boxes, they may miss some great potential right under their noses.
Coming out of the days of the “great man” theory, we have been opening the doors to leaders from all ethnic backgrounds, genders, ages, etc. People with these leadership traits are now being given the opportunity to step into the leadership roles they desire, regardless of their backgrounds, and proving to be just as capable as the white males of yesteryear. Globalization further opens these doors as an up-and-coming leader living in New Delhi could be a perfect match for a start-up company in Helena, Montana. With the help of globalization, these two can find each other and make that connection to spark potential greatness!
In Good to Great (Collins, 2011), we were introduced to the strategy of deciding on “who” before “what” within an organization. It was interesting to read about how rare it is that this method was taken, but at the same time, it would take a bold and innovative approach to flip some of these companies into greatness. When considering the traits discussed in trait-based leadership theory, it would make sense to have the most all-around qualified person in the correct position before taking steps to revamp a company’s entire strategy. At one company that I’ve worked for, the owner would often come across someone with a good idea and the charisma to make the owner believe in that idea. Unfortunately, each and every time we ended up changing our strategy for those charismatic individuals who had zero knowledge of the industry, or even a desire to their idea through. This cost the company thousands every time it happened. If the owner had just held off to vet the right person for the seats needed to be filled, then that entire team could have come up with a solid strategy that they would have had the drive to accomplish. “Who” before “what” has changed my perspective as a manager, and future leader. I’m currently looking new team members and this has helped me to really think about the way I should break up the work in order to find someone who can really excel in that area. I’ve already identified one individual who I would like to meet with to see if they would be best fit for one of the roles, and now I understand the value of walking away rather than settling for “good enough” in the workplace.
References
Kirkpatrick, S. A. (1991). Leadership: Do Traits Matter. Academy of Management Executive.
Collins, J. (2001). Good to Great. HarperCollins.