...Traits and Characteristics By Kristina G. Ricketts, Community and Leadership Development Most individuals would consider these people to be some of the greatest leaders of all time. In the early 20th century, leadership traits were studied to determine what made certain people great leaders. Common thoughts of leadership back then suggested that leaders were born and not made. These perceptions originated out of an observation that many great leaders possessed something out of the ordinary—natural, inborn characteristics that allowed them to excel above the rest. This perception translated into limited opportunities for leadership among the common people, as they were not endowed with these “special” leadership characteristics. However, research did not end up supporting this hypothesis and came back disappointingly negative. Researchers compared leaders and followers and looked for obvious differences. Even after comparing aspects such as IQ, personality qualities and personal characteristics, no consistent trends were found. As mentioned above, effective leadership often relies upon certain traits held by the leader. So leadership effectiveness is based upon the working relationship between the leader and other group members. Individual Differences Framework (IDF) states that leadership can be defined relatively straightforwardly as influencing people towards a shared goal. Determining that effective leadership was about much more than just certain characteristics, researchers...
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...History of Leadership Research Researchers have examined leadership skills from a variety of perspectives. Early analyses of leadership, from the 1900s to the 1950s, differentiated between leader and follower characteristics. Finding that no single trait or combination of traits fully explained leaders' abilities, researchers then began to examine the influence of the situation on leaders' skills and behaviors. Subsequent leadership studies attempted to distinguish effective from non-effective leaders. These studies attempted to determine which leadership behaviors were exemplified by effective leaders. To understand what contributed to making leaders effective, researchers used the contingency model in examining the connection between personal traits, situational variables, and leader effectiveness. Leadership studies of the 1970s and 1980s once again focused on the individual characteristics of leaders which influence their effectiveness and the success of their organizations. The investigations led to the conclusion that leaders and leadership are crucial but complex components of organizations. Traits Model of Leadership: Leaders versus Followers Initial investigations of leadership considered leaders as individuals endowed with certain personality traits which constituted their abilities to lead. The studies investigated individual traits such as intelligence, birth order, socioeconomic status, and child-rearing practices (Bass, 1960; Bird, 1940; Stogdill, 1948, 1974)...
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...completion of organizational goals and objectives. Leaders have their own unique style and successful leaders inspire loyalty, respect, confidence and obedience. Dr. Stephen Covey defined leadership as communicating to people their worth and potential so clearly that they are inspired to see it in themselves ("The Leader Formula: The 4 Things That Make A Good Leader", 2012). The following paper is an overview on of an approach used in the study of leadership. The focus will be on the power-influence approach theories, strength, and weaknesses within the approach. Research Approach Leadership has been the subject of much research that has created a vast array of results. To classify leadership theory and research is, according to the type of variable emphasized the most. The three variables relevant to understanding leadership effectiveness are characteristics of leaders, characteristics of followers, and characteristics of the situation (Yukl, 2010). Over the past half century leader characteristics are the most emphasized. Power-influence Approach The power-influence approach attempts to understand leadership effectiveness in terms of the amount and type of power possessed by the leader. This approach examines how power is acquired, lost and maintained (Walonick, Ph.D., 1993). Yukl (2010 stated, “Power-influence research examines influence processes between leaders and other people” (p. 14). Like most research on...
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...5/13/2012 leaders are born not made If you order your custom term paper from our custom writing service you will receive a perfectly written assignment on leaders are born not made. What we need from you is to provide us with your detailed paper instructions for our experienced writers to follow all of your specific writing requirements. Specify your order details, state the exact number of pages required and our custom writing professionals will deliver the best quality leaders are born not made paper right on time. Out staff of freelance writers includes over 120 experts proficient in leaders are born not made, therefore you can rest assured that your assignment will be handled by only top rated specialists. Order your leaders are born not made paper at affordable prices with Live Paper Help! . Leaders are born, not made Over the years there has been many opinions on this statement, and when trying to understand leadership success many approaches have been looked at. Researchers at the start of the 0th century focused on traits that leaders possessed. It was thought that some people were born with traits which made them a leader. Before the nd World War a lot of research was carried out, which sought to identify these characteristics. This is known as the Great Man Approach, since being born with these characteristics made you a “great man”. So is it true that leaders are born? Before seeking to answer this question, the theories should be examined. Stodgill...
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...3.) CHARACTERISTICS, TRAITS, AND BEHAVIORS OF EFFECTIVE LEADERS Characteristics and Traits of Effective Leaders Understanding leadership requires an understanding of leaders as individuals. This section will highlight findings about the personal characteristics and behaviors of effective managerial leaders. An assessment of the characteristics and behaviors of leaders translates into the idea that these same positive attributes of a leader will facilitate his or her effectiveness in comparable settings, such as customer service departments in different companies. Possessing certain characteristics and traits does not in itself guarantee success. Yet effective leaders differ from others in certain respects. Studying leadership traits is also important because a person who is perceived to embody certain traits is more likely to be accepted as a leader. Here we present a sampling of factors relevant to many work settings. 1. Drive and passion. Leaders are noted for the effort they invest in their work and the passion they have for work and work associates. Carol Bartz, the CEO of Yahoo, observes, “If you’re not excited, how can you get others excited? People will know. It’s like how kids and dogs can sense when people don’t like them.” 2. Power motive. Successful leaders exhibit power motivation, a strong desire to control others and resources and get them to do things on your behalf. A leader with strong power need enjoys exercising power and using...
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...managers in real life use a contingency approach to increase their leadership effectiveness? Discuss. Contingency approach, also known as situational approach, is a concept in management stating that there is no one universally applicable set of management principles (rules) by which to manage organizations. Organizations are individually different, face different situations (contingency variables), and require different ways of managing. Contingency Approaches to leadership Effectiveness: Researchers using the trait and behavioral approaches showed that effective leadership depended on many variables, such as organizational culture and the nature of tasks. No one trait was common to all effective leaders. No one style was effective in all situations. Researchers therefore began trying to identify those factors in each situation that influenced the effectiveness of a particular leadership style. Taken together, the theories resulting from this research constitute the contingency approach to leadership. These theories focus on the following factors: 1. Task requirements 2. Peers’ expectations and behavior 3. Employees’ characteristics expectations and behavior 4. Organizational culture and policies In contingency theory of leadership, the success of the leader is a function of various contingencies in the form of subordinate, task, and/or group variables. The effectiveness of a given pattern of leader behavior is contingent upon the demands imposed by the situation. These...
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...preferred to always be the team leader in school projects and extracurricular activities. As a young adult I wrote music and lead a band through some success. Now, in my thirties, I’m a GM for a local growing restaurant chain, and I’m working toward one day owning my own restaurant. My reasons for enrolling in this Leadership development class include, understanding the characteristics of a great leader, learning my strengths and weaknesses to become a better leader, and understanding how leadership has evolved and how that may effect future generations of leaders, such as myself. Understanding the characteristics of a great leader is probably my biggest reason for taking this course. In Northhouse’s Leadership Theory and Practice text book, one of the biggest enlightenments I encountered was that there are significant differences between managers and leaders. Even though both share traits such as influence, working with others, and achieving an effective goal, the differences were very surprising to me. I was intrigued to read that truly great leaders are more in touch with there emotions and the emotions of others around them. I guess I had felt that great leaders usually took a more logical than emotional approach. In a managerial setting, emotions don’t come in to play quite as much. Managers are really there to give a sense of structure to an otherwise chaotic situation. However, after pondering the subject, it does make sense that truly great leaders, like Martin Luther King...
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...the office or position of a leader, the capacity to lead and the act or an instance of leading. My personal definition of leadership is “one who has the capability to lead a group or organization. By doing so, such person’s decisions are not solely based on his/her ideas and opinions only. A leader listens, supports, represents, never gives up and most of all is a role model to his subordinates. He have the ability to motivate and empower others to achieve a goal”. There are individuals who may agree with my definition and there are others who may add or subtract. Whatever the case may be; this justifies one fact about Leadership which is; everyone have their own way of how leadership is defined. Everyone have their unique Leadership styles and characteristics. There are many characteristics and qualities that come to mind when I consider a leader in my life and the influence that they have had on my values, skills and knowledge of what makes an effective leader. In gathering these various characteristics and qualities, I have a portrait of what an ideal leader can and should be. This paper will examine the characteristics of a leader that I would be willing to walk through the streets of Bagdad for, even if all I have was a squirt gun. My Ideal Leader falls under the category of Team Leadership. In Team Leadership; the leader has special responsibilities for functioning in a manner that will help the group or organization achieve effectiveness. According to Hill’s Model for...
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...CANADIAN ARMED FORCES LEADERSHIP AND STRUCTURE Abstract Leadership is at the core of any organization, especially the military. The Canadian Armed Forces, being a hierarchal organization, places a strong focus on leadership. Leadership principles and styles, as well as different leadership models, make up the foundation of the military ethos, and serve the common mission. Leaders in the Canadian Armed Forces are required to possess specific characteristics and focus on the well-being of their members, in order to achieve the commander’s intent. Introduction “As a leader you want to inspire you people to be so engaged and committed, to have accomplished so much that even when they are nighty-five years old, sitting in a rocking chair on the back porch, they will look back on their time under your leadership with the satisfaction of accomplishment and contribution, and a feeling that they have made a difference. What they will remember most is how you made them feel as they did their work ad focused on their job. Only then can your job as a leader be considered complete” General Rick Hillier (2010) Leadership is essential in any organization, especially the military. It is a complex and convoluted topic that has received a great deal of attention. It has been in the spotlight for quite some time, and been the focal point of many studies. Leadership has been defined in various ways. The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have defined leadership as “directly...
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... | Historically, researchers have focused upon two main theories of leadership effectiveness: _______ and ______. A. | Ancient; modern | B. | Male; female | C. | Centralized; decentralized | D. | Trait; behavior | E. | Time-sensitive; timeless | | 2. | Almost always listed as important for leadership success is/are _______. A. | Basic intelligence | B. | Clear and strong values | C. | High level of personal energy | D. | All of these | E. | Training | | 3. | In _______, a classic study of leadership _______ was conducted by _______. A. | 1989; contingencies; Ken Blanchard | B. | 1969; qualities; Peter Drucker | C. | 1949; environment; Elton Mayo | D. | 1939; behavior; Kurt Lewin | E. | None of these | | 4. | In _______, Ralph Stogdill and others at _______ evaluated leadership effectiveness based upon ______. At about the same time, _______ and others at University of Michigan studied _______ leadership. A. | 1945; Ohio State University; initiating structure and consideration; Rensis Likert; job-centered and employee-centered | B. | 1955; Stanford University; time and place; Abraham Maslow; motivation and personality | C. | 1965; Harvard University; education and experience; W. Edwards Deming; technical process and eclectic | D. | All of these | E. | None of these | | 5. | Leadership effectiveness depends upon _________ of leaders, _________ of followers, and the _________ of the situation. A. | Timing; pulse;...
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...Are Leaders Born Or Made Management Essay Introduction: Leadership is a process by which individuals influence employees toward the achievement of organizational objectives (Dubrin, 2009). Leadership is probably the most frequent researched subject in the organization sciences. Many studies of leadership have been published and many leadership articles have been written in business-oriented publications and academic journals and books. Leadership has been researched in various different ways, depending on the methodological preferences of the researcher leadership definition (Achua, 2009). Most scholars deal only with leadership’s one narrow aspect, and as a result, most of the studies fall into distinct lines of research which include leader traits, behaviour, power and influence, and situational approaches. Literature Analysis: Are leaders born or made? This question has always dominated and still continues to dominate the leadership study (Dubrin, 2009). Although many research papers have been written, little to no conclusive evidence can be researched; the leadership topic remains elusive (Achua, 2009). However, with fifty years or more of study, some of the contributing factors or origins of leadership have become clearer. While no predictive model exists, scholars know what leads to leadership. One difficulty in discussing the leadership is its definition. Burt Nanus and Warren Bennis (Torrington and Hall, 2008) report ore that three hundred definitions of leadership...
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...Leadership Approach Leadership Approach Leadership can be characterized by three variables that help to understand leadership effectiveness. These variables are, 1) characteristics of a leader, 2) characteristics of followers, and 3) characteristics of the situation. Classifying the different leadership theories are done according to the emphasis of the variable. There are several major approaches to studying leadership. Some examples are the trait approach, behavior approach, power-influence approach, situational approach, and integrative approach. With each approach comes several strengths and weaknesses. Examples can be given to help show how a leadership approach can be used in an organization. Behavior Approach The behavior approach to studying leadership, which began in the 1950s, was developed after researchers became uninterested with the trait approach. Instead, they began to focus their attention to what managers do while at their job. The research for behavior branches into two main subcategories (Yukl, 2010). First Subcategory The first subcategory of research observes how managers spend their time and the routines of their activities, functions for managerial jobs, and functions. Other research involves examining how managers cope with the demands, constraints, and role conflicts that can occur during their job. A vast majority of the managerial work research uses detailed methods of collecting data in such ways as direct observation, job description...
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...Perspective on Perceived Leadership Effectiveness Jun Yan and James G. Jerry Hunt International Journal of Cross Cultural Management 2005; 5; 49 DOI: 10.1177/1470595805050824 The online version of this article can be found at: http://ccm.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/5/1/49 Published by: http://www.sagepublications.com Additional services and information for International Journal of Cross Cultural Management can be found at: Email Alerts: http://ccm.sagepub.com/cgi/alerts Subscriptions: http://ccm.sagepub.com/subscriptions Reprints: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsReprints.nav Permissions: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav Citations (this article cites 6 articles hosted on the SAGE Journals Online and HighWire Press platforms): http://ccm.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/5/1/49#BIBL Downloaded from http://ccm.sagepub.com at N E Wales Inst of H E on February 28, 2007 © 2005 SAGE Publications. All rights reserved. Not for commercial use or unauthorized distribution. CCM International Journal of 2005 Vol 5(1): 49–66 Cross Cultural Management A Cross Cultural Perspective on Perceived Leadership Effectiveness Jun Yan California State University, USA James G. (Jerry) Hunt Institute for Leadership Research, Texas Tech University, USA ABSTRACT We propose a theoretical model to explain how societal/cultural settings may influence the leadership perception processes of followers and the ways perceived leadership effectiveness can be achieved. We adopt five cultural...
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...power-influence approach, the situational approach and the integrative approach (Yukl, 2010). Following is a definition of each: • Trait approach- This approach tries to find physiological, demographic, personality, intellective, task related and social characteristics that identify leader emergence and effectiveness (Trait Theory of Leadership, 2011). • Power-influence approach- This approach attempts to measure effectiveness based on the different ways managers use power and influence to get things done (Leadership Styles , 2011). • Situational approach- This approach emphasizes on contextual factors that affect leadership behaviors (Yukl, 2010). • Integrative approach- Integration is the most commonly used today, which means to use more than one of the previously mentioned approaches (Yukl, 2010). Approach Selection After reviewing the major approaches to researching leadership I believe one style isn’t sufficient to properly measure effectiveness. For this reason, I selected the integrative approach. I base my decision on personal experience since I have had the opportunity of working in different industries and have noticed that those who I perceived as effective leaders were the ones who adjusted their behaviors, and procedures based on what the situation was at the moment, the overall mission of the company and...
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...theories that suggest characteristics, behaviors and relationships that inspire and create effective leaders and followers within organizations. The Trait Leadership Model, Behavior Leadership Model, Situational Leadership Model, and Charismatic Leadership Model provide assumptions built on theories from approaches that incorporate characteristics, leader behaviors, outcomes affected by situations and how leader relationships inspire change in an organization. Differences and similarities exist among these approaches and may address some of the contemporary leadership and challenges in organizations. Trait Leadership Model The Trait Model examined specific traits researchers believed were associated with leadership and focused on the innate characteristics that make good leaders. This body of research included theories that “leaders were born and not made” (Clawson, 2006, p. 379) in the “Great Man” Theory of Leadership. Kouzes (2003) believes that to view a few men and woman as innate greatness is wrong and that heroes do exists in organizations. Other Theorists like Stogdill’s Leadership Traits, Maccobys Leader, and John Gardner’s Leaders noted characteristics believed to make great leaders. Stogdill believed leaders were strong, task-oriented, confident, handled stress, and accepted responsibility for actions were qualities of a good leader (Clawson, 2006; Clemers, 1984/1995). Theorists Maccoby identified the positive and negative tendencies of leaders and suggested that...
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