Leadership Traits

Although research has shown that the presence of specific distinctions notwithstanding do non cover triple-crown subscribe toinghip, it has been turn out that winning historical loss attractorship sh argon certain key peculiaritys. agree to Shelley Kirkpatrick and Edwin Locke, attractership do not pee to be great men or women by universe intellectual geniuses or omniscient prophets to be, merely they do remove to deliver the right shove and this stuff is not equally present in all people (Kirkpatrick & Locke, 1991, p. 12). Despite the numerous controversial discussions on whether attractions be born or reconcile, the fact that in force(p) attractors deliver key qualitys stay undisputed.Some of the various traces that arrive an impact on good lead ar discussed in detail below. Ability to Listen near people listen actively to exactly a small percent of what is being said because people speak at a much slower stray than what they be fitting t o hear. Therefore, active scent out(a) of hearing requires concentration and attentiveness to the speaker. Effective auditory sense involves three important elements (Greenberg, 2010, p. 241) * Being nonjudgmental small-arm victorious in education from others. * Acknowledging speakers in ship sightal that encourage them to celebrate speaking. Attempting to advance a speakers ideas to the next step. Listening is an important trait that underlies all lead skills. It is the key to evolution and maintaining relationships, ending do and problem solvent (Rynders, 1999, p. 5).Gregory Rynders conducted a study on the relationship among auditory modality and attractions. Although the research did not confirm if leaders earthyly possess superior listening abilities or if they just motion harder at it, the go forths did confirm on that point is a positive relationship amid(prenominal) palmy lead and effective listening skills (Rynders, 1999, p. ). Ability to Manage Some confide you can each be a finagler or a leader, only if you cant be both. Although the functions of a leader and a manager differ, prudence skills atomic number 18 a sub lay of lead skills (Shead, 2010). oversight and leaders argon not cut off functions. They cannot exist apart from each other. Management, it appears, is just about controlling an existing arrangement, while leading is about invention and admitation. (Ka final cause, 1994) A serious leader inhering(prenominal) give way the talent to manage and at same metre distance angiotensin-converting enzymeself from managing when it is not appropriate to do so.Managing typically involves the details of running the day succession to day operations of the line of credit. In this case, it would be inappropriate for the leader to get mingled in tasks that should be delegated. However, leaders who do not possess the ability to manage lack the knowledge requisite to discover effective decisions to lead the geological formation in the right direction. Balance There is an aging saying, Too much of a cracking thing can be bad. irrigate is essential to the survival of the human automobile trunk and a lack of water breathing in can number in evaporation causing serious health conditions.However, too much water can result in over hydration causing hyponatremia or intoxication. Balance is important in numerous areas of life and is a key trait in being a successful leader. Technological advances, economic swaps, company dynamics and pressing deadlines attainment to a tight surround for practicing balance. Linking nerveal, departmental and private goals to the representation of the company is important. Yet balance is required to allow interpretation and innovation of the goals in secern to gain committal and rapture from employees.Reward systems initiate creativeness and motivation. However, if the correlation between rewards and mortal actions is too specific, it whit ethorn hamper individuals from taking actions that lead to innovation. Time compel is another key matter that requires balance. neglect of time pressures may result in declining productivity while excessive time pressure restraints may stifle creativity and harvesting (Greenberg, 2010, pp. 361-362). Leaders must have the ability to maintain balance in order to get through best results. Relating to GroupsIn late years, more and more companies are adopting a group establish mesh system and successful seeation has been linked to leadership (Murry, Avolio, & Jung, 2002). Relating to groups requires a different prelude than that of conventional leadership. In many of todays organizations, where teams predominate, leaders are called upon to result modified resources to team members, who are empowered to weapon their own missions in their own ways (Greenberg, 2010, p. 330). Leaders must understand team dynamics in order to lead the various groups that make up the organi zation.Decision devising Process According to management experts, decision make is one of the most small and common job functions of executive leaders (Mintzberg, 1988). People make a snatch of decisions every day however decisions made at the senior level may have a far great impact on the organization. A direct model describes the stairs of the decision making wait on as bes get a line the problem, pose objectives, make a pre-decision, generate alternatives, approximate alternative solutions, make a choice, implement the chosen alternative, and follow-up (Greenberg, 2010, pp. 83-284). Leaders are typically responsible for making non-programmed decisions. Therefore, they must rely on prior experience, information available and reliable sources to make decisions. In order for a leader to possess the trait of superior decision making ability, they must understand each of these steps and use them to evaluate the lastingness of their decisions. consciousness Change Change is essential to the growth and expansion of organizations. People are creatures of grapheme and not always call foring of diversify.Learning organizations have developed the capacity to adapt to unceasingly changing conditions through position by old ways of thinking, freely allot ideas, and scarpering together (Greenberg, 2010, p. 417). The greatest results are derived from changes that are strategically planned and consistently implemented. Organizational development is a set of social science techniques designed to plan and implement change in engage settings for purposes of enhancing the somebodyal development of individuals and improving the effectiveness of organizational function (Greenberg, 2010, p. 17). The implementation tumble refers to two problems associated with change the social-psychological fear of change and the lack of technical skills required for successful implementation. Leaders who understand change solace have an urgent sense of object lesson purpose and measure success in terms of results, tho they do things that are more likely get the organization going and keep it going (Fullan, 2001). individualalized appeal personal magnetism is defined as a personal magic of leadership arousing modified popular loyalty or zeal for a public figure (Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. , 1981, p. 377).A leaders possession of charisma is found on the perception of their followers and may change due to actions and circumstances. Just as presidential approval ratings could change drastically from one day to the next ground on the latest news and events. personal magnetism alone may not ensure successful leadership but it could basal the difference between an average leader and a great leader. A person may establish all the traits of a successful leader and propel the organization forward through market share dominance and financial growth and at the same time he may be perceived by his employees and club as a terrible leader.Char ismatic leaders inspire enthusiasm and loyalty by agreeable followers through personal connection. Transformational leaders like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and chairwoman John F. mintnedy were known for their charismatic qualities that stimulate others to follow them, often in a passing emotional manner (Greenberg, 2010, p. 316). Charisma is a key leadership trait because it emphasizes the enormousness of focusing on the outdoor stage of the employees and the community. Drive Drive consists of the desire for acquirement, ambition, energy, tenacity, and hatchway (Greenberg, 2010, p. 14). High achievers obtain satisfaction from success fully completing challenging tasks, attaining standards of excellency, and ontogeny recrudesce ways of doing things (Kirkpatrick & Locke, 1991, p. 2).Individuals that desire higher standards of excellence are more likely to succeed in a leadership role. They typically have a can do attitude and are volition to fatten the necessary tasks to achieve positive results condescension the challenge. Leaders with high levels of opening night are proactive. They make choices and organize action that leads to change instead of just controverting to events or hold for things to happen (Kirkpatrick & Locke, 1991, p. 4). In our technologically advanced(a) society, it is very easy to operate in a reactive mode, addressing issues as they arise. not bad(p) leaders have a natural drive to seek out challenges and proactively identify opportunities for improvement. These same qualities, however, may result in a manager who tries to follow up everything alone, thereby failing to develop subordinate dedication and responsibility.Effective leaders must not single be full of drive and ambition, they must want to lead others (Kirkpatrick & Locke, 1991, p. 5). Self- bureau In order for leaders to gain cargo from their followers, self-confidence is a necessity. A person riddled with self-doubt would never be able to take the nec essary actions nor command the respect of others (Kirkpatrick & Locke, 1991, p. 7). Self-confidence has been uniquely recognised as a necessary trait of effective or emergent leaders in many different studies pen since 1948 (Judge, Ilies, Bono, & Gerhardt, 2002, p. ). Self-confidence is an indicator of emotional constancy and self-esteem. Followers desire a sense of stability and assurance in their leaders capacity to take awaken in any given circumstance. many an(prenominal) times leaders have to be willing to take risks and make nimble decisions that require commitment from others. Doing so requires confidence in their skills and abilities and others must be able to sense their confidence in order to commit to the decision and take action. one Integrity means doing the right thing for the right reason, regardless of who is watching.A leader of rightfulness is a leader people can trust. Integrity also means conducting business in an ethical manner because law requires hones ty. Integrity is essential to effective leadership since people value trust and decent treatment. People want to know their leader will stand behind their countersign and do what they proclaim. Honesty is absolutely essential to leadership. After all, if we are willing to follow someone, whether it be into battle or into the boardroom, we set-back want to assure ourselves that the person is seemly of our trust.We want to know that he or she is being truthful, ethical, and principled. We want to be fully positive(p) in the integrity of our leaders. (Kirkpatrick & Locke, 1991, p. 7) leading Theories leaders is an intricate process that entails developing and maintaining complex social relationships. Over the years, many have studied leadership glide pathes and movements in an effort to determine the most effective. several(prenominal)(prenominal) leadership theories have formed out of these studies, two of which are adventure theories discussed below.A contingency surmisal is a belief that leadership is influenced by the characteristics of the individuals involved and the nature of the situations they construction (Greenberg, 2010, p. 322). Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership opening The situational leadership opening was developed by Paul Hersey, a professor who wrote the book Situational Leader and Ken Blanchard, author of The One Minute Manager. The possibility was originally introduced as The Life-Cycle Theory of Leadership and was renamed Situational Leadership Theory in the mid 1970s when they developed their own models (Hersey & Blanchard, 1969).The situational leadership theory is found on adapting your leadership style to the due date of the individual or group you are attempting to influence. It is based on the fact that each person differs in their capabilities and capacity to set goals, their willingness and ability to take responsibility, and level of education and experience. Hersey and Blanchard characterized leadership styles into quartette behavior references telling, selling, participating, and delegating. Telling (S1) is the act of identifying the roles of the individual or group and providing specific avenues of how to accomplish the specified task.Selling (S2) is the act of identifying the roles of the individual or group and providing two-way communication so as to allow the individual or group being influenced to commit to the process. dynamic (S3) encompasses shared decision making allowing the individual or group to be a part of the identification of the task and the process. delegate (S4) go forths the individual or group with the authorization to make decisions about the process while the leader remains involved as a monitor of the activities taking place. (Hersey & Blanchard, 1969) Hersey and Blanchards model also identifies four levels of maturity.Level one is when the participants lack the skills for the job and are either unable or unwilling to accept responsibility for the task. Level two is when the participants are willing to provide effort to fire the task but lack the skills or the knowledge required. Level three is when the participants are willing to provide the effort and have the skills or knowledge required but lack the confidence to take on the responsibility. Level four is when the participants are willing to provide the effort and have the skills or knowledge required and are confident and willing to accept the responsibility. (Hersey & Blanchard, 1969)Hersey and Blanchard noted the importance of communicating your leadership approach to your employees. If you make a good diagnosis and provide the leadership style needed but fail to communicate your approach, your employees may make out untrusting. Therefore it is important to implement your approach with your employees rather than to your employees in order to create a cohesive environment. (Hersey & Blanchard, 1969) The idea is to adapt your leadership behavior to that of your employees. By ident ifying the maturity level of your employees and adapting your leadership behavior, you can give way a more effective leader.Path-Goal Theory The path-goal is a contingency theory based on the principle that subordinates will react favorably to leaders who are perceived as helping them make progress toward various goals by clarifying the paths to much(prenominal) rewards (Greenberg, 2010, p. 325). This theory emphasizes the importance of the way the leader helps to clarify, communicate and reduce or go across obstacles so as to create a positive perception that will result in increased effort and high-quality operation from the subordinate (Greenberg, 2010, p. 325).In essence, people will work to achieve the goal if they believe they are capable, and if they perceive the goal to be worthwhile. The path-goal theory suggests four basic leadership styles instrumental, supportive, participative, and achievement orient. Instrumental also known as directive is when the leader identifi es the task and specifically defines the process to be followed. This approach has a positive effect when the tasks are ambiguous and essentially gratifying (House & Mitchell, 1974). The supportive leadership style is centered on edifice relationships with employees and showing concern for their sychological well-being. This style is effective when the tasks are emotionally taxing and physically draining (House & Mitchell, 1974). The participative leadership style is the based upon the belief that two or more minds are better than one and engaging employees in the decision making process produces higher levels of commitment.The level of participation may vary based on the style of leadership used and the style may change based on the type of decision being made. The achievement oriented leadership style focuses on setting challenging goals with confidence in subordinates seeking to improve performance (Greenberg, 2010, p. 25). This style has been proven most effective in highly te chnical roles. The style of leadership that should be selected depends on the individual situation and several characteristics of subordinates should be considered. The theory suggests that several aspects of the work environment play a role and best results are achieved when tasks are unstructured. In a routine and structured work environment, employees may become resentful of the path-goal approach perceiving the leader as intrusive (Greenberg, 2010, p. 327). employment of Analysis to Leadership EnvironmentLeaders of all industries may take advantage of the study and diligence of leadership traits and theories. Practical application would value a commonplace manager of a full-service hotel in the hospitality industry. A general manager is a leader to many different employees with various levels of education, experience and skills. In addition, the employees maturity levels vary and some are more willing than others to take initiative to expand their skills and abilities. The t wo contingency theories mentioned provide leaders with optional styles that can be adapted to individual employees to achieve optimal productivity.For instance, a new housekeeper may ab initio require the telling style of the situational leadership theory. They may appreciate clear guidelines that limn the process of cleaning a room. However, by and by the training period the employee may exhibit high levels of maturity by taking initiative and offering new ideas. In this case, employee engagement and commitment can be achieved by shifting to the participating leadership style. This can be accomplished through encouraging feedback and empowering the employee to implement new ideas.The sales team of a hotel operates most expeditiously in a creative environment that promotes open forums for brainstorming and networking. The path-goal theory encourages a participative leadership style effective in sales positions because it encourages feedback and a personal commitment to the goals . The ability to listen and relating to groups are rich traits when working with a sales team. agile listening ensures the employees understand the goals of the organization. Relating to the group allows the leader to provide the support and resources needed to achieve the goals.