Session 2 - Trait Approach Flashcards
What is the “Great-Man” approach?
- focused on identifiyng innate qualities and characteristics possessed by great social, poiltical and military leaders
- believes that people were born with this trait and oly great people possess them
- focuses on traits that differentiate leaders from followers
How can you measure narcism?
- on company websites, pictures from narcissists are bigger
- says “I” very often in company related press releases etc.
- salary gap is bigger
-> all three need to be looked at together, as only one might not have enough significance
What are the two perspectives (theories) of traits that leaders possess?
- psychology and leadership effectiveness (big 5)
- major leadership traits (6, that are pretty obvious)
What is the 5 factor personality model?
OCEAN
Openness - informed, creative, curious
Conscientiousness - organised, controlled, dependable
Extroversion - sociable, postivie energy, assertive
Agreeableness - accepting, conforming, trusting
Neuroticism - depressed, anxious, insecure
Which trait is sees as most strongly associated with a leader? what is the critisicm about it
Extraversion:
but this might be biased, as when one thinks about a great leader they might think is the most important and also thinks about loud and extraverted people
BUt in reality introverted peole can also be very good leaders
what is the major leadership trait theory?
six traits that make up the “right stuff” for eaders
you can be born with these traits, learn them or both
What are the major leadership traits?
intelligence
self-confidence
determination
integrity
sociability
What is emotional intelligence?
- ability to understand and express emotions
- to apply this understanding to life’s tasks.
- use emotions to facilitate thinking
- manage emotions
What is the underlying premise of emotional intelligence regarding leadership?
people who are more sensitive to their emotions & their impact on others will be more effective leaders
What are the four elements of emotional intelligence (think in 2 by 2 dimensions?
How can you measure EL? (three ways)
- EL is a set of mental abilities (to perceive, understand, manage and facilitate emotions)
- EL as a set of personal and social competencies (self-awareness, confidence, self-regulation, motivation)
- Awareness of 3 aspects of leadership (context, self, others)
What do we have to keep in mind when looking at traits (cognitive biases/ effects/ prejudices)?
We associate a bad trait with bad leadership (opposite of halo effect).
BUT people who have already been exposed to challenges/ crisis know how to handle crisi better (mental illness actually leads to stability in crisis as a leader)
Positive traits do not always lead to positive leaders (early </> good leader)
How does the trait approach work? Who uses it?
Focus only on leader and see who has the traits. Used by organizations to find “right” people to increase effectiveness and use specific traits for specific positions
What are strengths of the trait approach?
- intuitevly appealing
- credibility (have been researched)
- highlights leadership component: focus os on leader
- sets benchmarks: what to look for in a leader
what is criticism of the trait approach?
- no clear defined list of leadership traits
- does not take into account sitational effects (leaders in one situation may not be good leaders in another)
- highly subjective
- reserach does not look at traits in relation to leadership outcomes
- not useful for training or development
- biilogical traits matter to
