Topic 1: Introduction to Leadership Topic 1: Introduction to Leadership & Trait Approach& Trait Approach

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What makes a great leader?

Why are some people leaders while others are not?

What makes people become leaders?Is it effective communication?Do leaders have certain traits?Or both?

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CommunicationHow important is effective communication in

leadership?Communication consists of a sender, a

message, a channel whereby the message travels and the noise or interference of the receiver.

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Communication Process

Often communicators blame the audience for not accepting a message, but it is often that the sender, the encoding process or channels chosen were not applied correctly.

Examples?

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Communication ProcessIs the relationship of Communicator A to

Communicator B important? How so?Will the social environment influence

communication? How so?How important is feedback? Without it, we don’t

know if the receiver received or understood our message.

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Communication Process

There is no meaning to a message except what people put into it.

To understand the human communication process, one must understand how people relate to each other.

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Communication Process

Other considerations in the communication process:OpinionBeliefAttitudeValueAgendaInterest

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Communication Process

Overcoming barriers to effective communicationDesign and deliver the message so that it gets the

attention of the intended audience.Relate to common and easily understood

experiences between the source and the destination.

Offer a way to meet personality needs appropriate to the group situation the receiver is in at the time you want that receiver to respond.

Other ways to overcome barriers?

Source: http://www.praccreditation.org/secure/documents/APRSG_Comm_Models.pdf8

Leadership TraitsLeadership Traits

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George WashingtonHarriet TubmanEleanor RooseveltWinston ChurchillMother TeresaNelson MandelaBill GatesOprah Winfrey

Historical Leaders

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VisionaryStrong-willedDiligentInspirationalPurpose-drivenRole modelsSymbols of hope

From these exceptional leaders we can gain a better understanding of the traits that are important for effective leadership.

What do they all have in common?

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Studies on leadership identified many important leader traits.o What specific traits are needed to be a successful

leader?Research points to five traits:

1)Intelligence2)Self-Confidence3)Determination4)Integrity5)Sociability

Five Major Traits for Effective Leadership

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Stodgill (Ch. 2 black cover) identified 8 traits

1) Intelligence2) Alertness3) Insight4) Responsibility5) Initiative 6) Persistence7) Self-confidence8) Sociability

Eight Traits for Effective Leadership

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10 characteristics associated with leadership (Stogdill):

1) Drive for responsibility and task completion; 2) Vigor and persistence in pursuit of goals;3) Risk taking and originality in problem solving;4) Drive to exercise initiative in social situations;5) Self-confidence and sense of personal identity;6) Willingness to accept consequences of decision and action;7) Readiness to absorb interpersonal stress;8) Willingness to tolerate frustration and delay;9) Ability to influence other people’s behavior; and10) Capacity to structure social interaction systems to the

purpose at hand.

Additional Traits

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Intelligence includes having good language skills, perceptual skills, & reasoning ability.

It is hard to change Intelligence Quotient (IQ).It is possible to:oobtain knowledge o learn about your job & environment ouse information to become better leaders

Intelligence

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Confidence is a trait that has to do with feeling positive about one’s self & one’s ability to succeed.

Confident people: o feel self-assured o believe they can accomplish goalso do not second-guess themselves—they move

forward with clear visionso they are positive about self & ability

Self-Confidence

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How do we build confidence?

o Understanding what is required from us

o Have a mentor to show the way & provide constructive feedback

o Practice builds confidence & assures us that we can do what we need to do

Confidence

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Focused & attentive to tasks

Know where to go & how to get there

Includes initiative, persistence, & drive

Persevere in the face of obstacles

Easiest for leaders to acquire

Focus on task, clarify goals, articulate vision, & encourage others to stay the course

Determination

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Honest & trustworthy with strong principles

Inspire confidence because it creates trust

Loyal, dependable, & not deceptive

Undergirds all aspects of leadership

To increase integrity—be honest & open

Challenge: o To strike a balance between being open while

monitoring what is appropriate to disclose

Integrity

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The capacity to establish pleasant social relationships

Friendly, outgoing, courteous, & diplomatic

Sensitive to others & cooperative

Easier for some than othersIncreasing sociability requires that we try to get

along with our coworkersobe friendly, kind, & thoughtful

Sociability

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Magnetic charm and appeal that gives leaders exceptional powers of influence

Charisma is not a common personality trait.

To increase charisma:o Be a strong role model for values

o Be competent in leadership to gain trust

o Articulate clear goals & strong values

o Communicate high expectations & show confidence in followers’ abilities

o Inspire others

Charisma(not listed in the top 5)

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Emotional Intelligence can be defined as the ability to perceive and express emotions, to use emotions to facilitate thinking, to understand and reason with emotions, and to effectively manage emotions within oneself and in relationships with others.

Ability to perceive and:

– apply emotions to life’s tasks

– reason/understand emotions

– express emotions

– use emotions to facilitate thinking

– manage emotions within oneself and relationships

Emotional Intelligence(another assessment of leadership traits)

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Daniel Coleman and emotional intelligence

One Life To Love: A candid chat with Daniel Coleman, whose work on emotional intelligence created a revolution. He suggested that people with emotional skills are more likely to succeed and be happy in life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twJLI2C6R-Y&feature=related

Emotional Intelligence(another assessment of leadership traits)

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It is intuitively appealingIt fits our notion that leaders

are different in that they possess special traits

People “need” to view leaders as gifted

Credibility due to a century of research support

Highlights leadership component in the leadership processDeeper level understanding of

how leader/personality related to leadership process

Provides benchmarks for what to look for in a leader

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Strengths of Trait Approach

Fails to delimit a definitive list of leadership traitsEndless lists have emerged

Doesn’t take into account situational effectsLeaders in one situation may

not be leaders in another situation

List of most important leadership traits is highly subjectiveMuch subjective experience &

observations serve as basis for identified leadership traits

Research fails to look at traits in relationship to leadership outcomes

Not useful for training & development

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Criticisms of Trait Approach

Our personal traits inform our leadership.

Understanding your personal traits can provide a better recognition of your leadership.

Communication is essential to effective leadership.

Summary

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After twenty-seven months on the job, Tom saw his efforts pay off: the division had

its best first quarter ever. By his thirty-first month, Tom felt he had finally

mastered the situation; he finally felt he had the structure and management

group in place to grow the division's revenues to $400 million and he now

turned his attention to divesting a product group which no longer fit in with the

growth objectives of the division.

What TRAITS are exhibited by Tom? Drive: achievement, ambition, energy, tenacity, initiative Leadership Motivation (personalized vs. socialized) Honesty and Integrity Self-confidence (including emotional stability) Cognitive Ability Knowledge of the Business Other Traits (weaker support): charisma, creativity/originality, flexibility

What Traits are exhibited?

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/ want to be able to demonstrate the things I learned in college and get to the

top," said Al, "maybe even be president. I expect to work hard and be at the

third level within 5 years, and to rise to much higher levels in the years

beyond that. I am specifically working on my MBA to aid in my

advancement. If I'm thwarted on advancement, or find the challenge is

lacking, I'll leave the company.

Al had been promoted to the district level [after 8 years] and certainly expected to

go further. Although he still wouldn't pinpoint wanting to be president (his

wife's dream for him), he certainly had a vice presidency in mind after his

first promotion.

What TRAITS are exhibited by Al?

What Traits are exhibited?

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Even though Chet had the benefits of a college degree, his below-average

scholastic performance did not fill him with confidence in his

capabilities. He hedged a bit with his interviewer when asked about his

specific aspirations, saying he wasn't sure what the management levels

were. When pressed further, he replied, "I'd like to feel no job is out of

my reach, but I really do not possess of a lot of ambition. There are

times when I just want to say, 'To hell with everything.' "

 

What TRAITS are exhibited by Chet?

What Traits are exhibited?

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Case 2.1 Choosing a New Director of Research

Case 2.2 A Remarkable Turnaround

Case 2.3 Recruiting for the Bank

In Class Case Studies

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