MGT 450 – Spring 2016Class 10 - Chapter 6

Leadership Traits and Skills

6-1Copyright© 2013 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations

Learning Objectives For Chapter 6

• Understand how leader traits and skills are related to effective leadership.

• Understand what traits and skills are most relevant for effective leadership.

• Understand how the relevance of a trait or skill depends on the situation.

• Understand the limitations of the trait approach.

Copyright© 2013 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations 6-2

Trait leadership

• Trait leadership can be defined as integrated patterns of personal characteristics that reflect a range of individual differences and foster consistent leader effectiveness across a variety of group and organizational situations

Character Traits of Great Leaders

Visionary PassionateCapable of making hard decisions Team builderCharacter MotivatorTrusted Communicator

Think about these great leaders:Winston Churchill Abraham Lincoln Jack WelchD.D. Eisenhower George Patton Napoleon

Suggested Traits Related To Leadership Effectiveness

• High energy level, stamina and stress tolerance – help leaders to cope with hectic pace, long hours, unrelenting demands of the job, and fast changing scenarios

• Emotional stability and maturity – well adjusted and does not suffer from severe psychological disorders

• Personal integrity – consistency with stated values, honest, ethical, & trustworthy

Suggested Traits Related To Leadership Effectiveness

• Moderately high achievement orientation – need for achievement, willingness to assume responsibility, performance orientation, and concern for the task

• Narcissism – W.I.I.F.M., strong need for esteem – prestige, status, attention, admiration, adulation, need for power. Also, low emotional maturity & low integrity

• Power motivation – The need to influence people and events

The Big Five Personality Traits

1. Openness to experience A general appreciation for art, emotion, adventure, unusual ideas,

imagination, curiosity, and variety of experienceReflects a degree of intellectual curiosity

2. ConscientiousnessA tendency to show self-discipline, act dutifully, and aim for achievement against measures or outside expectations;Is related to the way in which people control, regulate, and direct their impulses. High scores on conscientiousness indicate a preference for planned rather than

spontaneous behavior.The average level of conscientiousness rises among young adults and then declines among older adults

Openness to Experience Examples

• I have a rich vocabulary. I have a vivid imagination.• I have excellent ideas. I am quick to understand things.• I use difficult words. I am full of ideas.

Opposite• I am not interested in abstractions• I do not have a good imagination• I have difficulty understanding abstract ideas

Conscientious Examples

• I am always prepared. I pay attention to details.• I get chores done right away. I like order.• I follow a schedule. I am exacting in my work.

Opposite• I leave my belongings around• I make a mess of things• I often forget to put things back in their proper place• I shirk my duties

The Big Five Personality Traits

3. Extraversion - Surgency

Characterized by breadth of activities (as opposed to depth), and energy creation from external means.[

The trait is marked by pronounced engagement with the external world. Extraverts enjoy interacting with people, and are often perceived as full of energy. They tend to be enthusiastic, action-oriented individuals. They possess high group visibility, like to talk, and assert themselves.

Extraversion Examples

• I am the life of the party. I don't mind being the center of attention.• I feel comfortable around people. I start conversations.• I talk to a lot of different people at parties

Opposite• I don't talk a lot• I think a lot before I speak or act• I don't like to draw attention to myself• I am quiet around strangers• I have no intention of talking in large crowds

The Big Five Personality Traits4. Agreeableness

Reflects individual differences in general concern for social harmony. Agreeable individuals value getting along with others;

They are generally considerate, kind, generous, trusting and trustworthy, helpful, and willing to compromise their interests with others;

Agreeable people also have an optimistic view of human nature

Agreeableness Examples

• I am interested in people. I sympathize with others' feelings.• I have a soft heart. I take time out for others.• I feel others' emotions. I make people feel at ease.

Opposite• I am not really interested in others.• I insult people• I am not interested in other people's problems. • I feel little concern for others.

The Big Five Personality Traits5. Neuroticism

The tendency to experience negative emotions, such as anger, anxiety, or depression;

Those who score high in neuroticism are emotionally reactive and vulnerable to stress;

They are more likely to interpret ordinary situations as threatening, and minor frustrations as hopelessly difficult

Neuroticism examples

• I am easily disturbed. I change my mood a lot.• I get irritated easily. I get stressed out easily.• I get upset easily. I have frequent mood swings.• I worry about things. I am much more anxious than most

people.

Opposite• I am relaxed most of the time I seldom feel blue.

Effective Leaders Possess These Skills

1. Technical SkillsKnowledge about methods, processes, procedures and techniques for conducting the work and ability to use tools and equipment relevant to the task at hand

Facts about the organization

Knowledge of the company’s products and services

Effective Leaders Possess These Skills

2. Conceptual SkillsConceptual skills allow a manager to visualize the entire

organization and work with ideas and the relationships between people and abstract concepts.

Essential for effective planning, organizing and problem solving

What’s the end result supposed to look like

Effective Leaders Possess These Skills 3. Interpersonal Skills

Includes knowledge about human behavior, group dynamics, feelings, attitudes, and motives of others, etc.

Empathy, insight, social charm, tact, diplomacy, persuasiveness

Relationships, i.e. “Mars vs. Venus”, men vs. women, cultural differences

Managerial Competencies

1. Emotional Intelligence

The ability of individuals to recognize their own and other people's emotions

To discriminate between different feelings and label them appropriately

To use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior

Social Intelligence

The capacity to effectively navigate and negotiate complex social relationships and environments

Two Components

1. Social perceptiveness2. Behavioral flexibility

Social PerceptivenessThe study of how people form impressions of and make inferences about other people.

We learn about others' feelings and emotions by picking up on information we gather from their physical appearance, and verbal and nonverbal communication.

Facial expressions, tone of voice, hand gestures, and body position are just a few examples of ways people communicate without words

EXAMPLE: Understanding that someone disagrees with what you said when you see them roll their eyes.

Closely related to and affected by this is the idea of self-concept, a collection of one’s perceptions and beliefs about oneself.

Learning Ability

Our world is one that is constantly churning based upon the effects of Globalism and Technology

A leader must be able to learn from experience, adapt to change, and be pro-active to new ideas, concepts and ways

Situational Relevance of SkillsVarious leadership & managerial situations require differing skill sets:

A Fire Chief at the fire station vs. at a fireA General on a US Base vs. a General in AfghanistanAn executive working in Boston vs the same executive working in BeijingAn executive of a small (50 employees) vs an executive at a large (1,000+) companyMayor of Troy, NY vs. Mayor of New York City

Guidelines for Managers

• Understand your strengths and weaknesses• Maintain a high level of self-awareness• Identify and develop skills relevant for a future leadership position,

and do the same for your subordinates• Compensate for weaknesses, i.e. hire people smarter than you and

better than you.

End of Class 10

Homework

1. Re-read Chapter 52. Team 1 = Chapter 5 Case Study3. Team 2 = Chapter 5 Review and Discussion4. Prepare for Exam #1