Leader Effectiveness
    • How can we tell a “good” leader from a 
       “poor” leader? (What results would we 
       expect to see from a “good” leader?)
       –Performance (the job gets done)
       –Motivation (followers are energized)
       –Effort (followers try hard)
       –Satisfaction (followers are happy)
                                
            Focus of Trait Approach
                                          Personality
                                          PPeerrsonsonalaliittyy
               Leader                     Personality
               Leader
               Leader
               Leader                    Assessments
                                         AAsssesessssmemennttss
                                         Assessments
     • Focuses exclusively        •  Organizations use 
        on leader                   personality assessments 
        – What traits leaders       to find “Right” people
                                     – Assumption - will increase 
          exhibit                      Assumption 
        – Who has these traits         organizational effectiveness
                                     – Specify characteristics/traits 
                                       for specific positions
                                        • Personality assessment 
                                          measures for “fit”
                                   
                                  Strengths
                                                • Highlights leadership 
       • Intuitively appealing                                   leadership 
                       appealing
                                                   component in the 
           – Perception that leaders               component
              are different in that they           leadership process
              possess special traits                – Deeper level understanding 
           – People “need” to view                     of how leader/personality 
              leaders as gifted                        related to leadership 
       • Credibility due to a                          process
          Credibility
                                                • Provides benchmarks for 
          century of research                                   benchmarks 
          support                                  what to look for in a leader
                                               
                        Criticisms
     • Fails to delimit a        • List of most important leadership 
                 delimit 
                                   traits is highly subjective
        definitive list of                highly subjective
                                    – Much subjective experience & 
        leadership traits            observations serve as basis for identified 
                                     leadership traits
         – Endless lists have    • Research fails to look at traits in 
           emerged                 relationship to leadership 
                                   outcomes
     • Doesn’t take into           outcomes
                                 • Not useful for training & 
        account situational                    training & 
                 situational 
                                   development 
        effects                    development
        effects
         – Leaders in one situation 
           may not be leaders in 
           another situation
                                 
                        Application
   • Provides direction as to which 
      traits are good to have if one             Leadership Traits
                                                 Leadership Traits
                                                 • Intelligence
      aspires to a leadership position            Intelligence
                                                 •
                                                   Self-Confidence
   • Through various tests and                     Self-Confidence
                                                 •
                                                   Determination
                                                   Determination
      questionnaires, individuals can            •
                                                   Integrity
                                                   Integrity
                                                 •
                                                   Sociability
      determine whether they have the              Sociability
      select leadership traits and can 
      pinpoint their strengths and 
      weaknesses
   • Can be used by managers to 
      assess where they stand within 
      their organization and what is 
                                   
      needed to strengthen their position