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An important contribution from psychology
to business involves in determining the key traits of acknowledged leaders.
Psychological tests have aided determination of characteristics most commonly
noted among successful leaders. Organizations can use this list of characteristics
for developmental purposes to help managers gain insight and develop their
leadership skills.
Iincreasing rates of change drive a new
emphasis on leadership. In the past, managers often merely maintained
the status quo in order to move ahead. Now, new market forces have forced
expansion from this narrow focus. Many predict that the leaders of tomorrow
must articulate visions as both both learners and teachers who forsee
and enact paradigm changes in society within a context of ethics and integrity
for their organizations.
Raymond Cattell, a pioneer in the field
of personality assessment, developed the Leadership Potential equation
in 1954, based on a study of military leaders. From his and later work,
many cite traits of effective leaders as including:
Emotional stability.
Good leaders must tolerate frustration and stress. Overall, they must
be well-adjusted and have the psychological maturity to deal with anything
they are required to face.
Dominance. Leaders are often competitive
and decisive, and thay usually enjoy overcoming obstacles. Overall, they
are assertive in their thinking style and in dealing with others.
Enthusiasm. Leaders are usually seen as active, expressive,
and energetic. They are often very optimistic and open to change. Overall,
they are generally quick and alert, and they tend to lack inhibitions.
Conscientiousness. Leaders are often
dominated by a sense of duty, and they tend to be very exacting in character.
They usually have a very high standard of excellence and an inward desire
to do their best. They also have a need for order and tend to be very
self-disciplined.
Social boldness. Leaders tend to be
spontaneous risk-takers. socially aggressive, and generally thick-skinned.
Overall, they are responsive to others and tend to be high in emotional
stamina.
Toughmindedness. Good leaders are
practical, logical, and to-the-point. They tend to be low in sentimental
attachments and comfortable with criticism. They are usually insensitive
to hardship and overall very poised.
Self-assurance. Self-confidence and
resiliency are common traits among leaders. They tend to be free of guilt
and have little or no need for approval. They are generally secure and
unaffected by prior mistakes or failures.
Compulsiveness. Leaders generally
are controlled and very precise in their social interactions. Overall,
they are very protective of their integrity and reputation. Consequently
they tend to be socially aware, abundant in foresight, and very careful
when making decisions or determining specific actions.
Beyond these basic traits, leaders now
must also possess traits that will help them motivate others toward new
directions. Leaders must envision the future and convince others that
their vision is worth following. Such leaders will possess and display
these traits:
High Energy.
Long hours and some travel are usually a prerequisite for leadership positions,
especially as an organization grows. Remaining alert and staying focused
are two of the greatest obstacles you will have to face as a leader.
Intuitiveness. Rapid changes in the world today combined with information
overload result in an inability to "know" everything. In other
words, reasoning and logic will not get you through all situations. In
fact, more and more leaders are learning to the value of using their intuition
and trusting their "gut" when making decisions.
Maturity. To be a good leader, personal
power and recognition must be secondary to the development of your employees.
In other words, maturity is based on recognizing that more can be accomplished
by empowering others than can be by ruling others.
Team Orientation. Business leaders
emphasize team work. Instead of promoting an adult/child relationship
with their employees, leaders create an adult/adult relationship that
fosters team cohesiveness.
Empathy. Ability to "put yourself
in the other person's shoes" is a key trait of today's leaders. Empathy
builds trust and trust helps elicit the best efforts from your employees.
Charisma. People usually perceive
leaders as larger than life. Charisma plays a part in this perception.
Charismatic leaders arouse strong emotions in their employees by defining
a uniting and captivating vision. Leaders use vision to motivate employees
to reach toward a future goal by tying the goal to substantial personal
rewards and values.
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