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Key Traits for Leadership Success

The document discusses the trait theory of leadership. It proposes that certain personality traits are linked to effective leadership across different situations. These traits include emotional stability, willingness to accept responsibility, communication skills, ambition, and decision-making abilities. The theory argues that some people are born with leadership traits. It provides examples of leaders like Jim Skinner and Steve Jobs who exemplified traits like decisiveness, social skills, adaptability, and charisma. The document also discusses how trait theory contributes to the study of organizational behavior by providing insights into how individual personalities and behaviors affect adjustment and success in work environments.

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Ankita Kaundal
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111 views3 pages

Key Traits for Leadership Success

The document discusses the trait theory of leadership. It proposes that certain personality traits are linked to effective leadership across different situations. These traits include emotional stability, willingness to accept responsibility, communication skills, ambition, and decision-making abilities. The theory argues that some people are born with leadership traits. It provides examples of leaders like Jim Skinner and Steve Jobs who exemplified traits like decisiveness, social skills, adaptability, and charisma. The document also discusses how trait theory contributes to the study of organizational behavior by providing insights into how individual personalities and behaviors affect adjustment and success in work environments.

Uploaded by

Ankita Kaundal
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Part 1 :

Yes, I agree that a trait can be thought of as a relatively stable characteristic that
causes individuals to behave in certain ways as this theory assumes that the leaders'
personal traits are the key to leadership success.
The trait theory of a leader focuses on identifying different personality traits and
characteristics that are linked to successful leadership across a variety of situations.
This line of research emerged as one of the earliest types of investigations into the
nature of effective leadership and is tied to the " great man" theory of
leadership first proposed by Thomas Carlyle in the mid-1800s.
This theory is based on the rationale that:
 Certain traits produce certain patterns of behaviour.
 Patterns are consistent across different situations.
 People are "born" with leadership traits.

Core Leadership Traits identified are: -


 Emotional Stability
 Willingness to accept responsibility
 Action-Oriented thinking
 Competence in completing tasks
 Communication and Charisma
 Ambition and need for success
 Motivational Skills
 Courage & Resilience
 Perseverance
 Moral Standing
 Confident
 Decision-Making
 Adaptability
 Understanding the challenges that their subordinates are faced with

EXAMPLE: -
1) One person who exemplifies the trait style of leadership is Jim Skinner, the
McDonald’s CEO. Jim shows a few specific qualities making him a fit person for
leadership in his company. First off, he shows focused attention on his followers
(or customers) by adhering to their demands such as giving them specific foods they
want, like 24/7 hash browns. He also recognizes the contributions of his team
members and celebrates their successes in a public manner, while keeping
questioning to a private basis. Here, he shows the traits of decisiveness, social
skills and is adaptable to his followers.
2)  The late Steve Jobs was known for his charisma. His ability to passionately
articulate his visions made people want to follow his lead.

Part 2 :
Contribution of trait theory of personality to the study of OB: -

To understand organizational behavior, it is essential to

understand individual behavior. The nature and personality of

individual human beings are the root cause of the behavior. 


1) Personality is the study of the person, that is, the complete

human individual. In organizational behavior studies, individual

personality is important because the employees’ individual personalities

refer to their dynamic mental structures and coordinated processes of the

mind, which determine their emotional and behavioral adjustments to the

organization.

2) Personality is dynamic because the mental structures of individual

employees continuously develop over their lifetime. Further, in

organizational behavior studies, the personality and the individual

behavioral pattern of the employees become an important construct to

adjust and succeed in work situations.

3) Particularly in a changing business environment, to get the right fit,

employers make use of personality tests in selection and recruitment

decisions. This apart, interest in personality assessment is also important

for cultural transformation in an organization. With the

understanding of the cognitive and emotional bases of human behavior,

personality assessment has gained further importance.

*Trait Theory gets an in-depth understanding of a person's

identity and the way they will affect others in the organization.

This theory makes the organization aware of the employees' strengths

and weaknesses and thus they get an understanding of how they can

develop their leadership qualities. 

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