The recruitment and development of an organizations’ leaders requires the analysis of several of factors. Among the factors considered is the analysis of leadership traits present in potential and current leaders; this shows the relevance of leadership traits among leaders in the airline industry.
The diverse leadership traits include; cognitive ability, personality, motivation, social appraisal skills (social intelligence), emotional intelligence, expertise, problem-solving skills and tacit knowledge. Several personal characteristics influence the development of diverse traits in leaders.
According to Marques (2007), the influential factors include psychological motives and traits such as; intelligence, need for power and achievement. The traits have diverse characteristics, but all are essential in the creation of a productive leader. Cognitive abilities, as a trait, considers the intellectual competencies of a leader in reference to the organization. He/she must have general intelligence and an advanced understanding of the industry; an understanding of the companies’ activities, and processes aids in wise decision-making thus improved productivity. The leader should be able to apply creative thinking skills in coming up with efficient solutions to the organization’s challenges. It makes the handling of employees’, the organization, and customers’ problems easy tasks.
Personality, on the other hand, involves the consideration of the leaders’ personal attributes and how they influence his/her productivity at work. Extroversion makes him/her social and interactive with other people within the organization. Emotional stability facilitates efficient handling of stressful situations. Conscientiousness focuses a leader’s attention to details and production of high quality work. Charismatic leaders, for instance, display a high level of self-confidence; such leaders strive to assert and attain influence and also defend the company’s principles.
Motives and needs are evident through the leaders’ desire for achievement, power and leadership over others. The industry requires leaders who are passionate and ready to guide others in the right direction. Social abilities enable leaders to monitor their own performance in the workplace. It is also evident through the display of emotional and social intelligence. Positive interaction with other employees and customers is productive. Problem-solving skills facilitate the comprehensive analysis of the problem and production of an efficient solution; metacognitive skills are evident in such leaders.
The efficient application of leadership traits results in productive employment; the leader realizes his/her own emergence, efficiency, promotion and advancement. He/she also develops an understanding and strategies on how to handle organizational, employees’ and personal needs. No single trait is efficient on its own; a combination of diverse traits ensures high productivity. Personality, cognitive ability and motives, have an effect on the leader’s processes and outcomes; this occurs through their influence on problem-solving competencies, social appraisal skills, tacit knowledge and expertise. The adaptation and application of varied productive traits makes the leader able to cope in various contexts; he/she handles the situation in a manner that guarantees success.
Reference
Clapham, L. (2014). Watch what I do: Leadership behavior and cultural change. Chapter 10, Retrieved January 21, 2014 from http://www.highered.mcgraw- hill.com/sites/dl/free/0071031570/537224/bartol_foundations2e_sample_ch10.pdf
Marques, J. F. (2007). Impassioned Leadership: Comparison between leaders from divergent walks of life. International Journal of Leadership Studies, Vol. 3(1): pp. 98- 125. ISSN 1554-3145, Retrieved January 21, 2014 from http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/ijls/new/vol3iss1/marques/Marques_IJLS _V3Is1.pdf
