Do trait theories provide an important insight into leadership?
Trait theories have been found to have a great impact on the managerial success. Traits help in defining various types of leaders for instance; there are certain traits defining informal and performing leaders. A determined manager for instance may develop faster in the job field than trained managers on a given field. According to Center for Creative Leadership, there are traits which are associated with the success or failure of top managers. Successful managers for instance are calm and self-assured (Yukl, 45). There are traits must be present in someone admired as a good leader. There are various character traits that are known to make up good leaders. These include honesty, competence, intelligence and goal setter among others. Thus according to the trait theory, a good leader must be a person who possesses these positive traits (Chance& Chance, 2002).
How to establish if those traits are fundamental to the effectiveness of the leader?
Early researches indicate that certain traits tend to separate true leaders from mere followers. There are however a set of characteristics that are believed to be essential for effective leadership. These include; understanding the followers feelings, being responsible especially over the followers, being able to handle tasks competently and being honest among others. The managers may use the information in the model to appraise their position within an organization. It may also help them in assessing how best their positions can become. The managers may further get a deeper understanding of their titles and how they may influence other people in an organization (Shriberg & Shriberg, 2009).
Reference
Yukl, G. (200). Leadership in organizations. New York: Prentice Hall.
Chance, P. & Chance, E. ( 2002). Introduction to educational leadership & organizational behavior: theory into practice. New York: Eye on Education
Gill, R. (2006). Theory and practice of leadership. London: SAGE
Shriberg, A. & Shriberg, D. (2009).Practicing Leadership Principles and Applications. New York: John Wiley and Sons
