L&P Chapter 6 - Leadership Traits & Skills

Problematic Traits

- External Locus of Control (belief of determination by chance/fate) - Personalized Power Motivation - Excessive Achievement Orientation - Narcissism

Research Findings

- Certain traits effective in some situations and not in others - Two leaders with different traits can be successful in same situation

Derailed Managers Research

- Most had strong technical skills, previous success, viewed as fast risers - All had a mix of strengths and weaknesses - Sometimes obvious reason, sometimes bad luck, sometimes organization culture - Failure often involved weak interpersonal skills - Less able to handle pressure, most behavior issues that undermined relationships - Tend to be defensive about weakness and failure, blaming others or covering up. (Successful admitted mistakes, accepted responsibility, took action, and moved on.) - Too ambitious about career at expense of others, wiling to break promises or betray trusts (successful focused on immediate task and needs of subordinates) - Insensitivity (reflected in abrasive or intimidating behavior towards others), tolerable at lower levels or perhaps only revealed later as selfish, inconsiderate, manipulative. (Successful: sensitive, tactful, considerate, large network, get along with all types, diplomatic in disagreement; ability to build a cooperative team key to success.) - Technical skill useful at lower level could lead to overconfidence or arrogance, rejection of advice, and micromanagement. Sometimes caused inability to shift focus to strategic perspective.

Research Types

- What traits and skills predict leadership - How managers' traits and skills relate to measures of leadership in their current position - Longitudinal studies over years that discover traits and skills that predict advancement to high levels - Compare successful top managers to those who advanced at first but were derailed

Big 5 Personality Traits

1) Surgency: extroversion, energy/activity, need for power 2) Conscientiousness: Dependability, personal integrity, need for achievement 3) Agreeableness: Cheerful and optimistic, nurturance, need for affiliation 4) Adjustment: Emotional stability, self-esteem, self-control 5) Intellectance: inquisitive, open-minded, learning-oriented

Skill

Ability to do something (learned and inherited)

Needs/Motives

Achievement Esteem Affiliation Power Independence

Self-concepts, self-identities, social identities

Beliefs about occupation, relationships, activities

Managerial Competencies

Emotional intelligence (empathy, self regulation, self awareness) - More capable of solving problems, time management, adaptive behavior and managing crises Social Intelligence - Tailoring response to specific situations Social perceptiveness, behavioral flexibility -Learning ability, Continually adapt, innovate, reinvent

Values

Fairness, justice, honesty, freedom, equality, altruism, loyalty, civility, pragmatism, and performance orientation

Personality Traits & Effective Leadership

High energy level and stress tolerance Internal locus of control orientation Emotional maturity Personal integrity Socialized power motivation (not personalized) Moderately high achievement orientation Moderately high self-confidence Moderate low need for affiliation

Guidelines for Managers

Learn about your strengths and weaknesses Maintain a high level of self-awareness Identify and develop skills relevant for a future leadership position Remember that a strength can become a weakness Compensate for weaknesses

Need for Affiliation

Satisfaction from being liked and accepted and enjoy working with people who are friendly and cooperative. Downside if too much as avoid conlict, unpopular decisions, and give rewards to be "nice"

Personality Traits

Self-confidence Extroversion Emotional Maturity Energy Level

Evaluation of Trait Approach

Self-confidence too little: indecisive, avoids risks, and does not seek to influence others too much: arrogant, acts too quickly, and takes too many risks Need for Esteem too little: does not seek recognition or build a reputation for high expertise and reliability too much: preoccupied with reputation and status, exaggerates achievements, covers up mistakes and failures or blames others Need for Affiliation too little: does not try to form strong relationships or build a social support network too much: overly concerned about being liked and accepted by others, over-uses ingratiation, and will not risk popularity by asking for sacrifices or insisting on better performance Need for Independence too little: dependent on others for direction, rule oriented, avoids taking initiative too much: resents authority, too quick to ignore rules and standard procedures Altruism (value) too little: selfish, indifferent about the needs of others, may exploit them for personal gain too much: overly generous and forgiving, unable to ask for sacrifices or maintain discipline Performance Orientation (value) too little: the person accepts weak performance and does not push for improvement too much: the person is a perfectionist and is overly demanding and never satisfied

Skills & Effective Leadership

Technical - Knowledge about methods, processes and equipment for conducting specialized activities Conceptual - Good judgment, foresight, intuition, creativity, and ability to find meaning Interpersonal - Human behavior, group processes, clear/persuasive communication

Competency

Traits, skills, or combination of the two