What does it take to be a good business
leader? Do you have what it takes to lead a business?
Over the past several years, one of the most important contributions
psychology has made to the field of business has been in determining
the key traits of acknowledged leaders. Psychological tests have
been used to determine what characteristics are most commonly noted
among successful leaders. This list of characteristics can be used
for developmental purposes to help managers gain insight and develop
their leadership skills.
(article continues below)
The increasing rate of change in the business environment is a
major factor in this new emphasis on leadership. Whereas in the
past, managers were expected to maintain the status quo in order
to move ahead, new forces in the marketplace have made it necessary
to expand this narrow focus. The new leaders of tomorrow are visionary.
They are both learners and teachers. Not only do they foresee paradigm
changes in society, but they also have a strong sense of ethics
and work to build integrity in their organizations.
Raymond Cattell, a pioneer in the field of personality assessment,
developed the Leadership Potential equation in 1954. This equation,
which was based on a study of military leaders, is used today to
determine the traits which characterize an effective leader. The
traits of an effective leader include the following:
- Emotional stability. Good leaders must be able
to 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 times competitive
and decisive and usually enjoy overcoming obstacles. Overall,
they are assertive in their thinking style as well as their attitude
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
tend to be uninhibited.
- Conscientiousness. Leaders are often dominated
by a sense of duty and tend to be very exacting in character.
They usually have a very high standard of excellence and an inward
desire to do one's best. They also have a need for order and tend
to be very self-disciplined.
- Social Boldness. Leaders tend to be spontaneous
risk-takers. They are usually socially aggressive and generally
thick-skinned. Overall, they are responsive to others and tend
to be high in emotional stamina.
- Tough-mindedness. 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, are 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 free from guilt and are usually unaffected by prior mistakes
or failures.
- Compulsiveness. Leaders were found to be controlled
and very precise in their social interactions. Overall, they were
very protective of their integrity and reputation and consequently
tended to be socially aware and careful, abundant in foresight,
and very careful when making decisions or determining specific
actions.
Beyond these basic traits, leaders of today must also possess traits
which will help them motivate others and lead them in new directions.
Leaders of the future must be able to envision the future and convince
others that their vision is worth following. To do this, they must
have the following personality traits:
- High Energy. Long hours and some travel are
usually a prerequisite for leadership positions, especially as
your company 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 today put
a strong emphasis on team work. Instead of promoting an adult/child
relationship with their employees, leaders create an adult/adult
relationship which fosters team cohesiveness.
- Empathy. Being able to "put yourself in the
other person's shoes" is a key trait of leaders today. Without
empathy, you can't build trust. And without trust, you will never
be able to get the best effort from your employees.
- Charisma. People usually perceive leaders as
larger than life. Charisma plays a large part in this perception.
Leaders who have charisma are able to arouse strong emotions in
their employees by defining a vision which unites and captivates
them. Using this vision, leaders motivate employees to reach toward
a future goal by tying the goal to substantial personal rewards
and values.
Overall, leaders are larger than life in many ways. Personal traits
play a major role in determining who will and who will not be comfortable
leading others. However, it's important to remember that people
are forever learning and changing.
Leaders are rarely (if ever) born. Circumstances and persistence
are major components in the developmental process of any leader.
So if your goal is to become a leader, work on developing those
areas of your personality that you feel are not "up to par". For
instance, if you have all of the basic traits but do not consider
yourself very much of a "people" person, try taking classes or reading
books on empathy. On the other end, if relating to others has always
come naturally to you, but you have trouble making logical decisions,
try learning about tough-mindedness and how to develop more psychological
resistance. Just remember, anyone can do anything they set their
mind to...
Comment Board
|
We greatly appreciate any advice you can provide on this topic. Please contribute your insights on this topic so others can benefit.
|
| E Forson |
8/27/2007 |
I thought this was a very enlightening article on the qualities of good leaders. I will use this leadership advice to improve on my own leadership styles. Thanks! |
If you are an ambitious entrepreneur or an aspiring executive
looking to get involved with a startup, please take the time to
learn more about Gaebler Ventures.
