Leadership Trait Theory
Introduction
Trait theories are among the earliest attempts to provide an explanation for why only
some leaders are successful. Studies in the early part of the 20th century used the Great
Man approach to try to identify exceptional characteristics which made good leaders.
The approach became more sophisticated with advances in psychological research in
the 1940s and 1950s, although the actual traits themselves varied from the 18,000
enumerated in a 1936 study1 to more manageable numbers of traits.
There are any number of other lists of leadership traits, but here are the seven attributes
listed by Warren Bennis as essential to leadership:
1. Technical Competence – business literacy and grasp of one’s field
2. Conceptual Skill – facility for abstract or strategic thinking
3. Track Record – history of achieving results
4. People Skills – ability to communicate, motivate and delegate
5. Taste – ability to identify and cultivate talent
6. Judgement – making difficult decisions in a short period of time with imperfect data
7. Character – qualities that define who we are
In 2000, Robert Goffee and Gareth Jones suggested great leaders shared four
unexpected qualities.2
Unexpected Qualities
Explanation
1. Selectively reveal their
weaknesses
Lets employees see that they are
approachable and helps build trust
and commitment
2. Heavy reliance on intuition
They can sense what is going on
without having things spelt out to
them
3. Manage employees with tough
empathy
This means giving people what they
need, not what they want.
Being straightforward with employees
and caring intensely about the work
they do.
1
G W Allport & H S Odbert, ‘Trait-names: A Psycho-Lexical Study’, Psychology Monographs
47 (1936), pp 171–220.
2
Robert Goffee & Gareth Jones, ‘Why Should Anyone Be Led by You?’, Harvard Business
Review (September–October 2000), pp 63–70.
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Leadership Trait Theory
Unexpected Qualities
Explanation
4. Capitalise on their differences
They use what is unique about them
to create a social difference and
signal separateness, which in turn
motivates employees to perform
better.
Study of Entrepreneurial Traits
Despite a lessening in the popularity of trait theory recently, research done by Nicholson
as recently as 1998 suggests traits remain worthy of further investigation.3 Nicholson’s
research aimed to test the following propositions:
•
Individuals who possess certain traits will rise to positions of leadership.
•
With certain traits, leadership roles will be highly unattractive to individuals.
•
It is not so much that some people are ‘born leaders’ than that others are ‘born not
to lead’.
•
Entrepreneurial leaders have a particular personality profile, which is different from
managers at a lower level in the hierarchy.
The research examined the personality profiles of 43 leaders of the UK’s most
successful independent companies. Their results were compared with a control group of
middle managers.
Key Results
The full results of the study are lengthy, so some of the key facts have been abstracted.
In particular, those personality traits where the leaders had markedly different outcomes
from the control group are listed here.
Traits where leaders had higher
scores than the control group
Traits where leaders had lower
scores than the control group
Impulsiveness
Assertiveness
Excitement-seeking
Actions
Compliance
Achievements-striving
Self-discipline
Self-consciousness
Straightforwardness
Altruism
Modesty
Competence
Order
Dutifulness
Deliberation
3
N Nicholson, Personality and Entrepreneurial Leadership’, European Management Journal,
Vol 1, No 5 (October 1998).
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Leadership Trait Theory
Additionally, when compared with the published norms, the following differences were
also highlighted:
Higher than Norms
Lower than Norms
Extroversion
Activity
Values
Conscientiousness
Vulnerability
Agreeableness
Trust
Tender-mindedness
Conclusions of the Study
Some of the conclusions of the study may not be that palatable. The following
interpretations seem to be backed by the outcomes:
•
Leaders can be summarised as emotionally armour-plated and single-minded.
•
Unlike managers, they are stress-resistant, confident, assertive, non-experimental
in their actions, conformist, conscientious and competitive.
•
Many leadership positions in SMEs are filled by people (mainly men) with a high
need for dominance.
•
Only managers with thick skins and powerful, self-interested ambitions will be
interested in moving upwards into the ranks of leaders.
•
Entrepreneurial leaders are resistant to the socialisation that shapes the
personalities of most managers.
The author concludes that ‘the profile may not be of characters we might warm to, but it
suggests we need them, to do what we might choose not to’. This is a somewhat
contentious conclusion to make, however; much evidence suggests that modern
leaders can be both highly effective as well as remaining exceptionally selfless with very
little personal ambition (See, for example, Learn More: ‘The Level 5 Leader’).
Summary
Trait theory remains controversial and some of the early research in the field has since
been widely disputed. However, a number of recent research projects have revived and
updated the concept. As a consequence, trait theory remains relevant even today.
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