Video Transcript: Leadership Trait Theory

Take a look at leadership trait theory in the early 1900s an organized approach to studying leadership began. The early studies were based on the assumptions that leaders are born, not made. Researchers wanted to identify a set of characteristics or traits that distinguish leaders from followers, or effective from ineffective leaders. Leadership trait theory assumes that there is a distinctive physical and psychological characteristic accounting for leadership effectiveness. In fact, personality traits do affect leadership style. Researchers analyze traits or qualities such as appearance, aggressiveness, self reliance, persuasiveness and dominance in an effort to identify a set of traits for all successful leaders, a list of traits was to be used as a prerequisite for the promotion of candidates to leadership positions. Only candidates possessing all the identified traits were given leadership positions in the 70 years that have passed. However, more than 300 trait studies have been conducted. There have been no universal list of traits that have been identified as successful leadership qualities. In all cases, there were exceptions, even though it's generally agreed that there's no universal set of leadership traits or qualities people continue to study and write about the importance of leadership traits. Why? Because leadership style is shaped according to a leader's traits and behavior. The Big Five personality does not have a preferred leadership profile with the Big Five, high surgency and conscientiousness are positively related to successful leadership, and high agreeableness and low adjustment were negatively related to leadership success. In a survey, 782 top executives were asked, what is the most important leadership trait for success as a supervisor? Answers to the survey revealed integrity, industriousness and the ability to get along with people, human relations skills were the top three most important traits for success, whatever your traits are, remember that traits are important to leadership, but there's no universal list of traits, and you don't need every trait to be a successful leader.