Leadership Approach Paper LDR/531 August 1, 2011 Leadership Approach Paper The values of a great leader are found in different people. People from all ethnicities and parts of the world have proven to have extraordinary leadership characteristics so studying leadership became a need. In studying leadership, there were many different approaches developed. The trait approach is based on the theory that leaders are born with the leadership characteristics that allow them to be great leaders, and they are not developed into the leadership role.
It has been found to believe that there are strengths and weaknesses in the trait approach concerning studying leadership. Strengths When looking at leadership from a trait approach there were several characteristics that were found to be very strong. The personality of a leader places a big role in their success. The personality of a leader can find them to be effective when interacting with others. Sometime the personality of the leader can set the tempo in the work place. This can help to set a positive vibe that encourages an atmosphere of goal achievement and motivation to succeed.
There are signature abilities that are believed to be identified in the trait approach study of leadership such as endless energy to get the job done, piercing intuition, a kind of weird foresight, and an overwhelming persuasive power. These abilities help a leader to be adaptable, enervative, and success driven. Although this trait has been found to be values in a suceessful leader it is also said that, “ this massive research effort failed to find any traits that would guarantee leadership success. (Gary Yukl, page 13, 2010)” Weaknesses
Knowing the elements that could make the trait approach a strength, on the other hand it could also have its weaknesses. Even though personality could be effective it also could be ineffective as well. The personality of the leader can be sometimes felt as being overwhelming and to strong. In the workplace at times many employees function on different learning curves. If the manager leads with a since of expectancy, some of the employees may see his expectations as being too high and because of that it may hurt the positive work environment.
Also if the manager’s personality is one that does not take the feelings of other employees into consideration, then it could be taken as being negative. The belief that a great manager is born with the leadership abilities means that, as a company, the development of employees are not effective and are useless in the workplace. When a company continues to fill the management position with outside applicants the employees can began to believe that there is a glass ceiling environment in place. Grooming future leaders within the organization has been known to build the morale of the employees. Conclusion
The trait leadership approach has been found to have researched many abilities that do identify a great leader. Although these are good abilities, leadership is not limited to these alone. In life it has been proven that being a leader can be learned which has been exemplified through President Obama. The president was not born a leader, but through his education and leadership experiences, he was able to achieve the ultimate leadership position. Knowing this to be true other approaches to studying leadership were developed such as the behavior approach, the power-influence approach, the situational approach, and the integrative approach.
References WordPress. com, What is the Personality Trait Approach To Leadership? , Personality Traits Essential To Leadership? , Posted September 6, 2007, Retrieved July 28, 2011, http://leadershiptheories. wordpress. com/2007/09/06/what-is-the-personality-trait-approach-to-leadership/ Yukl, Gary, Leadership in Organizations, Seventh Edition, “ Trait Approach”, Chapter 1 Introduction: The Nature of Leadership pg. 13, Copyright 2010, Retrieved July 28, 2011,
