Trait Based: Who Before What?

If you ask a group of people to define leadership, you're likely to get a variety of responses. Why is this? To me, I believe that leadership at its core is a complex and evolving concept shaped by personal experiences and perceptions. However, in search for understanding, various theories have emerged to help us guide our thinking, like the trait based theory.

Traits-Based Leadership Theory: The Big Idea

Trait-based leadership builds on the Great Man Theory, which suggests that some people are born with traits that naturally make them leaders.

Pros and Cons of Trait-Based Leadership

Pros:

• Clear Identification and Intuitive: Trait-based theories offer a clear framework for identifying potential leaders based on specific traits.

• Predictive: They can predict leadership success to some extent, guiding organizations in their selection and development processes.

• Self-Assessment: It provides a framework for personal development by highlighting the traits that individuals can work on.

Cons:

• Subjective: Leadership qualities often reveal themselves only when someone is put in a position to lead. This makes it difficult to prove whether these traits are inherent or simply emerge in response to specific circumstances. Without the right opportunity, someone with leadership potential may never display these traits.

• Trait Inconsistency: Not all traits are universally effective in all situations. What works in one context may not work in another, so it depends on the situation.

• Personal Drive: Just because someone has the qualities associated with leadership doesn’t mean they will step into a leadership role or perform well in one. Some people prefer to follow rather than lead, even if they possess the necessary traits.

Traits vs Behaviors? What is the Difference?

When discussing traits, others may be referring to behaviors (Sometimes I do this). To develop understanding, it is important to distinguish the two as they are often misinterpreted and used interchangeably.

Traits are characteristics that define an individual's personality.

Behaviors refer to the actions and reactions that individuals show in various situations. The two are connected because traits can influence behaviors, however, behaviors are a bit more dynamic, as they can be heavily influenced by external factors such as social norms, cultural expectations, or environment.

My Top 5 Traits in Leaders

In no particular order, here are the top 5 traits in leaders that are important to me:

1. Emotionally Aware

2. Integrity

3. Dependable

4. Learning Agility

5. Accountability

Reflection in this Time of Diversity, Inclusion, and Globalization

Today there is a heightened focus on diversity and inclusion, and the traits I listed have taken on much significance in this context. I believe that individuals who are who embody my top 5 traits are equipped to navigate the challenges of a diverse work environment.

Leaders who are able to understand their own emotions and those around them have the ability to connect with others on a deeper level. This kind of leader can divert or navigate conflicts, motivate others, and become anticipatory of the needs of their employees from different kinds of cultural and personal backgrounds..

Leaders who have strong moral values are naturally good people. It is important to be able to make decisions rooted in honesty and fairness. A person with good ethics are good at delegating and are transparent and trustworthy, which is crucial when managing teams that bring diverse perspectives to the workplace.

Leaders who are dependable will stand by their team, advocate for their team, and support their team no matter what background. These kinds of leaders show up consistently for their people and create a sense of security and trust.

Leaders who are quick learners and are open to learning are well-rounded, which can be useful when decisions need to be made strategically and in a timely manner with consideration to different cultural norms, practices, and trends.

Leaders who are accountable create a culture of responsibility, ensuring that leaders are mindful of their actions and decisions, which is essential when working with diverse teams.

Who Before What: A Personal Experience

Turning to the book Good to Great, by Jim Collins, the author shares this analogy of driving a bus. Collins emphasizes that it is not about where you drive the bus, rather, it is about who is in the bus and who is sitting in the right seat — getting the right people before you make other strategic plans.

This idea aligns closely with trait-based theories, as it highlights the significance of identifying and nurturing individuals with the right traits for leadership roles.

Reflecting on my own encounters, I have been in situations where the organization I worked for prioritized skill over leadership traits when selecting team members. And while it is great to be qualified with technical skills, not having certain traits can make a drastic impact on an organization.

At my current position at a hotel, there is an employee who stands out as highly competent in their job but lacks crucial traits. While this employee possesses emotional intelligence, they struggle to empathize with others' feelings. They lack integrity as they tend to act unethically when unsupervised, such as upselling guests without transparency or clarity on the services they are paying extra for. Their reliability is questionable with frequent absences and tardiness, often leaving colleagues in stressful situations during busy times. And although they grasp new concepts quickly, they demonstrate apathy and complacency by only working in consideration to the minimum requirements beyond the job description. Moreover, they exhibit a lack of accountability by becoming defensive when confronted with issues.

The absence of these key traits has a noticeable impact on the work environment and culture, demotivating those around them, especially me, and fostering complacency. These experiences emphasize the critical role that leadership traits play in organizational success. Choosing leaders based solely on technical skills, without considering their inherent qualities, can undermine team dynamics and hinder overall performance.

Had my company hired another associate who had all the traits listed, the workplace culture and environment would have better team dynamics and synergy, a boost in productivity and morale, a more positive work environment, and a potential future leader.

With that being said...

Leaders need to have the right stuff but this stuff is not equally present in all people. (Kirkpatrick & Locke, 1991)

Peer Review (Blogs 1 & 2)

Serenity's Blog

I enjoyed Serenity's first two blog posts. Her site layout is really organized and the photos she adds are good visual elements that kept me engaged throughout the reading. I think in my future blog posts I will start to incorporate more images throughout to spice things up.

Content wise, I thought it was interesting to read what qualities Serenity found important in a leader. I found myself nodding in agreement with many traits she elaborated on and one main thing I connected with was the fact that before, we both used manager and leader interchangeably. Since learning more about leadership theories and being in HTM in general, I have learned that both are completely different concepts that I have come to understand more in depth.

To me, Serenity's leader is someone who is proactive, compassionate, inspiring, supporting, and effective. I think these qualities in a leader are important as well. And a main idea in Serenity's blog posts that stuck with me is that leadership goes beyond managing tasks. I Completely agree. Leaders work with those around them, are personable, and guide change through different types of empowerment. On the other hand, managers work with those around them to ensure that things get done and that tasks and goals are met.

Collin's Blog

I chose to review Collin's blog because he is a colleague and a classmate who I look up to. He has lots of experience in the hospitality industry and has held leadership positions himself, so I thought it would be interesting to get a glimpse of what he believes an ideal leader is.

The blog site itself is organized and easy to follow. I really like the idea of the weekly survival update that Collin has added to his blog. I think it is a good way to be mindful and thoughtful of what you learn in class and throughout the week in general.

When reading Collin's blog post, I thought he always had an interesting approach tackling the prompt, and his voice is very strong. Collin's leadership experience is very reflective in his writing. I admire the self-awareness he has of his own shortcomings, which I am taking away after reviewing his blog. I think if I was more considerate of my own weaknesses, I could seek out more opportunities for growth to personally and professionally develop.