This essay sheds light on why the trait theory approach to leadership is deemed illogical, identifies the limitations to the trait theory approach to leadership, and elucidates how the trait model of leadership can predict leadership effectiveness. Additionally issues that arise from determining leadership potential based on the trait theory approach to leadership and how leaders are developed from a young age are delineated in this essay. "The essence of the philosophy appertaining to the the trait theory approach to leadership states that leaders are born and are not made. The traits approach gives rise to questions: whether leaders are born or made; and whether leadership is an art or science. Leadership may be something of an art; it still requires the application of special skills and techniques. Even if there are certain inborn qualities that make one a good leader, these natural talents need encouragement and development" ("Trait theory of,"). An individual is not born with all leadership qualities, such as "self-confidence. Self-confidence is developed, honesty and integrity are also a matter of personal choice, motivation to lead comes from within the individual, and the knowledge of business can be acquired. While cognitive ability has its origin partly in genes, it still needs to be developed" ("Trait theory of,") and cultivated overtime. It is arguably eminently illogical to believe that leaders are born and not profusely developed overtime since leadership traits, leadership skill sets, and leadership qualities are not acquired overnight from conception. Some of the ample limitations subsumed under the trait theory approach to leadership encompass "subjective judgment in determining who is regarded as a 'good' or 'successful' leader, the broad list of possible leadership traits tends to be extremely long at over more than 100 different traits which can be generalities, disagreement over which traits are the most important for an effective leader, the complexity of the theory, and the model attempts to relate physical traits such as, height and weight, to effective leadership" ("Trait theory of,"). In regards to its application, "the trait model of leadership is based on the characteristics of many leaders - both successful and unsuccessful - and is used to predict leadership effectiveness. The resulting lists of traits are then compared to those of potential leaders to assess their likelihood of success or failure" ("Trait theory of,"). Ample issues that arise from determining a potential leader based off the trait approach to leadership, such as choosing a leader based off age and physical characteristics, that do not denote how prepared a leader candidate is to efficaciously handle a leadership role in an organizational setting. Ultimately, one can conclude that leaders are created overtime by witnessing valuable leadership related experiences and by gaining leadership knowledge instead of automatically being born a leader.

From an historical perspective, the trait approach represents an important advance in the study of leadership. It was one of the first efforts to apply rigorous research methods to the study of leadership. The trait approach was also an early attempt to answer the question of whether leaders are born or made. Based on their studies, trait researchers began to understand that even if dispositional characteristics exist that can make one an effective leader, there are many important leadership attributes that can be developed. The emergence of the five-factor model of personality was an important advance in the creation of an organizing framework for the traits thought to be important for effective leadership. Through the factor analysis of personality assessments, researchers found that personality traits can be grouped into five factors: Emotional Stability, Extraversion, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. Research has found that four of these factors individually (i.e., Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, and Openness) are positively related to leadership. The five factors in combination have been found to be predictors of leadership emergence and effectiveness. Because correlations between the five personality factors and leadership are typically found to be low to moderate, however, there are still questions about the true effects of personality on leadership.

Completely revised and updated I not only enjoyed it...I found myself constantly nodding and saying to myself, 'That's right! That's how it's done! That's what it feels like!' You certainly captured the essence of what I've found is at the heart of transforming leadership. -- Robert D. Haas, chairman and CEO, Levi Strauss & Co. The leadership book that outshines them all, updated for today's new business realities. With an expanded research base of 60,000 leaders, this second edition captures the continuing interest in leadership as a critical aspect of human organizations. It offers a broader scope of leaders in every industry and walk of life, including the education and nonprofit fields, and examines the era's hottest issues -- the new cynicism, the electronic global village, evolving employee-employer relationships -- in keeping pace with our ever-changing world. The classic five-point guide to better leadership, however, remains as useful as ever.

Seminar paper from the year 2021 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: 1,3, University of Applied Sciences Düsseldorf, course: Intercultural Management and Leadership, language: English, abstract: This paper focusses on the trait approach on leadership, whereby this theory concentrates on the personal traits of leaders. The trait theory was one of the first ones to study leadership. Different developments within the past and present, as well as a future outlook are explained and analysed. The approach developed from the assumption that great leaders are born to the hypothesis that great leaders can be made when there is a need for that. Successful leadership is extended to an interaction between the traits of a leader and the situation itself. Today’s relevant aspects of the theory are the Big Five, Emotional Intelligence and Skills Leadership. In this light, this paper investigates future developments of leadership, focussing on charismatic and visionary leadership. Then, it presents an evaluation of the trait approach, its strengths and weaknesses and the importance of leadership traits for the future.

Essay from the year 2015 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: 75, University of South Florida (Post Graduate School), course: Health Care and Public Administration, language: English, abstract: In the field of business and management sciences leadership is one of the enticing topic that has been studies and debated over and over. Well, the definition itself has been researched for so long which is evident by number of leadership definitions and theories of leadership that are presented by numerous research scholars. One of the definition of leadership is to be attributed to (Bavelas, 1969) who defined leadership as process and leadership is a personal attribute. This statements presents meaning that leadership is process of influencing, motivating or something more than that and such a skill is a personal attribute. According to (Bass, 1990), Leadership or a leader is the center of the group change and activity and embodies the will of the group. The author’s perspective on leadership was on the basis that leadership is about focus of group processes.

Leadership is a daunting subject for most developing leaders, but eventually all followers will be called upon to lead. Where do we start? What model or theory do we utilize? The choices become overwhelming for anyone attempting online searches. Everywhere you look are leadership books, programs, degrees, workshops, seminars, boot camps, and even mobile apps! Many organizations at Air University are utilizing the full range of leadership approach. Initially introduced by James MacGregor Burns in 1978 and Bernard Bass in1985, these transformational and transactional leadership styles have sustained nearly four decades. Through (1) idealized transformational leader behaviors, one may raise the levels of his or her ethical and moral values while committing to "doing the right thing" for himself or herself and his or her followers: (2) by using inspirational motivation, leaders learn to articulate a vision to energize followers to accomplish more than they ever thought possible; (3) by intellectually stimulating followers, leaders will challenge followers to create and innovate as they reframe problems with renewed visions; and by providing individualized consideration, leaders may learn to incorporate each member's distinct gifts and talents as individual contributors to the organizational team. These transformational behaviors can offer connections to reaching (4) authentic transformational leadership by incorporating not only ethics and values but also, according to John Sosik, virtues and character strengths to refine one's leadership acumen, ameliorating leader-follower dynamics

Managing Workplace Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion bridges the gap between social science theory and research and the practical concerns of those working in diversity, equity, and inclusion by presenting an applied psychological perspective. Using foundational ideas in the field of diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as concepts in the social sciences, this book provides a set of cognitive tools for dealing with situations related to workplace diversity and applies both classic theories and new ideas to topics such as United States employment law, teamwork, gender, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, and other areas. Each chapter includes engaging scenarios and real-world applications to stimulate learning and help students conceptualize and contextualize diversity in the workplace. Intended for upper-level undergraduates as well as graduate students, this textbook brings together foundational theories with research-based and practical, real-world applications to build a strong understanding of managing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. This text also has its own companion website, which has been designed to give students and instructors a comprehensive look into Workplace Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, offering case studies, practical applications, tests, and essay questions.