1. Leadership Theories

2. Leadership is the ability to influence a group towards the achievement of goals.
Leadership is a continuous process of influencing and supporting others to work enthusiastically towards achieving objectives.
Leaders emerge within a group.

3. There are various notions about formation of a leader
There are various notions about formation of a leader. These are explained in form of “LEADERSHIP THEORIES”.

4. Trait theories Traits are distinguishing personal characteristics
Trait theories assume that people inherit certain qualities and traits that make them better suited to leadership
Trait theories often identify particular personality or behavioral characteristics shared by leaders. 

5. TRAIT APPROACHES TO LEADERSHIP GHISELLI
LEADERS ARE “BORN,” NOT MADE
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
APPEARANCE, HEIGHT, AGE
PERSONALITY
EXTROVERSION, PERSISTENCE, SELF-ASSURANCE, DECISIVENESS
INTELLIGENCE
KNOWLEDGE, ABILITY, JUDGMENT
SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS
TACT, DIPLOMACY, SOCIABILITY, FLUENCY
Great Man Theory: Individuals are born either with or without the necessary traits for leadership
This theory attempts to determine a list of distinctive characteristics accounting for leadership effectiveness.

6. THE BIG FIVE PERSONALITY TRAITS *** EXTROVERSION (AMBITION, ENERGY)
** CONSCIENTIOUSNESS
** OPENNESS TO EXPERIENCE
* EMOTIONAL STABILITY (SELF-CONFIDENCE) AGREEABLENESS

7. Trait theories of leadership sought personality, social, physical or intellectual traits that differentiate leaders from non leaders.
Some important traits are- ambition and energy, desire to lead, honesty and integrity, self confidence, intelligence, job related knowledge, etc.

8. Specific Traits related to leadership effectiveness
High energy level and stress tolerance
Self Confidence
Internal locus of control orientation
Emotional stability and maturity
Personal Integrity
Socialized power motivation
Moderately high achievement orientation
Low need for affiliation

9. Some relevant competencies
Some additional leadership competencies have been identified, which are desirable in recent times:
Emotional Intelligence:

10. Social Intelligence: It is defined as the ability to determine the requirements for leadership in a particular situation and select an appropriate response.
The two primary components of social intelligence are social perceptiveness and behavioral flexibility.

11. Social perceptiveness is the ability to understand the functional needs, problems and opportunities that are relevant for a group or organization.
It involves
conceptual skills and specific knowledge needed for strategic leadership,
the ability to identify the threats and opportunities
the core competencies of the organization, and the ability to formulate an appropriate response.

12. Behavioral Flexibility is the ability and willingness to vary one’s behavior to accommodate situational requirements.

13. Ability to learn: One must be able to learn from experience and adapt to change.
This competency, known as
“METACOGNITION”, involves learning how to learn, which is the ability to introspectively analyze your own cognitive processes and to find ways to improve them.
It also involves self awareness which is an understanding of your own strengths and limitations.

14. GUIDELINES FOR UNDERSTANDING AND IMPROVING RELEVANT COMPETENCIES
Maintain self awareness
Develop relevant skills
Remember that a strength can become a weakness
Compensate for weaknesses

15. SUMMARY OF TRAIT APPROACHES TO LEADERSHIP
ASSUMPTION
LEADERS ARE BORN, NOT MADE!
IMPLICATION
WE MUST BE VERY CAREFUL IN HOW WE SELECT OUR LEADERS
LIMITATIONS
IT OVERLOOKS THE NEEDS OF FOLLOWERS.
NO UNIVERSAL TRAITS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED THAT PREDICT LEADE RSHIP IN ALL SITUATIONS.
TRAITS PREDICT BEHAVIOUR IN WEAK SITUATIONS RATHER THAN IN STRONG SITUATIONS.
IT IGNORES SITUATIONAL FACTORS
CAUSE AND EFFECT ARE NOT CLEARLY DEFINED
DO SELF-CONFIDENT LEADERS CAUSE FIRMS TO BE SUCCESSFUL, OR DOES A SUCCESSFUL FIRM ALLOW A LEADER TO FEEL SELF-CONFIDENT?
TRAITS DO NOT TALK ABOUT EFFECTIVE OR INEFFECTIVE LEADERS.