LEADERSHIP TRAITS & SKILLS APAMSA Leadership Development Module

LEADERSHIP TRAITS & SKILLSAPAMSA Leadership Development Module

Leadership Traits & Skills

adaptable ambitious assertive cooperative decisive dependable persistent responsible self-confident stress tolerant

intelligent knowledgeable conceptually skilled creative diplomatic tactful fluent in speaking organized persuasive sociable

Leader Traits Leader Skills

Source: R.M. Stodill, Handbook of Leadership: A Survey of the Literature (New York: Free Press, 1974)

Leadership Development


Review the effective leadership traits & skills discussed separately in this module

Identify the 2 trait(s) and 2 skill(s) viewed as your strengths

Identify the 2 trait(s) and 2 skill(s) viewed as your weaknesses

Leadership Challenge (2)


High energy level & stress tolerance Self-confidence Internal locus of control Emotional stability & maturity Personal integrity Socialized power motivation Moderately high achievement orientation Moderately low need for affiliation

Effective Leadership Traits

Source: G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 189-210)


High Energy Level & Stress Tolerance

Ability to cope with a hectic schedule, unrelenting pressure, and difficult situations

Composed and calm under stress, problem-focused, confident and decisive

Strength Weakness




Self-Confidence

Ability to influence others, take initiative and be persistent, optimistic, and decisive in a crisis

Attempts difficult tasks, action-oriented, sets challenging goals and high expectations

Strength Weakness




Internal Locus of Control

Ability to take responsibility for own actions and learn from own mistakes

Future-oriented, proactive, believes events are determined by our actions and not by chance

Strength Weakness




Emotional Stability & Maturity

Ability to care about other people, control own emotions, take criticism constructively

Aware of own strengths/weaknesses, focused on self-improvement, keeps high moral standards

Strength Weakness




Personal Integrity

Ability to be consistently honest, ethical, trustworthy, and loyal to followers

Keeps promises and confidential information, sets an example with own behavior

Strength Weakness




Socialized Power Motivation

Ability to participate, coach, and exercise power for the benefit of others

Power used to build up the organization and create team pride

Strength Weakness




Moderately High Achievement Orientation

Ability to set challenging but realistic goals, organize tasks, perform efficiently, and take specific action plans

Desires to excel and succeed, task-oriented, solves problems, emphasizes performance

Strength Weakness




Moderately Low Need For Affiliation

Ability to make unpopular decisions, rewards for effective performance and not for approval

Work-focused, avoids favoritism, addresses genuine differences vs. avoiding confrontation

Strength Weakness




Technical skills Interpersonal skills Conceptual skills Emotional intelligence Social intelligence Systems thinking Ability to learn

Effective Leadership Skills


Leadership Skills

Technical Skills

Knowledgeable about methods, processes, techniques, and equipment

Knowledgeable about the organization and its products or services

Requires good memory, orientation to details, rapid learning of technical material

Strength Weakness



Leadership Skills

Conceptual Skills

Good judgment, foresight, intuition, creativity, and ability to find meaning in the face of ambiguity

Requires analytical ability, logical thinking, concept formation, inductive and deductive reasoning

Strength Weakness



Leadership Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Knowledgeable about human behavior, feelings, attitudes, and motives of others

Ability to communicate clearly and persuasively

Requires empathy, social insight, charm, tact and diplomacy

Strength Weakness



Leadership Skills

Emotional Intelligence

Attuned to own feelings and feelings of others

Emotions cognitively managed and used to facilitate reasoning

Requires emotional maturity, self-awareness, self-regulation

Strength Weakness



Leadership Skills

Social Intelligence

Ability to identify social requirements for a particular situation and select an appropriate response

Knowledgeable about organizational culture and power relationships

Requires social perceptiveness and behavioral flexibility

Strength Weakness



Leadership Skills

Systems Thinking

Understands that a change in one part of the organization will affect other parts as well

Appropriate reaction to anticipated consequences can counteract these effects

Requires awareness of how different parts of the organization are interrelated

Strength Weakness



Leadership Skills

Ability To Learn

Ability to learn from experience and adapt to change

Flexible enough to learn from mistakes, change assumptions and beliefs, and refine their mental models

Requires self-awareness, open-mindedness, curiosity, and routine feedback about strengths & weaknesses

Strength Weakness





Certain traits & skills are positively related to effective leadership

Identify your strengths and weaknesses to better manage your leadership role

Aim to build upon your strengths and correct or compensate for your weaknesses

Summary


Leadership Roles

Our next module reviews the key roles that leaders are expected to hold

Next Topic…


G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 189-210

Free Management Library www.managementhelp.org/ldrship/

ldrship.htm

Sources

Documents

LEADERSHIP TRAITS & SKILLS APAMSA Leadership Development Module