Based on the trait approach to leadership, briefly describe the traits that distinguish effective leaders from others.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

According to the trait approach to leadership, some personality characteristics-many of which a person need not be born with but can strive to acquire-do distinguish effective leaders from other people:

•    Drive: Drive refers to a set of characteristics that reflect a high level of effort, including high need for achievement, constant striving for improvement, ambition, energy, tenacity (persistence in the face of obstacles), and initiative.
•    Leadership motivation: Great leaders want to lead. So it helps to be extraverted-extraversion relates to leadership emergence and leadership effectiveness.
•    Integrity: Integrity is the correspondence between actions and words. Honesty and credibility, in addition to being desirable characteristics in their own right, are especially important for leaders because these traits inspire trust in others.
•    Self-confidence: Self-confidence is important because the leadership role is challenging, and setbacks are inevitable. A self-confident leader overcomes obstacles, makes decisions despite uncertainty, and instills confidence in others.
•    Knowledge of the business: Effective leaders have a high level of knowledge about their industries, companies, and technical matters. Leaders must have the intelligence to interpret vast quantities of information.