What were the personality characteristics and physical and psychological attributes of people who are viewed as leaders?

Respond to Segun and Keya by providing a substantive reply to your colleagues in one or more of the following ways: Expand on the colleague’s posting with additional insight and resources. Offer polite disagreement or critique, supported with evidence. In addition, you may also respond as follows: Offer and support an opinion. Validate an idea with your own experience. Make a suggestion or comment that guides or facilitates the discussion. Support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources and the current literature. Segun RE: Discussion - Week 3 COLLAPSE Who is a leader? The earliest approach to the study of leadership sought to identify a set of traits that distinguished leaders from non-leaders. What were the personality characteristics and physical and psychological attributes of people who are viewed as leaders? Because of the problems in the measurement of personality traits at the time, different studies used different measures. By 1940, researchers concluded that the search for leadership-defining features was futile. In recent years, though, after advances in personality literature such as the development of the Big Five personality framework, researchers have had more success in identifying traits that predict leadership. Most importantly, charismatic leadership, which is among the contemporary approaches to leadership, may be viewed as an example of a trait approach (Jadhav, 2017). Dr. Martin Luther King Jr- A symbol of authentic leadership Leadership is defined as a process where a person can influence a group of individuals and steers them towards achieving a common goal. However, there is an understanding that leaders are different from one another's in some ways (Kirkpatrick & Locke, 1991). Over the years, various theories, such as Trait Theory and the Great Man theory, have been used to describe leadership behavior (Kirkpatrick & Locke, 1991; Nahavandi, 2015). History has a record of many leaders who had different capacities, styles, and traits. Some were good, and some were bad, but they all left their mark on the sands of time. The trait theory leadership model is established from the characters of most leaders, successful or unsuccessful. The theory helps to determine how various leaders are competent in carrying out their roles hence coming up with multiple numbers of traits that can enable an observer to view the success of our limitation of that leader. Among the many leaders recorded in history, the one that stands out for me or readily comes to mind when the subject of leadership comes up is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was a phenomenal leader. Some of the notable traits that he had were intelligence, self-confidence, and determination, among others ("The Traits of a Leader: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr," 2016). Essential traits of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was the leader of the African American civil rights movement in the United States. His intelligence was evident in how he was able to lead African Americans to the advancement of their civil rights without any violence. He was intelligent, influential, poised, humble, and articulate. To have a robust perceptual ability, verbal ability, and reasoning in some way makes one a better leader ("The Traits of a Leader: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr," 2016). It was proven to be right in the case of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His leadership traits made him an inspiration in his time and even now. One of the characteristics that show relatively stable relations with the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr is Intelligence. Intelligence General mental ability, which psychologists refer to as "g," and which is often called IQ in everyday language, has been related to a person's emerging as a leader within a group. Specifically, people who have high mental abilities are more likely to be viewed as leaders in their environment. We should caution, though, that intelligence is a positive but modest predictor of leadership. In addition to having a high IQ, effective leaders tend to have high emotional intelligence (EQ). People with high EQ demonstrate a high level of self-awareness, motivation, empathy, and social skills. The psychologist who coined the term emotional intelligence, Daniel Goleman, believes that IQ is a threshold quality: it matters for entry- to high-level management jobs, but once you get there, it no longer helps leaders because most leaders already have high IQ. According to Goleman, what differentiates effective leaders from ineffective ones becomes their ability to control their own emotions and understand other people's feelings, internal motivation, and social skills (Burton, 2018). It is no doubt that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's traits made him not only a great leader but also one that is transformation. He was able to provide his followers with inspirational motivation, like in the instance of the "I have a dream. With the use of symbols and emotional appeal, he captivates the interest and passion of his followers to focus their joined efforts on achieving more than they would in their self-interest ("The Traits of a Leader: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.", 2016). His strong traits as a leader were what allowed him to become a significant influence and inspirational motivation. I believe that these two factors are what supported Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's capacity as one of the most transformational leaders recorded in history ("The Traits of a Leader: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr," 2016). The strengths and limitations of the trait theory The trait theory of leadership is one of the first systemic approaches in studying leadership and its focus on discovering what innate qualities superior leaders possess. Regardless of its strategy, the trait theory still maintains that leaders are born not made (Kouzes & Posner, n.d.). It can be said that the primary strength of the trait theory is how it is built on the premise that leaders are distinctive. It is different from all other leadership theories, and it prides itself on a century of research to prove and ascertain the approach. Another strength of the Trait Theory is that it gives benchmarks for identifying leaders. One can say that the advantages of the trait theory are evident in the value the method has given to the study of leadership (Kouzes & Posner, n.d.). On the other hand, there are also flaws in the Trait Theory. A notable limitation is that the theory is leader-centric and only draws attention and focuses on the leader and not the follower or the situation (Kouzes & Posner, n.d.). The limitation of this theory is that most of its research cannot look at how certain traits influence leadership outcomes such as productivity, performance, and employee satisfaction (Kouzes & Posner, n.d.). Now, since characters are innate, it seems rather unusual or challenging to apply this theory for leadership development and training. (Northouse, 2015) The usefulness of trait theory in assessing the effectiveness of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The trait theory states that people who make excellent leaders have a combination of leadership traits. It includes motivational, self-confidence, determination, courage, boldness, and intellectual breadth and Knowledge of business, among others (Kouzes & Posner, n.d.). These traits are not only to identify successful leadership, but they are somewhat seen as preconditions that are implanted in the system, one with leadership potential. These are parts of the traits that Dr. King possessed as a leader. Strengths of trait theory Observable behaviors can be easily determined through trait theory; studying people's actions is essential in knowing their traits, which is through observations in an extended period depending on the existing situations. Hence, getting the personality trait of a person can then be determined based on issues that are managed effectively by the leader during this period. Secondly, a criterion that is objective also and used in measurement and categorization of a leader's behavior is clear evidence. Most of the trait theories are independently developed and used during the analysis of a leader's character (Nahavandi, 2015). Weaknesses of trait theory The theory does not give clear evidence on the reason why such leaders behave in a particular manner, and it only provides information on the traits that caused behaviors hence no explanation of why the characters and personality match. The theory requires observations as a way of measuring a person's behavior and making reports on the characteristics; this is very difficult because a researcher must be very keen on giving out subject descriptions towards an individual to come up with accurate assessment on a person's behavior. Otherwise, by chance, research might be bias, and inaccurate reports might be established (Collins, 2005). References Burton, N. (2018). What is intelligence? Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hide-and-seek/201811/what-is-intelligence Collins, J. (2005). Level 5 leadership: The triumph of humility and fierce resolve. Harvard Business Review, 83(7/8), 136–146. Jadhav, K. (2017). Who is a leader, and what is leadership? Retrieved from https://yourstory.com/mystory/26ce670eb5-who-is-a-leader-and-wh Kirkpatrick, S. A., & Locke, E. A. (1991). Leadership: Do traits matter? Executive, 5(2), 48-60. DOI:10.5465/AME.1991.4274679 Kouzes, J., & Posner, B. (n.d.). Lead 550 / 600 traits and behaviors. Retrieved from https://traitsandbehaviors.wordpress.com/ Nahavandi, A. (2015). The art and science of leadership (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Northouse, P. G. (2015). Leadership: Theory and practice. SAGE publications. Penn State. (2016). The traits of a leader: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Retrieved from https://sites.psu.edu/leadership/2016/10/23/the-traits-of-a-leader-dr-martin-luther-king-jr Keya RE: Discussion - Week 3 COLLAPSE Essential leadership traits In working closely with an executive leader in my organization to help drive healthcare behavioral changes for clients that we provide population health management services for I find her to be both task motivated and relationship motivated. She has great interpersonal skills as she always focuses on putting her team first. She believes in building strong working relationships internally and externally with stakeholders. She also ensures that her team receives the proper recognition when warranted. On the flip side of things, she is very detailed and action oriented and believes in getting the job done at all costs. I consider both communication and integrity to be two of her strongest leadership traits. She strives to communicate a clear plan and vision for our team related to how we represent our organization when interacting with clients. In addition, she stands on doing the right thing at the right time even if it’s not always the best course of action to take. According to Nahavandi (2015), integrity is cited as a key factor in leadership as many organizations have an increased focus on the importance of transparency and honesty. Strengths and limitations of Trait Theory According to Northouse (2013), trait theory in leadership consist of both strengths and limitations. He suggests that the following two strengths of trait theory are known to add value to leadership knowledge. He states the first strength builds on the premise that leaders are distinctive, and the second strength of trait theory provides benchmarks for identifying leaders. He also provides limitations and weaknesses associated with trait theory. He considers one limitation to be that it’s leader-centric, and only focuses on the leader not the follower or situation. Another limitation or weakness that he provides related to trait theory is that research fails to look at how specific traits influence leadership outcomes such as performance, productivity, and employee satisfaction. Usefulness of Trait Theory in assessing effective leaders In effort to assess the effectiveness of my executive leader related to the usefulness of trait theory it’s my belief that her personality traits help differentiate her from other leaders as it relates to her way of thinking and her behaviors which lead to her being successful. According to Kirkpatrick (1991), six traits on which leaders differ from non-leaders include drive, the desire to lead, honesty/integrity, self-confidence, cognitive ability and knowledge of the business. I feel that she truly possess all six of these leadership traits. Although she has many great leadership qualities and traits, I feel that one of her weakness is that sometimes she struggles with handling different situations. According to Dubrin (n.d.), different situations call for different combinations of traits when applying a trait approach. In my opinion, many leaders struggle with flexibility and adaptability when dealing with different situations and circumstances. References DuBrin, A. (n.d.). Leadership (7th ed.). Chapter Two Traits, Motives, & Characteristics of Leaders Kirkpatrick, S. A., & Locke, E. A. (1991). Leadership: Do traits matter? The Executive, 5(2), 48- 60. Accessed March 11, 2020. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4165007?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents Northouse, P. (2013). Leadership: Approach and practice, (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publishing Traits and Behaviors Blog Spot. (2014, November 11). Trait Theory: Strengths, Weaknesses, & Theorists. Retrieved from http://traitsandbehaviors.blogspot.com/2014/11/trait-theory-strengths-weaknesses.html

ANSWER. PAPER DETAILS
Academic Level	Masters
Subject Area	Nursing
Paper Type	Assignment
Number of Pages	2 Page(s)/550 words
Sources	4
Format	APA
Spacing	Double Spacing

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