TRAIT BASED PERSPECTIVES OF LEADERSHIP

INTRODUCTION TO TRAIT PERSPECTIVES OF LEADERSHIP


DEFINITION FOR TRAIT LEADER

Trait Leadership is defined as integrated patterns of personal characteristics that reflect a range of individual differences and foster consistent leader effectiveness across a variety of group and organizational situations. (Zaccaro et al., 2014)

Trait approach is the first systematic and theoretical attempt to study Leadership. In 1930s Leadership was defined considering the individual's specific, innate personality.  In Trait approach it is discussed that these specific traits helps the leaders to change the attitudes and activities of a group of people. Here the Leadership is not mere a domination but an influence. The famous saying about Leadership "Leaders are born, not made" is the main focus of trait perspectives of Leadership.Although the layman believed the leaders share inborn personality traits, the professional researchers do not believe that leaders are born.  Therefore they have taken the approaches in searches of measurable leadership traits. (Stogdill,1948)

1.  Leaders and Non Leaders

In this research, Ralph M Stogdill compared the traits of leaders who have emerged as leaders with traits of those who have not (Storner, 2011)
Here he has discussed that there are no specific inborn characteristics to distinguish leaders from followers.  But it is proven that leaders as a group are brighter, more self-motivated and more extroverted than non leaders.