Leadership Traits

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Much of the research in the field of leadership has focused on assessing the leadership traits of effective leaders. While effective leaders may share certain traits, leaders of all types and styles can be effective. Much of leadership is situational. Some leadership traits may be effective in one situation, but ineffective in another set of circumstances or within a different national or organizational culture. I hope my responses below prove helpful in understanding your questions.

Q1

What traits are important for leadership? Many scholars suggest emotional intelligence is critical to effective leadership. The paragraphs below include a discussion of five traits associated with high emotional intelligence. Leaders that are skilled in these areas can be extremely effective in leading organizations. As my discussion below suggests, leaders without these traits are promoted consistently. It is my personal belief that leaders with these traits are more effective. However, leaders that are lacking emotional intelligence can certainly work to develop these skills through personal growth and study, as well as, through formal development programs. I have included references that discuss emotional intelligence, including opponents of the emotional intelligence paradigm.

Goleman's (1998) paradigm bases emotional intelligence on five elements of emotional intelligence and twenty-five emotional competencies. These five elements include empathy, adroitness in handling relationships, motivation, self-regulation, and self-awareness. The twenty-five emotional competencies are strongly associated with one of the five emotional intelligence elements listed above. The bullets below offer a brief explanation of each of the five elements of emotional intelligence:

? Empathy: This skill of emotionally intelligent individuals involves being able to read and respond appropriately to others' emotions. In the work environment, empathetic leaders understand and sympathize with their peers and subordinates viewpoints and feelings. Beyond just recognizing and caring about the emotions of others, empathetic leaders are service oriented, encourage the development of others, are politically adroit, and embrace diversity (Goleman, 1998).

? Social Skills (adroitness in handling relationships): Emotionally intelligent individuals are successful at building relationships. Solid relationships with peers, subordinates, and superiors provide support within the work environment. People with this skill are collaborative and cooperative, promote a participative approach to work goals, and are team-focused (Goleman, 1998).

? Motivation: Emotionally intelligent people are driven to achieve, committed to organizational goals, promote initiative, and are optimistic. This skill also involves constantly challenging oneself and others. These individuals promote a learning environment, constantly seek to improve themselves, will sacrifice for the good of the organization, and embody the goals and values of the organization (Goleman, ...