Experiential Leadership Exercise #5

Leadership Skills and Traits

One reason any person can improve his or her leadership effectiveness is that part of leadership involves skills, and skills can be practiced and developed.  A further advantage of looking at leadership skills is that most people are less defensive about deficits in skills (which can be improved) that about suggested deficits in, say, personality.  As a scholar of leadership, it is important for you to know that certain skills do contribute to leadership effectiveness and these leadership skills can be learned.

Your Tasks:

1. Based on your readings and experiences, identify and fully describe the basic and advanced skills that contribute to leadership effectiveness.  In addition, describe which leadership skills are most important at lower, middle and higher levels of management.  Fully support your response.
2. Based on your readings and experiences, identify and fully describe the traits that predict effective leadership and the traits that derail effective leadership.  Fully support your response.