Personality Type

Personality Traits and Leadership

Student Name: Denise Gallimore-Allen

University Affiliation:

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Personality traits and Leadership

Introduction

The field of psychology has made tremendous contributions toin the management of business organizations and human resources in the ever-increasing competitive business environment. The assessment of sound leading skills can be made by conducting some assessments ofn personality traits of leaders and managers of business organizations (Kornør & Nordvik, 2004). The psychology tests have been used extensively in determining the leadership skills of most managers. The list of leadership traits can be used to help the managers and leaders to gain greater insights into the management of the business and human resources. The current dynamics in the corporate world does not require managers who are good at maintaining the status quo. Managers have to develop leadership capacities to cope up with such changes (Kast & Rosenzweig, 1974). Therefore, this research paper will discuss the assessment of leadership skills based on leadership trait tests and questionnaire.

Results

My results are as follow; intuitive (55%), thinking (69%) and judging (64%), assertive (79%) and extroaverted (55%). These results show my current leadership traits and ability when it comes to managing other people as well as the management of the business organization. The leadership trait on intuitiveness has the lowest percentage which is a pointer toon the need for further improvements. Similarly, extraversion is another weak area characterized by the low score in the test. On the other hand, the results show my impressive abilities ion thinking process and being assertiveness and good judgment. Therefore, the results are a good indicator aboutwith regard to strengths and weakness in my leadership skills and abilities. The need for adjustments can be implemented based on the results of the trait tests on leadership.

Overall Leadership Style

My overall leadership style and implications of my leadership style for the kind of a leader I am currently or I will be in the future. The results are predictive of my current and future leadership in the management of the business and human resources. Different theoriesThere are different theories that can collaborate the findings from the leadership traits carried out. For instance, behavioral theories of leadership are categorized based on the specific behaviors displayed by a leader or a manager (Kast & Rosenzweig, 1974).

Behavioral theorists and categorization of leaders. For behavioral theorists, a leader is one of the best indicators of their influences and as a consequence is the best determinant of their leadership success (Kast & Rosenzweig, 1974). Normally, leadership is acquired as opposed to being an innate trait. In the current competitive business environment, it is imperative that leaders must also possess traits that will be helpful to them in motivating their employees or followers and lead them in new directions of meeting the organizational goals and objectives. The leaders must be able to envision the future and be able to move their team in the direction of achieving such dreams and vision for the benefits of the greater good of the organization they work for (Kornør & Nordvik, 2004).

The iImplications of the leadership trait test resultshas an impact on my leadership style. The high score on assertiveness (79%) implies that I am an assertive leader who canis able to articulate her views on different approaches required in the management of people and other important business resources. Additionally, assertiveness means to the ability to get others to follow my directives as their leader (Kornør & Nordvik, 2004). This leadership is critical especially when there is a need to complete a turnaround, especially in the management crisis. On the other hand, the high scores on judging (64%) and thinking (69%) show that my leadership is characterized by critical thinking when making tough decisions which affect the operation and management of the business organization and other human resources. Critical thinking is necessary for preventing incidences of implementation errors, especially when introducing new organizational culture aimed at changing the face of the company in the sight of the public. In this regard, the leadership trait of critical thinking is vital in preventing the business from incurring losses as a result of poor decision-making by the managers and leaders in the company (Kast & Rosenzweig, 1974).

Conversely, aboutwith regard to intuitiveness and extraversion, there are still some shortcomings in my leadership skills that lay great emphasis on critical thinking and assertiveness. The test scores on these two important leadership traits indicate the area in my leadership that may need some adjustments to meet leadership demands of the 21st century. The test scores; intuitiveness (55%) and extroaverted (55%) are not impressive enough (Kast & Rosenzweig, 1974). The need for leaders to use trust their guts and value their inner values is important in the modern corporate world. The rapid changes in the current business environment aboutwith regard to the flow of information makes it difficult for business leaders to know everything. In other words, leaders must learn to trust their inner value and use self-intuition when making a tough decision. Relaying on the reasoning process and following logic can sometimes be misleading and can lead to implementation errors especially when there is a need to introduce some key changes in the management (Kornør & Nordvik, 2004).

Strengths and Weakness

My strengths and weaknesses and impact of each of the people who report to me have a great impact on the success of the business organization. For instance, being overly assertive can be detrimental to the people who report to me as it discourages them from being innovative and creative. In this case, my leadership skills of being overly assertive can lead to reduced productivity among the people I lead. On the other, assertiveness is important in reducing goal-blindness among the employees and drive the change initiative aimed at overhauling current operation crisis in the business organization. This is where leadership trait of being assertive becomes an asset to the company (Kast & Rosenzweig, 1974).

The impact of judging and thinking as leadership traits. Critical thinking and judgment are critical in the management of people and in making tough decisions. Critical thinking may entail looking at different situation and options critically before venturing into the decision-making process. Sound judgment goes hand in hand with critical thinking. Therefore, these are some of the sources of strength in my leadership style (Kast & Rosenzweig, 1974).

Results and Personal Reflection

My leadership and the findings from the trait test scores. From the leadership trait test scores, I was able to learn numerous things as far as my leadership strengths and weaknesses are concerned. For stance, I did not expect to score highly on the thinking and judging aspects of leadership traits. This shows that my ability as a leader to lead others effectively is mainly anchored on my ability to think critically and make a prudent judgment in the process of decision-making. However, these test scores have acted as a pointer in the shortcoming with my present leadership traits. Being overly assertive can be disadvantageous, especially to a leader in different ways. Using the people-centered leadership approach, leaders Leaders should focus on ensuring their inner needs and values are replicated among the employees they lead, using the people-centered leadership approach. ConsequentlyTherefore, the main goals and objective of a leader are to motivate their employees through emphasizing the need for creativity and innovativeness. Therefore, the best approach to leadership should seek to motivate and incorporate the inputs of the employee in the management processes (Kast & Rosenzweig, 1974).

Conclusion

Therefore, it is imperative to note that assessment of leadership traits is an important leadership tool that can permit leaders to assess their leadership styles and make necessary adjustments. Management of people and business organizations may require certain leadership traits that are critical ingredients in effective leadership. The competitive nature of the current corporate environment makes it necessary for leaders to develop different leadership approach rather than maintaining the status quo. Encouraging the participation of employees in the management is an enabling factor towards the attainment of effective leadership among corporate leaders. Thus, through assessment of leadership traits, the leaders canare able to address weaknesses in the management styles as well as reinforcing areas of great strengths.

References

Kast, E. F., & Rosenzweig, E. J. (1974). Organization and management: A systems approach. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Kornør, H., & Nordvik, H. (2004). Personality traits in leadership behavior. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 45(1), 49-54.