By J. F. Benzie (LDS 374)

The study of leadership traits arose from the belief that human history is shaped by the actions of the great leaders of the past; therefore, studying their personality traits would help develop better leaders for the future.¹ Personality is the organized pattern of behavioral characteristics of the individual while a personality trait is a habitual pattern of behavior, thought, or emotion.² Trait theory assumes that the leadership phenomenon depends on the personal qualities or traits of the leader. The most common theoretical framework in the literature is the Five Factor Model (FFM) also referred to as the Big Five.^1,3-10 The FFM is a top-level broad summary of traits identified as (1) surgency or extraversion, (2) agreeableness, (3) conscientiousness, (4) neuroticism or emotional stability, and (5) intellect or openness to experience.^7,11 Results from research that relates personality traits to leadership have been inconsistent, with some reviews of the literature concluding that “the trait approach has fallen out of favor among leadership researchers.”¹ 

A different perspective on the role of leadership traits could resolve these inconsistencies and breathe new life into trait theories of leadership. Seventy-five years ago, Drake¹² identified 74 individual traits related to leadership and found a negative correlation between leadership and selfishness. Forty-six years later, Bass¹³ identified “insight into the follower’s needs” and “empathy with those needs” as two traits of effective leaders. When that empathy results in action to meet those needs, altruism is present in the relationship.¹⁴ Altruism, in this context, is defined as leader actions that are in the best interest of his or her followers. 

Perhaps the real effectiveness of the Big Five leadership traits lies in their ability to facilitate a leader’s altruistic behavior by helping him or her to (1) focus on others (extroversion and emotional stability), (2) agree that the followers’ needs are important (agreeableness), (3) be considerate of those needs (conscientiousness), and (4) be open to acting in the best interest of others (openness to experience). This would help explain the inconsistent empirical data, as not all extroverts put the needs of others ahead of their own, and not all leaders who are open to new experiences act in the best interest of their followers. The role played by leadership traits in the leadership phenomenon may be to facilitate or hamper the leader’s altruistic behavior toward his or her subordinates. 

If you have never measured your own Big Five leadership traits, numerous public domain tools are available that you can use. You can visit https://openpsychometrics.org/tests/IPIP-BFFM/ to access a sample tool that you can use to gain insight into your Big Five traits. Improving your self-awareness is a continuous process that leads to improved leadership knowledge, skills, and abilities. Understanding your own traits will help you identify which are helping you to be a more altruistic leader and which are hindering you. You can then more effectively channel your self-improvement efforts to address the leadership traits that are holding you back from being the altruistic leader your people need. 

References

1. Judge, T. A., Bono, J. E., Ilies, R., & Gerhardt, M. W. (2002). Personality and leadership: A qualitative and quantitative review. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(4), 765-780.
2. Kassin, S. (2003). Psychology. USA: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
3. Antonakis, J., Ashkanasy, N. M., & Dasborough, M. T. (2009). Does leadership need emotional intelligence? Leadership Quarterly, 20(2), 247-261. 
4. Boe, O., & Holth, T. (2015). Investigating correlations between personality traits and leadership styles in Norwegian military cadets. Procedia Economics and Finance, 26, 1173-1184.
5. Bono, J. E., & Judge, T. A. (2004). Personality and transformational and transactional leadership: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(5), 901-910.
6. Crant, J. M., & Bateman, T. S. (2000). Charismatic leadership viewed from above: the impact of proactive personality. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 21(1), 63-75. 
7. Hogan, R., Curphy, G. J., & Hogan, J. (1994). What we know about leadership—effectiveness and personality. American Psychologist, 49(6), 493-504.
8. Keller, T., & Weibler, J. (2014). Behind managers’ ambidexterity—studying personality taits, leadership, and environmental conditions associated with exploration and exploitation. Schmalenbach Business Review: ZFBF, 66(3), 309-333. 
9. Lim, B. C., & Ployhart, R. E. (2004). Transformational leadership: Relations to the five-factor model and team performance in typical and maximum contexts. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(4), 610-621. 
10. Ünsar, A. S., & Karalar, S. (2013). The effect of personality traits on leadership behaviors: A research on the students of Business Administration Department. Economic Review: Journal of Economics & Business/Ekonomska Revija: Casopis Za Ekonomiju I Biznis, 11(2), 45-56.
11. Barrick, M. R., & Mount, M. K. (1991). The Big Five personality dimensions and job performance: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 44, 1-26.
12. Drake, R. M. (1944). A study of leadership. Character and Personality, 12, 285-289.
13. Bass, B. M. (1990). Bass and Stogdill’s handbook of leadership. New York: Free Press.
14. Batson, C. D. (2011). Altruism in humans. New York: Oxford University Press.