Trait Leadership and Behavioral Leadership Theories

1. ARE LEADERS
BORN OR MADE?

2. Born Made
BORN OR MADE?
Leadership Trait
Theory
Behavioral Theory of
Leadership

3. Leadership trait theory is the idea that people are
born with certain character traits or qualities. Since
certain traits are associated with proficient
leadership, it assumes that if you could identify
people with the correct traits, you would be able to
identify leaders and people with leadership potential.
The basic idea of leadership trait theory is that if an
individual possesses certain traits, she or he will be
a successful leader in any situation.
LEADERS ARE BORN:
LEADERSHIP TRAIT THEORY

4. Leaders are:
Honest
Inspiring
Forward-looking
Competent
Intelligent
-The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes and Posner, 1995
TOP 5 TRAITS ASSOCIATED WITH
LEADERSHIP EFFECTIVENESS

5. Most people recognize that it is possible for
someone to change their character traits over time.
Does not take situation into account. A person who
is a leader in one situation may not be a leader in
another.
Sets forth numerous characteristics that are very
general, contextual, and unmeasurable.
PROBLEMS WITH THE
LEADERSHIP TRAIT THEORY

6. Came from research out of Ohio State University in
the 1940s
A leader’s behavior is the best predictor of his
leadership influences, and as a result, is the best
determinant of his or her leadership success.
Anyone can be made a leader by teaching them the
most appropriate behavioral response for any given
situation.
LEADERS ARE MADE:
BEHAVIORAL THEORY OF LEADERSHIP

7. Leaders engage in two types of behaviors:
Initiating Structure and Consideration
BEHAVIORAL THEORY OF LEADERSHIP:
CRITICAL LEADERSHIP BEHAVIORS
Initiating Structure (Task)
•Show a concern for getting the job done
•Like to keep control
•Task-oriented leaders are concerned with
their staff motivation; however it's not
their main concern
Consideration (People)
•Show a concern for people
•Motivate people by emphasizing the
relationships
•Still focus on the task and the results; they
just achieve them through different means

8.  Autocratic leaders (High Task Orientation, Low People Orientation)
 Make decisions without consulting their teams
 Considered appropriate when decisions need to be made quickly, when
there's no need for input, and when team agreement isn't necessary for
a successful outcome
 Democratic leaders (High Task Orientation, High People Orientation)
 Allow the team to provide input before making a decision (degree of
input can vary from leader to leader)
 Important when team agreement matters, but can be difficult to manage
when there are lots of different perspectives and ideas
 Laissez-faire leaders (Low Task Orientation, Low People Orientation)
 Don't interfere; they allow people within the team
to make many of the decisions
 Works well when the team is highly capable,
motivated, and doesn't need close supervision
BEHAVIORAL THEORY OF LEADERSHIP:
THREE TYPES OF LEADERS
In the next step of this
session, you will take a
survey to determine your
preferred leadership style.

9. Certain leadership behaviors are appropriate
at different times.
The best leaders are those who can use many
different behavioral styles, and choose the
right style for each situation.
PROBLEMS WITH THE
BEHAVIORAL THEORY OF LEADERSHIP